Lamb County, Texas

County storm and disaster record · FIPS 48279 · population 13,016 · 1,016 sq mi

NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 836 records for Lamb County, Texas from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 599 days; the most frequent are hail reports (248 records). The deadliest single record is the May 9, 2013 strong wind, filed for the forecast zone Lamb, which covers the county: 2 deaths. FEMA has issued 16 declarations naming the county since 1970, 14 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
836on 599 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
Deaths recorded
311 injuries
Damage, 2025 dollars
$265Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
Tornadoes
88strongest F4
FEMA declarations
16latest 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 Lamb County most?

The most frequent records are hail reports: 248 since 1959. 69% of its hail reports since 1959 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.

Lamb County: records by hazard, 1950 to June 30, 2026
HazardRecordsDaysFirst, lastKilledInjuredDamageRank in state
Hail 248 166 1959-2026 0 0 $95M 80 of 254
Severe thunderstorm wind 183 138 1959-2026 0 2 $2.9M 77 of 254
High wind and dust storms 112 100 1998-2026 2 0 $388K 11 of 254
Drought 97 97 1996-2022 0 0 $2.3M 84 of 254
Tornadoes 88 63 1951-2025 0 9 $160M 20 of 254
Winter storms 71 69 1997-2026 0 0 $1.7M 32 of 254
Floods 20 20 1996-2025 0 0 $1.6M 197 of 254
Wildfires 8 8 2006-2014 0 0 $146K 55 of 254
Extreme cold 4 4 2011-2026 0 0 $66K 171 of 254
Heavy rain 2 2 2000-2008 0 0 – 122 of 254
Heat 1 1 2008-2008 0 0 – 196 of 254
Lightning 1 1 1999-1999 0 0 $106K 146 of 254
Fog, smoke and funnel clouds 1 1 2009-2009 1 0 $41K 164 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 Lamb County had?

NOAA records 88 tornadoes in Lamb County from 1951 to 2025, the strongest rated F4, with 0 deaths and 9 injuries recorded in the county. That is 20th of 254 Texas counties and 286th 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 97 tornadoes whose track touched Lamb County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 88: they file a crossing tornado once per county segment, and the two databases differ on some tracks); along their whole tracks they killed 4 people, 0 of them in Lamb County.

The deadliest and strongest tornadoes that touched Lamb County, whole tracks
DateTornadoRatingPathKilled
1965-06-02 21:00, as SPC files itPlainviewF439.3 mi4
1957-04-21 17:45, as SPC files itLittlefieldF429.2 mi0
1991-05-10 18:22, as SPC files itUnnamedF38.5 mi0
1969-05-16 16:15, as SPC files itUnnamedF30.6 mi0
1969-05-06 17:30, as SPC files itEarthF31 mi0
1961-06-03 16:30, as SPC files itSpadeF325.1 mi0
1957-05-24 12:38, as SPC files itUnnamedF31.9 mi0

Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Texas.

Every tornado record filed for Lamb County (88)
The 60 most recent of 88 tornadoes in Lamb County
DatePlaceCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2025-04-26 Circle, Lamb County EFU 10.49 mi x 440 yd 0 0 –
2025-04-25 Friendship, Lamb County EFU 2.24 mi x 300 yd 0 0 –
2021-05-16 Sudan, Lamb County EFU 0.97 mi x 50 yd 0 0 –
2019-05-26 Earth, Lamb County EF2 8.03 mi x 100 yd 0 0 $173K
2019-03-12 Bainer, Lamb County EFU 1.66 mi x 125 yd 0 0 –
2017-05-09 Sudan, Lamb County EFU 0.01 mi x 15 yd 0 0 –
2007-09-27 Fieldton, Lamb County EF0 0.75 mi x 40 yd 0 0 $4K
2007-06-02 Littlefield, Lamb County EF0 1.5 mi x 100 yd 0 0 –
2007-06-02 Earth, Lamb County EF0 0.15 mi x 100 yd 0 0 –
2007-04-21 Fieldton, Lamb County EF2 15 mi x 1,230 yd 0 1 $1.2M
2007-04-21 Littlefield, Lamb County EF0 2 mi x 200 yd 0 0 –
2005-05-12 Olton, Lamb County F0 0.1 mi x 40 yd 0 0 –
2003-05-24 Littlefield, Lamb County F0 0.5 mi x 40 yd 0 0 –
1999-05-01 Olton, Lamb County F0 0.1 mi x 30 yd 0 0 –
1999-05-01 Olton, Lamb County F0 0.1 mi x 30 yd 0 0 –
1998-05-08 Olton, Lamb County F0 0.2 mi x 10 yd 0 0 –
1995-06-02 Olton, Lamb County F0 0.2 mi x 20 yd 0 0 –
1995-05-31 Springlake, Lamb County F0 0.2 mi x 20 yd 0 0 –
1992-06-08 Lamb County F0 0.2 mi x 40 yd 0 0 –
1992-05-27 Lamb County F1 2 mi x 120 yd 0 0 $3K step
1992-05-20 Lamb County F1 4.5 mi x 100 yd 0 0 $3K step
1991-06-23 Lamb County F0 0.1 mi x 20 yd 0 0 –
1991-06-05 Lamb County F0 0.2 mi x 30 yd 0 0 –
1991-05-11 Lamb County F0 0.3 mi x 30 yd 0 0 –
1991-05-10 Lamb County F0 0.4 mi x 70 yd 0 0 –
1991-05-10 Lamb County F1 2.8 mi x 120 yd 0 0 $250 step
1991-05-10 Lamb County F0 1.5 mi x 80 yd 0 0 $250 step
1991-05-10 Lamb County F3 4 mi x 450 yd 0 0 $250K step
1990-05-29 Lamb County F2 2.4 mi x 150 yd 0 0 $25K step
1990-05-29 Lamb County F0 1.5 mi x 60 yd 0 0 –
1988-07-24 Lamb County F0 0.1 mi x 30 yd 0 0 –
1987-07-07 Lamb County F0 0.5 mi x 40 yd 0 0 –
1987-07-07 Lamb County F0 0.1 mi x 30 yd 0 0 –
1987-06-10 Lamb County F0 0.1 mi x 100 yd 0 0 –
1986-06-04 Lamb County F0 0.2 mi x 40 yd 0 0 –
1983-06-08 Lamb County F0 0.3 mi x 70 yd 0 0 $30 step
1983-06-08 Lamb County F0 0.3 mi x 70 yd 0 0 $30 step
1982-06-10 Lamb County F0 0.1 mi x 3 yd 0 0 $30 step
1982-05-25 Lamb County F0 0.2 mi x 10 yd 0 0 $30 step
1980-03-27 Lamb County F0 1 mi x 20 yd 0 0 $30 step
1979-06-05 Lamb County F1 11.9 mi x 167 yd 0 0 –
1979-06-05 Lamb County 0 0 –
1978-04-09 Lamb County F0 0.1 mi x 33 yd 0 0 $30 step
1977-05-25 Lamb County F0 1 mi x 20 yd 0 0 –
1974-06-02 Lamb County F1 1 mi x 27 yd 0 0 –
1974-03-09 Lamb County F1 9.3 mi x 20 yd 0 0 $3K step
1973-09-01 Lamb County F1 1 mi x 7 yd 0 0 $25K step
1972-07-17 Lamb County F1 1 mi x 100 yd 0 0 –
1972-07-17 Lamb County F1 1 mi x 100 yd 0 0 –
1972-05-09 Lamb County F1 0.3 mi x 20 yd 0 0 –
1971-10-17 Lamb County F1 0.3 mi x 50 yd 0 0 –
1971-10-17 Lamb County F1 0.3 mi x 50 yd 0 0 –
1971-10-17 Lamb County F1 8.2 mi x 100 yd 0 0 –
1971-10-17 Lamb County F2 31 mi x 100 yd 0 0 $2.5M step
1971-10-17 Lamb County F2 15.5 mi x 100 yd 0 0 $2.5M step
1971-10-17 Lamb County F2 22.2 mi x 400 yd 0 0 $2.5M step
1971-10-17 Lamb County F2 17.6 mi x 100 yd 0 0 $2.5M step
1969-10-19 Lamb County F2 1 mi x 10 yd 0 0 $25K step
1969-09-22 Lamb County F0 6.6 mi x 100 yd 0 0 –
1969-05-16 Lamb County F3 0.6 mi x 50 yd 0 0 $25K 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 Lamb County?

The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the June 24, 2026 thunderstorm wind (1 injury).

A wet microburst occurred across the city of Littlefield. Local broadcast media and emergency management officials reported downed trees and power lines. Additionally, one person had to be extracted from a travel camper that had rolled due to thunderstorm winds.
National Weather Service event narrative, NOAA Storm Events Database (search the full record, event 1335911)
The 12 most recent records kept for Lamb County
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2026-06-30 Thunderstorm WindOlton, Lamb County 60 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-06-26 Thunderstorm WindOlton, Lamb County 52 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-06-26 Thunderstorm WindAmherst, Lamb County 58 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-06-24 Thunderstorm WindLittlefield, Lamb County 61 kt wind 0 1 –
2026-06-23 Thunderstorm WindOlton, Lamb County 61 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-06-23 HailSudan, Lamb County 1.25 in hail 0 0 –
2026-05-22 Strong WindLamb County · forecast zone Lamb 48 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-05-22 Strong WindLamb County · forecast zone Lamb 48 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-04-17 High WindLamb County · forecast zone Lamb 54 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-04-03 HailLittlefield, Lamb County 1.00 in hail 0 0 –
2026-04-01 High WindLamb County · forecast zone Lamb 50 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-03-27 High WindLamb County · forecast zone Lamb 50 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

Records with deaths or injuries in Lamb County, most deaths first
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2013-05-09 Strong WindLamb County · forecast zone Lamb A man and a child were killed after the truck they were riding in collided with a tractor-trailer. The accident happened on U.S. 84 just west of County Road 85 in Sudan. The tractor-trailer was traveling eastbound on U.S. 84 when troopers say wind caused the tractor-trailer to jackknife and obstruct the path of the ... 48 kt wind 2 0 –
2009-11-10 Dense FogLamb County · forecast zone Lamb Fog developed over portions of the South Plains during the morning hours of the 10th, and the fog briefly became dense at a few locations. Low visibilities contributed to a fatal automobile accident near Amherst (Lamb County) around 08:30 CST. A 42 year-old female was killed when she rear-ended a farm tractor on Texas ... 1 0 $41K
1957-05-24 TornadoLamb County F3 1.9 mi x 200 yd 0 3 $250K step
1957-04-21 TornadoLamb County F4 12.8 mi x 880 yd 0 3 $2.5M step
1966-05-10 TornadoLamb County F2 2 mi x 50 yd 0 2 –
2026-06-24 Thunderstorm WindLittlefield, Lamb County A wet microburst occurred across the city of Littlefield. Local broadcast media and emergency management officials reported downed trees and power lines. Additionally, one person had to be extracted from a travel camper that had rolled due to thunderstorm winds. 61 kt wind 0 1 –
2007-04-21 TornadoFieldton, Lamb County A large and long-tracked tornado cut a path of damage twenty-nine miles in length and at times nearly three-quarters of a mile wide across portions of Lamb, Hale, Castro and Swisher Counties between 17:57 and 18:36 CST on the 21st. Total damages from the tornado were estimated to exceed $1.2 million, and one person ... EF2 15 mi x 1,230 yd 0 1 $1.2M
2001-07-13 Thunderstorm WindFieldton, Lamb County Strong thunderstorm wind destroyed a large storage building, blew down power lines, and snapped two power poles. A man taking shelter from hail in the storage building was injured. An NWS storm survey indicated that the building was open-sided on the east, the direction from which the wind was blowing, which allowed ... 0 1 $25K

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 Lamb County since 1993, damage in 2025 dollars
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2017-06-30 HailSudan, Lamb County 4.00 in hail 0 0 $36M
2001-05-30 HailSudan, Lamb County 1.75 in hail 0 0 $25M
2007-10-10 HailFieldton, Lamb County 1.75 in hail 0 0 $7.1M
2001-05-30 HailLittlefield, Lamb County 1.75 in hail 0 0 $5.2M
2001-05-30 HailLittlefield, Lamb County 1.75 in hail 0 0 $5.0M
2000-06-11 HailLittlefield, Lamb County 1.75 in hail 0 0 $2.3M
2000-06-10 HailOlton, Lamb County 1.75 in hail 0 0 $1.7M
2015-12-26 BlizzardLamb County · forecast zone Lamb 0 0 $1.2M

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: April 21, 1957 (tornado, Lamb County); April 21, 1957 (tornado, Lamb County); April 21, 1957 (tornado, Lamb 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 Lamb 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).

Lamb County: records per decade (the 2020s to June 30, 2026)
Hazard1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020-26
Hail318101159943122
Severe thunderstorm wind1105613584446
High wind and dust storms––––3283942
Drought––––10204918
Tornadoes625171017733
Winter storms––––3292514

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records per calendar decade; zone records from the CZ_TYPE field (Z).

What time of year?

69% of its hail reports since 1959 fell in May and June. The two busiest months are in violet.

The values, month by month

Jan 34 · Feb 48 · Mar 54 · Apr 78 · May 187 · Jun 194 · Jul 55 · Aug 42 · Sep 46 · Oct 39 · Nov 18 · Dec 41 (records).

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

Federal disaster declarations for Lamb County

FEMA's register lists 16 declarations that include Lamb County: 10 major disasters, 6 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for fire (4) and hurricane (4).

Declarations including Lamb County, newest first
DeclaredNumberTypeTitle
2021-02-19DR-4586Severe Ice StormSevere Winter Storms
2021-02-14EM-3554Severe Ice StormSevere Winter Storm
2020-03-25DR-4485BiologicalCovid-19 Pandemic
2020-03-13EM-3458BiologicalCovid-19
2016-02-09DR-4255Severe StormSevere Winter Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding
2011-07-01DR-1999FireWildfires
2010-08-03DR-1931HurricaneHurricane Alex
2008-03-14EM-3284FireWildfires
2006-01-11DR-1624FireExtreme Wildfire Threat
2005-09-24DR-1606HurricaneHurricane Rita
2005-09-21EM-3261HurricaneHurricane Rita
2005-09-02EM-3216HurricaneHurricane Katrina Evacuation
1999-09-01EM-3142FireExtreme Fire Hazards
1998-08-26DR-1239Severe StormTropical Storm Charley
1992-09-09DR-960Severe StormExcessive Rain & Hail
1970-05-13DR-286TornadoTornadoes, 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.

How many floods has Lamb County had?

NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 20 flood or flash flood records for Lamb County from 1996 to 2025, on 20 days, with 0 deaths. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Lamb County ranks 2830th of 2,942 U.S. counties.

The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $0 on 1 claim filed in Lamb County; the most in one year was 1 in 2013. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.

The values, year by year

2013: 1; 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 Lamb County

FEMA's National Risk Index rates Lamb County Relatively Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $15.0 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.

National Risk Index ratings for Lamb County (December 2025 release), by FEMA's rating, then score
HazardRisk ratingExpected annual lossModeled frequency
HailRelatively High$6.2M5.3 a year (modeled)
DroughtRelatively High$1.7M83 modeled event-days a year
Strong WindRelatively High$1.5M2.4 a year (modeled)
Cold WaveRelatively Moderate$2.0M1.7 a year (modeled)
Winter WeatherRelatively Moderate$118K8.2 a year (modeled)
WildfireRelatively Low$519Konce in about 161 years (modeled)
TornadoRelatively Low$1.1Mabout once a year (modeled)
Ice StormRelatively Low$37Konce in about 2 years (modeled)

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

Counties that share a border with Lamb County

  1. Lubbock County 1,725
  2. Hale County 1,025
  3. Hockley County 958
  4. Lamb County 836
  5. Castro County 777
  6. Parmer County 693
  7. Bailey County 611
  8. Cochran County 525

Source: U.S. Census Bureau county adjacency file; NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1950. The Census Bureau's adjacency file.

Next