42
Recorded events
6
Direct deaths
105
Direct injuries
$44.9M
Property damage
Tornado in Van Zandt County, Texas: 42 recorded events between 1958 and 2025. The strongest on record measured F2. That places the county #567 nationally and #99 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in Van Zandt County, Texas: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in Van Zandt County is the 2010s, when 17 of the county's 42 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 Van Zandt County archive, tornado makes up 8.7% of all recorded severe weather across 6 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #567 for this hazard and #99 within Texas, putting it in the 80.4 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
May is the peak month for tornado in Van Zandt County with 19 recorded events, while Feb 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017-04-29 | EF4 | 21.4 mi | 1,760 yd | Crossed in |
| 2017-04-29 | EF3 | 39.7 mi | 1,760 yd | Touched down here |
| 2015-05-10 | EF3 | 10.2 mi | 700 yd | Touched down here |
| 1978-05-05 | EF3 | 29.9 mi | 10 yd | Crossed in |
| 2019-05-29 | EF2 | 7.2 mi | 700 yd | Touched down here |
| 2017-04-29 | EF2 | 11.7 mi | 100 yd | Crossed in |
| 2010-01-20 | EF2 | 15.2 mi | 100 yd | Touched down here |
| 1994-04-29 | EF2 | 12.0 mi | 100 yd | Touched down here |
| 1981-05-13 | EF2 | 5.4 mi | 200 yd | Touched down here |
| 1979-04-11 | EF2 | 13.3 mi | 150 yd | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 11, 2015 | PRIMROSE | EF3 | 2 | 43 | $40.0M |
| Apr 29, 2017 | WALTON | EF3 | 2 | 24 | $600K |
| Apr 29, 2017 | BIG ROCK | EF4 | 2 | 20 | $700K |
| May 2, 2008 | CANTON | EF1 | 0 | 8 | $300K |
| Apr 29, 2017 | BIG ROCK | EF0 | 0 | 5 | $300K |
| Nov 26, 1988 | F1 | 0 | 2 | $0 | |
| Apr 5, 1986 | F1 | 0 | 2 | $250K | |
| Apr 26, 2011 | BEN WHEELER | EF1 | 0 | 1 | $200K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 4, 2025 | OAKLAND | EF0 | $100K |
| May 16, 2020 | PHALBA | EF0 | $10K |
| Oct 21, 2019 | WILLS PT | EF0 | $250K |
| May 29, 2019 | WENTWORTH | EF1 | $1K |
| May 29, 2019 | CANTON | EF1 | $250K |
| May 29, 2019 | RODDY | EF2 | $500K |
| May 29, 2019 | WENTWORTH | EFU | $0 |
| May 29, 2019 | TUNDRA | EF0 | $5K |
| May 11, 2017 | EDGEWOOD | EF0 | $4K |
| Apr 30, 2017 | PHALBA | EF0 | $5K |
Other hazards here
More from Van Zandt County
- Thunderstorm Wind 209
- Hail 171
- Flash Flood 42
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A NWS storm survey team found EF-3 damage in the city of Van. This tornado began near highway 64, near Edom before moving in a northerly direction. The storm crossed Interstate 20 on the southeast side of Van, before carving a destructive path over the eastern side of the city. The greatest damage was done in a housing development to the north of the public school administration building, where over 50 homes were damaged or destroyed. Two fatalities occurred with this tornado, as a married couple was apparently asleep in their mobile home when the tornado hit.
The Henderson County tornado continued into Van Zandt County. A National Weather Service damage survey crew found the start of tornado number three began in Henderson County, approximately 3 miles due south of Eustace. This tornado eventually moved into Van Zandt County, where the storm produced EF4 damage. In Henderson County, several homes suffered EF2 damage, along with a considerable amount of tree damage and damage to farm buildings. As the storm moved into Van Zandt County, the tornado grew to a mile wide at the tornado's maximum width. Over 50 homes were either damaged or destroyed, with a continuous path noted between counties.
This tornado began nearly as the last tornado dissipated to the south and west. The parent supercell cycled another tornado about a mile to the east and northeast of the previous storm. This tornado quickly grew to a large tornado, becoming slightly less than one mile wide at its widest point. The tornado was at the strongest near Interstate 20 and FM 17 just north of Canton. The survey crews found continuous damage between Canton and Fruitvale, and then additional damage as far north as Emory, |and Lake Fork. Several homes, businesses, and farm buildings were damaged or destroyed in the 40 mile continuous damage path. This tornado occurred for over an hour, and spanned most of Van Zandt, and nearly all of Rains Counties during the 80 minute track.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in Van Zandt County, Texas?
42 tornado events are recorded in Van Zandt County between 1958 and 2025, causing 6 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in Van Zandt County?
The strongest tornado on record in Van Zandt County measured F2.
Where does the tornado data for Van Zandt 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 Van Zandt County, Texas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/texas/van-zandt-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.