Somervell County, Texas
County storm and disaster record · FIPS 48425 · population 9,202 · 186 sq mi
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 351 records for Somervell County, Texas from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 291 days; the most frequent are drought records (82 records). 184 of them are forecast-zone records, which the National Weather Service files once per zone: a county covered by several zones receives each one, so a single storm can add several records on the same day. The deadliest single record is the September 15, 1987 thunderstorm wind: 2 deaths and 8 injuries. FEMA has issued 21 declarations naming the county since 1989, 18 of them for natural hazards; the latest for a natural hazard was “Chalk Mountain Fire” on July 19, 2022.
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
- 351on 291 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
- Deaths recorded
- 421 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $6.0Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
- Tornadoes
- 6strongest F2
- FEMA declarations
- 21latest 2022
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 Somervell County most?
The most frequent records are drought records: 82 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drought | 82 | 82 | 1996-2023 | 0 | 0 | $3.0M | 2 of 254 |
| Hail | 72 | 55 | 1971-2024 | 0 | 0 | $236K | 12 of 254 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 66 | 54 | 1971-2024 | 2 | 8 | $459K | 16 of 254 |
| Heat | 54 | 52 | 1998-2026 | 0 | 0 | – | 5 of 254 |
| Winter storms | 28 | 28 | 1996-2026 | 0 | 10 | $410K | 4 of 254 |
| Floods | 20 | 19 | 1996-2025 | 2 | 0 | $646K | 27 of 254 |
| Extreme cold | 8 | 8 | 1997-2026 | 0 | 0 | – | 9 of 254 |
| Heavy rain | 6 | 6 | 1997-2012 | 0 | 3 | $26K | 3 of 254 |
| Tornadoes | 6 | 5 | 1988-2015 | 0 | 0 | $816K | 157 of 254 |
| High wind and dust storms | 3 | 3 | 1996-2009 | 0 | 0 | $22K | 63 of 254 |
| Lightning | 3 | 3 | 1999-2013 | 0 | 0 | $332K | 12 of 254 |
| Wildfires | 3 | 3 | 2011-2022 | 0 | 0 | $3K | 21 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 Somervell County had?
NOAA records 6 tornadoes in Somervell County from 1988 to 2015, the strongest rated F2, with 0 deaths and 0 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 6 tornadoes whose track touched Somervell County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 6, the same count); along their whole tracks they killed 0 people.
Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Texas.
Every tornado record filed for Somervell County (6)
| Date | Place | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-04-26 | Glen Rose, Somervell County | EF0 0.17 mi x 25 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2011-04-25 | Rainbow, Somervell County | EF0 0.78 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2008-04-10 | Glen Rose, Somervell County | EF1 7.59 mi x 75 yd | 0 | 0 | $274K |
| 1991-04-12 | Somervell County | F2 3 mi x 150 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1991-04-12 | Somervell County | F2 2 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $250K step |
| 1988-10-01 | Somervell County | F0 0.2 mi x 10 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 Somervell County?
The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the April 21, 2018 hail ($12,000 in damage in 2025 dollars).
A trained spotter reported two-inch diameter hail approximately 6 miles north if the city of Glen Rose, TX.
National Weather Service event narrative, NOAA Storm Events Database (search the full record, event 753394)
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-18 | HeatSomervell County · forecast zone Somervell | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-24 | Winter StormSomervell County · forecast zone Somervell | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-24 | Extreme Cold/Wind ChillSomervell County · forecast zone Somervell | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-08-06 | HeatSomervell County · forecast zone Somervell | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-07-31 | HeatSomervell County · forecast zone Somervell | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-07-06 | Flash FloodGlen Rose, Somervell County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-02-20 | Cold/Wind ChillSomervell County · forecast zone Somervell | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-02-18 | Extreme Cold/Wind ChillSomervell County · forecast zone Somervell | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-01-19 | Cold/Wind ChillSomervell County · forecast zone Somervell | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-01-06 | Cold/Wind ChillSomervell County · forecast zone Somervell | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2021-03-17 | Thunderstorm WindGlen Rose, Somervell County | 70 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2018-04-21 | HailRainbow, Somervell County | 2.00 in hail | 0 | 0 | $12K |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987-09-15 | Thunderstorm WindSomervell County | 2 | 8 | – | |
| 2007-05-29 | FloodGlen Rose, Somervell County A sixteen-year-old girl was pulled under by strong flood waters after her and her friends went swimming in the swollen Paluxy River. The girl's body was found early Friday morning. A game warden drowned while searching for her body after the search boat capsized. | 2 | 0 | – | |
| 2013-12-05 | Winter StormSomervell County · forecast zone Somervell Up to 3 of ice and sleet accumulated in Somervell County. Most of the accumulations were due to sleet. A few traffic accidents occurred on the icy streets and numerous tree branches broke due to the weight of the ice. Some power lines also snapped due to the weight of the ice. A few injures due to slips and falls on ... | 0 | 7 | $253K | |
| 2012-08-18 | Heavy RainGlen Rose, Somervell County Scattered to numerous showers and thunderstorms throughout the day produced rain-slicked roads across the area. A three-vehicle accident occurred in Glen Rose near the Sonic Drive-In. Three people were sent to the hospital; one in critical condition. The cause of the accident was hydroplaning due to heavy rain at the ... | 0 | 3 | $26K | |
| 2011-02-01 | Ice StormSomervell County · forecast zone Somervell Heavy sleet blanketed the county followed by 1-1.5 accumulation of snow. The sleet and ice made travel treacherous around the county. Most of the vehicle incidents reported were due to stuck vehicles or vehicles that had slid off the roadway. The prolonged cold that settled in after the ice storm kept the roads ... | 0 | 3 | $52K |
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007-07-08 | Flash FloodGlen Rose, Somervell County | 0 | 0 | $569K | |
| 2008-04-10 | TornadoGlen Rose, Somervell County | EF1 7.59 mi x 75 yd | 0 | 0 | $274K |
| 2015-04-26 | Thunderstorm WindGlen Rose, Somervell County | 65 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $187K |
| 1995-04-19 | Thunderstorm WindGlen Rose, Somervell County | 0 | 0 | $58K | |
| 2011-02-01 | Ice StormSomervell County · forecast zone Somervell | 0 | 3 | $52K | |
| 2012-08-18 | Heavy RainGlen Rose, Somervell County | 0 | 3 | $26K | |
| 2018-04-21 | HailRainbow, Somervell County | 2.00 in hail | 0 | 0 | $12K |
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 $250K, in the dollars of the day) holds: April 12, 1991 (tornado, Somervell 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 Somervell 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drought | – | – | – | – | 2 | 19 | 45 | 16 |
| Hail | 0 | 0 | 3 | 8 | 28 | 18 | 11 | 4 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 0 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 27 | 20 | 5 | 4 |
| Heat | – | – | – | – | 2 | 3 | 7 | 42 z |
| Winter storms | – | – | – | – | 5 | 13 | 5 | 5 |
| Floods | – | – | – | – | 7 | 9 | 3 | 1 |
Heat in the 2020-26: 42 records against 7 in the decade before, 42 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 Somervell 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?
Records by month in Somervell County. The two busiest months are in violet.
The values, month by month
Jan 20 · Feb 27 · Mar 20 · Apr 66 · May 42 · Jun 40 · Jul 31 · Aug 41 · Sep 20 · Oct 15 · Nov 12 · Dec 17 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.
Federal disaster declarations for Somervell County
FEMA's register lists 21 declarations that include Somervell County: 11 major disasters, 8 emergencies and 2 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for fire (6) and severe storm (4).
| Declared | Number | Type | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-07-19 | FM-5444 | Fire | Chalk Mountain Fire |
| 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 |
| 2016-06-11 | DR-4272 | Flood | Severe Storms and Flooding |
| 2015-05-29 | DR-4223 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds and Flooding |
| 2011-07-01 | DR-1999 | Fire | Wildfires |
| 2011-03-12 | FM-2870 | Fire | Big Trickle Ranch Fire |
| 2008-03-14 | EM-3284 | Fire | Wildfires |
| 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 |
| 2003-02-01 | EM-3171 | Other | Loss of the Space Shuttle Columbia |
| 1999-09-01 | EM-3142 | Fire | Extreme Fire Hazards |
| 1998-08-26 | DR-1239 | Severe Storm | Tropical Storm Charley |
| 1993-09-10 | EM-3113 | Drought | Extreme Fire Hazard |
| 1991-12-26 | DR-930 | Flood | Severe Thunderstorms |
| 1990-05-02 | DR-863 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes & Flooding |
| 1989-05-19 | DR-828 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes & 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 Somervell County had?
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 20 flood or flash flood records for Somervell County from 1996 to 2025, on 19 days, with 2 deaths. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Somervell County ranks 1851st of 2,942 U.S. counties.
The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $633,000 on 34 claims filed in Somervell County; the most in one year was 6 in 2007. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.
The values, year by year
1981: 3 · 1989: 2 · 1990: 3 · 1991: 5 · 1995: 1 · 1997: 1 · 2000: 1 · 2004: 1 · 2006: 1 · 2007: 6 · 2014: 2 · 2015: 2 · 2016: 4 · 2023: 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 Somervell County
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Somervell 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.
| Hazard | Risk rating | Expected annual loss | Modeled frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wildfire | Relatively Low | $677K | once in about 191 years (modeled) |
| Drought | Relatively Low | $142K | 54 modeled event-days a year |
| Tornado | Relatively Low | $1.5M | once in about 7 years (modeled) |
| Hail | Relatively Low | $249K | 7.3 a year (modeled) |
| Cold Wave | Relatively Low | $813K | about once a year (modeled) |
| Ice Storm | Relatively Low | $58K | about once a year (modeled) |
| Lightning | Relatively Low | $150K | 51 a year (modeled) |
| Hurricane | Very Low | $58K | once in about 43 years (modeled) |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index, county table, December 2025 release. FEMA's National Risk Index map.
Counties that share a border with Somervell 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
- Drought in TexasThe state's drought records, 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 Somervell CountyThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
- Download Somervell County's FEMA declarations (CSV)21 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis