110
Recorded events
8
Direct deaths
1
Direct injuries
$15.3M
Property damage
Thunderstorm Wind in Polk County, Texas: 110 recorded events between 1961 and 2026. The strongest on record measured 117. That places the county #2,083 nationally and #127 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Thunderstorm Wind in Polk County, Texas: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for thunderstorm wind in Polk County is the 1990s, when 29 of the county's 110 recorded events were logged. Comparing decades is useful for spotting active periods, but the earliest years are thin because systematic reporting for this hazard began later.
Within the Polk County archive, thunderstorm wind makes up 34.7% of all recorded severe weather across 6 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #2,083 for this hazard and #127 within Texas, putting it in the 33.7 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
May is the peak month for thunderstorm wind in Polk County with 20 recorded events, while Dec is the quietest. Seasonality here is a property of the archive as much as the climate: reports cluster where population and spotter networks are densest.
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 17, 1986 | 80 | 5 | 0 | $0 | |
| May 17, 1986 | 65 | 3 | 0 | $0 | |
| Nov 6, 2000 | DALLARDSVILLE | 0 | 0 | 1 | $15K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 15, 2026 | LAKE LIVINGSTON DAM | 52 | $0 |
| Jun 12, 2025 | NEW HOPE | 56 | $35K |
| May 31, 2024 | LIVINGSTON | 53 | $0 |
| May 31, 2024 | CORRIGAN | 53 | $0 |
| May 28, 2024 | LIVINGSTON | 52 | $0 |
| May 16, 2024 | LIVINGSTON MUNI ARPT | 50 | $0 |
| May 2, 2024 | ACE | 52 | $0 |
| Jun 11, 2023 | LIVINGSTON MUNI ARPT | 52 | $0 |
| Apr 27, 2023 | SEVEN OAKS | 57 | $0 |
| Apr 27, 2023 | CORRIGAN | 57 | $50K |
Other hazards here
More from Polk County
- Hail 121
- Flash Flood 45
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Straight line wind damage across the entire county from west to east. Lake Livingston Dam measured 134 mph wind gusts before their equipment blew away. The hardest hit are was from the Tobacco Patch community to the west of the Livingston area, though major damage occurred across the majority of the county. Numerous trees/powerpoles down, 18 homes completely destroyed, 172 with major damage, 180 with moderate to minor damage. Timber industry took a large loss due to the number of downed trees. Governor George Bush Jr. declared Polk County a disaster area on 3/11/98.
Emergency manager reported that 7 homes west of Goodrich were damaged by wind and hail. Most of these homes were located along FM 2969. Windows were knocked out, with some roof damage present. One mobile home had damaged siding. Wind speeds were estimated at 65 mph.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many thunderstorm wind events are on record in Polk County, Texas?
110 thunderstorm wind events are recorded in Polk County between 1961 and 2026, causing 8 direct deaths.
What is the strongest thunderstorm wind recorded in Polk County?
The strongest thunderstorm wind on record in Polk County measured 117.
Where does the thunderstorm wind data for Polk County come from?
All events come from the NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database, the federal public-domain archive of severe weather reports. Dates are UTC, damage is as reported and not inflation-adjusted, and the most recent entries may still be revised.
Cite this page
“Thunderstorm Wind in Polk County, Texas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/texas/polk-county/thunderstorm-wind/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.