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Newton County, Texas severe weather history spans 256 recorded events between 1954 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 53.5% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,068 nationally and #179 in Texas.
256
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
3
Direct injuries
$141.7M
Property damage
The record
What the Newton County, Texas severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Newton County, Texas severe weather history averages 3.6 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 85 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 20 events fall before 1990 and 236 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Newton County, Texas record is flash flood, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is flood, with $89.0M 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 Newton County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 137 | 0 | $632K | 67 | 1964–2026 |
| Hail | 54 | 0 | $2K | 4 | 1980–2024 |
| Tornado | 33 | 0 | $3.6M | F3 | 1954–2022 |
| Flash Flood | 25 | 2 | $48.5M | 0 | 1998–2025 |
| Flood | 6 | 0 | $89.0M | 0 | 2006–2016 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2010–2010 |
Decade by decade
Newton County, Texas severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
37 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 25 touched down inside it and 12 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999-03-02 | EF3 | 1 | 6 | 12.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1999-01-02 | EF2 | 1 | 10 | 4.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 2021-10-27 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 6.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 2020-12-23 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2020-04-22 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 36.4 mi | Crossed in |
| 2016-04-30 | EF2 | 0 | 3 | 9.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 2004-11-23 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 15.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1961-04-09 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1954-04-15 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2022-03-30 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.9 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Newton County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 30, 2017 | Flash Flood | BURKEVILLE | 2 | 0 | $45.0M |
| Mar 3, 1999 | Tornado | NEWTON | 0 | 3 | $250K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Harvey produced 20 to 40 inches of rain across a large portion of the Newton County. This resulted in near 2,000 homes being flooded. Hardest hit areas were Trout Creek, Call, and along Big Cow Creek and the Sabine River. The Sabine River reached its 3rd, 4th, and 5th highest crests at Deweyville, Bon Weir, and Burkville respectively.
Prolonged heavy rain on the 9th and 10th pushed Toledo Bend Reservoir to record levels while flooded creeks and streams flowed into the Sabine River. This pushed the river level at Burkeville to a record of 53.82 feet which was 5.77 feet higher than the previous record set in 1999. At Bon Weir the new record set on the 13th was 0.71 feet higher than the previous record set in 1913. At Deweyville the new record set on the 15th was 1 foot higher than the previous record set in 1884. Along the river numerous structures were flooded or in some cases, washed away. The hardest hit town was Deweyville where nearly every structure was flooded to some degree including the schools. County-wide, 458 homes received minor flood damage, 350 had major flood damage, and 500 homes were destroyed by the flood. Ten businesses received major flood damage. At least 60 million dollars is estimated to be the damage totals for homes and businesses, with an additional 26 million dollars for public property.
Multi day rainfall amounts of 5 to 20 inches fell across Newton County with the most falling late on the 9th and early on the 10th. Most roads experienced flooding with many closed in the northern sections of the county, and several roadways were washed out. Several homes were also reported flooded during the event with at least one high water rescue of an elderly lady. Road damage alone was estimated at $1.5 million.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
12,093
Population (ACS)
$103K
Median home value
30
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 |
| Dec 9, 2020 | Hurricane | HURRICANE LAURA | DR |
| Aug 24, 2020 | Hurricane | TROPICAL STORMS MARCO AND LAURA | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Newton County, Texas?
256 events are on record between 1954 and 2026, causing 2 direct deaths and $141.7M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Newton County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 137 recorded events — 53.5% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Newton County?
37 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 25 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Newton County?
30 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Newton County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Newton County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Newton County as very low risk, placing it in the 27 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Newton 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
- Navarro County 554
- Nolan County 467
- Nacogdoches County 587
- Nueces County 836
- Motley County 310
- Ochiltree County 597
Cite this page
“Newton County, Texas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/texas/newton-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.