Baylor County, Texas

County storm and disaster record · FIPS 48023 · population 3,465 · 867 sq mi

NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 543 records for Baylor County, Texas from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 373 days; the most frequent are hail reports (211 records). The most damaging was the April 13, 2007 hail ($4.3 million in 2025 dollars). FEMA has issued 19 declarations naming the county since 1979, 17 of them for natural hazards; the latest for a natural hazard was “Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding” on May 17, 2024.

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
543on 373 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
Deaths recorded
02 injuries
Damage, 2025 dollars
$6.5Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
Tornadoes
29strongest F4
FEMA declarations
19latest 2024

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 Baylor County most?

The most frequent records are hail reports: 211 since 1959. 58% of its hail reports since 1959 fell in April and May. 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.

Baylor County: records by hazard, 1950 to June 30, 2026
HazardRecordsDaysFirst, lastKilledInjuredDamageRank in state
Hail 211 133 1959-2026 0 0 $4.4M 91 of 254
Severe thunderstorm wind 112 82 1955-2026 0 1 $505K 134 of 254
Drought 99 99 2000-2026 0 0 – 47 of 254
Tornadoes 29 24 1957-2025 0 1 $1.6M 149 of 254
Winter storms 23 23 1996-2026 0 0 $50K 146 of 254
High wind and dust storms 22 18 1996-2026 0 0 $10K 59 of 254
Floods 21 14 1996-2024 0 0 – 214 of 254
Heat 16 16 2006-2026 0 0 – 102 of 254
Fog, smoke and funnel clouds 4 4 1999-2003 0 0 – 67 of 254
Extreme cold 3 3 2021-2024 0 0 – 174 of 254
Wildfires 3 3 2018-2023 0 0 – 123 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 Baylor County had?

NOAA records 29 tornadoes in Baylor County from 1957 to 2025, the strongest rated F4, with 0 deaths and 1 injury 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 30 tornadoes whose track touched Baylor County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 29: they file a crossing tornado once per county segment, and the two databases differ on some tracks); along their whole tracks they killed 0 people.

The deadliest and strongest tornadoes that touched Baylor County, whole tracks
DateTornadoRatingPathKilled
1980-04-02 12:10, as SPC files itSeymourF48.4 mi0
2025-04-29 17:58, as SPC files itSeymourEF33.7 mi0
2005-05-13 18:09, as SPC files itGoreeF316.3 mi0

Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Texas.

Every tornado record filed for Baylor County (29)
Every tornado recorded in Baylor County, newest first
DatePlaceCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2025-04-29 Seymour Municipal Airport, Baylor County EF3 3.7 mi x 650 yd 0 0 $400K
2025-04-29 Red Springs, Baylor County EF2 6 mi x 1,000 yd 0 0 $200K
2024-04-27 Red Springs, Baylor County EFU 0.6 mi x 20 yd 0 0 –
2024-04-27 Red Springs, Baylor County EF1 12.7 mi x 300 yd 0 0 $94K
2019-05-01 Millers Creek Res Dam, Baylor County EFU 1.33 mi x 200 yd 0 0 –
2017-03-28 Millers Creek Res Dam, Baylor County EFU 3 mi x 50 yd 0 0 –
2007-04-13 Seymour, Baylor County EF0 6 mi x 880 yd 0 0 $712
2005-05-13 Bomarton, Baylor County F0 0.2 mi x 50 yd 0 0 –
2005-05-13 Bomarton, Baylor County F0 0.3 mi x 400 yd 0 0 –
1993-10-12 Seymour-, Baylor County F1 7 mi x 40 yd 0 0 –
1993-05-08 Seymour -, Baylor County F0 8 mi x 80 yd 0 0 –
1992-03-08 Baylor County F0 0.2 mi x 10 yd 0 0 –
1986-05-14 Baylor County F0 1 mi x 10 yd 0 0 –
1981-05-24 Baylor County F0 0 0 –
1981-05-24 Baylor County F0 0 0 –
1981-05-24 Baylor County F0 0 0 –
1981-03-07 Baylor County F1 4.1 mi x 100 yd 0 0 –
1980-04-02 Baylor County F4 8.4 mi x 250 yd 0 0 –
1979-05-20 Baylor County F1 0 0 –
1979-04-10 Baylor County F2 10.4 mi x 300 yd 0 0 $25K step
1976-04-15 Baylor County F2 0.1 mi x 33 yd 0 0 –
1971-07-06 Baylor County F2 0.3 mi x 10 yd 0 1 $25K step
1964-04-23 Baylor County F1 1 mi x 37 yd 0 0 $250 step
1961-05-07 Baylor County F0 0.8 mi x 17 yd 0 0 –
1959-05-15 Baylor County F0 0.7 mi x 100 yd 0 0 –
1958-03-08 Baylor County F1 1.3 mi x 33 yd 0 0 $25K step
1957-10-07 Baylor County F2 2 mi x 33 yd 0 0 $3K step
1957-08-12 Baylor County F2 0.4 mi x 100 yd 0 0 $25K step
1957-05-24 Baylor County 0 0 $3K 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 Baylor County?

The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the June 23, 2026 thunderstorm wind ($50,000 in damage in 2025 dollars).

The 12 most recent records kept for Baylor County
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2026-06-23 Thunderstorm WindSeymour, Baylor County 56 kt wind 0 0 $50K
2026-06-23 Thunderstorm WindSeymour Municipal Airport, Baylor County 53 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-06-23 Thunderstorm WindSeymour Municipal Airport, Baylor County 69 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-06-23 Thunderstorm WindSeymour Municipal Airport, Baylor County 52 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-06-23 Thunderstorm WindSeymour Municipal Airport, Baylor County 56 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-06-23 Thunderstorm WindSeymour Municipal Airport, Baylor County 74 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-06-21 HeatBaylor County · forecast zone Baylor 0 0 –
2026-06-18 HeatBaylor County · forecast zone Baylor 0 0 –
2026-06-17 HeatBaylor County · forecast zone Baylor 0 0 –
2026-06-11 HeatBaylor County · forecast zone Baylor 0 0 –
2026-05-22 HailSeymour, Baylor County 0.75 in hail 0 0 –
2026-04-01 DroughtBaylor County · forecast zone Baylor 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

Records with deaths or injuries in Baylor County, most deaths first
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
1989-05-04 Thunderstorm WindBaylor County 0 1 –
1971-07-06 TornadoBaylor County F2 0.3 mi x 10 yd 0 1 $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.

The costliest records in Baylor County since 1993, damage in 2025 dollars
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2007-04-13 HailSeymour, Baylor County 2.75 in hail 0 0 $4.3M
2025-04-29 TornadoSeymour Municipal Airport, Baylor County EF3 3.7 mi x 650 yd 0 0 $400K
2004-03-04 Thunderstorm WindSeymour, Baylor County 69 kt wind 0 0 $312K
2025-04-29 TornadoRed Springs, Baylor County EF2 6 mi x 1,000 yd 0 0 $200K
2026-06-23 Thunderstorm WindSeymour, Baylor County 56 kt wind 0 0 $50K
2019-05-20 Thunderstorm WindSeymour, Baylor County 65 kt wind 0 0 $6K
2021-01-25 Thunderstorm WindSeymour, Baylor County 75 kt wind 0 0 $5K
1999-05-15 HailRed Spgs, Baylor County 3.00 in hail 0 0 $886

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 $25K, in the dollars of the day) holds: July 6, 1971 (tornado, Baylor County); August 12, 1957 (tornado, Baylor County); March 8, 1958 (tornado, Baylor 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 Baylor 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).

Baylor County: records per decade (the 2020s to June 30, 2026)
Hazard1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020-26
Hail1761760543729
Severe thunderstorm wind233921251732
Drought––––01465 z20
Tornadoes52463324
Winter storms––––5873
High wind and dust storms––––54211

Drought in the 2010s: 65 records against 14 in the decade before, 65 of them forecast-zone records. Cells marked z rose mostly through zone records. The local National Weather Service office files these once per forecast zone, so a change in how it draws its zones or splits a storm into records moves this count as much as the weather does; read it beside the Baylor County days with a record above.

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records per calendar decade; zone records from the CZ_TYPE field (Z).

What time of year?

58% of its hail reports since 1959 fell in April and May. The two busiest months are in violet.

The values, month by month

Jan 21 · Feb 22 · Mar 58 · Apr 83 · May 130 · Jun 77 · Jul 29 · Aug 39 · Sep 32 · Oct 22 · Nov 11 · Dec 19 (records).

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.

Federal disaster declarations for Baylor County

FEMA's register lists 19 declarations that include Baylor County: 12 major disasters, 7 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for severe storm (4) and fire (4).

Declarations including Baylor County, newest first
DeclaredNumberTypeTitle
2024-05-17DR-4781FloodSevere Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding
2021-02-19DR-4586Severe Ice StormSevere Winter Storms
2021-02-14EM-3554Severe Ice StormSevere Winter Storm
2020-03-25DR-4485BiologicalCovid-19 Pandemic
2020-03-13EM-3458BiologicalCovid-19
2019-02-25DR-4416FloodSevere Storms and Flooding
2015-05-29DR-4223Severe StormSevere Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds and Flooding
2011-07-01DR-1999FireWildfires
2008-03-14EM-3284FireWildfires
2007-06-29DR-1709Severe StormSevere Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding
2006-01-11DR-1624FireExtreme Wildfire Threat
2005-09-24DR-1606HurricaneHurricane Rita
2005-09-21EM-3261HurricaneHurricane Rita
2005-09-02EM-3216HurricaneHurricane Katrina Evacuation
1999-09-01EM-3142FireExtreme Fire Hazards
1998-08-26DR-1239Severe StormTropical Storm Charley
1993-09-10EM-3113DroughtExtreme Fire Hazard
1989-05-19DR-828Severe StormSevere Storms, Tornadoes & Flooding
1979-04-11DR-575TornadoSevere Storms & Tornadoes

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 Baylor County had?

NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 21 flood or flash flood records for Baylor County from 1996 to 2024, on 14 days, with 0 deaths. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Baylor County ranks 2685th of 2,942 U.S. counties.

The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $23,000 on 3 claims filed in Baylor County; the most in one year was 1 in 1982. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.

The values, year by year

1982: 1 · 1986: 1 · 1989: 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 Baylor County

FEMA's National Risk Index rates Baylor County Very Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $4.2 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.

National Risk Index ratings for Baylor County (December 2025 release), by FEMA's rating, then score
HazardRisk ratingExpected annual lossModeled frequency
DroughtRelatively High$1.5M123 modeled event-days a year
Strong WindRelatively Moderate$492K2.7 a year (modeled)
WildfireRelatively Low$74Konce in about 387 years (modeled)
HailRelatively Low$266K7.4 a year (modeled)
TornadoRelatively Low$407Konce in about 2 years (modeled)
Ice StormRelatively Low$18Konce in about 2 years (modeled)
LandslideVery Low$487once in about 7 years (modeled)
Heat WaveVery Low$99K14 modeled event-days a year

Source: FEMA National Risk Index, county table, December 2025 release. FEMA's National Risk Index map.

Counties that share a border with Baylor County

  1. Wichita County 1,595
  2. Archer County 859
  3. Wilbarger County 847
  4. Young County 780
  5. Haskell County 740
  6. Knox County 654
  7. Baylor County 543
  8. Throckmorton County 501
  9. Foard County 485

Source: U.S. Census Bureau county adjacency file; NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1950. The Census Bureau's adjacency file.

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