48
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
13
Direct injuries
$2.6M
Property damage
Tornado in Palo Pinto County, Texas: 48 recorded events between 1952 and 2026. The strongest on record measured F3. That places the county #414 nationally and #78 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in Palo Pinto County, Texas: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in Palo Pinto County is the 2010s, when 9 of the county's 48 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 Palo Pinto County archive, tornado makes up 6.9% of all recorded severe weather across 6 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #414 for this hazard and #78 within Texas, putting it in the 85.9 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
May is the peak month for tornado in Palo Pinto County with 21 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982-05-12 | EF3 | 9.0 mi | 100 yd | Crossed in |
| 1975-06-08 | EF2 | 0.1 mi | 10 yd | Touched down here |
| 2025-05-18 | EF1 | 0.4 mi | 400 yd | Touched down here |
| 2025-05-18 | EF1 | 2.1 mi | 995 yd | Touched down here |
| 2023-05-11 | EF1 | 1.3 mi | 75 yd | Touched down here |
| 2022-12-13 | EF1 | 3.7 mi | 230 yd | Touched down here |
| 2022-03-21 | EF1 | 9.7 mi | 400 yd | Touched down here |
| 2019-03-13 | EF1 | 2.3 mi | 250 yd | Touched down here |
| 2015-05-19 | EF1 | 0.8 mi | 200 yd | Touched down here |
| 2003-04-05 | EF1 | 0.3 mi | 100 yd | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 28, 2026 | MINERAL WELLS | EF3 | 0 | 5 | $300K |
| May 19, 2025 | GORDON | EF1 | 0 | 4 | $750K |
| Oct 30, 1979 | F1 | 0 | 2 | $250K | |
| Apr 21, 1981 | F1 | 0 | 1 | $250K | |
| Aug 31, 1966 | F1 | 0 | 1 | $0 |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 28, 2026 | MINERAL WELLS | EF3 | $300K |
| May 19, 2025 | SANTO | EFU | $0 |
| May 19, 2025 | SANTO | EF0 | $0 |
| May 19, 2025 | GORDON | EF1 | $750K |
| May 19, 2025 | MINGUS | EF1 | $5K |
| May 12, 2023 | PALO PINTO | EF1 | $0 |
| Dec 13, 2022 | SANTO | EF1 | $0 |
| Mar 21, 2022 | POSSUM KINGDOM LAKE | EF1 | $75K |
| May 18, 2019 | SANTO | EFU | $0 |
| Mar 13, 2019 | MINERAL WELLS | EF1 | $10K |
Other hazards here
More from Palo Pinto County
- Hail 388
- Thunderstorm Wind 188
- Flash Flood 49
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
An EF-1 tornado formed north of Gordon and moved south-southeast into Gordon. One property near FM 919 and Harlin Road sustained damage to a small building on the property and 2 barns. In the town of Gordon, notable tree damage and power pole damage was observed along with damage to roofs. Most of the roof damage was partial removal of metal panels, leaving some homes with holes in their roofs. The school stadium and nearby athletic fields also suffered significant damage to the locker rooms, weight room, bleachers, scoreboards, and more. One tall stadium light pole was bent in half. In the southeast part of Gordon, a manufactured home was destroyed. In Gordon is where the tornado received its strongest rating of EF-1 with 105 mph winds. The tornado was tracked through tree damage just outside of Gordon to the southeast where it dissipated. Several minor injuries were reported with 4 hospital transports, but all 4 were already released the next morning.
The tornado touched down north of Mineral Wells near Sundown Road and FM 1821, producing minor tree and fence damage. The tornado then continued southeast crossing Ellis White Road before moving into the Country Club Estates neighborhood. Multiple trees were uprooted, multiple carports collapsed, and multiple homes were damaged in this neighborhood. The most notable was a home that had its entire roof and truss structure removed and displaced approximately 200 feet, consistent with 120 mph winds. The tornado continued southeast from here into Parker County where it did considerable damage in the same area.
Amateur radio operators reported the second of two tornadoes, this one skipping through part of the city of Mineral Wells, including the downtown area. The tornado was strongest as it approached from the southwest of town, and the tornado was at its widest during this time. Outside of town, numerous trees, storage buildings, and covered parking areas were damaged. In town, several buildings lost part of their roofs, while trees, carports, and storage buildings were damaged or destroyed.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in Palo Pinto County, Texas?
48 tornado events are recorded in Palo Pinto County between 1952 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in Palo Pinto County?
The strongest tornado on record in Palo Pinto County measured F3.
Where does the tornado data for Palo Pinto 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 Palo Pinto County, Texas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/texas/palo-pinto-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.