Real County, Texas

County storm and disaster record · FIPS 48385 · population 2,757 · 699 sq mi

NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 370 records for Real County, Texas from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 287 days; the most frequent are hail reports (116 records). The deadliest single record is the August 23, 1998 flash flood: 4 deaths and $1.1 million in damage in 2025 dollars. FEMA has issued 20 declarations naming the county since 1993, 18 of them for natural hazards; the latest for a natural hazard was “Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding” on September 1, 2026.

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
370on 287 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
Deaths recorded
476 injuries
Damage, 2025 dollars
$5.4Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
Tornadoes
2strongest F2
FEMA declarations
20latest 2026

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 Real County most?

The most frequent records are hail reports: 116 since 1957. 61% of its hail reports 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.

Real County: records by hazard, 1950 to June 30, 2026
HazardRecordsDaysFirst, lastKilledInjuredDamageRank in state
Hail 116 75 1957-2026 0 0 $183K 149 of 254
Floods 100 80 1996-2025 4 69 $4.8M 22 of 254
Drought 98 98 1996-2025 0 0 – 26 of 254
Severe thunderstorm wind 25 20 1972-2025 0 0 $355K 234 of 254
Winter storms 23 23 1996-2026 0 0 – 118 of 254
Heat 3 3 2018-2023 0 0 – 150 of 254
Extreme cold 2 2 2021-2022 0 0 – 182 of 254
Tornadoes 2 1 1995-1995 0 7 $72K 253 of 254
Wildfires 1 1 2022-2022 0 0 – 176 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 Real County had?

NOAA records 2 tornadoes in Real County from 1995 to 1995, the strongest rated F2, with 0 deaths and 7 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 2 tornadoes whose track touched Real County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 2, the same count); along their whole tracks they killed 0 people.

Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Texas.

Every tornado record filed for Real County (2)
Every tornado recorded in Real County, newest first
DatePlaceCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
1995-05-07 Leakey, Real County F1 0.1 mi x 10 yd 0 5 $14K
1995-05-07 Leakey, Real County F2 2 mi x 300 yd 0 2 $58K

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 Real County?

The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the April 2, 2017 thunderstorm wind ($12,000 in damage in 2025 dollars).

A thunderstorm produced wind gusts estimated at 80 mph that destroyed a carport and ripped metal roofs off two houses south of Leakey.
National Weather Service event narrative, NOAA Storm Events Database (search the full record, event 685545)
The 12 most recent records kept for Real County
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2026-04-29 HailVance, Real County 2.75 in hail 0 0 –
2026-04-29 HailVance, Real County 2.00 in hail 0 0 –
2026-04-29 HailVance, Real County 2.00 in hail 0 0 –
2026-03-10 HailLeakey, Real County 4.50 in hail 0 0 –
2026-03-10 HailVance, Real County 4.50 in hail 0 0 –
2026-01-24 Winter StormReal County · forecast zone Real 0 0 –
2025-07-15 Flash FloodVance, Real County 0 0 –
2025-07-15 Flash FloodVance, Real County 0 0 –
2025-07-04 Flash FloodLeakey, Real County 0 0 –
2025-07-04 Flash FloodPrade Ranch, Real County 0 0 –
2025-07-04 Flash FloodLeakey, Real County 0 0 –
2025-07-04 Flash FloodLeakey Lewis Airport, Real County 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 Real County, most deaths first
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
1998-08-23 Flash FloodCountywide, Real County By nightfall on the evening of Saturday, August 22nd, the remains of Charley had stalled over southern Uvalde and northern Zavala Counties. Heavy rainfall from the previous week had left soils in the two counties saturated. Through the night and into the early morning hours of Sunday, August 23rd, heavy rainfall in ... 4 0 $1.1M
1997-06-21 Flash FloodCountywide, Real County The heavy rain Friday night into Saturday afternoon had left South Central Texas soils saturated. The situation worsened Saturday evening into Sunday as heavy rain associated with the upper low pressure system redeveloped over the western Texas Hill Country. Very heavy rains over the Texas Hill Country Saturday night ... 0 40 $2.0M
1998-08-23 FloodReal County · forecast zone Real Flooding along the headwaters of the Frio River was devastating, but campers had been removed in advance from the camps, preventing the need for dangerous last-minute rescues. Still, the flooding covered the entire camping area of Garner State Park in northeast Uvalde County. Water was reported to be five to six feet ... 0 20 $923K
2001-05-05 Flash FloodCountywide, Real County An additional rainfall of 2 to 3 inches across northern Uvalde and southern Real County near midnight caused flash flooding across the area. SH55 was closed due to flash flooding from 15 north of Uvalde to near Camp Wood. FM1120 was also reported flooded between Leakey and Rio Frio in extreme southern Real County. 0 9 $25K
1995-05-07 TornadoLeakey, Real County A small tornado destroyed a barn and overturned mobile homes, causing some minor injuries. It also blew powerlines down. F1 0.1 mi x 10 yd 0 5 $14K
1995-05-07 TornadoLeakey, Real County The tornadic thunderstorm moved northeastward, dropping nearly two inches of rain as it approached the Horton ranch. Softball-size hail began falling just in advance of the tornado. It uprooted trees along a two mile path as it moved northeastward. The tornado destroyed a barn and a mobile home, injuring two ranch ... F2 2 mi x 300 yd 0 2 $58K
The costliest records in Real County since 1993, damage in 2025 dollars
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
1997-06-21 Flash FloodCountywide, Real County 0 40 $2.0M
1998-08-23 Flash FloodCountywide, Real County 4 0 $1.1M
1998-08-23 FloodReal County · forecast zone Real 0 20 $923K
1995-05-07 TornadoLeakey, Real County F2 2 mi x 300 yd 0 2 $58K
2001-05-05 Flash FloodCountywide, Real County 0 9 $25K
1995-05-07 TornadoLeakey, Real County F1 0.1 mi x 10 yd 0 5 $14K
2010-05-01 HailLeakey Lewis Airport, Real County 2.00 in hail 0 0 $14K
2017-04-02 Thunderstorm WindLeakey, Real County 70 kt wind 0 0 $12K

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 Real 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).

Real County: records per decade (the 2020s to June 30, 2026)
Hazard1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020-26
Hail1141017174719
Floods––––21472210
Drought––––6846 z38
Severe thunderstorm wind00104794
Winter storms––––4568

Drought in the 2010s: 46 records against 8 in the decade before, 46 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 Real 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?

61% of its hail reports since 1957 fell in April and May. The two busiest months are in violet.

The values, month by month

Jan 20 · Feb 18 · Mar 44 · Apr 58 · May 72 · Jun 35 · Jul 28 · Aug 21 · Sep 16 · Oct 27 · Nov 19 · Dec 12 (records).

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

Federal disaster declarations for Real County

FEMA's register lists 20 declarations that include Real County: 12 major disasters, 8 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for flood (6) and severe storm (3).

Declarations including Real County, newest first
DeclaredNumberTypeTitle
2026-09-01DR-4935FloodSevere Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding
2026-07-18EM-3649FloodFlooding
2025-07-06DR-4879FloodSevere Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding
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
2019-02-25DR-4416FloodSevere Storms and Flooding
2015-05-29DR-4223Severe StormSevere Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds and Flooding
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
2002-07-04DR-1425FloodSevere Storms and Flooding
1999-09-01EM-3142FireExtreme Fire Hazards
1998-08-26DR-1239Severe StormTropical Storm Charley
1997-07-07DR-1179FloodSevere Storms and Flooding
1993-09-10EM-3113DroughtExtreme Fire Hazard

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 Real County had?

NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 100 flood or flash flood records for Real County from 1996 to 2025, on 80 days, with 4 deaths. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Real County ranks 1569th of 2,942 U.S. counties.

Named storms on Real County's flood and tropical record
StormBeganRecordsDeaths in the county
Tropical Storm Charley1998-08-2324

The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $684,000 on 60 claims filed in Real County; the most in one year was 19 in 1998. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.

The values, year by year

1984: 1 · 1987: 1 · 1991: 3 · 1996: 1 · 1997: 9 · 1998: 19 · 2000: 5 · 2001: 1 · 2002: 10 · 2004: 5 · 2007: 1 · 2016: 1 · 2022: 1 · 2025: 1 · 2026: 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 Real County

FEMA's National Risk Index rates Real County Very Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $7.7 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 Real County (December 2025 release), by FEMA's rating, then score
HazardRisk ratingExpected annual lossModeled frequency
WildfireRelatively Low$118Konce in about 545 years (modeled)
Riverine FloodingRelatively Low$7.1M2.8 a year (modeled)
DroughtRelatively Low$44K138 modeled event-days a year
LightningRelatively Low$69K44 a year (modeled)
Winter WeatherRelatively Low$13K3.3 a year (modeled)
HurricaneVery Low$30Konce in about 44 years (modeled)
LandslideVery Low$615once in about 2 years (modeled)
HailVery Low$48K2 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 Real County

  1. Kerr County 583
  2. Uvalde County 573
  3. Bandera County 468
  4. Edwards County 382
  5. Real County 370

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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