Cottle County, Texas severe weather history spans 360 recorded events between 1954 and 2026. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 55.8% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,429 nationally and #136 in Texas.
360
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
14
Direct injuries
$4.9M
Property damage
The record
What the Cottle County, Texas severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Cottle County, Texas severe weather history averages 5.0 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 125 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 61 events fall before 1990 and 299 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Cottle County, Texas record is tornado, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $2.9M in reported property damage. In total, 7 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Cottle County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 201 | 0 | $520K | 4.5 | 1960–2026 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 112 | 0 | $1.3M | 83 | 1960–2026 |
| Tornado | 37 | 1 | $2.9M | F3 | 1954–2021 |
| Flash Flood | 4 | 0 | $105K | 0 | 2001–2013 |
| Lightning | 2 | 0 | $75K | 0 | 2004–2013 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2015–2018 |
| Flood | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2016–2016 |
Decade by decade
Cottle County, Texas severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
33 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 32 touched down inside it and 1 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1954-06-01 | EF3 | 1 | 14 | 13.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2010-04-22 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 12.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2010-04-22 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 9.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1973-03-23 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 24.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 1956-05-08 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1962-05-31 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2021-03-12 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2021-03-22 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2019-05-20 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2019-05-20 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 1.9 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Cottle County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 2, 1954 | Tornado | 1 | 14 | $2.5M |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Destructive straight-line winds spread south-southwest in the rear flank downdraft of a supercell creating scattered to widespread damage in and around the city of Paducah. These winds caused a swath of damage to trees, power lines, homes, vehicles, and other buildings from about 4NE Paducah southwest to the south side of the city. An NWS storm survey indicated winds up to 100 mph partially swept away a multi-car garage and overturned one car in the process. Three other vehicles inside suffered various degrees of damage. Sheet metal from the garage was found to be blown southwest nearly 300 yards from its origin. On the north side of Paducah, a portion of a large warehouse collapsed from straight line winds of similar intensity. Several vehicles in Paducah had windows blown out by airborne gravel and other small debris. Fortunately, no injuries were reported as residents received ample warning to seek shelter.
The line of previously severe storms over western Cottle County weakened as they approached Paducah. However, another severe storm quickly developed over southeastern Cottle County and propagated northwestward. This resulted in a cell merger just south of Paducah. A series of damaging downbursts followed the merger, and resulted in approximately $220,000 worth of damage in the Paducah vicinity.Damaging winds estimated to exceed 80 mph initially impacted the Paducah Country Club just southeast of the city at 16:47 CST. These winds peeled tin roofs off of several light-weight structures, and snapped eleven medium voltage utility poles. Tree and utility damage continued northwestward along Farm to Market Road 1038 into the city, where numerous poorly constructed homes and businesses sustained damage. Residents of Paducah and surrounding areas were without power through the night. No injuries were reported.
Local officials reported that large hail was accompanied by damaging thunderstorm winds estimated up to 75 mph along a swath of U.S. 62/70 from west of Paducah to near the city. The Paducah Fire Department initially estimated 75 mph winds and hail west of Paducah at 18:39 CST. A KVII-TV schoolnet site in Paducah recorded a peak gust of 59 mph at 18:46 CST. Winds estimated up to 75 mph, however, were again reported by the Cottle County Emergency Manager in Paducah at 18:51 CST. Damage to trees and utilities was reportedly widespread, including the loss of a historic tree at a church. A few light weight structures, such as barns and car ports, were additionally damaged. The roof also was reportedly blown off a business. No injuries were reported.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
1,368
Population (ACS)
$59K
Median home value
19
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 19, 2021 | Severe Ice Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORMS | DR |
| Feb 14, 2021 | Severe Ice Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM |
| Mar 25, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Feb 9, 2016 | Severe Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Jul 1, 2011 | Fire | WILDFIRES | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Paducah 186
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Cottle County, Texas?
360 events are on record between 1954 and 2026, causing 1 direct deaths and $4.9M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Cottle County?
Hail, with 201 recorded events — 55.8% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Cottle County?
33 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 32 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Cottle County?
19 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Cottle County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Cottle County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Cottle County as very low risk, placing it in the 12 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Cottle County, Texas severe weather history data come from?
Every figure is drawn from United States federal public-domain records: NOAA/NCEI Storm Events for the event archive, NOAA SPC SVRGIS for mapped tornado paths, FEMA for disaster declarations and risk ratings, and the U.S. Census for population context. Dates are shown in UTC and recent entries may still be revised by NOAA.
Nearby
Neighbouring counties
- Coryell County 457
- Crane County 190
- Cooke County 716
- Crockett County 221
- Concho County 268
- Crosby County 402
Cite this page
“Cottle County, Texas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/texas/cottle-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.