58
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
26
Direct injuries
$13.0M
Property damage
Tornado in Wheeler County, Texas: 58 recorded events between 1955 and 2025. The strongest on record measured F4. That places the county #268 nationally and #50 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in Wheeler County, Texas: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in Wheeler County is the 1990s, when 22 of the county's 58 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 Wheeler County archive, tornado makes up 10.2% of all recorded severe weather across 7 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #268 for this hazard and #50 within Texas, putting it in the 90.9 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
May is the peak month for tornado in Wheeler County with 28 recorded events, while Jan 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1955-05-25 | EF4 | 45.1 mi | 1,100 yd | Crossed in |
| 1995-06-08 | EF4 | 29.0 mi | 600 yd | Crossed in |
| 1995-06-08 | EF4 | 15.0 mi | 2,200 yd | Touched down here |
| 1965-06-04 | EF3 | 6.8 mi | 50 yd | Touched down here |
| 1997-06-11 | EF3 | 9.0 mi | 600 yd | Touched down here |
| 1991-05-15 | EF3 | 15.0 mi | 450 yd | Crossed in |
| 1977-05-16 | EF3 | 12.1 mi | 500 yd | Crossed in |
| 1967-07-03 | EF3 | 2.3 mi | 33 yd | Touched down here |
| 1955-04-18 | EF3 | 8.9 mi | 100 yd | Touched down here |
| 2017-05-16 | EF2 | 9.2 mi | 1,250 yd | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 5, 1965 | F3 | 1 | 1 | $25K | |
| Jun 11, 1997 | KELLERVILLE | F3 | 0 | 13 | $1.7M |
| May 29, 1980 | F2 | 0 | 6 | $250 | |
| May 25, 1955 | F4 | 0 | 5 | $25K | |
| Apr 25, 1990 | F1 | 0 | 1 | $3K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 7, 2025 | KELTON | EFU | $0 |
| Mar 24, 2024 | SHAMROCK | EF1 | $75K |
| Feb 27, 2023 | KELTON | EF1 | $0 |
| Feb 27, 2023 | LELA | EF0 | $0 |
| Jun 23, 2018 | WHEELER | EF0 | $0 |
| May 29, 2018 | MOBEETIE | EF0 | $0 |
| May 16, 2017 | TWITTY | EF2 | $0 |
| May 16, 2017 | LELA | EF1 | $0 |
| May 16, 2017 | LELA | EF0 | $0 |
| May 16, 2015 | SHAMROCK | EF0 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Wheeler County
- Hail 380
- Thunderstorm Wind 102
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.
No injuries were reported. The tornado severely damaged several homes and outbuildings…uprooted or snapped large trees…and knocked down powerlines. The tornado crossed the Oklahoma and Texas state line along State Highway 152…fifteen miles east of the town of Wheeler.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in Wheeler County, Texas?
58 tornado events are recorded in Wheeler County between 1955 and 2025, causing 1 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in Wheeler County?
The strongest tornado on record in Wheeler County measured F4.
Where does the tornado data for Wheeler 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 Wheeler County, Texas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/texas/wheeler-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.