Hemphill County, Texas

What hazards hit Hemphill County most?

The most frequent records are hail reports: 238 since 1968. 58% of its hail reports since 1968 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.

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 Hemphill County had?

NOAA records 53 tornadoes in Hemphill County from 1954 to 2025, the strongest rated F4, with 1 death and 4 injuries recorded in the county. That is 88th of 254 Texas 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 53 tornadoes whose track touched Hemphill County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 53, the same count); along their whole tracks they killed 1 person.

Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Texas.

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 Hemphill County?

The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the June 26, 2026 hail ($7,000 in damage in 2025 dollars).

A cold front pulled moist air into the region during the early portions of June 26th. Morning clouds gave way during the afternoon, which allowed for the atmosphere to become more unstable. Thunderstorms initially developed in northeastern New Mexico and moved into the Panhandles during the evening and overnight of June 26th. As they encountered the moist, unstable air, they strengthened and organized into a fast-moving squall line. Damaging straight line winds were the main threat with these storms. A few storms ahead of the squall line were able to produce large hail but overall the atmosphere was not as conducive for large hail given the potential for melting to occur.
National Weather Service event narrative, NOAA Storm Events Database (search the full record, event 1339944)

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

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 Hemphill 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).

Drought in the 2010s: 24 records against 5 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 Hemphill 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 1968 fell in April and May. The two busiest months are in violet.

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

Federal disaster declarations for Hemphill County

FEMA's register lists 14 declarations that include Hemphill County: 7 major disasters, 6 emergencies and one fire management assistance declaration. Most were for fire (5) and severe ice storm (3).

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 Hemphill County

FEMA's National Risk Index rates Hemphill County Very Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $6.2 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.

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

Counties that share a border with Hemphill County

1. Gray County 1,179
2. Ellis County, OK 1,021
3. Roger Mills County, OK 970
4. Wheeler County 775
5. Lipscomb County 773
6. Hemphill County 648
7. Roberts County 553

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 Hemphill CountyThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
• Download Hemphill County's FEMA declarations (CSV)14 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis