109
Recorded events
23
Direct deaths
836
Direct injuries
$2.6B
Property damage
Tornado in Dallas County, Texas: 109 recorded events between 1952 and 2025. The strongest on record measured F4. That places the county #34 nationally and #7 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in Dallas County, Texas: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in Dallas County is the 1970s, when 23 of the county's 109 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 Dallas County archive, tornado makes up 5.4% of all recorded severe weather across 7 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #34 for this hazard and #7 within Texas, putting it in the 98.8 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
May is the peak month for tornado in Dallas County with 25 recorded events, while Feb 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-12-26 | EF4 | 13.0 mi | 550 yd | Touched down here |
| 1994-04-25 | EF4 | 6.0 mi | 800 yd | Touched down here |
| 1957-04-02 | EF3 | 17.2 mi | 100 yd | Touched down here |
| 2019-10-20 | EF3 | 15.8 mi | 1,300 yd | Touched down here |
| 2015-12-26 | EF3 | 8.5 mi | 125 yd | Crossed in |
| 2000-03-28 | EF3 | 8.0 mi | 300 yd | Crossed in |
| 1984-12-13 | EF3 | 10.0 mi | 500 yd | Touched down here |
| 1976-05-26 | EF3 | 4.5 mi | 150 yd | Touched down here |
| 1969-10-12 | EF3 | 45.9 mi | 200 yd | Touched down here |
| 1959-10-04 | EF3 | 27.6 mi | 67 yd | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 27, 2015 | NEW HOPE | EF4 | 10 | 468 | $26.0M |
| Apr 2, 1957 | F3 | 10 | 200 | $2.5M | |
| Apr 26, 1994 | Lancaster to | F4 | 3 | 48 | $500K |
| Dec 13, 1984 | F3 | 0 | 28 | $25.0M | |
| May 13, 1985 | F2 | 0 | 16 | $2.5M | |
| Apr 25, 1970 | F2 | 0 | 12 | $2.5M | |
| Apr 3, 2012 | DE SOTO CARROLL ARPT | EF2 | 0 | 10 | $400.0M |
| Apr 20, 1995 | Dallas | F1 | 0 | 8 | $6.0M |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 4, 2025 | SOWERS | EF1 | $1.0M |
| Mar 16, 2023 | SOWERS | EF1 | $0 |
| Mar 16, 2023 | LIGGETT | EF1 | $0 |
| May 16, 2021 | BOUCHARD | EF1 | $50K |
| May 16, 2021 | HIGHLAND PARK | EF0 | $2K |
| Jan 11, 2020 | GRIBBLE | EF0 | $15K |
| Oct 21, 2019 | ROWLETT | EF1 | $10.0M |
| Oct 21, 2019 | GARLAND | EF2 | $400.0M |
| Oct 21, 2019 | GRIBBLE | EF3 | $1.6B |
| Jun 16, 2019 | FARMERS BRANCH | EF0 | $20K |
Other hazards here
More from Dallas County
- Hail 833
- Thunderstorm Wind 703
- Flash Flood 296
- Lightning 42
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The Garland and Rowlett tornado began in Sunnyvale, where several mobile homes were destroyed along a wide and long path. The full tornado length was a little over 13 miles, with nearly ten miles within Dallas County. Nine people lost their lives in vehicles as the tornado crossed Interstate 30 at the President George Bush Turnpike. Another male died after sustaining injuries in a collapsed home in Rowlett. Eight of the 10 died that night, but one died on January 8th from his injuries, and another passed away on January 18th. The tornado affected nearly 600 homes in Dallas County, destroying nearly 400 of these homes. Twenty-two businesses were affected by this tornado, with one business being completely destroyed.
The Lancaster tornado was on the ground for approximately 6 miles and was 1/2 mile wide, producing upper F3 to lower F4 damage. Two hundred twenty-three homes were destroyed, 227 damaged, 58 businesses destroyed. Severe damage was done to one elementary and one junior high school. Eighty percent of the historic downtown square was destroyed. (F73O)(F70O)(M71O)
The DeSoto tornado was on the ground for 1.5 to 2 miles and was approximately 0.25 of a mile wide. Seventy-five homes were destroyed, 250 homes damaged, 10 businesses destroyed, 35 businesses damaged, one school damaged, and severe damage was done to the City Hall.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in Dallas County, Texas?
109 tornado events are recorded in Dallas County between 1952 and 2025, causing 23 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in Dallas County?
The strongest tornado on record in Dallas County measured F4.
Where does the tornado data for Dallas 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 Dallas County, Texas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/texas/dallas-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.