Cochran County, Texas
County storm and disaster record · FIPS 48079 · population 2,539 · 775 sq mi
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 525 records for Cochran County, Texas from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 405 days; the most frequent are hail reports (133 records). The deadliest single record is the June 18, 2014 hail: 3 deaths and $376,000 in damage in 2025 dollars. FEMA has issued 16 declarations naming the county since 1970, 14 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
- 525on 405 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
- Deaths recorded
- 320 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $211Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
- Tornadoes
- 38strongest F4
- FEMA declarations
- 16latest 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 Cochran County most?
The most frequent records are hail reports: 133 since 1956. 79% of its hail reports since 1956 fell in May and June. 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 | 133 | 91 | 1956-2026 | 3 | 0 | $13M | 136 of 254 |
| Drought | 97 | 97 | 1996-2022 | 0 | 0 | $2.3M | 33 of 254 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 92 | 74 | 1980-2026 | 0 | 0 | $4.1M | 132 of 254 |
| High wind and dust storms | 83 | 76 | 1996-2026 | 0 | 0 | $14K | 12 of 254 |
| Winter storms | 57 | 57 | 1997-2026 | 0 | 0 | $200K | 25 of 254 |
| Tornadoes | 38 | 22 | 1956-2025 | 0 | 20 | $191M | 143 of 254 |
| Floods | 12 | 9 | 1999-2026 | 0 | 0 | $764K | 232 of 254 |
| Wildfires | 6 | 6 | 2006-2018 | 0 | 0 | $324K | 60 of 254 |
| Extreme cold | 4 | 4 | 2011-2026 | 0 | 0 | – | 149 of 254 |
| Heavy rain | 3 | 3 | 2000-2021 | 0 | 0 | $34K | 79 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 Cochran County had?
NOAA records 38 tornadoes in Cochran County from 1956 to 2025, the strongest rated F4, with 0 deaths and 20 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 38 tornadoes whose track touched Cochran County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 38, the same count); along their whole tracks they killed 0 people.
| Date | Tornado | Rating | Path | Killed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970-04-17 20:50, as SPC files it | Whiteface | F4 | 30 mi | 0 |
Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Texas.
Every tornado record filed for Cochran County (38)
| Date | Place | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-06-05 | Morton Cochran Co Ar, Cochran County | EFU 0.24 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-06-05 | Morton, Cochran County | EF2 9.92 mi x 1,725 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-06-05 | Bledsoe, Cochran County | EFU 2.53 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2022-05-23 | Morton Cochran Co Ar, Cochran County | EFU 0.14 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $5K |
| 2022-05-23 | Morton Cochran Co Ar, Cochran County | EFU 1.55 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2022-05-23 | Morton Cochran Co Ar, Cochran County | EFU 0.38 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2022-05-23 | Morton, Cochran County | EF2 1.66 mi x 1,400 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2022-05-23 | Morton, Cochran County | EFU 0.99 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2017-05-09 | Lehman, Cochran County | EFU 0.01 mi x 30 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2007-03-23 | Morton, Cochran County | EF2 1.5 mi x 150 yd | 0 | 0 | $249K |
| 2007-03-23 | Morton, Cochran County | EF0 0.5 mi x 75 yd | 0 | 0 | $114K |
| 2003-06-04 | Morton, Cochran County | F0 0.1 mi x 30 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2001-05-03 | Morton, Cochran County | F0 0.1 mi x 40 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1997-06-16 | Whiteface, Cochran County | F0 0.1 mi x 10 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1997-06-14 | Whiteface, Cochran County | F0 0.2 mi x 10 yd | 0 | 0 | $9K |
| 1992-05-31 | Cochran County | F1 2 mi x 80 yd | 0 | 0 | $250 step |
| 1985-07-25 | Cochran County | F0 0.1 mi x 30 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1985-05-20 | Cochran County | F0 0.1 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1985-05-20 | Cochran County | F0 0.1 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1985-04-12 | Cochran County | F0 0.1 mi x 30 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1985-04-12 | Cochran County | F0 0.1 mi x 30 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1973-05-14 | Cochran County | F1 2.3 mi x 27 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1973-04-23 | Cochran County | F1 3 mi x 20 yd | 0 | 0 | $3K step |
| 1973-04-23 | Cochran County | F1 3 mi x 20 yd | 0 | 0 | $3K step |
| 1971-10-17 | Cochran County | F1 4.9 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $3K step |
| 1970-04-17 | Cochran County | F4 2 mi x 880 yd | 0 | 20 | $25M step |
| 1969-05-16 | Cochran County | F0 42.8 mi x 200 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1969-05-16 | Cochran County | F0 42.8 mi x 200 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1969-05-16 | Cochran County | F0 42.8 mi x 267 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1969-05-16 | Cochran County | F0 42.8 mi x 150 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1969-05-05 | Cochran County | F0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1965-06-09 | Cochran County | F2 10.4 mi x 33 yd | 0 | 0 | $3K step |
| 1961-07-08 | Cochran County | F0 0.2 mi x 17 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1961-07-08 | Cochran County | F0 0.3 mi x 17 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1961-06-07 | Cochran County | F0 0.2 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $250 step |
| 1961-06-07 | Cochran County | F0 0.2 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $250 step |
| 1961-06-07 | Cochran County | F0 0.2 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $250 step |
| 1956-05-29 | Cochran County | F0 0.5 mi x 17 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
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 Cochran County?
The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the May 23, 2022 tornado ($5,042 in damage in 2025 dollars).
A cyclic tornadic supercell produced several tornadoes over a period of approximately two hours. An NWS storm survey revealed that this supercell produced nine separate tornadoes. This tornado was the sixth tornado. A brief condensation funnel extended to the ground from the cloud for approximately two minutes near the intersection if County Roads 98 and 197 southeast of Morton as reported by a storm chaser. A power flash was observed with this tornado.
National Weather Service event narrative, NOAA Storm Events Database (search the full record, event 1021064)
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-23 | Thunderstorm WindWhiteface, Cochran County | 51 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-05 | Flash FloodBledsoe, Cochran County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-06-03 | Flash FloodMorton, Cochran County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-05-21 | HailBledsoe, Cochran County | 0.75 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-05-15 | Thunderstorm WindMorton, Cochran County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-04-26 | High WindCochran County · forecast zone Cochran | 54 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-02-17 | High WindCochran County · forecast zone Cochran | 52 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-01-24 | Extreme Cold/Wind ChillCochran County · forecast zone Cochran | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-23 | Winter StormCochran County · forecast zone Cochran | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-06-13 | Thunderstorm WindWhiteface, Cochran County | 52 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-06-13 | Thunderstorm WindMorton, Cochran County | 56 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-06-06 | HailWhiteface, Cochran County | 2.50 in hail | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014-06-18 | HailLehman, Cochran County While investigating a fatal plane crash near Lehman, broadcast media reported that a family nearby was caught in a hailstorm while in their car. The family estimated the hail was as large as ping pong balls which caused numerous dents to their vehicle after pulling off the road. NTSB personnel had not yet released the ... | 1.50 in hail | 3 | 0 | $376K |
| 1970-04-17 | TornadoCochran County | F4 2 mi x 880 yd | 0 | 20 | $25M 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.
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009-07-21 | HailMorton, Cochran County | 0.75 in hail | 0 | 0 | $4.1M |
| 2009-07-17 | Thunderstorm WindMorton, Cochran County | 81 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $3.4M |
| 2015-07-09 | FloodBledsoe, Cochran County | 0 | 0 | $747K | |
| 2003-06-23 | Thunderstorm WindMorton, Cochran County | 70 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $481K |
| 2003-06-20 | HailWhiteface, Cochran County | 1.75 in hail | 0 | 0 | $481K |
| 2014-06-18 | HailLehman, Cochran County | 1.50 in hail | 3 | 0 | $376K |
| 2006-03-12 | WildfireCochran County · forecast zone Cochran | 0 | 0 | $293K | |
| 1997-06-14 | HailWhiteface, Cochran County | 2.00 in hail | 0 | 0 | $276K |
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 $25M, in the dollars of the day) holds: April 17, 1970 (tornado, Cochran 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 Cochran 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 | 2 | 5 | 8 | 18 | 19 | 56 | 10 | 15 |
| Drought | – | – | – | – | 10 | 21 | 50 | 16 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 38 | 19 | 28 |
| High wind and dust storms | – | – | – | – | 3 | 21 | 25 | 34 |
| Winter storms | – | – | – | – | 3 | 21 | 24 | 9 |
| Tornadoes | 1 | 11 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 8 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records per calendar decade; zone records from the CZ_TYPE field (Z).
What time of year?
79% of its hail reports since 1956 fell in May and June. The two busiest months are in violet.
The values, month by month
Jan 24 · Feb 40 · Mar 42 · Apr 42 · May 119 · Jun 111 · Jul 36 · Aug 25 · Sep 18 · Oct 20 · Nov 17 · Dec 31 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.
Federal disaster declarations for Cochran County
FEMA's register lists 16 declarations that include Cochran County: 10 major disasters, 6 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for fire (4) and severe storm (3).
| Declared | Number | Type | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-05-17 | DR-4781 | Flood | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding |
| 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 |
| 2016-02-09 | DR-4255 | Severe Storm | Severe Winter Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding |
| 2011-07-01 | DR-1999 | Fire | Wildfires |
| 2008-03-14 | EM-3284 | Fire | Wildfires |
| 2006-01-11 | DR-1624 | Fire | Extreme Wildfire Threat |
| 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 |
| 1999-09-01 | EM-3142 | Fire | Extreme Fire Hazards |
| 1998-08-26 | DR-1239 | Severe Storm | Tropical Storm Charley |
| 1992-09-09 | DR-960 | Severe Storm | Excessive Rain & Hail |
| 1970-05-13 | DR-286 | Tornado | Tornadoes, Windstorms & Flooding |
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.
FEMA's modeled risk for Cochran County
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Cochran County Very Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $4.0 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drought | Relatively High | $1.8M | 96 modeled event-days a year |
| Hail | Relatively Moderate | $1.2M | 4.1 a year (modeled) |
| Wildfire | Relatively Low | $112K | once in about 179 years (modeled) |
| Winter Weather | Relatively Low | $21K | 6.7 a year (modeled) |
| Strong Wind | Relatively Low | $185K | 1.9 a year (modeled) |
| Tornado | Very Low | $198K | once in about 2 years (modeled) |
| Cold Wave | Very Low | $174K | 1.3 a year (modeled) |
| Hurricane | Very Low | $4K | once in about 100 years (modeled) |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index, county table, December 2025 release. FEMA's National Risk Index map.
Counties that share a border with Cochran 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 Cochran CountyThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
- Download Cochran County's FEMA declarations (CSV)16 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis