Cottle County, Texas
County storm and disaster record · FIPS 48101 · population 1,367 · 901 sq mi
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 586 records for Cottle County, Texas from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 422 days; the most frequent are hail reports (203 records). The deadliest single record is the June 1, 1954 tornado: 1 death and 14 injuries. FEMA has issued 19 declarations naming the county since 1990, 17 of them for natural hazards; the latest for a natural hazard was “Severe Winter Storms” on February 19, 2021.
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
- 586on 422 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
- Deaths recorded
- 226 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $37Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
- Tornadoes
- 37strongest EF3
- FEMA declarations
- 19latest 2021
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 Cottle County most?
The most frequent records are hail reports: 203 since 1960. 61% of its hail reports since 1960 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 | 203 | 131 | 1960-2026 | 0 | 0 | $4.1M | 100 of 254 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 126 | 100 | 1960-2026 | 0 | 0 | $1.7M | 108 of 254 |
| Drought | 104 | 104 | 1996-2022 | 0 | 0 | $2.3M | 45 of 254 |
| Winter storms | 48 | 47 | 2000-2026 | 1 | 12 | $507K | 59 of 254 |
| High wind and dust storms | 46 | 43 | 1999-2026 | 0 | 0 | $291K | 38 of 254 |
| Tornadoes | 37 | 28 | 1954-2021 | 1 | 14 | $28M | 128 of 254 |
| Floods | 6 | 6 | 2001-2016 | 0 | 0 | $160K | 242 of 254 |
| Wildfires | 6 | 5 | 2006-2019 | 0 | 0 | $73K | 82 of 254 |
| Fog, smoke and funnel clouds | 3 | 3 | 2009-2018 | 0 | 0 | – | 90 of 254 |
| Extreme cold | 2 | 2 | 2011-2026 | 0 | 0 | – | 189 of 254 |
| Lightning | 2 | 2 | 2004-2013 | 0 | 0 | $117K | 98 of 254 |
| Heat | 1 | 1 | 2008-2008 | 0 | 0 | – | 183 of 254 |
| Heavy rain | 1 | 1 | 2000-2000 | 0 | 0 | – | 136 of 254 |
| Hurricanes and tropical storms | 1 | 1 | 2007-2007 | 0 | 0 | – | 94 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 Cottle County had?
NOAA records 37 tornadoes in Cottle County from 1954 to 2021, the strongest rated EF3, with 1 death and 14 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 37 tornadoes whose track touched Cottle County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 37, the same count); along their whole tracks they killed 1 person.
| Date | Tornado | Rating | Path | Killed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1954-06-01 19:30, as SPC files it | Paducah | F3 | 13.4 mi | 1 |
| 2010-04-22 18:46, as SPC files it | Unnamed | EF3 | 12.25 mi | 0 |
Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Texas.
Every tornado record filed for Cottle County (37)
| Date | Place | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-03-22 | Paducah, Cottle County | EFU 0.01 mi x 20 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2021-03-12 | Narcisso, Cottle County | EFU 0.23 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2019-05-20 | Paducah, Cottle County | EF0 1.89 mi x 20 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2019-05-20 | Narcisso, Cottle County | EFU 0.2 mi x 10 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2017-05-10 | Lazare, Cottle County | EFU 1.05 mi x 25 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2017-05-10 | Dunlap, Cottle County | EFU 0.01 mi x 10 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2012-05-30 | Paducah, Cottle County | EF0 0.56 mi x 30 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2012-05-30 | Paducah Richards Arp, Cottle County | EF0 0.32 mi x 20 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2012-05-30 | Paducah Richards Arp, Cottle County | EF0 0.38 mi x 30 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2012-05-30 | Paducah Richards Arp, Cottle County | EF0 0.69 mi x 30 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2012-05-30 | Narcisso, Cottle County | EF0 4.77 mi x 200 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2010-04-22 | Swearingen, Cottle County | EF0 5 mi x 150 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2010-04-22 | Cee Vee, Cottle County | EF3 12.25 mi x 975 yd | 0 | 0 | $406K |
| 2010-04-22 | Cee Vee, Cottle County | EF2 1.5 mi x 1,300 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2008-06-19 | Paducah, Cottle County | EF0 0.01 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2005-05-13 | Hackberry, Cottle County | F0 0.1 mi x 40 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2004-06-02 | Lazare, Cottle County | F0 0.5 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2001-05-29 | Lazare, Cottle County | F0 0.1 mi x 30 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2000-04-30 | Paducah, Cottle County | F0 0.1 mi x 30 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1996-05-25 | Paducah, Cottle County | F0 0.1 mi x 10 yd | 0 | 0 | $38K |
| 1991-06-01 | Cottle County | F0 0.3 mi x 30 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1986-05-16 | Cottle County | F0 0.1 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1983-05-20 | Cottle County | F0 1 mi x 40 yd | 0 | 0 | $30 step |
| 1983-05-12 | Cottle County | F0 0.5 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $30 step |
| 1981-06-01 | Cottle County | F0 0.3 mi x 10 yd | 0 | 0 | $30 step |
| 1981-05-26 | Cottle County | F0 0.5 mi x 20 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1979-07-09 | Cottle County | F0 1 mi x 40 yd | 0 | 0 | $3K step |
| 1979-07-09 | Cottle County | F0 | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1978-05-19 | Cottle County | F0 8.9 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1971-05-31 | Cottle County | F2 2 mi x 67 yd | 0 | 0 | $3K step |
| 1967-04-12 | Cottle County | F2 2 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1966-05-21 | Cottle County | F2 2 mi x 880 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1962-06-04 | Cottle County | F0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1962-05-31 | Cottle County | F1 2 mi x 33 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1961-05-04 | Cottle County | F0 0.1 mi x 7 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1956-05-08 | Cottle County | F2 1 mi x 67 yd | 0 | 0 | $3K step |
| 1954-06-01 | Cottle County | F3 13.4 mi x 267 yd | 1 | 14 | $2.5M 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 Cottle County?
The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the May 17, 2018 thunderstorm wind ($18,000 in damage in 2025 dollars).
A downburst tore the roof from a patio. The roof proceeded to strike a nearby garage causing damage to the garage door and a pickup truck inside.
National Weather Service event narrative, NOAA Storm Events Database (search the full record, event 747425)
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-23 | Thunderstorm WindHackberry, Cottle County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-23 | Thunderstorm WindBaker, Cottle County | 59 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-05-31 | High WindCottle County · forecast zone Cottle | 63 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-05-31 | Thunderstorm WindHackberry, Cottle County | 57 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-05-30 | HailCee Vee, Cottle County | 1.00 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-05-23 | Thunderstorm WindHackberry, Cottle County | 56 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-05-23 | Thunderstorm WindPaducah, Cottle County | 65 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-05-15 | Thunderstorm WindHackberry, Cottle County | 54 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-05-15 | Thunderstorm WindPaducah, Cottle County | 61 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-03-31 | Thunderstorm WindHackberry, Cottle County | 59 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-03-31 | HailPaducah, Cottle County | 1.50 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-03-15 | High WindCottle County · forecast zone Cottle | 40 kt wind | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1954-06-01 | TornadoCottle County | F3 13.4 mi x 267 yd | 1 | 14 | $2.5M step |
| 2006-12-01 | Winter WeatherCottle County · forecast zone Cottle Following the widespread snowfall on November 30th, overnight temperatures dropped into the upper teens and 20s over most of the South Plains region. The partially melted snow pack re-froze and caused dangerous driving conditions. A van that carried members of the Paducah High School girl's basketball team tragically ... | 1 | 7 | $44K | |
| 2014-02-09 | Winter WeatherCottle County · forecast zone Cottle On the afternoon of the ninth, a slow moving cold front moved into the Rolling Plains bringing significant low level moisture behind the front. During the evening hours, light freezing drizzle and freezing fog began to form creating patchy black ice on area roadways. At around 0100 CST on the tenth, a van traveling ... | 0 | 4 | – | |
| 2015-11-27 | Ice StormCottle County · forecast zone Cottle Following a sharp cold front which ignited a few strong thunderstorms during the late afternoon hours on Thanksgiving Day, brisk northerly winds and freezing temperatures overspread the region and remained in place for nearly 48 hours. Atop this shallow layer of cold air, anomalously moist air from the Gulf of Mexico ... | 0 | 1 | $436K |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008-06-19 | HailPaducah, Cottle County | 1.75 in hail | 0 | 0 | $1.4M |
| 1996-05-01 | DroughtCottle County · forecast zone Cottle | 0 | 0 | $1.1M | |
| 2012-05-30 | Thunderstorm WindPaducah Richards Arp, Cottle County | 78 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $643K |
| 2001-09-20 | HailPaducah, Cottle County | 4.00 in hail | 0 | 0 | $500K |
| 2015-11-27 | Ice StormCottle County · forecast zone Cottle | 0 | 1 | $436K | |
| 2010-04-22 | TornadoCee Vee, Cottle County | EF3 12.25 mi x 975 yd | 0 | 0 | $406K |
| 2006-08-26 | Thunderstorm WindPaducah, Cottle County | 70 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $322K |
| 2004-07-01 | HailDelwin, Cottle County | 3.00 in hail | 0 | 0 | $273K |
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 $2.5M, in the dollars of the day) holds: June 1, 1954 (tornado, Cottle County, 1 killed).
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 Cottle 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 | 10 | 9 | 16 | 38 | 83 | 29 | 18 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 0 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 38 | 30 | 41 |
| Drought | – | – | – | – | 10 | 26 | 59 | 9 |
| Winter storms | – | – | – | – | 0 | 15 | 20 | 13 |
| High wind and dust storms | – | – | – | – | 2 | 13 | 7 | 24 z |
| Tornadoes | 2 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 12 | 2 |
High wind and dust storms in the 2020-26: 24 records against 7 in the decade before, 24 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 Cottle 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?
61% of its hail reports since 1960 fell in April and May. The two busiest months are in violet.
The values, month by month
Jan 28 · Feb 36 · Mar 40 · Apr 94 · May 137 · Jun 101 · Jul 31 · Aug 33 · Sep 28 · Oct 22 · Nov 16 · Dec 20 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.
Federal disaster declarations for Cottle County
FEMA's register lists 19 declarations that include Cottle County: 11 major disasters, 8 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for severe storm (5) and fire (5).
| Declared | Number | Type | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| 2010-08-03 | DR-1931 | Hurricane | Hurricane Alex |
| 2008-03-14 | EM-3284 | Fire | Wildfires |
| 2007-06-29 | DR-1709 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding |
| 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 |
| 1996-02-23 | EM-3117 | Fire | Extreme Fire Hazard |
| 1993-09-10 | EM-3113 | Drought | Extreme Fire Hazard |
| 1992-09-09 | DR-960 | Severe Storm | Excessive Rain & Hail |
| 1990-05-02 | DR-863 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes & 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 Cottle County
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Cottle County Very Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $3.2 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.
| Hazard | Risk rating | Expected annual loss | Modeled frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drought | Relatively High | $2.3M | 119 modeled event-days a year |
| Hail | Relatively Low | $218K | 5.7 a year (modeled) |
| Strong Wind | Relatively Low | $192K | 2.3 a year (modeled) |
| Ice Storm | Relatively Low | $19K | once in about 3 years (modeled) |
| Wildfire | Very Low | $60K | once in about 212 years (modeled) |
| Landslide | Very Low | $131 | once in about 4 years (modeled) |
| Tornado | Very Low | $112K | once in about 2 years (modeled) |
| Hurricane | Very Low | $3K | 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 Cottle 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 Cottle CountyThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
- Download Cottle County's FEMA declarations (CSV)19 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis