Washington County, Texas severe weather history spans 213 recorded events between 1950 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 33.8% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,366 nationally and #214 in Texas.
213
Recorded events
8
Direct deaths
15
Direct injuries
$18.4M
Property damage
The record
What the Washington County, Texas severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Washington County, Texas severe weather history averages 2.8 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 61 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 19 events fall before 1990 and 194 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Washington County, Texas record is flash flood, responsible for 4 direct deaths. The costliest is flash flood, with $10.2M 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 Washington County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 72 | 0 | $1.4M | 78 | 1965–2025 |
| Hail | 55 | 0 | $285K | 3.5 | 1957–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 41 | 4 | $10.2M | 0 | 1996–2024 |
| Tornado | 27 | 4 | $6.4M | F3 | 1950–2016 |
| Funnel Cloud | 14 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2001–2026 |
| Lightning | 3 | 0 | $58K | 0 | 2002–2010 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2015–2015 |
Decade by decade
Washington County, Texas severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
27 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 25 touched down inside it and 2 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950-06-05 | EF3 | 0 | 6 | 23.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 1953-12-02 | EF2 | 2 | 5 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1971-02-25 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1971-02-25 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1964-05-01 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 5.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 1954-04-30 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 15.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 1983-12-10 | EF1 | 1 | 0 | 4.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1983-05-20 | EF1 | 1 | 4 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1994-05-13 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1982-05-13 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Washington County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 26, 2016 | Flash Flood | BURTON | 4 | 0 | $10.0M |
| Dec 2, 1953 | Tornado | 2 | 5 | $250 | |
| May 20, 1983 | Tornado | 1 | 4 | $2.5M | |
| Dec 10, 1983 | Tornado | 1 | 0 | $250K | |
| Jun 5, 1950 | Tornado | 0 | 6 | $250K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Flood waters inundated homes and there were numerous water rescues in the town of Brenham and around the county. Sections of Highway 36 were impassable due to water over the roadway from Brenham and Somerville. FM 2935 at New Year's Creek was closed due to flooding. All of FM 390 from Burton eastward to FM 105, as well as SH 36 at Highway 290, was closed. There were four fatalities in Washington County. Over 20 inches of rain was measured at one gauge. Damages are estimated.
Trees were downed by strong thunderstorm winds in Washington County. A possible funnel cloud was sighted as the derecho moved through the area, but this was not confirmed by any photo or video evidence. County EM investigated the area, did not find any associated damage where the funnel was sighted. Approximately 70 roads closed due to downed trees. We also had several thousand meters without power. Some citizens that had structural damage to homes and barns.
Tornado in Southwestern Washington County knocked down numerous trees in open country before moving into the town of Burton. Minor damage to several buildings occurred in Burton along with one barn destroyed north of town.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
36,647
Population (ACS)
$288K
Median home value
20
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 9, 2024 | Hurricane | HURRICANE BERYL | DR |
| 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 |
| Mar 25, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Washington County, Texas?
213 events are on record between 1950 and 2026, causing 8 direct deaths and $18.4M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Washington County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 72 recorded events — 33.8% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Washington County?
27 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 25 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Washington County?
20 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Washington County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Washington County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Washington County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 72 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Washington 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
- Ward County 244
- Webb County 412
- Waller County 158
- Wharton County 327
- Walker County 292
- Wheeler County 566
Cite this page
“Washington County, Texas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/texas/washington-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.