44
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
1
Direct injuries
$2.6M
Property damage
Tornado in Jim Wells County, Texas: 44 recorded events between 1956 and 2023. The strongest on record measured F2. That places the county #513 nationally and #90 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in Jim Wells County, Texas: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in Jim Wells County is the 1960s, when 15 of the county's 44 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 Jim Wells County archive, tornado makes up 12.2% of all recorded severe weather across 7 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #513 for this hazard and #90 within Texas, putting it in the 82.4 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Sep is the peak month for tornado in Jim Wells County with 13 recorded events, while Feb 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1969-05-16 | EF3 | 0.5 mi | 20 yd | Touched down here |
| 1980-08-10 | EF2 | 2.0 mi | 40 yd | Touched down here |
| 1976-05-07 | EF2 | 0.1 mi | 10 yd | Touched down here |
| 1967-09-22 | EF2 | 2.0 mi | 33 yd | Touched down here |
| 1962-06-01 | EF2 | 1.0 mi | 50 yd | Touched down here |
| 1959-05-10 | EF2 | 4.9 mi | 250 yd | Crossed in |
| 2014-05-27 | EF1 | 2.3 mi | 550 yd | Touched down here |
| 2014-05-27 | EF1 | 5.3 mi | 650 yd | Touched down here |
| 2011-01-09 | EF1 | 23.3 mi | 200 yd | Touched down here |
| 2011-09-17 | EF1 | 1.9 mi | 100 yd | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 10, 1980 | F2 | 0 | 1 | $250K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 22, 2023 | CASA BLANCA | EF0 | $1K |
| Sep 26, 2015 | (ALI)ALICE INTL ARPT | EF0 | $0 |
| Jun 17, 2015 | BEN BOLT | EF0 | $10K |
| May 28, 2014 | PREMONT | EF1 | $250K |
| May 27, 2014 | ALICE | EF1 | $1.6M |
| Sep 17, 2011 | ALFRED | EF1 | $20K |
| Jan 9, 2011 | (ALI)ALICE INTL ARPT | EF0 | $10K |
| May 24, 2009 | BEN BOLT | EF1 | $50K |
| Jul 23, 2008 | ELLA | EF0 | $0 |
| Aug 27, 2007 | (ALI)ALICE INTL ARPT | EF0 | $10K |
Other hazards here
More from Jim Wells County
- Thunderstorm Wind 151
- Hail 87
- Flash Flood 64
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
An EF1 tornado touched down on the southeast side of the city of Alice just south of the intersection of Highway 359 and Stadium Road. The tornado traveled 2.3 miles and lifted just north of the intersection of County Road 1352 and County Road 382. This tornado produced shingle damage to the roof tops of several homes, lifted the roof deck off of several homes, and snapped a dozen power poles at their mid-point. The tornado destroyed a metal building and a portable building, broke overhead doors, blew out the siding of several metal buildings, and downed numerous trees.
An EF0 tornado touched down in the city of Premont near the intersection of Northwest 3rd Street and South Cora Street. The tornado traveled south and briefly produced EF1 damage near Southeast 5th Street and Southern Bernice Street. Partial roof damage was observed to a few homes, numerous large tree limbs were snapped, and one tree was completely uprooted. The tornado continues south of the Premont city limits and regained EF1 status near the intersection of Highway 281 and East County Road 401. Numerous power poles were snapped at their mid-point and several poles were leaning in a southerly direction.
A NWS storm survey concluded a tornado, in the outer rainbands of Hurricane Emily, formed approximately 8 miles north of Alice, near the intersection of CR-120 and CR-124 in the community of Tecolote. The tornado tracked northwest for 0.9 miles producing F1 damage. Several homes were damaged along this path and one mobile home was completely destroyed. Many trees were snapped and uprooted. The tornado continued northwest, skipping across open rural country for another 9 miles, producing F0 damage to trees and vegetation, before moving into Duval County.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in Jim Wells County, Texas?
44 tornado events are recorded in Jim Wells County between 1956 and 2023, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in Jim Wells County?
The strongest tornado on record in Jim Wells County measured F2.
Where does the tornado data for Jim Wells 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 Jim Wells County, Texas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/texas/jim-wells-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.