66
Recorded events
3
Direct deaths
24
Direct injuries
$10.2M
Property damage
Tornado in Wise County, Texas: 66 recorded events between 1954 and 2026. The strongest on record measured F3. That places the county #190 nationally and #38 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in Wise County, Texas: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in Wise County is the 1990s, when 15 of the county's 66 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 Wise County archive, tornado makes up 6.9% of all recorded severe weather across 7 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #190 for this hazard and #38 within Texas, putting it in the 93.6 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
May is the peak month for tornado in Wise County with 22 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1957-04-02 | EF3 | 0.1 mi | 10 yd | Touched down here |
| 2022-12-13 | EF2 | 9.7 mi | 370 yd | Touched down here |
| 2001-10-12 | EF2 | 2.5 mi | 440 yd | Touched down here |
| 2001-10-12 | EF2 | 9.0 mi | 590 yd | Touched down here |
| 1996-04-13 | EF2 | 0.5 mi | 75 yd | Touched down here |
| 1990-04-25 | EF2 | 0.2 mi | 10 yd | Touched down here |
| 1990-04-25 | EF2 | 5.0 mi | 100 yd | Touched down here |
| 1979-10-30 | EF2 | 2.0 mi | 50 yd | Touched down here |
| 1975-05-29 | EF2 | 0.1 mi | 10 yd | Touched down here |
| 1973-11-24 | EF2 | 0.1 mi | 10 yd | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 3, 1999 | CHICO | F1 | 2 | 3 | $600K |
| Apr 25, 2026 | BRIDGEPORT MUNI ARPT | EF2 | 1 | 6 | $5.0M |
| Jun 26, 2007 | DECATUR | EF0 | 0 | 5 | $50K |
| Mar 24, 2023 | BOONSVILLE | EF1 | 0 | 3 | $0 |
| Dec 13, 2022 | PARADISE | EF2 | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| May 7, 2015 | FORD | EF1 | 0 | 1 | $250K |
| Oct 13, 2001 | DECATUR | F2 | 0 | 1 | $750K |
| Oct 13, 2001 | PARADISE | F2 | 0 | 1 | $200K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 28, 2026 | COTTONDALE | EF0 | $20K |
| Apr 25, 2026 | BRIDGEPORT MUNI ARPT | EF2 | $5.0M |
| Apr 19, 2025 | CRAFTON | EF0 | $0 |
| Mar 4, 2025 | COTTONDALE | EF1 | $750K |
| Mar 24, 2023 | BOONSVILLE | EF1 | $0 |
| Dec 13, 2022 | PARADISE | EF2 | $0 |
| Mar 21, 2022 | PARADISE | EF0 | $0 |
| Mar 19, 2020 | ALVORD | EF0 | $1K |
| Mar 19, 2020 | LAKE BRIDGEPORT | EF0 | $70K |
| Jan 10, 2020 | BOYD | EF0 | $10K |
Other hazards here
More from Wise County
- Hail 461
- Thunderstorm Wind 313
- Flash Flood 74
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Two persons were killed in a mobile home which was destroyed by a tornado. Three other people were injured. Three mobile homes were destroyed, with two of them heavily damaged. Many outbuildings were damaged or destroyed.
Widespread damaging straight-line winds occurred across much of Wise County during the predawn hours of March 4th, 2025. Within this broad wind field, a NWS WFO Fort Worth survey team identified a relatively short track tornado north of the Cottondale community. This tornado formed near the intersection of FM 2123 and FM 3552, where a wood frame residence lost much of its roof and internal rafters. The peak intensity of the tornado was determined from the damage at this residence, with EF-1 intensity winds estimated around 110 mph. The tornado impacted two outbuildings nearby, producing EF-0 roof damage. The tornado moved eastward, roughly paralleling County Road 3470 for at least two miles. Along this path, many larger hardwood trees exhibited limb damage, and a few outbuildings, frame residences, and manufactured homes also exhibited mostly high end EF-0 and low end EF-1 roof and fascia damage. The tornado dissipated near the intersection of County Road 3470 and School House Road.
A National Weather Service damage survey crew found tornado damage consistent with EF-1 damage in the city of Runaway Bay. This was the second of two tornadoes to affect Runaway Bay on the 19th. This tornado began over Lake Bridgeport before moving southwest into the city. Several homes were damaged, with damage ranging from superficial shingle damage to complete roof loss. One home had the second story balcony removed, and the two apartment units were considered a total loss.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in Wise County, Texas?
66 tornado events are recorded in Wise County between 1954 and 2026, causing 3 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in Wise County?
The strongest tornado on record in Wise County measured F3.
Where does the tornado data for Wise 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 Wise County, Texas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/texas/wise-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.