49
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
101
Direct injuries
$28.1M
Property damage
Tornado in Nolan County, Texas: 49 recorded events between 1954 and 2020. The strongest on record measured F3. That places the county #400 nationally and #77 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in Nolan County, Texas: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in Nolan County is the 2000s, when 20 of the county's 49 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 Nolan County archive, tornado makes up 10.5% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #400 for this hazard and #77 within Texas, putting it in the 86.5 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
May is the peak month for tornado in Nolan County with 22 recorded events, while Jan 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986-04-19 | EF3 | 4.5 mi | 600 yd | Touched down here |
| 2020-03-19 | EF2 | 10.9 mi | 425 yd | Touched down here |
| 2004-06-11 | EF2 | 10.3 mi | 200 yd | Crossed in |
| 1982-05-27 | EF2 | 23.0 mi | 30 yd | Crossed in |
| 1973-03-23 | EF2 | 3.3 mi | 300 yd | Touched down here |
| 1961-03-16 | EF2 | 22.4 mi | 100 yd | Touched down here |
| 2004-03-04 | EF1 | 0.5 mi | 50 yd | Touched down here |
| 2004-05-27 | EF1 | 2.8 mi | 75 yd | Touched down here |
| 1986-04-19 | EF1 | 3.0 mi | 250 yd | Touched down here |
| 1972-04-19 | EF1 | 0.5 mi | 20 yd | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 19, 1986 | F3 | 1 | 100 | $25.0M | |
| Mar 30, 2007 | SWEETWATER | EF0 | 0 | 1 | $10K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 19, 2020 | NOLAN | EF2 | $2.0M |
| Apr 22, 2015 | WASTELLA | EF0 | $0 |
| May 14, 2008 | LAKE TRAMMELL | EF0 | $0 |
| May 14, 2008 | EDLEONA | EF0 | $0 |
| Mar 17, 2008 | MARYNEAL | EF0 | $0 |
| Apr 24, 2007 | SWEETWATER MUNI ARPT | EF0 | $0 |
| Apr 24, 2007 | JANUS | EF0 | $0 |
| Mar 30, 2007 | SWEETWATER | EF0 | $10K |
| Jun 6, 2005 | ROSCOE | F0 | $0 |
| Jun 6, 2005 | WASTELLA | F0 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Nolan County
- Hail 253
- Thunderstorm Wind 131
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
An EF-2 tornado touched down in southeast Nolan County and continued into Taylor County. About 14.5 miles southeast of Sweetwater, drone footage provided by AES Wind Generation Plant showed the EF-2 tornado damaged a large windmill turbine and tore off other windmill blades. The twister also caused roof damage to a residence and knocked down some high powered transmission poles and power lines.
An NWS survey team found evidence of tornado damage that extended from near Champion to about 3 miles east of Champion. Several power poles were snapped and a barn was totally destroyed. Irrigation equipment was also thrown about and twisted.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in Nolan County, Texas?
49 tornado events are recorded in Nolan County between 1954 and 2020, causing 1 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in Nolan County?
The strongest tornado on record in Nolan County measured F3.
Where does the tornado data for Nolan 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 Nolan County, Texas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/texas/nolan-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.