Live
Active alerts for this county
Flood Watch
Houston; Trinity; Madison; Walker; San Jacinto; Polk; Brazos; Grimes; Montgomery; Northern Liberty; Waller; Inland Harris; Southern Liberty; Coastal Harris
Flash Flood Warning
Liberty, TX; Polk, TX
Wind Advisory
Houston; Trinity; Walker; San Jacinto; Polk; Northern Liberty; Southern Liberty
Liberty County, Texas severe weather history spans 356 recorded events between 1957 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 38.5% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,451 nationally and #140 in Texas.
356
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
42
Direct injuries
$120.3M
Property damage
The record
What the Liberty County, Texas severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Liberty County, Texas severe weather history averages 5.2 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 110 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 52 events fall before 1990 and 304 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Liberty County, Texas record is flash flood, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is flash flood, with $107.4M 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 Liberty County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 137 | 0 | $1.1M | 65 | 1963–2025 |
| Hail | 87 | 0 | $355K | 4 | 1974–2026 |
| Tornado | 70 | 0 | $11.4M | F4 | 1957–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 56 | 1 | $107.4M | 0 | 1996–2024 |
| Funnel Cloud | 5 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2001–2020 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $8K | 0 | 2007–2007 |
Decade by decade
Liberty County, Texas severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
65 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 58 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992-11-21 | EF4 | 0 | 16 | 30.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1977-12-13 | EF3 | 1 | 40 | 25.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 1999-01-01 | EF3 | 0 | 5 | 5.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1992-11-21 | EF3 | 0 | 1 | 32.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1961-09-12 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1957-10-22 | EF3 | 0 | 1 | 4.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2023-01-24 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1982-05-06 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1979-04-18 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 4.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1973-05-26 | EF2 | 0 | 4 | 14.7 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Liberty County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 17, 2006 | Flash Flood | COTTONWOOD | 1 | 0 | $10K |
| May 18, 1995 | Tornado | Liberty | 0 | 12 | $750K |
| May 18, 1995 | Tornado | Liberty | 0 | 12 | $750K |
| Dec 13, 1977 | Tornado | 0 | 5 | $25K | |
| May 26, 1973 | Tornado | 0 | 4 | $250K | |
| Aug 11, 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | CLEVELAND MUNI ARPT | 0 | 2 | $25K |
| Mar 21, 1972 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $0 | |
| Oct 12, 2011 | Tornado | CLEVELAND MUNI ARPT | 0 | 1 | $25K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Multiple roads across the county that were impassable due to extensive flooding inundation included, but were not limited to, sections of FM 1010, FM 1008 at County Road 2313 and County Road 2285 and County Road 379. Multiple high water rescues.
Major flash flood in the Liberty and Dayton areas. US 90 water covered and closed for over 12 hours. Half the streets in Liberty covered with 1 to 2 feet of water with widespread street flooding in Dayton. Water into homes with numerous automobiles stranded. At least 262 homes and 42 businesses damaged countywide, including half the homes in the Oak Forest subdivision in Liberty. From 60 to 80 people rescued from flood waters. Several schools damaged by major flooding. Water reached 18 feet high on SH 321 underpass in Dayton. Co-op observer in Liberty reported a storm total of 19.1 inches of rainfall, with 18.3 inches falling in only 5 hours!
Super cell moved across Lake Houston and intensified to form a mesocyclone as it moved into Liberty County. This super cell produced four tornadoes as moved from west to east across the county. The third of the four tornadoes touched down in downtown Liberty and was the most significant. Twelve people were injured with two requiring to be hospitalized.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
103,380
Population (ACS)
$182K
Median home value
38
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 9, 2024 | Hurricane | HURRICANE BERYL | DR |
| May 17, 2024 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Feb 19, 2021 | Severe Ice Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORMS | DR |
| Feb 14, 2021 | Severe Ice Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM |
| Aug 24, 2020 | Hurricane | TROPICAL STORMS MARCO AND LAURA | EM |
| Mar 25, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Liberty County, Texas?
356 events are on record between 1957 and 2026, causing 1 direct deaths and $120.3M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Liberty County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 137 recorded events — 38.5% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Liberty County?
65 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 58 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Liberty County?
38 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Liberty County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Liberty County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Liberty County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 80 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Liberty 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
- Leon County 261
- Limestone County 415
- Lee County 234
- Lipscomb County 539
- Lavaca County 294
- Live Oak County 257
Cite this page
“Liberty County, Texas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/texas/liberty-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.