Wheeler County, Texas severe weather history spans 566 recorded events between 1955 and 2025. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 67.1% of all recorded events. It ranks #672 nationally and #63 in Texas.
566
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
27
Direct injuries
$14.8M
Property damage
The record
What the Wheeler County, Texas severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Wheeler County, Texas severe weather history averages 8.1 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 206 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 63 events fall before 1990 and 503 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Wheeler County, Texas record is tornado, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $13.0M 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 Wheeler County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 380 | 0 | $496K | 5.5 | 1959–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 102 | 0 | $1.3M | 87 | 1955–2025 |
| Tornado | 58 | 1 | $13.0M | F4 | 1955–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 15 | 0 | $3K | 0 | 1996–2023 |
| Funnel Cloud | 5 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2018–2018 |
| Flood | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2020–2024 |
| Heavy Rain | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2013–2013 |
Decade by decade
Wheeler County, Texas severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
58 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 52 touched down inside it and 6 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1955-05-25 | EF4 | 2 | 18 | 45.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 1995-06-08 | EF4 | 0 | 0 | 29.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1995-06-08 | EF4 | 0 | 0 | 15.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1965-06-04 | EF3 | 1 | 1 | 6.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1997-06-11 | EF3 | 0 | 13 | 9.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1991-05-15 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 15.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1977-05-16 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 12.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 1967-07-03 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 2.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1955-04-18 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 8.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-05-16 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 9.2 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Wheeler County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 5, 1965 | Tornado | 1 | 1 | $25K | |
| Jun 11, 1997 | Tornado | KELLERVILLE | 0 | 13 | $1.7M |
| May 29, 1980 | Tornado | 0 | 6 | $250 | |
| May 25, 1955 | Tornado | 0 | 5 | $25K | |
| Jun 23, 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | WHEELER | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Apr 25, 1990 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $3K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Three additional tornadoes were added to the storm data based on video provided by National Weather Service employee. Fortunately, these were over open country with the only damage occurring to power lines. The one tornado crossed the county line from Donley into Gray at about 1718CST. A violent tornado dropped down just north of McLean and moved north northeast. Several homes received minor damage north of McLean with the Crockett estate, on County Line road, having two homes destroyed and another seriously damaged. But the main destruction occurred in Wheeler county at the Wheeler Stock Yard and several hundred cattle there. A few other businesses received significant damage from this tornado. This last tornado had two small satellite tornadoes with it and crossed the county line between Gray and Hemphill at 1755CST. The start and end times for this tornado have been modified based on additional information.
Tornado occurred near Pakan community on CR 453. Twelve homes damaged or destroyed along with 13 vehicles on Interstate 40. Two inch diameter hail fell along most of the tornado path. Tornado track was determined by official storm survey.
Thunderstorms across the central Texas panhandle produced dime- to quarter-size hail and 60 mph winds. These reports came for EOC's, Sheriff Offices, radio stations, and storm spotters. In Wheeler County thunderstorm winds took portions of the roof from the Best Western Irish Inn and deposited it on six cars, exposing 18 rooms. Total wind damage in the community of Shamrock was in excess of $200K.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
4,862
Population (ACS)
$106K
Median home value
14
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| Feb 9, 2016 | Severe Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Jul 1, 2011 | Fire | WILDFIRES | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Wheeler 129
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Wheeler County, Texas?
566 events are on record between 1955 and 2025, causing 1 direct deaths and $14.8M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Wheeler County?
Hail, with 380 recorded events — 67.1% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Wheeler County?
58 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 52 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Wheeler County?
14 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Wheeler County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Wheeler County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Wheeler County as very low risk, placing it in the 41 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Wheeler 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
- Wharton County 327
- Wichita County 1,298
- Webb County 412
- Wilbarger County 593
- Washington County 213
- Willacy County 166
Cite this page
“Wheeler County, Texas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/texas/wheeler-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.