Galveston County, Texas severe weather history spans 681 recorded events between 1957 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 33.9% of all recorded events. It ranks #426 nationally and #38 in Texas.
681
Recorded events
19
Direct deaths
255
Direct injuries
$10.1B
Property damage
The record
What the Galveston County, Texas severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Galveston County, Texas severe weather history averages 9.9 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 178 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 137 events fall before 1990 and 544 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Galveston County, Texas record is tornado, responsible for 9 direct deaths. The costliest is flash flood, with $10.0B in reported property damage. In total, 9 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Galveston County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 231 | 0 | $53.3M | 90 | 1964–2026 |
| Tornado | 126 | 9 | $36.2M | F4 | 1957–2024 |
| Hail | 121 | 0 | $3.0M | 4.5 | 1957–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 107 | 3 | $10.0B | 0 | 1996–2024 |
| Funnel Cloud | 55 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1999–2022 |
| Lightning | 25 | 5 | $3.9M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Waterspout | 12 | 0 | $75K | 0 | 1996–2000 |
| Heavy Rain | 3 | 2 | $20K | 0 | 1997–2019 |
| Flood | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2025–2025 |
Decade by decade
Galveston County, Texas severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
103 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 96 touched down inside it and 7 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976-03-08 | EF3 | 0 | 18 | 12.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 1967-08-18 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1961-09-12 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1959-05-21 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 4.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1957-03-17 | EF2 | 1 | 7 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2015-10-31 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 4.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 1981-05-09 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1974-10-28 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 20.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1959-08-13 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 5.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 1957-03-17 | EF2 | 0 | 4 | 11.6 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Galveston County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 12, 1961 | Tornado | 8 | 200 | $0 | |
| Aug 27, 2017 | Flash Flood | SAN LEON | 3 | 0 | $10.0B |
| Jun 17, 1997 | Heavy Rain | DICKINSON | 2 | 2 | $20K |
| Mar 17, 1957 | Tornado | 1 | 7 | $0 | |
| Sep 10, 2003 | Lightning | CRYSTAL BEACH | 1 | 1 | $0 |
| Jun 3, 2009 | Lightning | CRYSTAL BEACH | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Aug 23, 2006 | Lightning | GALVESTON | 1 | 0 | $70K |
| Jul 18, 1999 | Lightning | GALVESTON | 1 | 0 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Numerous trees were knocked down, roofs were damaged, and power line were blown or knocked down county-wide. The National Weather Service Office in downtown Galveston reported a wind gust to 68 mph while at Scholes Filed a peak gust of 98 mph was recorded at 0402 CST. At Scholes Field three hangers were destroyed and two private aircraft were damaged. Two shrimp boats were blown onto the north jetty at the entrance to Galveston Bay. One shrimp boat capsized in the West Bay. The United States Coast Guard reported numerous fishing boats and barges broke away from their mooring. Galveston City Manager reported 64 businesses damaged, twelve apartment complexes and several large stores had roofs stripped of shingles and windows blown in. A mobil home in Texas City was destroyed. Near 10,000 homes were without power. Many vehicles were damaged from flying debris.
Heavy rainfall from thunderstorms moving across the county produced road closeures and widespread flooding of homes, with high water rescues being required in Dickinson. A rain gauge at FM 528 and Clear Creek in League City recorded a 1 hour rainfall total of 6.02 inches. League City reported 300 homes sustaining flood damage from this event.
A severe thunderstorms produced baseball to softball sized hail in Hitchcock. The central and western parts of the town received extreme damage to vehicles and home roofs and windows. There was also significant damage to the Midway Church, a fire station, and in two trailer parks. Seven Hitchcock police cars were severely damaged by the large hail.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively High
FEMA NRI risk rating
358,990
Population (ACS)
$315K
Median home value
31
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 9, 2024 | Hurricane | HURRICANE BERYL | DR |
| Feb 19, 2021 | Severe Ice Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORMS | DR |
| Feb 14, 2021 | Severe Ice Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM |
| Dec 9, 2020 | Hurricane | HURRICANE LAURA | DR |
| Aug 24, 2020 | Hurricane | TROPICAL STORMS MARCO AND LAURA | EM |
| Jul 26, 2020 | Hurricane | HURRICANE HANNA | EM |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Galveston 105
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Galveston County, Texas?
681 events are on record between 1957 and 2026, causing 19 direct deaths and $10.1B in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Galveston County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 231 recorded events — 33.9% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Galveston County?
103 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 96 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Galveston County?
31 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Galveston County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Galveston County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Galveston County as relatively high risk, placing it in the 95 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Galveston 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
- Gaines County 480
- Garza County 358
- Frio County 221
- Gillespie County 396
- Freestone County 237
- Glasscock County 273
Cite this page
“Galveston County, Texas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/texas/galveston-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.