71
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
19
Direct injuries
$3.0M
Property damage
Tornado in Wharton County, Texas: 71 recorded events between 1953 and 2025. The strongest on record measured F3. That places the county #155 nationally and #26 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in Wharton County, Texas: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in Wharton County is the 1990s, when 17 of the county's 71 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 Wharton County archive, tornado makes up 21.7% of all recorded severe weather across 6 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #155 for this hazard and #26 within Texas, putting it in the 94.6 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Nov is the peak month for tornado in Wharton County with 14 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1966-03-28 | EF3 | 9.3 mi | 1,760 yd | Touched down here |
| 1961-11-22 | EF3 | 2.0 mi | 200 yd | Touched down here |
| 1993-04-07 | EF2 | 0.5 mi | 400 yd | Touched down here |
| 1972-03-20 | EF2 | 0.5 mi | 50 yd | Touched down here |
| 1970-10-23 | EF2 | 1.2 mi | 33 yd | Touched down here |
| 1970-10-23 | EF2 | 1.5 mi | 27 yd | Touched down here |
| 1966-04-14 | EF2 | 1.0 mi | 33 yd | Touched down here |
| 1964-06-15 | EF2 | 1.5 mi | 20 yd | Touched down here |
| 1955-05-23 | EF2 | 0.5 mi | 10 yd | Touched down here |
| 1953-12-02 | EF2 | 1.5 mi | 200 yd | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 20, 1967 | 0 | 1 | 1 | $25K | |
| Jun 8, 2004 | WHARTON | F1 | 0 | 6 | $300K |
| Aug 30, 1955 | F1 | 0 | 5 | $0 | |
| Nov 17, 2003 | EL CAMPO | F0 | 0 | 2 | $8K |
| Sep 20, 1967 | 0 | 0 | 2 | $25K | |
| Dec 13, 1977 | F1 | 0 | 1 | $250K | |
| Sep 21, 1967 | 0 | 0 | 1 | $25K | |
| Nov 22, 1961 | F3 | 0 | 1 | $0 |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 12, 2025 | DINSMORE | EF1 | $200K |
| Jun 12, 2025 | IAGO | EF0 | $0 |
| Dec 26, 2024 | PIERCE | EF1 | $0 |
| Aug 27, 2017 | EAST BERNARD | EF1 | $300K |
| Aug 26, 2017 | EAST BERNARD | EF0 | $50K |
| Aug 26, 2017 | EGYPT | EF0 | $0 |
| Feb 14, 2017 | WHARTON JCT | EF0 | $10K |
| Feb 23, 2016 | NEWGULF | EF0 | $0 |
| Jun 28, 2010 | SPANISH CAMP | EF0 | $0 |
| Nov 24, 2004 | WHARTON | F0 | $25K |
Other hazards here
More from Wharton County
- Thunderstorm Wind 117
- Hail 80
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Tornado began as a weak EF0 in East Bernard then tracked NW across SH 90 where it strengthened to EF1 snapping the trunks of several large mature oak and pecan trees. A house suffered significant brick facade damage to one side of the home. Four apartments were damaged on college street.
Tornado formed just outside city limits and caused damage to shopping center roof, several homes, and overturned a pump house as it entered Wharton. A mobile home was flipped over, damage occurred to several out houses, and vehicles. Numerous trees and power lines were knocked down. Overall, six minor injuries were reported, mainly from flying glass.
An EF-1 tornado with 100 mph winds touched down just behind some apartments northeast of Wharton and travelled east across CR 166, CR 133, and CR 129. The most extensive damage was along Everett and Holiness Lanes, just south of CR 166. Numerous homes sustained major roof damage and a number of trees had large branches snapped. As the tornado traveled east it continued producing mostly tree damage and some minor roof damage.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in Wharton County, Texas?
71 tornado events are recorded in Wharton County between 1953 and 2025, causing 1 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in Wharton County?
The strongest tornado on record in Wharton County measured F3.
Where does the tornado data for Wharton 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 Wharton County, Texas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/texas/wharton-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.