Lavaca County, Texas
County storm and disaster record · FIPS 48285 · population 20,309 · 970 sq mi
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 382 records for Lavaca County, Texas from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 299 days; the most frequent are floods and flash floods (116 records). The deadliest single record is the February 15, 2021 extreme cold/wind chill, filed for the forecast zone Lavaca, which covers the county: 2 deaths. FEMA has issued 19 declarations naming the county since 1967, 17 of them for natural hazards; the latest for a natural hazard was “Hurricane Beryl” on July 9, 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
- 382on 299 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
- Deaths recorded
- 4369 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $46Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
- Tornadoes
- 36strongest F3
- FEMA declarations
- 19latest 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 Lavaca County most?
The most frequent records are floods and flash floods: 116 since 1996. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Floods | 116 | 103 | 1996-2026 | 1 | 355 | $14M | 26 of 254 |
| Hail | 85 | 65 | 1959-2026 | 0 | 0 | $815K | 196 of 254 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 63 | 58 | 1959-2024 | 0 | 0 | $3.6M | 193 of 254 |
| Drought | 57 | 57 | 1996-2026 | 0 | 0 | – | 174 of 254 |
| Tornadoes | 36 | 26 | 1954-2021 | 0 | 14 | $26M | 158 of 254 |
| Winter storms | 11 | 11 | 1997-2026 | 0 | 0 | – | 207 of 254 |
| Lightning | 4 | 4 | 1997-2024 | 1 | 0 | $354K | 64 of 254 |
| Hurricanes and tropical storms | 3 | 3 | 2003-2017 | 0 | 0 | $762K | 50 of 254 |
| Extreme cold | 2 | 2 | 2021-2022 | 2 | 0 | – | 194 of 254 |
| Heat | 2 | 2 | 2023-2023 | 0 | 0 | – | 168 of 254 |
| Fog, smoke and funnel clouds | 2 | 1 | 1996-1996 | 0 | 0 | – | 162 of 254 |
| Heavy rain | 1 | 1 | 2009-2009 | 0 | 0 | – | 146 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 Lavaca County had?
NOAA records 36 tornadoes in Lavaca County from 1954 to 2021, the strongest rated F3, with 0 deaths 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 35 tornadoes whose track touched Lavaca County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 36: 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 11:07, as SPC files it | Unnamed | F3 | 4.3 mi | 0 |
| 1967-09-20 15:00, as SPC files it | Unnamed | F3 | 2 mi | 0 |
Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Texas.
Every tornado record filed for Lavaca County (36)
| Date | Place | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-05-18 | Sublime, Lavaca County | EF1 1.62 mi x 150 yd | 0 | 0 | $22K |
| 2019-05-03 | Praha, Lavaca County | EF0 1.91 mi x 20 yd | 0 | 0 | $12K |
| 2012-09-29 | Sweet Home, Lavaca County | EF0 0.63 mi x 20 yd | 0 | 0 | $6K |
| 2010-09-07 | Moulton, Lavaca County | EF0 0.2 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2007-03-31 | Halletsville, Lavaca County | EF2 0.4 mi x 75 yd | 0 | 4 | $107K |
| 2007-03-31 | Halletsville, Lavaca County | EF1 0.8 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $142K |
| 2004-11-23 | Sublime, Lavaca County | F0 0.1 mi x 20 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2004-11-20 | Halletsville, Lavaca County | F0 0.3 mi x 30 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2000-11-12 | Shiner, Lavaca County | F0 0.5 mi x 30 yd | 0 | 0 | $17K |
| 2000-11-12 | Halletsville, Lavaca County | F0 0.3 mi x 20 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2000-11-12 | Moulton, Lavaca County | F0 0.3 mi x 20 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1999-05-30 | Halletsville, Lavaca County | F1 0.1 mi x 20 yd | 0 | 0 | $89K |
| 1999-05-30 | Vienna, Lavaca County | F1 0.2 mi x 30 yd | 0 | 0 | $18K |
| 1999-01-01 | Shiner, Lavaca County | F0 0.1 mi x 30 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1996-09-20 | Ezzell, Lavaca County | F0 0.2 mi x 30 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1995-04-04 | Sw Port O'connor, Lavaca County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 1994-05-13 | N Moulton, Lavaca County | F1 1 mi x 90 yd | 0 | 0 | $2.0M |
| 1994-05-13 | Vienna, Lavaca County | F2 0.2 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $110K |
| 1991-05-04 | Lavaca County | F1 5 mi x 30 yd | 0 | 0 | $250K step |
| 1974-10-30 | Lavaca County | F1 0.5 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $3K step |
| 1972-07-30 | Lavaca County | F1 0.3 mi x 10 yd | 0 | 0 | $3K step |
| 1972-05-16 | Lavaca County | F1 0.5 mi x 20 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1972-05-16 | Lavaca County | F1 0.5 mi x 20 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1972-05-16 | Lavaca County | F1 0.5 mi x 20 yd | 0 | 0 | $3K step |
| 1972-03-20 | Lavaca County | F2 4.5 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1972-03-20 | Lavaca County | F1 0.2 mi x 20 yd | 0 | 0 | $3K step |
| 1971-02-25 | Lavaca County | F1 0.3 mi x 10 yd | 0 | 0 | $3K step |
| 1970-08-23 | Lavaca County | F1 1.5 mi x 23 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1967-09-20 | Lavaca County | F3 2 mi x 167 yd | 0 | 3 | $25K step |
| 1967-09-20 | Lavaca County | F3 4.3 mi x 333 yd | 0 | 4 | $2.5M step |
| 1967-09-20 | Lavaca County | 0 | 3 | $25K step | |
| 1967-03-20 | Lavaca County | F0 1 mi x 33 yd | 0 | 0 | $3K step |
| 1960-05-03 | Lavaca County | F1 0.2 mi x 17 yd | 0 | 0 | $3K step |
| 1955-05-19 | Lavaca County | F2 2 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1955-05-18 | Lavaca County | F2 20.7 mi x 300 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1954-05-11 | Lavaca County | F1 1 mi x 17 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
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 Lavaca County?
The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the September 3, 2022 lightning ($252,000 in damage in 2025 dollars).
Lightning struck a storage tank battery and semi-truck tractor trailer starting a fire approximately one mile north of Hallettsville on Hwy 77.
National Weather Service event narrative, NOAA Storm Events Database (search the full record, event 1052173)
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-05 | Flash FloodHalletsville, Lavaca County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-06-05 | Flash FloodHalletsville, Lavaca County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-06-05 | Flash FloodHalletsville, Lavaca County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-05-01 | HailKinkler, Lavaca County | 1.50 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-05-01 | DroughtLavaca County · forecast zone Lavaca | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-04-01 | DroughtLavaca County · forecast zone Lavaca | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-01 | DroughtLavaca County · forecast zone Lavaca | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-01 | DroughtLavaca County · forecast zone Lavaca | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-24 | Winter StormLavaca County · forecast zone Lavaca | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-01 | DroughtLavaca County · forecast zone Lavaca | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-12-01 | DroughtLavaca County · forecast zone Lavaca | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-11-01 | DroughtLavaca County · forecast zone Lavaca | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-02-15 | Extreme Cold/Wind ChillLavaca County · forecast zone Lavaca Extreme cold temperatures and breezy winds combined to produce wind chill values of -5 to -10 degrees F. These are estimates based on nearby county observations. Direct fatality information was obtained from the Emergency Manager. | 2 | 0 | – | |
| 1997-07-31 | LightningHalletsville, Lavaca County A woman was working with her husband and three daughters in a field on her farm near Wied, just west of Hallettsville, as thunderstorms moved into the area. All five headed indoors quickly, but the mother was struck by lightning and killed. None of the others were injured. | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 1997-04-10 | Flash FloodCountywide, Lavaca County General 6" rain amounts, with isolated totals near 14 inches were reported around Lavaca County. Hwy 95 was closed from Yoakum to Shiner, with widespread closures across the county. One man drowned in his truck while trying to get to Hallettsville to his job around 0100CST. It had not rained where he had been staying, ... | 1 | 0 | $1.9M | |
| 1998-10-18 | Flash FloodCountywide, Lavaca 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 ... | 0 | 300 | $6.3M | |
| 1998-10-17 | Flash FloodCountywide, Lavaca 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 ... | 0 | 50 | $3.8M | |
| 1998-10-17 | FloodLavaca County · forecast zone Lavaca Flooding along the Lavaca and Navidad RiversThe Navidad River near Sublime at Highway 90A crested at 32.2 feet, with flood stage 24 feet, causing major flooding. Near Speaks at FM 530, the river rose to 28.5 feet, with the flood stage at 24 feet. At this location, the river was over a half mile wide. Flooding also ... | 0 | 5 | $543K | |
| 2007-03-31 | TornadoHalletsville, Lavaca County To the southeast of Hallettsville, and southeast of the first tornado, a second tornado touched down near 0345 CST. This was just off FM530 on Road 16C, near the community of Light Chapel. This tornado touched down just south of a mobile home and began moving toward the northeast. A father, along with two sons and a ... | EF2 0.4 mi x 75 yd | 0 | 4 | $107K |
| 1967-09-20 | TornadoLavaca County | F3 4.3 mi x 333 yd | 0 | 4 | $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.
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998-10-18 | Flash FloodCountywide, Lavaca County | 0 | 300 | $6.3M | |
| 1998-10-17 | Flash FloodCountywide, Lavaca County | 0 | 50 | $3.8M | |
| 1994-05-13 | TornadoN Moulton, Lavaca County | F1 1 mi x 90 yd | 0 | 0 | $2.0M |
| 1997-04-10 | Flash FloodCountywide, Lavaca County | 1 | 0 | $1.9M | |
| 1994-06-20 | Thunderstorm WindYoakum, Lavaca County | 0 | 0 | $996K | |
| 2003-07-15 | Tropical StormLavaca County · forecast zone Lavaca | 0 | 0 | $642K | |
| 1998-06-15 | Thunderstorm WindShiner, Lavaca County | 0 | 0 | $362K | |
| 2022-09-03 | LightningHalletsville, Lavaca County | 0 | 0 | $252K |
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: September 20, 1967 (tornado, Lavaca 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 Lavaca 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Floods | – | – | – | – | 30 | 75 | 2 | 9 |
| Hail | 1 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 30 | 20 | 11 | 5 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 1 | 2 | 2 | 9 | 19 | 19 | 7 | 4 |
| Drought | – | – | – | – | 5 | 3 | 20 | 29 |
| Tornadoes | 3 | 5 | 9 | 0 | 8 | 7 | 3 | 1 |
| Winter storms | – | – | – | – | 1 | 1 | 4 | 5 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records per calendar decade; zone records from the CZ_TYPE field (Z).
What time of year?
Records by month in Lavaca County. The two busiest months are in violet.
The values, month by month
Jan 15 · Feb 27 · Mar 31 · Apr 50 · May 69 · Jun 42 · Jul 27 · Aug 26 · Sep 25 · Oct 22 · Nov 32 · Dec 16 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.
Federal disaster declarations for Lavaca County
FEMA's register lists 19 declarations that include Lavaca County: 11 major disasters, 8 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for hurricane (8) and flood (3).
| Declared | Number | Type | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-07-09 | DR-4798 | Hurricane | Hurricane Beryl |
| 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 |
| 2008-09-10 | EM-3294 | Hurricane | Hurricane Ike |
| 2008-08-29 | EM-3290 | Hurricane | Hurricane Gustav |
| 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 |
| 1998-10-21 | DR-1257 | Flood | Tx-Flooding 10/18/98 |
| 1998-08-26 | DR-1239 | Severe Storm | Tropical Storm Charley |
| 1994-10-18 | DR-1041 | Flood | Severe Thunderstorms and Flooding |
| 1993-09-10 | EM-3113 | Drought | Extreme Fire Hazard |
| 1981-09-21 | DR-646 | Flood | Severe Storms & Flooding |
| 1967-09-28 | DR-232 | Hurricane | Hurricane Beulah |
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 Lavaca County had?
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 116 flood or flash flood records for Lavaca County from 1996 to 2026, on 103 days, with 1 death. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Lavaca County ranks 1236th of 2,942 U.S. counties.
The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $1.5 million on 115 claims filed in Lavaca County; the most in one year was 33 in 1981. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.
The values, year by year
1980: 1 · 1981: 33 · 1982: 8 · 1987: 18 · 1991: 3 · 1992: 1 · 1993: 2 · 1994: 11 · 1996: 1 · 1997: 8 · 1998: 8 · 2000: 2 · 2001: 2 · 2002: 1 · 2004: 2 · 2005: 1 · 2007: 1 · 2008: 1 · 2009: 6 · 2012: 1 · 2017: 3 · 2021: 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 Lavaca County
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Lavaca County Relatively Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $33.8 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cold Wave | Relatively Moderate | $5.0M | once in about 2 years (modeled) |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively Moderate | $23M | 3.6 a year (modeled) |
| Hurricane | Relatively Moderate | $3.0M | once in about 10 years (modeled) |
| Lightning | Relatively Moderate | $501K | 58 a year (modeled) |
| Drought | Relatively Moderate | $356K | 54 modeled event-days a year |
| Heat Wave | Relatively Low | $388K | 11 modeled event-days a year |
| Tornado | Relatively Low | $1.2M | once in about 2 years (modeled) |
| Hail | Relatively Low | $146K | 1.7 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 Lavaca 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
- Floods in TexasThe state's floods and flash floods, 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 Lavaca CountyThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
- Download Lavaca County's FEMA declarations (CSV)19 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis