Milam County, Texas

County storm and disaster record · FIPS 48331 · population 24,623 · 1,016 sq mi

NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 480 records for Milam County, Texas from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 354 days; the most frequent are severe thunderstorm wind events (104 records). The deadliest single record is the May 25, 2015 tornado: 1 death, 6 injuries and $946,000 in damage in 2025 dollars. FEMA has issued 23 declarations naming the county since 1991, 20 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
480on 354 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
Deaths recorded
516 injuries
Damage, 2025 dollars
$37Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
Tornadoes
25strongest F3
FEMA declarations
23latest 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 Milam County most?

The most frequent records are severe thunderstorm wind events: 104 since 1957. 40% of its severe thunderstorm wind events since 1957 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.

Milam County: records by hazard, 1950 to June 30, 2026
HazardRecordsDaysFirst, lastKilledInjuredDamageRank in state
Severe thunderstorm wind 104 75 1957-2025 1 2 $541K 171 of 254
Drought 90 90 1996-2026 0 0 $3.2M 104 of 254
Hail 83 56 1965-2026 0 0 $1.3M 216 of 254
Floods 78 56 1996-2026 1 1 $6.2M 89 of 254
Heat 51 49 1998-2026 0 0 – 74 of 254
Tornadoes 25 23 1954-2025 2 9 $25M 176 of 254
Winter storms 20 20 1996-2026 0 0 $105K 170 of 254
Heavy rain 10 10 1997-2013 0 2 $68K 19 of 254
Extreme cold 8 8 2019-2026 0 0 – 97 of 254
High wind and dust storms 4 3 2006-2011 0 0 $31K 145 of 254
Lightning 3 3 2006-2007 1 2 $154K 84 of 254
Hurricanes and tropical storms 2 2 2008-2015 0 0 $16K 65 of 254
Wildfires 2 2 2011-2012 0 0 $190K 170 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 Milam County had?

NOAA records 25 tornadoes in Milam County from 1954 to 2025, the strongest rated F3, with 2 deaths and 9 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 27 tornadoes whose track touched Milam County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 25: 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, 2 of them in Milam County.

The deadliest and strongest tornadoes that touched Milam County, whole tracks
DateTornadoRatingPathKilled
1987-11-15 12:15, as SPC files itCaldwellF210 mi2
2015-05-25 14:55, as SPC files itBuckholts to CameronEF28.88 mi1
2004-06-26 17:05, as SPC files itUnnamedF10.8 mi1
2019-04-13 09:50, as SPC files itFranklinEF332.48 mi0
1954-04-30 06:10, as SPC files itRockdale to GrapelandF3139.9 mi0

Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Texas.

Every tornado record filed for Milam County (25)
Every tornado recorded in Milam County, newest first
DatePlaceCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2025-05-06 Cameron, Milam County EF0 9.27 mi x 250 yd 0 0 $20K
2024-04-28 Burlington, Milam County EF0 0.19 mi x 40 yd 0 0 $5K
2022-03-21 Edgeworth, Milam County EF1 3.81 mi x 200 yd 0 0 $30K
2019-04-13 Branchville, Milam County EF1 1.15 mi x 250 yd 0 0 –
2019-04-06 Belmena, Milam County EFU 0.1 mi x 25 yd 0 0 –
2019-04-06 San Gabriel, Milam County EF0 0.31 mi x 150 yd 0 0 $12K
2015-05-25 Pettibone, Milam County EF2 8.88 mi x 400 yd 1 6 $946K
2004-06-26 Maysfield, Milam County F1 0.8 mi x 30 yd 1 0 $23K
1996-09-20 Milano, Milam County F1 0.2 mi x 35 yd 0 0 $8K
1996-09-20 Cameron, Milam County F1 0.2 mi x 35 yd 0 0 $132K
1992-09-21 Milam County F1 0.2 mi x 40 yd 0 3 $25K step
1989-06-07 Milam County F2 4 mi x 150 yd 0 0 $2.5M step
1987-11-15 Milam County F2 3 mi x 500 yd 0 0 $2.5M step
1981-05-16 Milam County F0 0.2 mi x 33 yd 0 0 –
1981-05-09 Milam County F2 12.6 mi x 60 yd 0 0 $250K step
1980-05-13 Milam County F1 2.3 mi x 67 yd 0 0 $250K step
1977-09-11 Milam County F0 0.1 mi x 40 yd 0 0 $25K step
1975-04-29 Milam County F2 26.3 mi x 200 yd 0 0 $250K step
1973-11-23 Milam County F1 4.3 mi x 70 yd 0 0 $25K step
1973-01-20 Milam County F1 0.3 mi x 10 yd 0 0 $25K step
1962-06-01 Milam County F2 0.5 mi x 50 yd 0 0 –
1957-04-24 Milam County 0 0 $250K step
1956-03-21 Milam County F2 1 mi x 33 yd 0 0 –
1955-05-06 Milam County F2 4.9 mi x 100 yd 0 0 $250K step
1954-04-30 Milam County F3 118.8 mi x 880 yd 0 0 $250K 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 Milam County?

The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the June 6, 2026 flood ($50,000 in damage in 2025 dollars).

The 12 most recent records kept for Milam County
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2026-06-18 HeatMilam County · forecast zone Milam 0 0 –
2026-06-15 Flash FloodMinerva, Milam County 0 0 –
2026-06-14 Flash FloodCameron Municipal Airport, Milam County 0 0 –
2026-06-14 Flash FloodSilver City, Milam County 0 0 –
2026-06-14 Flash FloodSilver City, Milam County 0 0 –
2026-06-14 Flash FloodYarrelton, Milam County 0 0 –
2026-06-06 FloodBranchville, Milam County 0 0 $50K
2026-06-05 FloodPettibone, Milam County 0 0 –
2026-05-10 HailRockdale, Milam County 1.25 in hail 0 0 –
2026-05-10 Flash FloodRockdale, Milam County 0 0 $7K
2026-04-01 DroughtMilam County · forecast zone Milam 0 0 $10K
2026-03-01 DroughtMilam County · forecast zone Milam 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 Milam County, most deaths first
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2015-05-25 TornadoPettibone, Milam County A National Weather Service damage survey team found evidence of a tornado which produced EF-2 damage. The tornado first occurred near the community of Pettibone, and moved northeast across central Milam County. The tornado damaged or destroyed approximately 12 homes, mobile homes, and farm buildings. Several locations ... EF2 8.88 mi x 400 yd 1 6 $946K
2007-05-01 LightningCameron, Milam County Two people were struck by lightning while fishing at the edge of a pond. One was killed and the other injured. 1 2 –
2012-08-05 Thunderstorm WindCameron, Milam County A report from the Milam County Sheriff's Office confirmed that weather played a role in the death of a 50-year old Georgia man competing in a paragliding competition. The event was called off due to rain and wind moving in from the east, but the man did not return. He was found the next day along CR 202; west of ... 26 kt wind 1 0 –
2007-01-13 Flash FloodBuckholts, Milam County A woman drowned after attempting to cross a flooded low-water crossing in her truck. The truck was found on January 15, but the woman's body was not located until the 18th. She was found off CR 147 near the Marak community. Water was also reported over roads near Davilla. 1 0 $14K
2004-06-26 TornadoMaysfield, Milam County The tornado developed at approximately 605 PM, 1 mile west of Maysfield near the intersection of FM 485 and CR 249. The tornado damaged a store near this intersection, then moved slowly west,along and just south of FM 485. The most significant damage occurred along FM 485 between CR 252and FM 979. A large corrugated ... F1 0.8 mi x 30 yd 1 0 $23K
1992-09-21 TornadoMilam County F1 0.2 mi x 40 yd 0 3 $25K step
2010-04-26 Heavy RainRockdale, Milam County A vehicle accident at East Belton and CR 333 during a thunderstorm resulted in two injuries and extensive damage to the vehicles. 0 2 $68K
2016-05-23 FloodCameron, Milam County According to local news reports, a woman drove into high water on the Little River bridge in Cameron. While the heavy rain from the day before had ended hours before the incident, water remained over the roadway by 9 AM CDT on the 23rd. As the woman drove her car on the bridge, the water swept the car off of the ... 0 1 $37K

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 Milam County since 1993, damage in 2025 dollars
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2004-05-13 Flash FloodCameron, Milam County 0 0 $4.0M
2007-07-14 Flash FloodBuckholts, Milam County 0 0 $1.1M
1994-05-02 HailCameron, Milam County 1.75 in hail 0 0 $1.1M
2015-05-25 TornadoPettibone, Milam County EF2 8.88 mi x 400 yd 1 6 $946K
2008-12-01 DroughtMilam County · forecast zone Milam 0 0 $343K
1996-09-20 TornadoCameron, Milam County F1 0.2 mi x 35 yd 0 0 $132K
1995-05-17 HailRockdale, Milam County 2.75 in hail 0 0 $77K
2008-04-25 HailRockdale, Milam County 2.75 in hail 0 0 $69K

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: November 15, 1987 (tornado, Milam County); June 7, 1989 (tornado, Milam 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 Milam 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).

Milam County: records per decade (the 2020s to June 30, 2026)
Hazard1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020-26
Severe thunderstorm wind4121122271918
Drought––––2283624
Hail05382123158
Floods––––9371517
Heat––––23541 z
Tornadoes41453143

Heat in the 2020-26: 41 records against 5 in the decade before, 41 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 Milam 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?

40% of its severe thunderstorm wind events since 1957 fell in April and May. The two busiest months are in violet.

The values, month by month

Jan 26 · Feb 35 · Mar 36 · Apr 68 · May 78 · Jun 55 · Jul 38 · Aug 41 · Sep 41 · Oct 21 · Nov 19 · Dec 22 (records).

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

Federal disaster declarations for Milam County

FEMA's register lists 23 declarations that include Milam County: 14 major disasters, 8 emergencies and one fire management assistance declaration. Most were for hurricane (6) and fire (4).

Declarations including Milam 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
2020-03-25DR-4485BiologicalCovid-19 Pandemic
2020-03-13EM-3458BiologicalCovid-19
2017-08-25DR-4332HurricaneHurricane Harvey
2016-04-25DR-4269FloodSevere Storms and Flooding
2015-05-29DR-4223Severe StormSevere Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds and Flooding
2008-09-13DR-1791HurricaneHurricane Ike
2008-03-14EM-3284FireWildfires
2007-06-29DR-1709Severe StormSevere Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding
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
1999-08-31FM-2284FireTx-Alcoa Fire
1998-08-26DR-1239Severe StormTropical Storm Charley
1993-09-10EM-3113DroughtExtreme Fire Hazard
1991-12-26DR-930FloodSevere Thunderstorms

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 Milam County had?

NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 78 flood or flash flood records for Milam County from 1996 to 2026, on 56 days, with 1 death. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Milam County ranks 2212th of 2,942 U.S. counties.

The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $200,000 on 15 claims filed in Milam County; the most in one year was 3 in 2015. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.

The values, year by year

1979: 1 · 1988: 1 · 1991: 1 · 1999: 1 · 2004: 2 · 2007: 2 · 2008: 1 · 2012: 1 · 2015: 3 · 2016: 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 Milam County

FEMA's National Risk Index rates Milam County Relatively Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $12.6 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 Milam County (December 2025 release), by FEMA's rating, then score
HazardRisk ratingExpected annual lossModeled frequency
LightningRelatively High$545K51 a year (modeled)
DroughtRelatively Moderate$839K52 modeled event-days a year
TornadoRelatively Moderate$2.7Monce in about 2 years (modeled)
HailRelatively Moderate$546K3.5 a year (modeled)
Cold WaveRelatively Moderate$1.8Monce in about 2 years (modeled)
HurricaneRelatively Low$897Konce in about 18 years (modeled)
WildfireRelatively Low$79Konce in about 924 years (modeled)
Heat WaveRelatively Low$464K15 modeled event-days a year

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

Counties that share a border with Milam County

  1. Bell County 1,219
  2. Williamson County 1,069
  3. Milam County 480
  4. Falls County 429
  5. Robertson County 374
  6. Lee County 316
  7. Burleson County 291

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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