54
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
6
Direct injuries
$9.2M
Property damage
Tornado in Runnels County, Texas: 54 recorded events between 1954 and 2024. The strongest on record measured F3. That places the county #323 nationally and #65 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in Runnels County, Texas: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in Runnels County is the 1970s, when 15 of the county's 54 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 Runnels County archive, tornado makes up 10.4% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #323 for this hazard and #65 within Texas, putting it in the 89.0 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
May is the peak month for tornado in Runnels County with 20 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-05-18 | EF3 | 18.0 mi | 1,760 yd | Crossed in |
| 2019-05-18 | EF3 | 5.8 mi | 1,760 yd | Touched down here |
| 1982-03-14 | EF3 | 40.5 mi | 173 yd | Touched down here |
| 1979-04-10 | EF3 | 25.0 mi | 880 yd | Touched down here |
| 1976-04-15 | EF3 | 9.9 mi | 10 yd | Touched down here |
| 2024-05-02 | EF2 | 4.5 mi | 390 yd | Touched down here |
| 1982-03-14 | EF2 | 10.0 mi | 150 yd | Touched down here |
| 1982-06-19 | EF2 | 10.0 mi | 100 yd | Touched down here |
| 1979-04-10 | EF2 | 9.6 mi | 100 yd | Touched down here |
| 1976-04-15 | EF2 | 0.1 mi | 10 yd | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 14, 1982 | F3 | 0 | 4 | $2.5M | |
| May 12, 1965 | F2 | 0 | 1 | $3K | |
| Apr 29, 1954 | F1 | 0 | 1 | $0 |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 8, 2024 | BENOIT | EFU | $0 |
| May 2, 2024 | BALLINGER | EF2 | $0 |
| May 18, 2019 | CREWS | EF3 | $0 |
| May 18, 2019 | MILES | EF3 | $6.0M |
| May 19, 2017 | WINTERS MUNI ARPT | EFU | $0 |
| Apr 24, 2015 | OKEEN | EF1 | $0 |
| May 30, 2012 | BALLINGER BRUCE ARPT | EF0 | $0 |
| May 2, 2007 | MAVERICK | EF0 | $8K |
| May 1, 2007 | BALLINGER BRUCE ARPT | EF0 | $25K |
| May 25, 2002 | BENOIT | F0 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Runnels County
- Hail 300
- Thunderstorm Wind 127
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
This long track EF-3 Tornado damaged or destroyed several homes and outbuildings. |It snapped tree trunks and even swept one home completely off its foundation. The tornado wrapped a woman in carpet and threw her for 150 feet. Thankfully, she survived with minimal injuries. This tornado was multi-vortex at times as it also remained mostly in rural areas. It even lodged a steel C-Purlin into a branch of a Mesquite tree at the Ballinger Country Club. This tornado destroyed the Ballinger High school Baseball field and threw a steel axle into the water tower and punctured it, causing all of the water to drain. This tornado affected 30 homes and destroyed six homes.
This tornado started near highway 67 southwest of Ballinger and moved to the east southeast. The tornado lifted just to the southe of Bruce Field airport. Damage was limited to mainly tin roofs and trees. However a tractor trailer was overturned and two hangers at the airport were damaged as well. The tornado also killed some livestock as well.
Severe storms occurred in and near the Concho Valley. Spotters and local sheriff's offices reported many hail reports, though little damage was reported. A short-lived tornado was reported near Ballinger by the public and the Department of Public Safety. It ripped the roof off of a storage building.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in Runnels County, Texas?
54 tornado events are recorded in Runnels County between 1954 and 2024, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in Runnels County?
The strongest tornado on record in Runnels County measured F3.
Where does the tornado data for Runnels 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 Runnels County, Texas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/texas/runnels-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.