Hartley County, Texas severe weather history spans 497 recorded events between 1950 and 2026. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 59.4% of all recorded events. It ranks #887 nationally and #85 in Texas.
497
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
6
Direct injuries
$481K
Property damage
The record
What the Hartley County, Texas severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Hartley County, Texas severe weather history averages 6.5 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 147 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 80 events fall before 1990 and 417 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is thunderstorm wind, with $420K in reported property damage. In total, 7 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Hartley County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 295 | 0 | $40K | 4.5 | 1955–2026 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 154 | 0 | $420K | 96 | 1956–2025 |
| Tornado | 36 | 0 | $22K | F2 | 1950–2019 |
| Flash Flood | 8 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2003–2016 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2005–2019 |
| Flood | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2019–2019 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2013–2013 |
Decade by decade
Hartley County, Texas severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
36 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 34 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989-05-12 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 7.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1971-06-08 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1971-06-08 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2007-04-21 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 13.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 1995-06-02 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 11.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1972-05-10 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1968-08-14 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1957-05-11 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 7.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2019-05-26 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 5.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2019-05-26 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Hartley County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 18, 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | HARTLEY | 0 | 4 | $85K |
| Jun 18, 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | HARTLEY | 0 | 2 | $12K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A rear flank downdraft or very strong downburst winds derailed fifteen train cars and approximately six power poles were snapped. The derailed trains cars blocked traffic on U.S. Highway 385. An official damage survey was made on this event.
This tornado formed four miles west of Boys Ranch in Oldham county and entered Hartley county two and a half miles south southeast of Channing at 1759 CST. The tornado continued for another thirteen and a half miles before dissipating on mile south of U.S. Highway 87 or seven miles east southeast of Hartley. In Hartley county…numerous power poles…fences…and a few highway signs sustained damage. While in Oldham county…the tornado was rated as EF0 but in Hartley county it was rated as EF1. There were no fatalities and no injuries reported.
A trained spotter reported that two trees were uprooted and that a full dumpster was turned over by the strong thunderstorm winds. The trained spotter also reported that a barn door was smashed in and that a one thousand gallon propane tank had been moved four feet by the thunderstorm wind gusts.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
5,215
Population (ACS)
$263K
Median home value
13
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 |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Hartley 121
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Hartley County, Texas?
497 events are on record between 1950 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths and $481K in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Hartley County?
Hail, with 295 recorded events — 59.4% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Hartley County?
36 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 34 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Hartley County?
13 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Hartley County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Hartley County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Hartley County as very low risk, placing it in the 33 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Hartley 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
- Harrison County 899
- Haskell County 574
- Harris County 1,937
- Hays County 449
- Hardin County 293
- Hemphill County 406
Cite this page
“Hartley County, Texas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/texas/hartley-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.