Zavala County, Texas severe weather history spans 165 recorded events between 1956 and 2026. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 42.4% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,636 nationally and #238 in Texas.
165
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
8
Direct injuries
$6.1M
Property damage
The record
What the Zavala County, Texas severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Zavala County, Texas severe weather history averages 2.4 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 51 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 37 events fall before 1990 and 128 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is hail, with $5.6M in reported property damage. In total, 5 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Zavala County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 70 | 0 | $5.6M | 4.5 | 1964–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 49 | 0 | $146K | 0 | 1996–2017 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 35 | 0 | $404K | 75 | 1958–2019 |
| Tornado | 10 | 0 | $38K | F2 | 1956–2015 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2012–2012 |
Decade by decade
Zavala County, Texas severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
10 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 8 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1966-05-23 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 16.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1956-10-18 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1980-05-15 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 99.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 1976-10-04 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1972-05-01 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1964-03-18 | EF1 | 0 | 1 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2015-04-24 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 1.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 2004-11-23 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1999-03-12 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1975-05-08 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Zavala County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 18, 1998 | Flash Flood | COUNTYWIDE | 0 | 5 | $5K |
| Apr 4, 2004 | Hail | CRYSTAL CITY | 0 | 1 | $500K |
| Jun 14, 1999 | Flash Flood | CRYSTAL CITY | 0 | 1 | $40K |
| Mar 18, 1964 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $25K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Thunderstorms moved into Zavala County from Maverick County near 3 am CST and continued into the mid morning. Average rainfall was between 1 and 2 inches, with isolated totals of up to 4 inches in the eastern part of the County. Flash flooding began just before sunrise and ended just before noon. Minor damage was reported to area roads and bridges.
Scattered showers and thunderstorms redeveloping in the mid morning from LaPryor to Batesville to the Frio County line produced general rainfall of 2 to 4 inches with isolated totals in the Batesville area of 7 inches. The rain continued from mid morning until just before noon.
The showers and thunderstorms began producing heavy rain in Zavala County in the late evening period, with general totals between 1 and 2 inches across the county. Isolated amounts of up to 5 inches were reported in the southeast corner of the county. Flash flooding began just before midnight CST and continued into the early morning hours.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
9,412
Population (ACS)
$99K
Median home value
18
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 |
| May 29, 2015 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS AND FLOODING | DR |
| Mar 14, 2008 | Fire | WILDFIRES | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Zavala County, Texas?
165 events are on record between 1956 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths and $6.1M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Zavala County?
Hail, with 70 recorded events — 42.4% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Zavala County?
10 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 8 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Zavala County?
18 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Zavala County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Zavala County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Zavala County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 54 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Zavala 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
- Zapata County 157
- Young County 587
- Yoakum County 238
- Wood County 510
- Wise County 951
- Winkler County 222
Cite this page
“Zavala County, Texas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/texas/zavala-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.