58
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
5
Direct injuries
$13.8M
Property damage
Tornado in Denton County, Texas: 58 recorded events between 1950 and 2025. The strongest on record measured F3. That places the county #268 nationally and #50 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in Denton County, Texas: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in Denton County is the 2000s, when 12 of the county's 58 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 Denton County archive, tornado makes up 3.6% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #268 for this hazard and #50 within Texas, putting it in the 90.9 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
May is the peak month for tornado in Denton County with 15 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1966-06-12 | EF3 | 3.6 mi | 133 yd | Touched down here |
| 2011-05-24 | EF2 | 1.5 mi | 220 yd | Touched down here |
| 1991-04-28 | EF2 | 0.5 mi | 77 yd | Touched down here |
| 1981-05-17 | EF2 | 4.9 mi | 123 yd | Touched down here |
| 1973-12-03 | EF2 | 0.1 mi | 10 yd | Touched down here |
| 1971-12-14 | EF2 | 0.1 mi | 17 yd | Touched down here |
| 1971-07-26 | EF2 | 0.5 mi | 17 yd | Touched down here |
| 1969-05-15 | EF2 | 0.2 mi | 33 yd | Touched down here |
| 1967-06-29 | EF2 | 1.0 mi | 33 yd | Touched down here |
| 1960-08-21 | EF2 | 0.2 mi | 40 yd | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 21, 1960 | F2 | 0 | 2 | $25K | |
| Sep 13, 1993 | Aubrey | F1 | 0 | 1 | $500K |
| Jul 26, 1971 | F2 | 0 | 1 | $25K | |
| Apr 6, 1955 | F2 | 0 | 1 | $25K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 28, 2025 | NAVO | EFU | $0 |
| Apr 30, 2025 | PARVIN | EF0 | $0 |
| May 26, 2024 | MOUNTAIN SPGS | EF1 | $4.2M |
| May 26, 2024 | SANGER LANE ARPT | EF1 | $1.0M |
| Mar 21, 2022 | HEBRON | EF0 | $20K |
| May 29, 2019 | KRUM | EF0 | $1K |
| Apr 30, 2019 | DENTON | EF1 | $200K |
| Apr 30, 2019 | JUSTIN | EF1 | $50K |
| Mar 29, 2017 | LEWISVILLE | EF1 | $600K |
| Mar 8, 2016 | CARNEY | EF1 | $90K |
Other hazards here
More from Denton County
- Hail 813
- Thunderstorm Wind 516
- Flash Flood 126
- Lightning 51
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
This is segment #3 of 4 of a multi-segmented EF-3 supercellular tornado that began in Montague County, crossed into Cooke County, Denton County, and then back into Cooke County. The tornado was ongoing for about an hour and a half with a total path length just under 48 miles. The tornado was the strongest in Cooke County and resulted in 7 fatalities in Cooke County. ||The tornado entered Denton County at 1049 pm CDT time and exited into Cooke County at 1106 pm CDT for a total path length of 4.34 miles. The tornado was initially moving east but then started curving north as it entered its dissipation stage. The tornado entered the county on the the peninsula that includes Ray Roberts Lake State Park Johnson Branch. On the peninsula the tornado caused tree damage and pushed over some campers. The tornado then moved back over the lake and crossed back into Cooke County before dissipating. During this segment of the tornado, it was rated EF-1 with maximum estimated winds of 100 mph.
A National Weather Service storm survey team found evidence of EF-1 damage from a tornado in central Denton County. This tornado began near the city of Argyle and moved in a north to northeast direction, towards the city of Denton. Several small buildings were damaged or destroyed along US 377 between Argyle and Denton. As the tornado entered into a sparsely populated area within the Denton city limits, trees were damaged. As the storm made its way to near the US 377 and I-35E intersection, the damage began to dissipate as the tornado dissipated. The Denton County Emergency Services estimate the tornado damage to be approximately $3.5 million.
A short-lived EF-1 tornado occurred on the southwestern portions of Ray Roberts Lake impacting areas around and in the Ray Roberts Marina. Notable tree damage was observed along FM 1190 near FM 2164. A few homes sustained damage on Jones Street, with one home losing most of its roof as the back patio was pulled over the house (DI 2, DOD 6). In the marina, 24 RV and motor homes were damaged, tree damage was observed, and damage occurred to the floating docks and boats. The tornado moved onto the lake and dissipated. Maximum estimated winds were 110 mph.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in Denton County, Texas?
58 tornado events are recorded in Denton County between 1950 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in Denton County?
The strongest tornado on record in Denton County measured F3.
Where does the tornado data for Denton 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 Denton County, Texas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/texas/denton-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.