Dallas County, Texas

County storm and disaster record · FIPS 48113 · population 2,607,218 · 873 sq mi

NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 2,304 records for Dallas County, Texas from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 1,017 days; the most frequent are hail reports (841 records). The deadliest single record is the July 1, 1998 heat, filed for the forecast zone Dallas, which covers the county: 23 deaths. FEMA has issued 28 declarations naming the county since 1966, 25 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
2,304on 1,017 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
Deaths recorded
1753,177 injuries
Damage, 2025 dollars
$6.5Bas filed (scale steps before 1993)
Tornadoes
109strongest EF4
FEMA declarations
28latest 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 Dallas County most?

The most frequent records are hail reports: 841 since 1955. 52% of its hail reports since 1955 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.

Dallas County: records by hazard, 1950 to June 30, 2026
HazardRecordsDaysFirst, lastKilledInjuredDamageRank in state
Hail 841 343 1955-2026 0 1 $1.7B 5 of 254
Severe thunderstorm wind 708 404 1955-2026 6 40 $55M 4 of 254
Floods 327 161 1996-2026 13 2 $1.4B 8 of 254
Tornadoes 109 73 1952-2025 23 836 $3.3B 11 of 254
Heat 82 79 1996-2026 92 2,115 – 25 of 254
Drought 73 73 1996-2024 0 0 $2.8M 115 of 254
Winter storms 73 52 1996-2026 12 173 $27M 45 of 254
Lightning 42 34 1996-2025 4 6 $7.2M 6 of 254
High wind and dust storms 16 13 1996-2026 0 0 $491K 71 of 254
Extreme cold 15 15 1996-2026 21 3 $6.9M 39 of 254
Heavy rain 14 13 1997-2015 4 1 $187K 11 of 254
Wildfires 3 3 2011-2016 0 0 $474K 124 of 254
Fog, smoke and funnel clouds 1 1 1997-1997 0 0 – 138 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 Dallas County had?

NOAA records 109 tornadoes in Dallas County from 1952 to 2025, the strongest rated EF4, with 23 deaths and 836 injuries recorded in the county. That is 11th of 254 Texas counties and 94th of 3,080 U.S. counties by days with tornadoes per 1,000 square miles since 1950. 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 108 tornadoes whose track touched Dallas County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 109: they file a crossing tornado once per county segment, and the two databases differ on some tracks); along their whole tracks they killed 24 people, 23 of them in Dallas County.

The deadliest and strongest tornadoes that touched Dallas County, whole tracks
DateTornadoRatingPathKilled
2015-12-26 18:46, as SPC files itDallasEF413.04 mi10
1957-04-02 16:30, as SPC files itDallasF317.2 mi10
1994-04-25 20:30, as SPC files itDallasF46 mi3
1993-05-09 12:30, as SPC files itWylie to LucasF212 mi1
2019-10-20 19:58, as SPC files itDallasEF315.76 mi0
2015-12-26 18:01, as SPC files itMidlothian to LancasterEF38.52 mi0
2000-03-28 19:05, as SPC files itArlingtonF38 mi0
1984-12-13 09:45, as SPC files itDallasF310 mi0
1976-05-26 16:25, as SPC files itDallasF34.5 mi0
1969-10-12 06:50, as SPC files itDallasF345.9 mi0
1959-10-04 06:00, as SPC files itDallasF327.6 mi0
1957-06-12 08:10, as SPC files itDuncanvilleF30.1 mi0

Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Texas.

Every tornado record filed for Dallas County (109)
The 60 most recent of 109 tornadoes in Dallas County
DatePlaceCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2025-03-04 Sowers, Dallas County EF1 0.42 mi x 85 yd 0 0 $1.0M
2023-03-16 Sowers, Dallas County EF1 0.71 mi x 100 yd 0 0 –
2023-03-16 Liggett, Dallas County EF1 6.37 mi x 100 yd 0 0 –
2021-05-16 Bouchard, Dallas County EF1 0.6 mi x 90 yd 0 0 $54K
2021-05-16 Highland Park, Dallas County EF0 0.27 mi x 30 yd 0 0 $2K
2020-01-10 Gribble, Dallas County EF0 1.1 mi x 175 yd 0 0 $17K
2019-10-20 Rowlett, Dallas County EF1 4.47 mi x 500 yd 0 0 $12M
2019-10-20 Garland, Dallas County EF2 2.48 mi x 265 yd 0 0 $462M
2019-10-20 Gribble, Dallas County EF3 15.76 mi x 1,300 yd 0 0 $1.8B
2019-06-16 Farmers Branch, Dallas County EF0 0.12 mi x 50 yd 0 0 $23K
2019-03-09 Mesquite, Dallas County EF0 1.71 mi x 100 yd 0 0 $12K
2017-01-15 Grand Prairie Airport, Dallas County EF0 0.31 mi x 80 yd 0 0 $144K
2015-12-26 New Hope, Dallas County EF4 9.21 mi x 550 yd 10 468 $32M
2015-12-26 De Soto Carroll Airport, Dallas County EF3 1.79 mi x 125 yd 0 0 $1.7M
2015-05-24 Gribble, Dallas County EF1 1.13 mi x 80 yd 0 0 $747K
2015-05-24 Love Field Dallas, Dallas County EF1 4.91 mi x 40 yd 0 0 $125K
2014-05-08 Arcadia Park, Dallas County EF0 0.46 mi x 120 yd 0 0 $100K
2012-04-03 De Soto Carroll Airport, Dallas County EF2 9.35 mi x 200 yd 0 10 $514M
2012-04-03 New Hope, Dallas County EF0 0.28 mi x 30 yd 0 2 $386K
2012-04-03 Coppell, Dallas County EF0 2.02 mi x 75 yd 0 0 $193K
2012-04-03 Sowers, Dallas County EF0 1.31 mi x 30 yd 0 0 $129K
2012-04-03 Sayene, Dallas County EF0 0.09 mi x 25 yd 0 0 $5K
2011-05-24 Sowers, Dallas County EF1 1.37 mi x 500 yd 0 0 $197K
2011-05-24 Elam, Dallas County EF0 0.01 mi x 30 yd 0 0 –
2010-09-08 Eagle Ford, Dallas County EF2 2.69 mi x 516 yd 0 1 $1.0M
2010-09-08 Ferris, Dallas County EF1 9.35 mi x 704 yd 0 0 $271K
2008-04-10 Desoto, Dallas County EF1 2.01 mi x 40 yd 0 0 $1.4M
2007-06-26 Cedar Hill, Dallas County EF0 1 mi x 40 yd 0 0 $85K
2007-04-13 Dallas County EF0 1 mi x 30 yd 0 0 $71K
2005-04-25 Cedar Hill, Dallas County F0 0.1 mi x 15 yd 0 0 –
2003-04-05 Irving, Dallas County F0 0.2 mi x 100 yd 0 0 $2K
2001-09-05 Carrollton, Dallas County F1 1.5 mi x 50 yd 0 0 $208K
2000-03-28 Wilmer, Dallas County F0 0.1 mi x 10 yd 0 0 –
2000-03-28 Grand Prairie, Dallas County F2 1 mi x 300 yd 0 0 –
1996-10-21 Mesquite, Dallas County F0 0.1 mi x 35 yd 0 1 $226K
1996-10-21 Dallas County F1 0.5 mi x 50 yd 0 7 $5.6M
1996-01-17 Seagoville, Dallas County F1 5 mi x 50 yd 0 0 –
1996-01-17 Lancaster, Dallas County F0 2 mi x 50 yd 0 0 –
1996-01-17 Lancaster, Dallas County F0 0.1 mi x 10 yd 0 0 –
1996-01-17 Lancaster, Dallas County F1 1.2 mi x 50 yd 0 0 –
1996-01-17 Lancaster, Dallas County F1 1.5 mi x 50 yd 0 0 –
1996-01-17 Lancaster, Dallas County F2 0.5 mi x 50 yd 0 0 $1.4M
1996-01-17 De Soto, Dallas County F1 3 mi x 50 yd 0 1 $1.4M
1995-04-19 Dallas County F1 6 mi x 100 yd 0 8 $12M
1995-04-19 Seagoville, Dallas County F0 0.1 mi x 10 yd 0 0 –
1995-03-25 Dallas County F0 0.1 mi x 10 yd 0 0 –
1994-10-21 Balch Springs, Dallas County F0 0.1 mi x 10 yd 0 0 –
1994-10-21 Lancaster, Dallas County F0 0.1 mi x 10 yd 0 0 –
1994-10-21 Lancaster, Dallas County F0 0.1 mi x 10 yd 0 0 –
1994-10-21 Dallas County F0 0.1 mi x 10 yd 0 0 –
1994-04-29 Mesquite, Dallas County F0 0.1 mi x 10 yd 0 0 –
1994-04-25 Lancaster To, Dallas County F4 6 mi x 800 yd 3 48 $995K
1994-04-25 De Soto, Dallas County F2 2 mi x 400 yd 0 7 $100M
1994-04-25 Cedar Hill, Dallas County F0 0.1 mi x 10 yd 0 0 $100K
1993-05-09 Sachse, Dallas County F1 2 mi x 100 yd 0 1 $10M
1992-10-07 Dallas County F0 0.1 mi x 10 yd 0 0 $3K step
1990-01-19 Dallas County F2 0.8 mi x 50 yd 0 1 $2.5M step
1987-03-16 Dallas County F0 0.2 mi x 10 yd 0 0 –
1985-05-13 Dallas County F2 4.5 mi x 77 yd 0 16 $2.5M step
1984-12-13 Dallas County F3 6.9 mi x 500 yd 0 28 $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.

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 Dallas County?

The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the June 19, 2026 flash flood ($200,000 in damage in 2025 dollars).

The 12 most recent records kept for Dallas County
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2026-06-19 Flash FloodFarmers Branch, Dallas County 0 0 $200K
2026-06-19 Flash FloodCarrollton, Dallas County 0 0 $100K
2026-06-19 Flash FloodGribble, Dallas County 0 0 $100K
2026-06-19 Flash FloodLove Field Dallas, Dallas County 0 0 $100K
2026-06-19 Flash FloodLove Field Dallas, Dallas County 0 0 $30K
2026-06-18 HeatDallas County · forecast zone Dallas 0 0 –
2026-06-07 Flash FloodGribble, Dallas County 0 0 –
2026-06-07 Flash FloodMesquite, Dallas County 0 0 $5K
2026-06-06 Thunderstorm WindDe Soto Carroll Airport, Dallas County 55 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-06-06 HailDesoto, Dallas County 1.00 in hail 0 0 $1K
2026-06-06 HailDe Soto Carroll Airport, Dallas County 1.25 in hail 0 0 –
2026-06-02 Thunderstorm WindBalch Spgs, Dallas County 49 kt wind 0 0 $7K

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 Dallas County, most deaths first
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
1998-07-01 HeatDallas County · forecast zone Dallas A prolonged excessive heat event continued across north Texas in July. This heat wave was the result of existing drought conditions combined with a persistent upper level ridge of high pressure. For the month of July, Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) recorded an average high of 102.4 degrees, which was ... 23 0 –
2015-12-26 TornadoNew Hope, Dallas County The Garland and Rowlett tornado began in Sunnyvale, where several mobile homes were destroyed along a wide and long path. The full tornado length was a little over 13 miles, with nearly ten miles within Dallas County. Nine people lost their lives in vehicles as the tornado crossed Interstate 30 at the President George ... EF4 9.21 mi x 550 yd 10 468 $32M
1957-04-02 TornadoDallas County F3 17.2 mi x 100 yd 10 200 $2.5M step
2021-02-14 Extreme Cold/Wind ChillDallas County · forecast zone Dallas Extreme cold gripped the county for several days. Overnight lows were near or below 20 degrees Fahrenheit almost all week. The period of February 15-16th was the coldest with low temperatures in the single digits, and the maximum temperature on the 15th was only in the mid teens. Wind chill values during the 14th-16th ... 10 0 $6.9M
2011-07-01 HeatDallas County · forecast zone Dallas Triple digit temperatures were recorded 30 out of 31 days during the month of July. According to the medical examiner, a total of 9 people died as a result of the heat. Most of the deceased were over the age of 65 and all but one were found inside their homes. All of deaths occurred after the 14th. In addition, the ... 9 223 –
2000-07-01 HeatDallas County · forecast zone Dallas An unusually strong upper level ridge of high pressure built over North Texas early in the month. This allowed afternoon high temperatures to climb into a range from the upper 90s to around 106 degrees for most of the month. The heat and humidity was particularly bad during the period from the 12th through the 21st, ... 8 0 –
1998-08-03 HeatDallas County · forecast zone Dallas A prolonged excessive heat event continued across portions of North Texas in August. A 67 year old woman was found in her home on 08/03/98. The cause of death was determined to be hyperthermia and high blood pressure.A 44 year old man was found on a Dallas Street on 08/04/98. The man died later in a Dallas hospital ... 5 0 –
2011-08-06 HeatDallas County · forecast zone Dallas Triple digit temperatures were recorded nearly every day during the month of August. According to the medical examiner, after the excessive heat ended on the 5th, another four people people died as a result of the heat. In addition, the medical examiner reported an additional approximately 210 cases of heat-related ... 4 210 –

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 Dallas County since 1993, damage in 2025 dollars
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2019-10-20 TornadoGribble, Dallas County EF3 15.76 mi x 1,300 yd 0 0 $1.8B
2012-06-13 HailHighland Park, Dallas County 2.75 in hail 0 0 $1.2B
2012-04-03 TornadoDe Soto Carroll Airport, Dallas County EF2 9.35 mi x 200 yd 0 10 $514M
2022-08-22 Flash FloodBalch Spgs, Dallas County 0 0 $504M
2022-08-22 FloodFlorence Hill, Dallas County 0 0 $504M
2019-10-20 TornadoGarland, Dallas County EF2 2.48 mi x 265 yd 0 0 $462M
2022-08-22 Flash FloodDallas County 0 0 $303M
2012-06-13 HailHighland Park, Dallas County 1.50 in hail 0 0 $257M

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: December 13, 1984 (tornado, Dallas County); May 3, 1979 (tornado, Dallas County); December 13, 1984 (tornado, Dallas 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 Dallas 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).

Dallas County: records per decade (the 2020s to June 30, 2026)
Hazard1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020-26
Hail1035458521394186173
Severe thunderstorm wind1535568416411616078
Floods––––449077116
Tornadoes7122310238206
Heat––––6112045
Drought––––3203515

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 1955 fell in April and May. The two busiest months are in violet.

The values, month by month

Jan 86 · Feb 85 · Mar 240 · Apr 397 · May 430 · Jun 371 · Jul 152 · Aug 159 · Sep 112 · Oct 151 · Nov 60 · Dec 61 (records).

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

Federal disaster declarations for Dallas County

FEMA's register lists 28 declarations that include Dallas County: 15 major disasters, 13 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for hurricane (8) and severe storm (6).

Declarations including Dallas 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
2020-08-24EM-3540HurricaneTropical Storms Marco and Laura
2020-03-25DR-4485BiologicalCovid-19 Pandemic
2020-03-13EM-3458BiologicalCovid-19
2017-08-25DR-4332HurricaneHurricane Harvey
2016-02-09DR-4255Severe StormSevere Winter Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding
2015-05-29DR-4223Severe StormSevere Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds and Flooding
2008-09-10EM-3294HurricaneHurricane Ike
2008-08-29EM-3290HurricaneHurricane Gustav
2008-03-14EM-3284FireWildfires
2007-08-18EM-3277HurricaneHurricane Dean
2006-01-11DR-1624FireExtreme Wildfire Threat
2005-09-24DR-1606HurricaneHurricane Rita
2005-09-21EM-3261HurricaneHurricane Rita
2005-09-02EM-3216HurricaneHurricane Katrina Evacuation
2003-02-01EM-3171OtherLoss of the Space Shuttle Columbia
1999-09-01EM-3142FireExtreme Fire Hazards
1998-08-26DR-1239Severe StormTropical Storm Charley
1996-02-23EM-3117FireExtreme Fire Hazard
1994-04-29DR-1026Severe StormSevere Storms and Tornadoes
1993-09-10EM-3113DroughtExtreme Fire Hazard
1991-12-26DR-930FloodSevere Thunderstorms
1990-05-02DR-863Severe StormSevere Storms, Tornadoes & Flooding
1989-05-19DR-828Severe StormSevere Storms, Tornadoes & Flooding
1979-07-28DR-595FloodStorms & Flash Floods
1966-05-12DR-218FloodSevere 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 Dallas County had?

NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 327 flood or flash flood records for Dallas County from 1996 to 2026, on 161 days, with 13 deaths. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Dallas County ranks 123rd of 2,942 U.S. counties.

The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $69.5 million on 3,457 claims filed in Dallas County; the most in one year was 344 in 1991. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.

The values, year by year

1978: 6 · 1979: 145 · 1980: 43 · 1981: 146 · 1982: 63 · 1983: 26 · 1984: 22 · 1985: 57 · 1986: 36 · 1987: 15 · 1988: 36 · 1989: 266 · 1990: 244 · 1991: 344 · 1992: 27 · 1993: 22 · 1994: 83 · 1995: 265 · 1996: 25 · 1997: 32 · 1998: 26 · 1999: 22 · 2000: 58 · 2001: 55 · 2002: 29 · 2003: 4 · 2004: 166 · 2005: 7 · 2006: 130 · 2007: 44 · 2008: 48 · 2009: 74 · 2010: 22 · 2011: 20 · 2012: 20 · 2013: 10 · 2014: 8 · 2015: 257 · 2016: 39 · 2017: 34 · 2018: 105 · 2019: 61 · 2020: 19 · 2021: 75 · 2022: 128 · 2023: 14 · 2024: 27 · 2025: 21 · 2026: 31.

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 Dallas County

FEMA's National Risk Index rates Dallas County Very High overall, with an expected annual loss of $973 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 Dallas County (December 2025 release), by FEMA's rating, then score
HazardRisk ratingExpected annual lossModeled frequency
HailVery High$128M8.9 a year (modeled)
Heat WaveVery High$288M19 modeled event-days a year
Cold WaveVery High$98Mabout once a year (modeled)
TornadoVery High$115Mabout once a year (modeled)
Ice StormVery High$4.7M1.2 a year (modeled)
Riverine FloodingVery High$324M4.6 a year (modeled)
Winter WeatherVery High$1.3M4.1 a year (modeled)
Strong WindVery High$5.3M4.4 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 Dallas County

  1. Tarrant County 3,212
  2. Dallas County 2,304
  3. Denton County 1,844
  4. Collin County 1,590
  5. Ellis County 1,112
  6. Kaufman County 786
  7. Rockwall County 392

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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