Bastrop County, Texas
County storm and disaster record · FIPS 48021 · population 97,097 · 888 sq mi
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 490 records for Bastrop County, Texas from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 334 days; the most frequent are hail reports (146 records). The deadliest single record is the September 4, 2011 wildfire, filed for the forecast zone Bastrop, which covers the county: 2 deaths and $328 million in damage in 2025 dollars. FEMA has issued 31 declarations naming the county since 1991, 29 of them for natural hazards; the latest for a natural hazard was “Severe Winter Storm” on April 21, 2023.
The record, 1950 to 2026
Storm records filed for the county each year (2026 to June 30, 2026). Before 1996 NOAA recorded only tornadoes (from 1950), thunderstorm wind and hail (from 1955).
- recorded, no damage figure
- under $100,000
- $100,000 or more
- $1 million or more
- $10 million or more, or a death
- $100 million or more, or 10 deaths
- a year's colour: its recorded damage or deaths
- a year with a death
- 1955: wind and hail recorded from 1955
- 1996: all 48 event types from 1996
- Storm records
- 490on 334 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
- Deaths recorded
- 4121 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $366Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
- Tornadoes
- 35strongest F3
- FEMA declarations
- 31latest 2023
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026 (file revision 20260918); damage converted to 2025 dollars with the BLS CPI-U. Search the record at NCEI. BLS consumer price index.
What hazards hit Bastrop County most?
The most frequent records are hail reports: 146 since 1968. 52% of its hail reports since 1968 fell in March and April. The rank column places the county among Texas's counties by days with a record per 1,000 square miles of land over each hazard's complete period.
| Hazard | Records | Days | First, last | Killed | Injured | Damage | Rank in state |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 146 | 77 | 1968-2025 | 0 | 0 | $19K | 169 of 254 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 104 | 88 | 1973-2026 | 0 | 0 | $2.4M | 125 of 254 |
| Floods | 102 | 70 | 1997-2021 | 2 | 115 | $28M | 43 of 254 |
| Drought | 60 | 60 | 1996-2026 | 0 | 0 | – | 155 of 254 |
| Tornadoes | 35 | 27 | 1953-2022 | 0 | 6 | $6.7M | 131 of 254 |
| Winter storms | 26 | 26 | 1996-2026 | 0 | 0 | $1.2M | 130 of 254 |
| Extreme cold | 5 | 5 | 2021-2024 | 0 | 0 | – | 140 of 254 |
| Heat | 5 | 5 | 2018-2023 | 0 | 0 | – | 137 of 254 |
| Wildfires | 4 | 4 | 2011-2024 | 2 | 0 | $328M | 108 of 254 |
| Hurricanes and tropical storms | 1 | 1 | 2017-2017 | 0 | 0 | – | 89 of 254 |
| Lightning | 1 | 1 | 2013-2013 | 0 | 0 | $6K | 125 of 254 |
| Fog, smoke and funnel clouds | 1 | 1 | 2014-2014 | 0 | 0 | – | 141 of 254 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (county and forecast-zone records attributed to the county; a zone record shows its own totals on each county it covers). Days: dates with at least one record of the hazard in the county. Ranks: days with a record per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer), since 1950 for tornadoes, 1955 for hail and thunderstorm wind, 1996 for the rest.
How many tornadoes has Bastrop County had?
NOAA records 35 tornadoes in Bastrop County from 1953 to 2022, the strongest rated F3, with 0 deaths and 6 injuries recorded in the county. A tornado that crossed a county line is counted in each county it touched, with the length of its path inside the county.
Counted as whole tornadoes rather than county records, the Storm Prediction Center's database holds 35 tornadoes whose track touched Bastrop County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 35, the same count); along their whole tracks they killed 1 person, 0 of them in Bastrop County.
| Date | Tornado | Rating | Path | Killed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980-04-07 16:48, as SPC files it | Round Rock | F3 | 31.7 mi | 1 |
| 1957-04-24 14:20, as SPC files it | Unnamed | F3 | 14.7 mi | 0 |
| 1953-04-28 18:15, as SPC files it | Smithville | F3 | 0.5 mi | 0 |
Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Texas.
Every tornado record filed for Bastrop County (35)
| Date | Place | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-03-21 | Butler, Bastrop County | EF0 0.93 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2022-03-21 | Utley, Bastrop County | EF2 10.87 mi x 500 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2021-05-28 | Red Rock, Bastrop County | EF0 1.38 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $5K |
| 2020-05-12 | Paige, Bastrop County | EFU 0.05 mi x 20 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2020-05-12 | Smithville Municipal Airport, Bastrop County | EF0 2.6 mi x 20 yd | 0 | 0 | $57K |
| 2017-05-23 | Elgin, Bastrop County | EF0 1.81 mi x 200 yd | 0 | 0 | $120K |
| 2015-05-25 | Cedar Creek, Bastrop County | EF1 3.05 mi x 440 yd | 0 | 1 | – |
| 2015-05-23 | Elysium, Bastrop County | EF1 0.81 mi x 200 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2014-05-26 | Cedar Creek, Bastrop County | EF0 0.5 mi x 30 yd | 0 | 0 | $12K |
| 2012-01-25 | String Prairie, Bastrop County | EF0 2.86 mi x 30 yd | 0 | 0 | $6K |
| 2005-03-25 | Elgin, Bastrop County | F0 0.2 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $60K |
| 2000-11-12 | Elgin, Bastrop County | F0 0.3 mi x 20 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2000-11-12 | Rosanky, Bastrop County | F0 1 mi x 30 yd | 0 | 0 | $17K |
| 1998-10-17 | Elgin, Bastrop County | F1 0.2 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $91K |
| 1998-10-17 | Elgin, Bastrop County | F1 0.1 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 1 | $54K |
| 1994-05-13 | South Portion, Bastrop County | F0 0.2 mi x 30 yd | 0 | 0 | $20K |
| 1994-05-13 | Central Portion, Bastrop County | F0 0.2 mi x 30 yd | 0 | 0 | $20K |
| 1991-04-28 | Bastrop County | F0 0.2 mi x 10 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1991-04-17 | Bastrop County | F0 0.2 mi x 10 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1991-01-14 | Bastrop County | F2 5 mi x 60 yd | 0 | 0 | $250K step |
| 1991-01-14 | Bastrop County | F0 0.2 mi x 20 yd | 0 | 0 | $250 step |
| 1980-08-10 | Bastrop County | F0 11.1 mi x 27 yd | 0 | 0 | $3K step |
| 1980-08-10 | Bastrop County | F0 4.3 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1980-08-10 | Bastrop County | F2 18.8 mi x 77 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1980-04-07 | Bastrop County | F3 16.5 mi x 33 yd | 0 | 0 | $250K step |
| 1977-05-02 | Bastrop County | 0 | 0 | $3K step | |
| 1974-03-20 | Bastrop County | F1 1.1 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $3K step |
| 1971-11-17 | Bastrop County | F2 31.7 mi x 33 yd | 0 | 0 | $250K step |
| 1970-10-23 | Bastrop County | F0 0.5 mi x 17 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1965-05-18 | Bastrop County | F2 1 mi x 17 yd | 0 | 0 | $3K step |
| 1962-09-05 | Bastrop County | F0 2 mi x 33 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1957-04-26 | Bastrop County | 0 | 0 | $3K step | |
| 1957-04-24 | Bastrop County | F3 9.6 mi x 880 yd | 0 | 1 | $250K step |
| 1954-05-19 | Bastrop County | 0 | 0 | $3K step | |
| 1953-04-28 | Bastrop County | F3 0.5 mi x 200 yd | 0 | 3 | $25K step |
A damage figure marked "step" is a record from before 1993: NOAA then filed damage by category, and the figure is the category as entered, in the dollars of that year, not an estimate of the loss.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, tornado records by county (path length in the county, maximum width); ratings as published: F scale before February 1, 2007, EF scale after. Whole-track figures: NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database (1950-2025). SPC severe weather database.
When was the last damaging storm in Bastrop County?
The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the May 10, 2026 thunderstorm wind.
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-01 | DroughtBastrop County · forecast zone Bastrop | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-05-10 | Thunderstorm WindBastrop County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $100 |
| 2026-05-01 | DroughtBastrop County · forecast zone Bastrop | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-04-01 | DroughtBastrop County · forecast zone Bastrop | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-01 | DroughtBastrop County · forecast zone Bastrop | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-01 | DroughtBastrop County · forecast zone Bastrop | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-24 | Winter StormBastrop County · forecast zone Bastrop | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-01 | DroughtBastrop County · forecast zone Bastrop | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-12-01 | DroughtBastrop County · forecast zone Bastrop | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-11-01 | DroughtBastrop County · forecast zone Bastrop | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-10-01 | DroughtBastrop County · forecast zone Bastrop | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-09-30 | DroughtBastrop County · forecast zone Bastrop | 0 | 0 | – |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database; every record of 2025-2026 is listed, earlier ones when they caused deaths, injuries or $250,000 of damage (2025 dollars), and every tornado.
The deadliest and costliest records
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011-09-04 | WildfireBastrop County · forecast zone Bastrop The Bastrop County Complex Wildfire started on September 4 behind Tropical Storm Lee and a cold front that brought strong northerly winds. The peak wind at Austin Bergstrom International Airport was 36 mph. The fire was not completely contained at the end of the month and had burned 34,068 acres. It destroyed 1669 ... | 2 | 0 | $328M | |
| 2002-11-05 | Flash FloodBastrop County A Bastrop woman was swept away in her car as she attempted to drive through the Cedar Creek crossing at Lower Red Rock Road, just off FM304 southwest of Bastrop. She called police at 0525CST to say that she had driven into deep water and the car was beginning to flood. She was rescued by emergency personnel but died ... | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2002-04-08 | Flash FloodSoutheast Portion, Bastrop County Two inches of rainfall in a two-hour period caused very localized and brief flooding over the southeast section of Bastrop county. A 46-yr old man drowned as his vehicle was washed off a rural road into Buckner's Creek, about six miles east of Rosanky. | 1 | 0 | $33K | |
| 1998-10-17 | Flash FloodCountywide, Bastrop County The Great October FloodIn advance of a very slow-moving upper level trough of low pressure over West Texas, a cold front drifted slowly southeastward into West Central Texas during the evening of Friday, October 16th. Deep moisture was in place across South Central Texas as the two systems approached, being fed at the ... | 0 | 100 | $5.6M | |
| 1998-10-17 | FloodBastrop County · forecast zone Bastrop Flooding along the Colorado River.The Colorado River at Bastrop reached a crest of 32.3 feet, with flood stage 25 feet, flooding a golf course. At Smithville, the Colorado crested at 34.6 feet, where flood stage is 20 feet. Just upstream from Smithville, Pecan Shores Estates and Hidden Valley Estates experienced ... | 0 | 10 | $15M | |
| 2001-11-15 | Flash FloodNorthwest Portion, Bastrop County By late afternoon, heavy rainfall had brought rain accumulations to almost 4 inches over the northwest part of Bastrop County. Isolated totals were reported to be 7 inches along the Travis County line. Widespread flash flooding of low lying areas was indicated, with considerable damage to county roads and bridges. | 0 | 5 | $133K | |
| 1953-04-28 | TornadoBastrop County | F3 0.5 mi x 200 yd | 0 | 3 | $25K step |
| 2015-05-25 | TornadoCedar Creek, Bastrop County A NWS storm survey team concluded a tornado touched down just west of Cedar Creek in Bastrop County. The tornado snapped and uprooted many trees. Twelve homes along the path of the tornado were damaged with barns and a large greenhouse destroyed. Peak winds were estimated at 105 mph. | EF1 3.05 mi x 440 yd | 0 | 1 | – |
A damage figure marked "step" is a record from before 1993: NOAA then filed damage by category, and the figure is the category as entered, in the dollars of that year, not an estimate of the loss.
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011-09-04 | WildfireBastrop County · forecast zone Bastrop | 2 | 0 | $328M | |
| 1998-10-17 | Flash FloodCountywide, Bastrop County | 0 | 100 | $5.6M | |
| 2015-10-30 | Flash FloodElysium, Bastrop County | 0 | 0 | $2.6M | |
| 2015-05-25 | Flash FloodBastrop County | 0 | 0 | $2.5M | |
| 2017-08-27 | FloodBastrop County | 0 | 0 | $1.8M | |
| 2023-02-01 | Winter WeatherBastrop County · forecast zone Bastrop | 0 | 0 | $1.2M | |
| 2017-05-23 | Thunderstorm WindElgin, Bastrop County | 65 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $120K |
| 2017-05-23 | TornadoElgin, Bastrop County | EF0 1.81 mi x 200 yd | 0 | 0 | $120K |
Before 1993 NOAA filed damage by category, not amount, so the list above starts in 1993. The highest category filed here before then (entered as $250K, in the dollars of the day) holds: April 24, 1957 (tornado, Bastrop County); November 17, 1971 (tornado, Bastrop County); April 7, 1980 (tornado, Bastrop County).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: deaths and injuries direct and indirect; damage is property plus crops as estimated by the National Weather Service, converted to 2025 dollars.
Is it getting more frequent?
Records per decade for Bastrop County's most frequent hazards. Counts rose everywhere after 1996, when NOAA began recording every event type, so compare decades within a hazard's complete period only (the shaded cells come before it).
| Hazard | 1950s | 1960s | 1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020-26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 0 | 1 | 3 | 16 | 26 | 15 | 57 | 28 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 0 | 0 | 5 | 8 | 23 | 24 | 34 | 10 |
| Floods | – | – | – | – | 6 | 42 | 53 | 1 |
| Drought | – | – | – | – | 5 | 4 | 24 | 27 |
| Tornadoes | 4 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 5 |
| Winter storms | – | – | – | – | 2 | 4 | 8 | 12 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records per calendar decade; zone records from the CZ_TYPE field (Z).
What time of year?
52% of its hail reports since 1968 fell in March and April. The two busiest months are in violet.
The values, month by month
Jan 31 · Feb 30 · Mar 55 · Apr 79 · May 99 · Jun 37 · Jul 25 · Aug 39 · Sep 19 · Oct 30 · Nov 28 · Dec 18 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.
Federal disaster declarations for Bastrop County
FEMA's register lists 31 declarations that include Bastrop County: 16 major disasters, 8 emergencies and 7 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for fire (13) and flood (5).
| Declared | Number | Type | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-04-21 | DR-4705 | Winter Storm | Severe Winter Storm |
| 2021-02-19 | DR-4586 | Severe Ice Storm | Severe Winter Storms |
| 2021-02-14 | EM-3554 | Severe Ice Storm | Severe Winter Storm |
| 2020-03-25 | DR-4485 | Biological | Covid-19 Pandemic |
| 2020-03-13 | EM-3458 | Biological | Covid-19 |
| 2017-08-25 | DR-4332 | Hurricane | Hurricane Harvey |
| 2016-06-11 | DR-4272 | Flood | Severe Storms and Flooding |
| 2016-04-25 | DR-4269 | Flood | Severe Storms and Flooding |
| 2015-11-25 | DR-4245 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding |
| 2015-10-14 | FM-5116 | Fire | Hidden Pines Fire |
| 2015-05-29 | DR-4223 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds and Flooding |
| 2011-09-09 | DR-4029 | Fire | Wildfires |
| 2011-09-04 | FM-2958 | Fire | Bastrop County Fire Complex |
| 2011-07-01 | DR-1999 | Fire | Wildfires |
| 2009-04-10 | FM-2806 | Fire | Montague Fire Complex |
| 2009-02-28 | FM-2796 | Fire | Wilderness Ridge Fire |
| 2008-03-14 | EM-3284 | Fire | Wildfires |
| 2006-01-19 | FM-2622 | Fire | Orchard Fire |
| 2006-01-11 | DR-1624 | Fire | Extreme Wildfire Threat |
| 2006-01-07 | FM-2612 | Fire | Cedar Creek Fire |
| 2005-09-24 | DR-1606 | Hurricane | Hurricane Rita |
| 2005-09-21 | EM-3261 | Hurricane | Hurricane Rita |
| 2005-09-02 | EM-3216 | Hurricane | Hurricane Katrina Evacuation |
| 2000-01-05 | FM-2291 | Fire | Bob's Trail Fire |
| 1999-09-01 | EM-3142 | Fire | Extreme Fire Hazards |
| 1998-10-21 | DR-1257 | Flood | Tx-Flooding 10/18/98 |
| 1998-08-26 | DR-1239 | Severe Storm | Tropical Storm Charley |
| 1996-02-23 | EM-3117 | Fire | Extreme Fire Hazard |
| 1994-10-18 | DR-1041 | Flood | Severe Thunderstorms and Flooding |
| 1993-09-10 | EM-3113 | Drought | Extreme Fire Hazard |
| 1991-12-26 | DR-930 | Flood | Severe Thunderstorms |
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2), declarations through October 2, 2026; one declaration is counted once however many areas it names. OpenFEMA dataset page.
How many floods has Bastrop County had?
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 102 flood or flash flood records for Bastrop County from 1997 to 2021, on 70 days, with 2 deaths. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Bastrop County ranks 699th of 2,942 U.S. counties.
| Storm | Began | Records | Deaths in the county |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hurricane Harvey | 2017-08-27 | 1 | 0 |
The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $9.9 million on 331 claims filed in Bastrop County; the most in one year was 100 in 2015. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.
The values, year by year
1979: 1 · 1980: 1 · 1981: 3 · 1985: 2 · 1986: 1 · 1987: 2 · 1989: 1 · 1991: 17 · 1996: 1 · 1998: 26 · 2001: 7 · 2003: 1 · 2004: 9 · 2006: 1 · 2007: 3 · 2009: 1 · 2012: 11 · 2013: 2 · 2014: 2 · 2015: 100 · 2016: 93 · 2017: 40 · 2018: 2 · 2021: 3 · 2022: 1; the other years: 0.
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims, as of September 8, 2026; claims by year of loss, payments in the dollars of the year paid. OpenFEMA dataset page.
FEMA's modeled risk for Bastrop County
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Bastrop County Relatively Moderate overall, with an expected annual loss of $42.5 million. These are FEMA's model estimates of future loss from 18 hazards, not a count of what happened; they can differ from the record above.
| Hazard | Risk rating | Expected annual loss | Modeled frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tornado | Relatively High | $7.4M | once in about 2 years (modeled) |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively Moderate | $27M | 2.5 a year (modeled) |
| Hail | Relatively Moderate | $1.1M | 3.1 a year (modeled) |
| Heat Wave | Relatively Moderate | $1.8M | 11 modeled event-days a year |
| Winter Weather | Relatively Moderate | $199K | 3.1 a year (modeled) |
| Drought | Relatively Moderate | $708K | 54 modeled event-days a year |
| Cold Wave | Relatively Moderate | $2.5M | once in about 2 years (modeled) |
| Lightning | Relatively Moderate | $481K | 52 a year (modeled) |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index, county table, December 2025 release. FEMA's National Risk Index map.
Counties that share a border with Bastrop County
Source: U.S. Census Bureau county adjacency file; NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1950. The Census Bureau's adjacency file.
Next
- Tornadoes in TexasEvery Texas tornado since 1950 and the counties with the most per square mile
- Hail in TexasThe state's hail reports, by county, year and month
- The Texas recordEvery hazard in the state, its deadliest events and its federal declarations
- FEMA's risk rating for each hazard in Bastrop CountyThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
- Download Bastrop County's FEMA declarations (CSV)31 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis