40
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
6
Direct injuries
$5.4M
Property damage
Tornado in Potter County, Texas: 40 recorded events between 1951 and 2023. The strongest on record measured F3. That places the county #620 nationally and #106 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in Potter County, Texas: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in Potter County is the 1980s, when 9 of the county's 40 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 Potter County archive, tornado makes up 2.7% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #620 for this hazard and #106 within Texas, putting it in the 78.6 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jun is the peak month for tornado in Potter County with 15 recorded events, while Jan 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.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
| Date | Scale | Path length | Max width | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992-06-27 | EF4 | 20.0 mi | 1,583 yd | Crossed in |
| 1982-05-09 | EF3 | 8.2 mi | 40 yd | Crossed in |
| 2016-06-13 | EF2 | 5.0 mi | 100 yd | Touched down here |
| 1988-09-14 | EF2 | 0.7 mi | 173 yd | Touched down here |
| 1973-03-23 | EF2 | 2.0 mi | 50 yd | Touched down here |
| 1972-06-21 | EF2 | 4.1 mi | 100 yd | Touched down here |
| 1969-05-02 | EF2 | 0.1 mi | 50 yd | Touched down here |
| 1965-05-04 | EF2 | 1.0 mi | 20 yd | Touched down here |
| 1962-06-24 | EF2 | 1.5 mi | 27 yd | Touched down here |
| 1992-06-27 | EF1 | 2.0 mi | 57 yd | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 22, 1972 | F2 | 0 | 5 | $2.5M | |
| May 10, 1982 | F3 | 0 | 1 | $2.5M |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 4, 2023 | AMARILLO | EF0 | $0 |
| May 27, 2019 | VALLE DE ORO | EF0 | $0 |
| Aug 14, 2017 | (AMA)AMARILLO INTL A | EF0 | $0 |
| Jun 14, 2016 | (AMA)AMARILLO INTL A | EF1 | $0 |
| Nov 17, 2015 | (AMA)AMARILLO INTL A | EF0 | $0 |
| Apr 11, 2015 | (AMA)AMARILLO INTL A | EF0 | $0 |
| Apr 21, 2010 | BUSHLAND | EF0 | $0 |
| Jun 22, 2004 | BUSHLAND | F0 | $0 |
| Jun 22, 2004 | BUSHLAND | F0 | $0 |
| Sep 19, 2001 | AMARILLO | F0 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Potter County
- Hail 879
- Thunderstorm Wind 464
- Flash Flood 78
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The tornado…which began in Randall county…touched down three or four times during its lifetime for only a few seconds each time as it moved across the eastern sections of Amarillo. The tornado caused minor damage at a water park and also a grain elevator in northern Potter county before dissipating. The tornado path width and length was estimated.
Severe reliable storm chaser pictures and videos indicate a very weak and brief tornado touched down in far northwestern Potter County, just west of Highway 136. This section of Potter County is rural and no damage was reported.
A tornado survey was conducted on this tornado which occurred at 1804 CST three miles west of Bushland and just south of Interstate 40. The tornado remained over open country and no damage or injuries were reported directly from the tornado. The tornado was on the ground for approximately one mile with a maximum width of fifty yards. The tornado dissipated at approximately 1809 CST about two miles west northwest of Bushland.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in Potter County, Texas?
40 tornado events are recorded in Potter County between 1951 and 2023, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in Potter County?
The strongest tornado on record in Potter County measured F3.
Where does the tornado data for Potter 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
“Tornado in Potter County, Texas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/texas/potter-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.