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Smith County, Texas severe weather history spans 1,049 recorded events between 1950 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 39.1% of all recorded events. It ranks #125 nationally and #16 in Texas.
1,049
Recorded events
3
Direct deaths
37
Direct injuries
$36.3M
Property damage
The record
What the Smith County, Texas severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Smith County, Texas severe weather history averages 13.8 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 322 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 128 events fall before 1990 and 921 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Smith County, Texas record is tornado, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $32.5M in reported property damage. In total, 8 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Smith County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 410 | 1 | $2.4M | 87 | 1955–2026 |
| Hail | 366 | 0 | $213K | 4.25 | 1955–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 152 | 0 | $471K | 0 | 1997–2026 |
| Tornado | 76 | 2 | $32.5M | F3 | 1950–2026 |
| Lightning | 24 | 0 | $674K | 0 | 1996–2022 |
| Flood | 13 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1999–2025 |
| Funnel Cloud | 6 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2008–2024 |
| Heavy Rain | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1997–2010 |
Decade by decade
Smith County, Texas severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
77 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 72 touched down inside it and 5 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987-11-15 | EF3 | 4 | 81 | 33.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1979-02-23 | EF3 | 0 | 1 | 10.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 1958-05-03 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 59.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2016-04-29 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2016-04-29 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 25.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2015-12-12 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1998-01-05 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 4.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1991-04-26 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1991-11-19 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 7.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1991-11-19 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.5 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Smith County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 15, 1987 | Tornado | 2 | 6 | $25.0M | |
| Apr 5, 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | WHITEHOUSE | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Apr 26, 1957 | Tornado | 0 | 6 | $2.5M | |
| Feb 12, 1950 | Tornado | 0 | 5 | $250K | |
| Jul 19, 2021 | Flash Flood | WOOD SPGS | 0 | 4 | $0 |
| Jul 14, 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | OMEN | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Apr 29, 2016 | Tornado | LINDALE | 0 | 2 | $300K |
| Nov 28, 1997 | Lightning | TYLER | 0 | 2 | $0 |
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 with winds estimated between 110-115 mph touched down just west of Highway 69 near the intersection of Mayor Street. As it crossed Highway 69, the tornado strengthened resulting in major damage to the Hibbett Sports and Dollar Tree stores on the east side of Highway 69. The tornado moved northeast resulting in tree and roof damage in subdivisions between Highway 69 and County Road 431. The tornado lifted near the intersection of County Road 431 and Pierce Street.
A long track multi-vortex EF-2 tornado with peak winds estimated between 120-125 mph touched down just east of Lindale near the intersection of County Road 499 and County Road 4100. The tornado traveled northeast resulting in extensive damage to trees along its path. The tornado was strongest between Farm To Market Road 16 and Farm To Market Road 2710, where a cell phone tower, a house, and two mobile homes sustained major damage from estimated EF-2 tornado winds. This tornado remained on the ground as it crossed a heavily wooded area and the Sabine River into Southeast Wood County.
A weak EF0 tornado first touched down in a subdivision along Southern Trace Circle where shingles were peeled off several homes and a trampoline was thrown up onto a home. Several fences were blown down as well. The tornado continued east onto Walnut Hill Drive where sporadic tree damage was observed as well as some minor damage to several homes along the street. The tornado lifted before reaching US 69. Maximum winds are estimated at 65-70 mph.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
241,740
Population (ACS)
$241K
Median home value
33
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| Aug 24, 2020 | Hurricane | TROPICAL STORMS MARCO AND LAURA | EM |
| Mar 25, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Tyler 224
- Lindale 142
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Smith County, Texas?
1,049 events are on record between 1950 and 2026, causing 3 direct deaths and $36.3M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Smith County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 410 recorded events — 39.1% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Smith County?
77 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 72 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Smith County?
33 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Smith County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Smith County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Smith County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 84 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Smith 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
- Sherman County 321
- Somervell County 167
- Shelby County 497
- Starr County 212
- Shackelford County 262
- Stephens County 385
Cite this page
“Smith County, Texas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/texas/smith-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.