Reeves County, Texas severe weather history spans 400 recorded events between 1954 and 2025. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 51.5% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,255 nationally and #121 in Texas.
400
Recorded events
30
Direct deaths
143
Direct injuries
$9.2M
Property damage
The record
What the Reeves County, Texas severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Reeves County, Texas severe weather history averages 5.6 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 109 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 74 events fall before 1990 and 326 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Reeves County, Texas record is tornado, responsible for 30 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $3.3M in reported property damage. In total, 7 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Reeves County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 206 | 0 | $135K | 4.25 | 1957–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 89 | 0 | $1.1M | 113 | 1958–2025 |
| Tornado | 48 | 30 | $3.3M | F4 | 1954–2023 |
| Flash Flood | 45 | 0 | $3.2M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Flood | 8 | 0 | $1.5M | 0 | 2014–2014 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2012–2019 |
| Heavy Rain | 2 | 0 | $30K | 0 | 2004–2013 |
Decade by decade
Reeves County, Texas severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
44 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 44 touched down inside it and 0 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987-05-22 | EF4 | 30 | 121 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2010-05-23 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 4.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1999-04-30 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1992-05-22 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 5.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1974-04-26 | EF2 | 0 | 12 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1962-05-17 | EF2 | 0 | 3 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1955-05-05 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1954-06-13 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 25.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1998-10-27 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1978-05-26 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Reeves County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 23, 1987 | Tornado | 30 | 121 | $2.5M | |
| Apr 26, 1974 | Tornado | 0 | 12 | $250K | |
| May 17, 1962 | Tornado | 0 | 3 | $250K | |
| Mar 14, 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | ARNO | 0 | 1 | $500K |
| Jun 8, 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | PECOS | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| May 29, 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | PECOS | 0 | 1 | $15K |
| Jun 13, 1976 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $0 | |
| May 21, 1972 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $25K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A thunderstorm developed over eastern Culberson County and moved east northeast into northern Reeves County. This storm strengthened as it moved into Reeves County and produced significant damage to the Highway 285 RV Park about 15 miles southeast of Orla. It was determined by a National Weather Service survey team that damage to the RV park was the result of rear-flank downdraft winds which was a straight-line wind event. The survey team estimated the wind speeds to be 100-130 miles per hour based on damage to the RV park. This was based on damage to trailers, outbuildings, vehicles, and other structures. It was determined that the swath of damaging winds was around 300 yards wide and 0.75 miles in length. There was one major injury related to this event. The cost of damage is a very rough estimate.
Heavy rain fell across Reeves County and produced flooding along the Pecos River. Local emergency management officials were continuing to report flooding along the Pecos River from Orla to the city of Pecos. Mandatory evacuations were issued from the Pecos River to U.S. Highway 285. Emergency management in Loving County reported minor flooding on the western side of Mentone. The cost of damage is a very rough estimate.
Eight to twelve inches of rainfall resulted in the failure of a protective levee near Toyah. With the failure of this dike, three to four feet of water inundated the town of Toyah and prompted the evacuation of the town's residents. While 19 people in the town of 103 elected to stay through the flood event, the remainder of the town's residents were moved to a Red Cross shelter in the nearby community of Pecos. The extensive flooding in Toyah left virtually every home with flood damage. One home was completely destroyed.Flooding lingered until late afternoon on Sunday, April 4th with State Highway 17 and Farm to Market Roads 2903, 869, and 1450 remaining underwater.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
12,664
Population (ACS)
$118K
Median home value
13
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 6, 2025 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR |
| 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 |
| Sep 9, 2011 | Fire | WILDFIRES | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Pecos 134
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Reeves County, Texas?
400 events are on record between 1954 and 2025, causing 30 direct deaths and $9.2M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Reeves County?
Hail, with 206 recorded events — 51.5% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Reeves County?
44 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 44 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Reeves County?
13 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Reeves County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Reeves County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Reeves County as very low risk, placing it in the 19 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Reeves 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
- Red River County 459
- Refugio County 153
- Real County 241
- Roberts County 346
- Reagan County 228
- Robertson County 204
Cite this page
“Reeves County, Texas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/texas/reeves-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.