Frio County, Texas severe weather history spans 221 recorded events between 1959 and 2024. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 44.3% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,314 nationally and #206 in Texas.
221
Recorded events
5
Direct deaths
29
Direct injuries
$1.7M
Property damage
The record
What the Frio County, Texas severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Frio County, Texas severe weather history averages 3.4 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 77 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 45 events fall before 1990 and 176 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Frio County, Texas record is tornado, responsible for 5 direct deaths. The costliest is flash flood, with $892K in reported property damage. In total, 6 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Frio County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 98 | 0 | $62K | 4 | 1959–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 66 | 0 | $892K | 0 | 1996–2017 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 33 | 0 | $548K | 80 | 1964–2024 |
| Tornado | 16 | 5 | $240K | F4 | 1968–2023 |
| Funnel Cloud | 4 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–2023 |
| Flood | 4 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2007–2017 |
Decade by decade
Frio County, Texas severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
17 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 15 touched down inside it and 2 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1973-04-15 | EF4 | 5 | 12 | 23.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1975-04-29 | EF3 | 3 | 5 | 8.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1970-08-03 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1968-11-26 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 18.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 2002-04-07 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2001-10-12 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1999-03-12 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1983-06-06 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1980-05-01 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1980-05-15 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 99.8 mi | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Frio County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 15, 1973 | Tornado | 5 | 12 | $0 | |
| Sep 9, 2002 | Flash Flood | COUNTYWIDE | 0 | 15 | $700K |
| Nov 27, 1968 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
General 2 to 3 inch rainfall was indicated across the county with amounts averaging 5 inches along FM140 from Frio Town through Pearsall to the Atascosa County line. A large part of the highway from Pearsall to the Atascosa County line received up to 8 inches of rain, with isolated totals to12 inches. High water trapped people in their homes. Just under two dozen homes as well as several businesses in Pearsall received flood damage. Several cars were also flooded out. One woman was rescued from her flooded home by helicopter. Most schools in the Pearsall area were closed on Monday due roads that were blocked. Widespread damage was reported to FM140 and bridges along the highway as well as to roads in Pearsall.
An NWS Storm Survey found that an EF-0 tornado initially touched down on the west side of Dilley where damage to hardwood trees was noted. The tornado then moved in a northeasterly direction, causing damage to roofs of buildings on either side of I-35. The |tornado lifted on the east side of the interstate and covered approximately 0.7 miles over a span of 2 minutes. Maximum winds were estimated at 75 mph.
A small EF0 tornado formed as a cluster of storms was moving northward through northern Frio County. An NWS damage survey found a small tornado touched down along CR 2537 on the south side of Moore and then moved NW for about a quarter mile before dissipating. Two residences on CR 2537 have roof damage, along with several trees that were damaged. A neighboring property across the street had its fence blown down. Several items from the properties were thrown about a 100 yards. As the tornado moved quickly to the NW, it appears to have dissipated along CR 2518. Maximum winds are estimated to be 75 mph.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
18,582
Population (ACS)
$108K
Median home value
17
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 |
| May 29, 2015 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS AND FLOODING | DR |
| Jul 1, 2011 | Fire | WILDFIRES | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Frio County, Texas?
221 events are on record between 1959 and 2024, causing 5 direct deaths and $1.7M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Frio County?
Hail, with 98 recorded events — 44.3% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Frio County?
17 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 15 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Frio County?
17 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Frio County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Frio County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Frio County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 56 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Frio 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
- Freestone County 237
- Gaines County 480
- Franklin County 252
- Galveston County 681
- Fort Bend County 448
- Garza County 358
Cite this page
“Frio County, Texas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/texas/frio-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.