71
Recorded events
3
Direct deaths
44
Direct injuries
$5.7M
Property damage
Tornado in Castro County, Texas: 71 recorded events between 1951 and 2025. The strongest on record measured F3. That places the county #155 nationally and #26 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in Castro County, Texas: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in Castro County is the 1990s, when 20 of the county's 71 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 Castro County archive, tornado makes up 15.7% of all recorded severe weather across 7 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #155 for this hazard and #26 within Texas, putting it in the 94.6 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
May is the peak month for tornado in Castro County with 21 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970-04-17 | EF4 | 130.0 mi | 880 yd | Crossed in |
| 1960-04-12 | EF3 | 5.2 mi | 100 yd | Touched down here |
| 2017-04-14 | EF3 | 3.6 mi | 1,936 yd | Touched down here |
| 2007-04-21 | EF2 | 28.8 mi | 1,230 yd | Crossed in |
| 1995-06-02 | EF2 | 6.0 mi | 100 yd | Touched down here |
| 1980-07-27 | EF2 | 3.0 mi | 40 yd | Touched down here |
| 1980-06-17 | EF2 | 45.0 mi | 200 yd | Crossed in |
| 1971-10-17 | EF2 | 31.1 mi | 100 yd | Crossed in |
| 1971-10-17 | EF2 | 28.6 mi | 400 yd | Crossed in |
| 1971-10-17 | EF2 | 31.0 mi | 100 yd | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 13, 1960 | F3 | 3 | 32 | $250K | |
| Oct 18, 1971 | F2 | 0 | 4 | $2.5M | |
| Jul 9, 1996 | DIMMITT | F0 | 0 | 3 | $50K |
| Jun 3, 1995 | Dimmitt | F2 | 0 | 3 | $400K |
| Jul 27, 1980 | F2 | 0 | 1 | $250 | |
| May 29, 1980 | F1 | 0 | 1 | $250K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 26, 2025 | SUNNYSIDE | EFU | $0 |
| Sep 21, 2024 | NAZARETH | EFU | $0 |
| Mar 13, 2021 | NAZARETH | EFU | $0 |
| Mar 13, 2021 | HART | EF0 | $0 |
| Mar 13, 2021 | NAZARETH | EFU | $0 |
| Jun 15, 2019 | SUMMERFIELD | EFU | $0 |
| May 27, 2019 | SUNNYSIDE | EF0 | $100K |
| Oct 7, 2018 | DIMMITT MUNI ARPT | EFU | $0 |
| Apr 15, 2017 | DIMMITT | EFU | $0 |
| Apr 15, 2017 | DIMMITT MUNI ARPT | EFU | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Castro County
- Hail 239
- Thunderstorm Wind 112
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A large and long-tracked tornado cut a path of damage twenty-nine miles in length and at times nearly three-quarters of a mile wide across portions of Lamb, Hale, Castro and Swisher Counties between 17:57 and 18:36 CST on the 21st. Total damages from the tornado were estimated to exceed $1.2 million, and one person was injured.|The large tornado caused damage to center pivot irrigation systems and utility lines as it tracked over southeastern Castro County between 18:18 and 18:33 CST. Local newspapers reported that numerous irrigation systems were destroyed, and utility poles were downed along Texas Highway 194 and Farm to Market Road 145 southeast and east of Hart.|Damage caused by the tornado east of Olton (Lamb County) supported an EF-2 rating with winds estimated between 110 and 120 mph.
A NWS storm survey revealed that an EF0 tornado affected a portion of Castro County. The tornado was first reported just northwest of the intersection of US Highway 385 and Farm to Market Road 145. The tornado then moved northeast flipping two center irrigation pivot systems near the intersection of County Road 624 and County Road 516. Although no additional damage was found, the tornado was observed crossing Farm to Market Road 194 between Hart and Dimmitt.
Local officials reported that an apparent tornado severely damaged two barns on a farmstead east-northeast of Nazareth. Doppler radar signatures additionally supported the potential for tornadic activity, as the storm that initially produced damaging winds northwest of Nazareth evolved to display a supercell structure and sharply turned its direction of movement towards the southeast.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in Castro County, Texas?
71 tornado events are recorded in Castro County between 1951 and 2025, causing 3 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in Castro County?
The strongest tornado on record in Castro County measured F3.
Where does the tornado data for Castro 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 Castro County, Texas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/texas/castro-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.