Leon County, Texas

County storm and disaster record · FIPS 48289 · population 15,666 · 1,073 sq mi

NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 458 records for Leon County, Texas from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 331 days; the most frequent are severe thunderstorm wind events (107 records). The deadliest single record is the February 15, 2021 extreme cold/wind chill, filed for the forecast zone Leon, which covers the county: 1 death and $86,000 in damage in 2025 dollars. FEMA has issued 30 declarations naming the county since 1965, 27 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
458on 331 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
Deaths recorded
26 injuries
Damage, 2025 dollars
$197Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
Tornadoes
23strongest F2
FEMA declarations
30latest 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 Leon County most?

The most frequent records are severe thunderstorm wind events: 107 since 1981. 43% of its severe thunderstorm wind events since 1981 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.

Leon County: records by hazard, 1950 to June 30, 2026
HazardRecordsDaysFirst, lastKilledInjuredDamageRank in state
Severe thunderstorm wind 107 71 1981-2026 0 2 $2.7M 181 of 254
Hail 88 64 1984-2024 0 0 $135K 207 of 254
Drought 83 80 1996-2026 0 0 $163M 140 of 254
Heat 55 51 1998-2026 0 0 – 75 of 254
Floods 49 28 1998-2026 0 0 $884K 174 of 254
Winter storms 27 24 1996-2026 1 0 $137K 161 of 254
Tornadoes 23 17 1953-2025 0 4 $16M 199 of 254
Heavy rain 8 8 1997-2013 0 0 $152K 39 of 254
Extreme cold 7 7 2019-2026 1 0 $86K 127 of 254
Lightning 4 4 2010-2025 0 0 $144K 69 of 254
Hurricanes and tropical storms 3 2 1998-2008 0 0 $9.8M 69 of 254
Wildfires 3 3 2011-2018 0 0 $4.3M 142 of 254
High wind and dust storms 1 1 2015-2015 0 0 $2K 202 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 Leon County had?

NOAA records 23 tornadoes in Leon County from 1953 to 2025, the strongest rated F2, with 0 deaths and 4 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 23 tornadoes whose track touched Leon County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 23, the same count); along their whole tracks they killed 3 people, 0 of them in Leon County.

The deadliest and strongest tornadoes that touched Leon County, whole tracks
DateTornadoRatingPathKilled
1987-11-15 14:00, as SPC files itNormangee to LeonaF210 mi3
2019-04-13 09:50, as SPC files itFranklinEF332.48 mi0

Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Texas.

Every tornado record filed for Leon County (23)
Every tornado recorded in Leon County, newest first
DatePlaceCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2025-05-06 Jewett, Leon County EF1 3.49 mi x 480 yd 0 0 $100K
2025-05-06 Buffalo, Leon County EF1 5.98 mi x 100 yd 0 0 $10K
2019-04-13 North Salem, Leon County EF1 11.22 mi x 150 yd 0 0 $12K
2019-04-13 Venetia, Leon County EF0 1.52 mi x 100 yd 0 0 –
2011-04-25 Oakwood, Leon County EF0 0.95 mi x 100 yd 0 0 –
2006-12-29 Buffalo, Leon County F0 3.83 mi x 50 yd 0 0 $7K
2006-12-29 Centerville, Leon County F0 2 mi x 50 yd 0 0 $51K
2006-12-29 Normangee, Leon County F0 5.71 mi x 50 yd 0 0 $7K
1998-02-10 Leona, Leon County F0 0.5 mi x 40 yd 0 0 $81K
1998-01-21 Leona, Leon County F1 0.5 mi x 40 yd 0 1 $91K
1998-01-21 Normangee, Leon County F0 0.1 mi x 30 yd 0 0 –
1994-05-02 Marquez, Leon County F1 0.1 mi x 10 yd 0 0 $995K
1990-04-27 Leon County F1 0.2 mi x 10 yd 0 0 –
1987-11-15 Leon County F2 3 mi x 200 yd 0 0 $2.5M step
1987-07-22 Leon County F0 0.2 mi x 10 yd 0 0 –
1984-02-11 Leon County F2 0.5 mi x 100 yd 0 0 $25K step
1984-02-11 Leon County F2 1.5 mi x 100 yd 0 3 $2.5M step
1979-02-23 Leon County F1 0 0 –
1967-04-13 Leon County F2 8.6 mi x 300 yd 0 0 $25K step
1964-11-19 Leon County F1 0.3 mi x 100 yd 0 0 $25K step
1959-09-28 Leon County F0 1 mi x 33 yd 0 0 $250 step
1954-05-10 Leon County F1 0 0 –
1953-05-11 Leon County F2 9.5 mi x 267 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 Leon County?

The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the June 20, 2026 flash flood ($50,000 in damage in 2025 dollars).

The 12 most recent records kept for Leon County
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2026-06-20 Flash FloodNewby, Leon County 0 0 –
2026-06-20 Flash FloodNew Salem, Leon County 0 0 –
2026-06-20 Flash FloodNineveh, Leon County 0 0 –
2026-06-20 Flash FloodNineveh, Leon County 0 0 –
2026-06-20 Flash FloodBuffalo, Leon County 0 0 –
2026-06-20 Flash FloodBuffalo, Leon County 0 0 –
2026-06-20 Flash FloodCenterville, Leon County 0 0 –
2026-06-20 Flash FloodBuffalo, Leon County 0 0 –
2026-06-20 Flash FloodBuffalo, Leon County 0 0 $50K
2026-06-20 Flash FloodBuffalo, Leon County 0 0 $8K
2026-06-18 HeatLeon County · forecast zone Leon 0 0 –
2026-05-10 Thunderstorm WindGuys Store, Leon County 52 kt wind 0 0 $2K

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 Leon County, most deaths first
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2021-02-15 Extreme Cold/Wind ChillLeon County · forecast zone Leon Extreme cold gripped the county for several days. Overnight lows were near or below 25 degrees Fahrenheit almost all week. The period of February 15-16th was the coldest with low temperatures in the single digits and slightly below zero degrees Fahrenheit. The maximum temperature on the 15th was only in the teens. ... 1 0 $86K
1997-01-12 Ice StormLeon County and Madison County · forecast zone Madison Freezing rain/sleet event occured on the 12th-13th. Trees, powerlines and roadways were all effected. The weight of the ice caused trees and powerlines to snap/fall. Glazed roadways posed hazardous driving conditions. Over 1100 traffic accidents were reported in Southeast Texas which accounted for 3 deaths. Estimated ... 1 0 –
1984-02-11 TornadoLeon County F2 1.5 mi x 100 yd 0 3 $2.5M step
2019-04-18 Thunderstorm WindMarquez, Leon County A large swatch of damaging winds moved across Leon County. Damage to a single-wide manufactured home south of Farm to Market (FM) 1618 occurred as the structure was rolled once to the east by the damaging winds. Two occupants were injured here and one individual was ejected from the structure. The peak wind associated ... 75 kt wind 0 2 $87K
1998-01-21 TornadoLeona, Leon County A tornado severely damaged the roof of a restaurant. The manager of the restaurant, who was inside the building at the time, received minor injuries. F1 0.5 mi x 40 yd 0 1 $91K

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 Leon County since 1993, damage in 2025 dollars
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2006-08-01 DroughtLeon County · forecast zone Leon 0 0 $146M
2008-09-13 Tropical StormLeon County and Madison County · forecast zone Madison 0 0 $9.6M
2011-09-04 WildfireLeon County · forecast zone Leon 0 0 $4.1M
1994-05-02 Thunderstorm WindMarquez, Leon County 0 0 $995K
1994-05-02 TornadoMarquez, Leon County F1 0.1 mi x 10 yd 0 0 $995K
2007-07-14 Flash FloodJewett, Leon County 0 0 $498K
2025-05-06 TornadoJewett, Leon County EF1 3.49 mi x 480 yd 0 0 $100K
1998-01-21 TornadoLeona, Leon County F1 0.5 mi x 40 yd 0 1 $91K

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: February 11, 1984 (tornado, Leon County); November 15, 1987 (tornado, Leon 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 Leon 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).

Leon County: records per decade (the 2020s to June 30, 2026)
Hazard1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020-26
Severe thunderstorm wind0001125302417
Hail000724143211
Drought––––9213320
Heat––––47638 z
Floods––––4101916
Winter storms––––51075

Heat in the 2020-26: 38 records against 6 in the decade before, 38 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 Leon 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?

43% of its severe thunderstorm wind events since 1981 fell in May and June. The two busiest months are in violet.

The values, month by month

Jan 31 · Feb 45 · Mar 25 · Apr 61 · May 77 · Jun 47 · Jul 29 · Aug 40 · Sep 25 · Oct 20 · Nov 22 · Dec 36 (records).

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

Federal disaster declarations for Leon County

FEMA's register lists 30 declarations that include Leon County: 21 major disasters, 9 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for hurricane (6) and severe storm (5).

Declarations including Leon County, newest first
DeclaredNumberTypeTitle
2024-07-09DR-4798HurricaneHurricane Beryl
2024-05-17DR-4781FloodSevere Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding
2023-04-21DR-4705Winter StormSevere Winter Storm
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
2016-06-11DR-4272FloodSevere Storms and Flooding
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
2011-09-09DR-4029FireWildfires
2011-07-01DR-1999FireWildfires
2008-09-13DR-1791HurricaneHurricane Ike
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
2003-02-01EM-3171OtherLoss of the Space Shuttle Columbia
2001-06-09DR-1379Coastal StormTx-Tropical Storm Allison-06-06-2001
1999-09-01EM-3142FireExtreme Fire Hazards
1998-08-26DR-1239Severe StormTropical Storm Charley
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
1987-11-20DR-802TornadoSevere Storms & Tornadoes
1966-05-12DR-218FloodSevere Storms & Flooding
1965-06-19DR-199TornadoTornadoes & 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 Leon County had?

NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 49 flood or flash flood records for Leon County from 1998 to 2026, on 28 days, with 0 deaths. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Leon County ranks 2436th of 2,942 U.S. counties.

Named storms on Leon County's flood and tropical record
StormBeganRecordsDeaths in the county
Hurricane Ike2008-09-1310

The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $130,000 on 8 claims filed in Leon County; the most in one year was 2 in 2021. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.

The values, year by year

1998: 1 · 2008: 1 · 2012: 1 · 2019: 1 · 2021: 2 · 2025: 2; 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 Leon County

FEMA's National Risk Index rates Leon County Relatively Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $15.1 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 Leon County (December 2025 release), by FEMA's rating, then score
HazardRisk ratingExpected annual lossModeled frequency
DroughtRelatively High$3.2M37 modeled event-days a year
Cold WaveRelatively High$5.1Monce in about 2 years (modeled)
LightningRelatively Moderate$313K59 a year (modeled)
HurricaneRelatively Low$717Konce in about 20 years (modeled)
TornadoRelatively Low$1.4Monce in about 2 years (modeled)
Heat WaveRelatively Low$277K15 modeled event-days a year
Strong WindRelatively Low$368K2 a year (modeled)
Ice StormRelatively Low$45Kabout once 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 Leon County

  1. Anderson County 737
  2. Limestone County 585
  3. Brazos County 508
  4. Leon County 458
  5. Houston County 414
  6. Freestone County 391
  7. Robertson County 374
  8. Madison County 245

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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