64
Recorded events
16
Direct deaths
46
Direct injuries
$8.7M
Property damage
Tornado in Donley County, Texas: 64 recorded events between 1955 and 2024. The strongest on record measured F4. That places the county #203 nationally and #39 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in Donley County, Texas: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in Donley County is the 2000s, when 15 of the county's 64 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 Donley County archive, tornado makes up 10.5% of all recorded severe weather across 7 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #203 for this hazard and #39 within Texas, putting it in the 93.0 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
May is the peak month for tornado in Donley County with 19 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970-04-18 | EF4 | 65.0 mi | 880 yd | Crossed in |
| 1970-04-17 | EF4 | 96.6 mi | 880 yd | Crossed in |
| 2007-03-28 | EF3 | 3.4 mi | 600 yd | Touched down here |
| 1957-05-15 | EF3 | 10.2 mi | 50 yd | Touched down here |
| 2021-03-13 | EF2 | 13.2 mi | 1,200 yd | Touched down here |
| 2007-03-28 | EF2 | 4.2 mi | 528 yd | Touched down here |
| 2007-03-28 | EF2 | 4.5 mi | 200 yd | Touched down here |
| 1995-06-08 | EF2 | 10.0 mi | 500 yd | Touched down here |
| 1995-06-08 | EF2 | 4.0 mi | 200 yd | Touched down here |
| 1995-06-08 | EF2 | 9.0 mi | 400 yd | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 18, 1970 | F4 | 16 | 42 | $2.5M | |
| Mar 29, 2007 | JERICHO | EF3 | 0 | 2 | $180K |
| Mar 3, 1983 | F2 | 0 | 1 | $25K | |
| May 16, 1957 | F3 | 0 | 1 | $250K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 1, 2024 | ASHTOLA | EF1 | $50K |
| May 1, 2024 | CLARENDON | EF0 | $20K |
| Mar 13, 2021 | CLARENDON | EF0 | $30K |
| Mar 13, 2021 | CLARENDON | EF2 | $250K |
| May 8, 2019 | HOWARDWICK | EF0 | $0 |
| May 8, 2019 | HOWARDWICK | EF0 | $0 |
| Dec 26, 2018 | CLARENDON | EF0 | $0 |
| May 16, 2017 | JERICHO | EF0 | $0 |
| May 22, 2016 | HOWARDWICK | EF1 | $0 |
| May 22, 2016 | HOWARDWICK | EF0 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Donley County
- Hail 407
- Thunderstorm Wind 102
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A tornado touched down on the southwest side of Clarendon, continuing through Greenbelt Reservoir before dissipating northeast of Howardwick. Minor damage to homes and Clarendon College was observed on the west side of Clarendon. The tornado took on a wider path and strengthened as it progressed toward Greenbelt Reservoir causing considerable damage to mobile homes, recreational vehicles, and boating facilities. In addition, several power poles of varying sizes were downed and many trees were snapped in the area.
Roof partially blown off a house…two second story rooms and the front porch of a vacant house were ripped apart…a doublewide trailer house had damage to the roof and windows…two unattached garages destroyed…trees uprooted…other roofs and barns were reported damaged.
The initial phase of this tornado was fairly weak with minor damage occurring to a tin roof…fences and small tree limbs. The tornado became progressively stronger…resulting in the total removal of deer blinds and considerable loss of metal roofing to a home and the detached garage. The worst damage occurred near the end of the tornado. Numerous large tree limbs were downed and several tree trunks were snapped at the base. A large barn was completely swept away…with portions of the structure found up to five hundred yards away. Several power poles were snapped and carried over twenty yards. A large hitch trailer was carried away from beside the barn and deposited in a nearby tree. A van was also displaced into a grove of trees near ground level. No injuries were reported.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in Donley County, Texas?
64 tornado events are recorded in Donley County between 1955 and 2024, causing 16 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in Donley County?
The strongest tornado on record in Donley County measured F4.
Where does the tornado data for Donley 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 Donley County, Texas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/texas/donley-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.