45
Recorded events
3
Direct deaths
67
Direct injuries
$5.6M
Property damage
Tornado in Shelby County, Texas: 45 recorded events between 1950 and 2026. The strongest on record measured F3. That places the county #479 nationally and #84 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in Shelby County, Texas: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in Shelby County is the 2020s, when 9 of the county's 45 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 Shelby County archive, tornado makes up 9.1% of all recorded severe weather across 7 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #479 for this hazard and #84 within Texas, putting it in the 83.2 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Apr is the peak month for tornado in Shelby County with 13 recorded events, while Aug 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950-02-12 | EF3 | 1.9 mi | 50 yd | Touched down here |
| 1961-03-27 | EF3 | 13.8 mi | 200 yd | Crossed in |
| 1987-11-15 | EF3 | 48.0 mi | 500 yd | Touched down here |
| 1974-03-20 | EF3 | 85.2 mi | 200 yd | Crossed in |
| 1999-04-03 | EF3 | 5.4 mi | 150 yd | Touched down here |
| 1974-03-20 | EF3 | 44.7 mi | 77 yd | Crossed in |
| 1965-02-11 | EF3 | 42.7 mi | 200 yd | Crossed in |
| 2017-05-11 | EF2 | 4.6 mi | 800 yd | Crossed in |
| 2009-12-23 | EF2 | 10.1 mi | 200 yd | Touched down here |
| 1999-03-02 | EF2 | 5.5 mi | 150 yd | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 12, 1950 | F3 | 3 | 15 | $250K | |
| Feb 12, 1950 | F1 | 0 | 32 | $250K | |
| Nov 16, 1987 | F3 | 0 | 15 | $2.5M | |
| Jan 21, 1973 | F2 | 0 | 3 | $250K | |
| Jan 11, 2020 | CENTER | EF1 | 0 | 1 | $500K |
| Aug 12, 1980 | F1 | 0 | 1 | $25K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 14, 2026 | JAMES | EF1 | $25K |
| Mar 28, 2025 | HURSTOWN | EF1 | $0 |
| Jul 8, 2024 | HANSON | EF1 | $0 |
| Jul 8, 2024 | EAST HAMILTON | EF1 | $30K |
| Jul 8, 2024 | SHELBYVILLE | EF1 | $300K |
| Jul 8, 2024 | TIMPSON | EF1 | $200K |
| Jul 8, 2024 | PAULS STORE | EF1 | $0 |
| Apr 12, 2020 | TIMPSON | EF1 | $0 |
| Jan 11, 2020 | CENTER | EF1 | $500K |
| May 2, 2019 | PAULS STORE | EF1 | $10K |
Other hazards here
More from Shelby County
- Thunderstorm Wind 223
- Hail 167
- Flash Flood 49
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Several homes and metal outbuildings were damaged closer to the Timpson, Texas area. A travel trailer and barn was completely destroyed. Numerous trees snapped along the path as well. This tornado continued into southern Panola County, Texas.
An EF-1 tornado with estimated maximum winds near 110 mph touched down in the town of Timpson, where a business lost nearly half of its roof, and a nearby recreational vehicle was also destroyed. City Hall also sustained damage, and two cars were thrown near the intersection of Highway 59 and 84. Numerous hardwood and softwood trees were also snapped in town, before tracking northwest while remaining just north of Highway 84. Several trees were snapped here, before the tornado lifted just after crossing FM 1970 just north of CR 4843.
This is a continuation of the extreme Northeast Sabine County tornado. This tornado, with estimated maximum winds near 110 mph, moved over the western shoreline of Toledo Bend Reservoir near the East Hamilton community, where a boat ramp and a home were damaged along FM 2261 and CR 2844. Numerous trees were snapped and uprooted, blocking the roadways. The tornado then tracked well east of CR 2799 through some private roads that were inaccessible. Drone footage from a local oil/gas worker confirmed that the tornado remained on the ground through this area, as a swath of snapped and uprooted trees continued. Additional tree damage was found along FS Road 148 and FS 135, where a small camp also suffered significant damage to some of the smaller buildings. The tornado then crossed FS Road 141 near CR 2014, where multiple large trees were downed, blocking the road along FS Road 141, before lifting just to the north.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in Shelby County, Texas?
45 tornado events are recorded in Shelby County between 1950 and 2026, causing 3 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in Shelby County?
The strongest tornado on record in Shelby County measured F3.
Where does the tornado data for Shelby 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 Shelby County, Texas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/texas/shelby-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.