Severe Weather History


Hazard archive · 1950 — present

Tornado in Bell County, Texas

72

Recorded events

3

Direct deaths

74

Direct injuries

$13.8M

Property damage

Tornado in Bell County, Texas: 72 recorded events between 1955 and 2024. The strongest on record measured F3. That places the county #151 nationally and #23 statewide for this hazard.

Decade by decade

Tornado in Bell County, Texas: events per decade

Tornado in Bell County, Texas: recorded events per decade
Tornado in Bell County, Texas: recorded events per decade

Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.

The busiest decade for tornado in Bell County is the 1990s, when 14 of the county's 72 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 Bell County archive, tornado makes up 7.5% of all recorded severe weather across 7 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #151 for this hazard and #23 within Texas, putting it in the 95.0 percentile of all U.S. counties.

Seasonality

Events by month

2Jan
1Feb
11Mar
13Apr
31May
0Jun
0Jul
7Aug
2Sep
2Oct
3Nov
0Dec

May is the peak month for tornado in Bell County with 31 recorded events, while Jun 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

DateScalePath lengthMax widthOrigin
1976-05-26EF32.0 mi100 ydTouched down here
2022-04-12EF316.6 mi770 ydCrossed in
1997-05-27EF33.7 mi150 ydCrossed in
1997-05-27EF31.4 mi273 ydTouched down here
1990-03-14EF39.0 mi50 ydTouched down here
1955-05-06EF210.1 mi33 ydTouched down here
2024-05-22EF22.8 mi420 ydTouched down here
2022-03-21EF234.6 mi600 ydCrossed in
1997-05-27EF22.0 mi200 ydTouched down here
1996-04-12EF21.0 mi250 ydTouched down here
Source: NOAA SPC SVRGIS tornado tracks · path geometry intersected with county boundaries

Significant events

Deadliest on record

DateLocationScaleDeathsInjuriesDamage
May 27, 1976F327$2.5M
May 7, 1955F211$250K
May 22, 2024(TPL)TEMPLE MUNI ARPEF2030$5.0M
Apr 12, 2022YOUNGSPORTEF3023$0
Jan 25, 1989F103$250K
Apr 29, 1963F203$25K
Apr 28, 2023HOOD AFBEF102$2.0M
Nov 13, 1981F102$25K
Source: NOAA/NCEI Storm Events · dates UTC

Most recent

Latest recorded events

DateLocationMagnitudeDamage
May 23, 2024MIDWAYEFU$0
May 22, 2024HEIDENHEIMEREF1$550K
May 22, 2024(TPL)TEMPLE MUNI ARPEF2$5.0M
Apr 28, 2023HOOD AFBEF1$2.0M
Apr 13, 2022SEATONEF0$0
Apr 12, 2022YOUNGSPORTEF3$0
Mar 21, 2022BARTLETTEF1$2K
Mar 21, 2022PRAIRIE DELLEF0$0
May 16, 2021PENDLETONEF0$50K
Apr 25, 2008HOLLANDEF0$0
Source: NOAA/NCEI Storm Events · dates UTC · recent entries may be preliminary

Other hazards here

More from Bell County

County overview →

From the record

What the reports say

Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain

Quick answers

Frequently asked

How many tornado events are on record in Bell County, Texas?

72 tornado events are recorded in Bell County between 1955 and 2024, causing 3 direct deaths.

What is the strongest tornado recorded in Bell County?

The strongest tornado on record in Bell County measured F3.

Where does the tornado data for Bell 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 Bell County, Texas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/texas/bell-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.


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