Comal County, Texas
County storm and disaster record · FIPS 48091 · population 161,300 · 560 sq mi
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 571 records for Comal County, Texas from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 412 days; the most frequent are hail reports (182 records). The deadliest single record is the October 17, 1998 flash flood: 2 deaths, 800 injuries and $90.6 million in damage in 2025 dollars. FEMA has issued 27 declarations naming the county since 1972, 25 of them for natural hazards; the latest for a natural hazard was “Flooding” on July 18, 2026.
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
- 571on 412 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
- Deaths recorded
- 9929 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $506Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
- Tornadoes
- 17strongest F3
- FEMA declarations
- 27latest 2026
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 Comal County most?
The most frequent records are hail reports: 182 since 1957. 56% of its hail reports since 1957 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.
| Hazard | Records | Days | First, last | Killed | Injured | Damage | Rank in state |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 182 | 103 | 1957-2026 | 0 | 1 | $576K | 54 of 254 |
| Floods | 147 | 116 | 1997-2026 | 6 | 920 | $488M | 5 of 254 |
| Drought | 93 | 93 | 1996-2026 | 0 | 0 | – | 19 of 254 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 82 | 71 | 1963-2026 | 0 | 0 | $12M | 84 of 254 |
| Winter storms | 33 | 33 | 1996-2026 | 1 | 0 | $547K | 47 of 254 |
| Tornadoes | 17 | 16 | 1967-2025 | 0 | 0 | $3.7M | 140 of 254 |
| Heat | 9 | 9 | 1999-2024 | 2 | 0 | – | 108 of 254 |
| Extreme cold | 5 | 5 | 2021-2024 | 0 | 0 | – | 78 of 254 |
| Hurricanes and tropical storms | 1 | 1 | 2017-2017 | 0 | 0 | $1.2M | 71 of 254 |
| Lightning | 1 | 1 | 2004-2004 | 0 | 8 | – | 108 of 254 |
| Fog, smoke and funnel clouds | 1 | 1 | 2007-2007 | 0 | 0 | – | 122 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 Comal County had?
NOAA records 17 tornadoes in Comal County from 1967 to 2025, the strongest rated F3, with 0 deaths and 0 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 16 tornadoes whose track touched Comal County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 17: 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.
| Date | Tornado | Rating | Path | Killed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1967-09-20 14:00, as SPC files it | New Braunfels | F3 | 5 mi | 0 |
Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Texas.
Every tornado record filed for Comal County (17)
| Date | Place | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-10-24 | Spring Branch, Comal County | EF1 10.11 mi x 300 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2023-10-26 | Sattler, Comal County | EF0 0.3 mi x 30 yd | 0 | 0 | $2K |
| 2023-04-20 | Canyon Res, Comal County | EF0 2.96 mi x 250 yd | 0 | 0 | $242K |
| 2021-03-23 | Canyon Res, Comal County | EF1 0.35 mi x 250 yd | 0 | 0 | $109K |
| 2017-02-19 | Corbyn, Comal County | EF0 0.7 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2004-11-16 | Bracken, Comal County | F1 0.8 mi x 200 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2001-11-15 | New Braunfels, Comal County | F0 0.6 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1993-05-09 | New Braunfels, Comal County | F0 0.1 mi x 20 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1993-05-09 | Sattler, Comal County | F0 0.1 mi x 10 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1992-05-21 | Comal County | F0 2 mi x 20 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1988-09-17 | Comal County | F0 0.2 mi x 10 yd | 0 | 0 | $250K step |
| 1977-04-13 | Comal County | F1 0.5 mi x 40 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1976-08-31 | Comal County | F0 1 mi x 20 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1975-05-23 | Comal County | F0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1971-07-18 | Comal County | F1 4.9 mi x 10 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1968-05-11 | Comal County | F0 0.1 mi x 10 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1967-09-20 | Comal County | F3 5 mi x 67 yd | 0 | 0 | $250K 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 Comal County?
The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the June 2, 2026 thunderstorm wind ($20,000 in damage in 2025 dollars).
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-15 | Flash FloodHunter, Comal County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-06-15 | Flash FloodAnholt, Comal County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-06-15 | Flash FloodBulverde, Comal County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-06-02 | Thunderstorm WindHunter, Comal County | 56 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $20K |
| 2026-05-09 | HailNew Braunfels, Comal County | 0.88 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-05-09 | HailNew Braunfels, Comal County | 0.75 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-05-09 | HailGruene, Comal County | 0.75 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-05-01 | Flash FloodCorbyn, Comal County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-04-01 | DroughtComal County · forecast zone Comal | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-01 | DroughtComal County · forecast zone Comal | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-01 | DroughtComal County · forecast zone Comal | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-24 | Winter WeatherComal County · forecast zone Comal | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998-10-17 | Flash FloodCountywide, Comal 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 ... | 2 | 800 | $91M | |
| 2015-10-30 | Flash FloodSpring Branch, Comal County A man drowned after his Nissan Sentra was swept off the road into Rebecca Creek near Spring Branch. The man went missing after he left for work around 7 am. He went missing around the 1700 block of Knoll Schwope. | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2013-10-31 | Flash FloodNew Braunfels, Comal County Thunderstorms produced heavy rain that led to flash flooding in Comal County. People were evacuated along River Road in New Braunfels, and near Spring Branch, Elm Creek was running 40 to 50 feet wide where it is normally about four feet. The 24 hour rainfall in the River Rd. area ranged from 3.81 to 6.58 inches while ... | 1 | 0 | $127K | |
| 2011-03-08 | HeatComal County · forecast zone Comal A 6 month old girl was found dead in a car in New Braunfels. News reports stated that she had been accidentally left in the car for nine hours before being discovered. The high temperature at the New Braunfels Airport was 84 degrees and the heat index was about the same. | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2010-06-09 | Flash FloodNew Braunfels, Comal County A storm survey along the Guadalupe River from River Road down into the city of New Braunfels showed devastation along the banks of the river. The river rose some 20+ feet in less than 2 hours sweeping campers, cars, trailers, tubes, and other debris down the river toward New Braunfels and Seguin. Campsites downstream ... | 1 | 0 | $14M | |
| 2009-01-27 | Winter StormComal County · forecast zone Comal Ice was reported on some roads and bridges. Fatality accident occurred on Highway 281 on the Cibolo Creek bridge. Most of the ice occurred in the western half of the county well west of Interstate 35. Additional ice buildup was reported out by Canyon Lake and Spring Branch. | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2007-03-11 | Flash FloodBulverde, Comal County From 1 to 2 inches of rain fell across western Comal County, with up to 5 inches from Spring Branch to Fischer. Widespread flash flooding developed and two cars were washed off FM306. Just before 9 pm CST, a woman and her husband were attempting to cross a low area along FM306 when their vehicle stalled in high water ... | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 1999-08-04 | HeatComal County · forecast zone Comal The body of a 45-year old woman who was overcome by heat was discovered in New Braunfels. Time of death was not certain. | 1 | 0 | – |
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998-10-17 | FloodComal County · forecast zone Comal | 0 | 50 | $363M | |
| 1998-10-17 | Flash FloodCountywide, Comal County | 2 | 800 | $91M | |
| 1998-10-17 | FloodComal County · forecast zone Comal | 0 | 50 | $15M | |
| 2010-06-09 | Flash FloodNew Braunfels, Comal County | 1 | 0 | $14M | |
| 1997-06-22 | Flash FloodCountywide, Comal County | 0 | 10 | $3.8M | |
| 2017-08-26 | Tropical StormComal County · forecast zone Comal | 0 | 0 | $1.2M | |
| 2006-07-04 | Flash FloodNew Braunfels, Comal County | 0 | 0 | $732K | |
| 2023-02-01 | Winter StormComal County · forecast zone Comal | 0 | 0 | $547K |
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: September 20, 1967 (tornado, Comal County); September 17, 1988 (tornado, Comal 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 Comal 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 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 10 | 36 | 26 | 41 | 55 |
| Floods | – | – | – | – | 14 | 72 | 41 | 20 |
| Drought | – | – | – | – | 11 | 4 | 29 | 49 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 0 | 1 | 5 | 8 | 15 | 13 | 23 | 17 |
| Winter storms | – | – | – | – | 3 | 6 | 8 | 16 |
| Tornadoes | 0 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records per calendar decade; zone records from the CZ_TYPE field (Z).
What time of year?
56% of its hail reports since 1957 fell in April and May. The two busiest months are in violet.
The values, month by month
Jan 28 · Feb 38 · Mar 64 · Apr 78 · May 101 · Jun 66 · Jul 42 · Aug 36 · Sep 32 · Oct 42 · Nov 28 · Dec 16 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.
Federal disaster declarations for Comal County
FEMA's register lists 27 declarations that include Comal County: 14 major disasters, 10 emergencies and 3 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for flood (6) and hurricane (6).
| Declared | Number | Type | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-07-18 | EM-3649 | Flood | Flooding |
| 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 |
| 2015-11-25 | DR-4245 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding |
| 2015-05-29 | DR-4223 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds and Flooding |
| 2010-06-29 | EM-3313 | Hurricane | Tropical Storm Alex |
| 2008-09-10 | EM-3294 | Hurricane | Hurricane Ike |
| 2008-03-14 | EM-3284 | Fire | Wildfires |
| 2006-08-16 | FM-2666 | Fire | Purgatory Road Fire |
| 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 |
| 2002-07-04 | DR-1425 | Flood | Severe Storms and Flooding |
| 2000-01-04 | FM-2290 | Fire | Purgatory Fire |
| 1999-09-01 | EM-3142 | Fire | Extreme Fire Hazards |
| 1999-03-02 | FM-2249 | Fire | Fischer Fire |
| 1998-10-21 | DR-1257 | Flood | Tx-Flooding 10/18/98 |
| 1998-08-26 | DR-1239 | Severe Storm | Tropical Storm Charley |
| 1997-07-07 | DR-1179 | Flood | Severe Storms and Flooding |
| 1993-09-10 | EM-3113 | Drought | Extreme Fire Hazard |
| 1991-12-26 | DR-930 | Flood | Severe Thunderstorms |
| 1972-05-20 | DR-333 | Flood | Severe Storms & 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.
How many floods has Comal County had?
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 147 flood or flash flood records for Comal County from 1997 to 2026, on 116 days, with 6 deaths. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Comal County ranks 282nd of 2,942 U.S. counties.
| Storm | Began | Records | Deaths in the county |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hurricane Harvey | 2017-08-26 | 1 | 0 |
The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $60.8 million on 1,223 claims filed in Comal County; the most in one year was 329 in 2002. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.
The values, year by year
1978: 3 · 1979: 2 · 1980: 2 · 1981: 5 · 1983: 1 · 1985: 3 · 1986: 1 · 1987: 3 · 1991: 5 · 1992: 2 · 1993: 2 · 1994: 1 · 1995: 2 · 1997: 31 · 1998: 280 · 1999: 1 · 2000: 4 · 2001: 5 · 2002: 329 · 2003: 2 · 2004: 39 · 2006: 3 · 2007: 10 · 2009: 12 · 2010: 244 · 2011: 1 · 2012: 1 · 2013: 34 · 2014: 3 · 2015: 142 · 2016: 14 · 2017: 5 · 2018: 2 · 2020: 9 · 2021: 9 · 2023: 2 · 2025: 4 · 2026: 5; 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 Comal County
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Comal County Relatively Moderate overall, with an expected annual loss of $144 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively High | $118M | 3.9 a year (modeled) |
| Hail | Relatively High | $3.1M | 3.9 a year (modeled) |
| Tornado | Relatively High | $11M | once in about 4 years (modeled) |
| Winter Weather | Relatively High | $514K | 3.5 a year (modeled) |
| Lightning | Relatively High | $1.3M | 48 a year (modeled) |
| Wildfire | Relatively Moderate | $1.4M | once in about 720 years (modeled) |
| Heat Wave | Relatively Moderate | $3.0M | 10 modeled event-days a year |
| Strong Wind | Relatively Moderate | $1.3M | 1.4 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 Comal 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 Comal CountyThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
- Download Comal County's FEMA declarations (CSV)27 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis