10,073
Recorded events
254
Counties affected
594
Direct deaths
$7.1B
Property damage
Texas tornado history: 10,073 recorded events across 254 counties between 1950 and 2026.
Decade by decade
Texas tornado history by decade
The 1990s are the busiest decade on record with 1,727 reported tornado events across Texas. Earlier decades are thinner because systematic reporting for this hazard expanded over time, not because the weather was calmer.
County ranking
Counties with the most tornado events in Texas
| Rank | County | Events | Deaths | Damage | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Harris County | 254 | 13 | $528.5M | 1950–2025 |
| #2 | Hale County | 133 | 8 | $37.1M | 1955–2024 |
| #3 | Galveston County | 126 | 9 | $36.2M | 1957–2024 |
| #4 | Tarrant County | 110 | 3 | $236.7M | 1956–2022 |
| #5 | Johnson County | 110 | 0 | $235.2M | 1951–2026 |
| #6 | Jefferson County | 110 | 3 | $57.2M | 1956–2024 |
| #7 | Dallas County | 109 | 23 | $2.6B | 1952–2025 |
| #8 | Nueces County | 107 | 2 | $97.4M | 1953–2022 |
| #9 | Lubbock County | 98 | 26 | $264.2M | 1955–2025 |
| #10 | Pecos County | 98 | 2 | $28.4M | 1954–2025 |
| #11 | Brazoria County | 96 | 1 | $12.2M | 1950–2024 |
| #12 | Carson County | 92 | 0 | $26.5M | 1951–2025 |
| #13 | Jones County | 88 | 1 | $3.9M | 1954–2025 |
| #14 | Lamb County | 88 | 0 | $19.4M | 1951–2025 |
| #15 | Harrison County | 87 | 0 | $15.6M | 1955–2025 |
| #16 | Gray County | 87 | 2 | $42.7M | 1951–2021 |
| #17 | Randall County | 86 | 1 | $8.2M | 1956–2025 |
| #18 | Hutchinson County | 79 | 1 | $30.8M | 1951–2025 |
| #19 | Parker County | 77 | 0 | $10.3M | 1955–2026 |
| #20 | Smith County | 76 | 2 | $32.5M | 1950–2026 |
| #21 | Hockley County | 76 | 0 | $53.4M | 1955–2025 |
| #22 | Swisher County | 75 | 4 | $33.6M | 1953–2023 |
| #23 | Bell County | 72 | 3 | $13.8M | 1955–2024 |
| #24 | Ochiltree County | 72 | 5 | $10.8M | 1950–2025 |
| #25 | Grayson County | 72 | 3 | $7.1M | 1952–2025 |
Significant events
Deadliest tornado events in Texas
| Date | County | Scale | Deaths | Injuries |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 11, 1953 | McLennan County | F5 | 114 | 597 |
| Apr 10, 1979 | Wichita County | F4 | 42 | 1,700 |
| May 23, 1987 | Reeves County | F4 | 30 | 121 |
| May 27, 1997 | Williamson County | F5 | 27 | 12 |
| May 12, 1970 | Lubbock County | F5 | 26 | 500 |
| May 16, 1957 | Briscoe County | F4 | 21 | 80 |
| Apr 18, 1970 | Donley County | F4 | 16 | 42 |
| May 11, 1953 | Tom Green County | F4 | 13 | 159 |
| Mar 13, 1953 | Haskell County | F4 | 12 | 20 |
| Apr 10, 1979 | Wilbarger County | F4 | 11 | 67 |