Lubbock County, Texas severe weather history spans 1,321 recorded events between 1955 and 2026. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 50.4% of all recorded events. It ranks #58 nationally and #8 in Texas.
1,321
Recorded events
27
Direct deaths
520
Direct injuries
$1.3B
Property damage
The record
What the Lubbock County, Texas severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Lubbock County, Texas severe weather history averages 18.6 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 363 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 330 events fall before 1990 and 991 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Lubbock County, Texas record is tornado, responsible for 26 direct deaths. The costliest is hail, with $580.1M in reported property damage. In total, 10 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Lubbock County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 666 | 0 | $580.1M | 4.5 | 1956–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 428 | 0 | $418.0M | 100 | 1955–2026 |
| Tornado | 98 | 26 | $264.2M | F5 | 1955–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 50 | 0 | $22.5M | 0 | 1996–2026 |
| Flood | 29 | 0 | $6.7M | 0 | 2007–2019 |
| Lightning | 23 | 1 | $2.1M | 0 | 1997–2023 |
| Heavy Rain | 18 | 0 | $455K | 0 | 2007–2022 |
| Funnel Cloud | 6 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2012–2019 |
| Dust Devil | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2016–2022 |
| High Wind | 1 | 0 | $0 | 69 | 2022–2022 |
Decade by decade
Lubbock County, Texas severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
97 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 93 touched down inside it and 4 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970-05-11 | EF5 | 26 | 500 | 8.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 1957-04-21 | EF4 | 0 | 6 | 15.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1957-05-24 | EF3 | 0 | 1 | 37.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 2025-06-05 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 3.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 1987-05-29 | EF2 | 0 | 3 | 8.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1978-04-08 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1971-05-08 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1967-06-01 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1967-06-01 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1965-05-13 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Lubbock County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 12, 1970 | Tornado | 26 | 500 | $250.0M | |
| Aug 29, 2016 | Lightning | SLATON | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Apr 22, 1957 | Tornado | 0 | 6 | $2.5M | |
| Apr 16, 2009 | Hail | DOUD | 0 | 3 | $20.0M |
| May 29, 1987 | Tornado | 0 | 3 | $250K | |
| Jul 10, 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | LUBBOCK | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| May 22, 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | REESE VLG | 0 | 2 | $250K |
| Sep 26, 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | SLATON | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
An official NWS storm damage survey, along with trained spotters, police department officials, the Automated Surface Observing System, and equipment at the NWS, confirmed severe wind gusts ahead of a squall line moving through Lubbock. Gusts up to 72 mph were recorded as the line caused considerable damage and downed numerous trees, snapped almost 100 power poles, blew out several windows, and inflicted substantial damage to roofs, windows, vehicles, and structures. At the Motor Inns of America hotel in north Lubbock, downburst winds completely stripped a large section of the roof from the building forcing residents to evacuate. Fortunately, there were no serious injuries reported. Those buildings that suffered broken windows or damaged roofs also received various degrees of water damage to walls, carpets, and personal belongings. Nearly 30,000 customers lost power in the city of Lubbock.
A supercell storm erupted near Ropesville in extreme instability and went on to produce a significant hail swath across south-central and southeast Lubbock County where giant hail to softball size occurred in Slaton. Damage to homes, businesses, vehicles, and wheat crops was common from two miles east of Woodrow to Ransom Canyon. In addition to the hail, strong rear flank downdraft winds picked up gravel in Slaton and blew out dozens of windows in cars and buildings. Combined damage estimates would likely reach $300M.
A pair of nearly stationary supercell storms inflicted heavy tolls on thousands of residents across South Lubbock. The largest hail from tennis ball to just over baseball size occurred along a swath from near Quaker Avenue and 130th Street to Slide Avenue and 122nd Street. On both sides of this line and extending outwards for a few miles, hail from quarter size to golf ball size was common. With very little storm movement, large hail fell for up to 15 minutes at some locations causing even greater damage. In Lubbock's Vintage Township alone, it was estimated that every home would require a new roof. Preliminary insurance data indicated approximately 4000 auto claims were filed, with an estimated 1200 homes potentially in need of new roofs. Many area auto body shops were required to work overtime to meet the onslaught of customers. Fortunately, very little wind accompanied the hail which prevented even greater damage to the siding and windows of most homes and buildings.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively High
FEMA NRI risk rating
318,884
Population (ACS)
$214K
Median home value
20
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 |
| Feb 9, 2016 | Severe Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR |
| May 29, 2015 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS AND FLOODING | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Lubbock 314
- Wolfforth 159
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Lubbock County, Texas?
1,321 events are on record between 1955 and 2026, causing 27 direct deaths and $1.3B in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Lubbock County?
Hail, with 666 recorded events — 50.4% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Lubbock County?
97 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 93 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Lubbock County?
20 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Lubbock County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Lubbock County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Lubbock County as relatively high risk, placing it in the 96 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Lubbock 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
- Loving County 80
- Lynn County 456
- Llano County 384
- McCulloch County 496
- Live Oak County 257
- McLennan County 1,082
Cite this page
“Lubbock County, Texas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/texas/lubbock-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.