PlainHazard

Terry County, Texas

County storm and disaster record · FIPS 48445 · population 11,818 · 889 sq mi

NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 582 records for Terry County, Texas from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 440 days; the most frequent are hail reports (204 records). The deadliest single record is the January 31, 2023 winter weather, filed for the forecast zone Terry, which covers the county: 3 deaths. FEMA has issued 15 declarations naming the county since 1992, 13 of them for natural hazards; the latest for a natural hazard was “Severe Winter Storms” on February 19, 2021.

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
582on 440 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
Deaths recorded
41 injuries
Damage, 2025 dollars
$99Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
Tornadoes
36strongest F2
FEMA declarations
15latest 2021

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 Terry County most?

The most frequent records are hail reports: 204 since 1962. 61% of its hail reports since 1962 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.

Terry County: records by hazard, 1950 to June 30, 2026
HazardRecordsDaysFirst, lastKilledInjuredDamageRank in state
Hail 204 129 1962-2026 0 0 $87M 102 of 254
Drought 101 101 1996-2022 0 0 $2.4M 49 of 254
Severe thunderstorm wind 86 82 1955-2026 0 0 $2.4M 139 of 254
High wind and dust storms 65 56 1996-2026 0 0 $3.4M 30 of 254
Winter storms 51 51 1997-2024 3 1 $421K 51 of 254
Tornadoes 36 30 1957-2019 0 0 $1.2M 116 of 254
Floods 20 19 2000-2026 0 0 $1.2M 188 of 254
Wildfires 5 5 2011-2017 0 0 $590K 80 of 254
Extreme cold 4 4 2011-2026 1 0 – 155 of 254
Heavy rain 4 4 2000-2010 0 0 – 69 of 254
Fog, smoke and funnel clouds 3 2 2012-2015 0 0 – 105 of 254
Heat 2 1 2017-2017 0 0 – 176 of 254
Lightning 1 1 2011-2011 0 0 $20K 126 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 Terry County had?

NOAA records 36 tornadoes in Terry County from 1957 to 2019, the strongest rated F2, with 0 deaths and 0 injuries recorded in the county. That is 116th of 254 Texas counties by days with tornadoes per 1,000 square miles since 1950. 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 Terry 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.

Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Texas.

Every tornado record filed for Terry County (36)
Every tornado recorded in Terry County, newest first
DatePlaceCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2019-05-23 Johnson, Terry County EFU 0.07 mi x 10 yd 0 0 –
2018-10-08 Gomez, Terry County EFU 0.52 mi x 30 yd 0 0 –
2018-03-27 Needmore, Terry County EF0 0.11 mi x 20 yd 0 0 –
2016-06-01 Meadow, Terry County EFU 0.04 mi x 40 yd 0 0 –
2009-06-02 Meadow, Terry County EF0 0.01 mi x 25 yd 0 0 –
2008-06-28 Meadow, Terry County EF0 0.6 mi x 50 yd 0 0 –
2008-05-06 Wellman, Terry County EF0 1.5 mi x 75 yd 0 0 –
2006-05-05 Brownfield, Terry County F0 1.5 mi x 100 yd 0 0 $732K
2006-05-05 Brownfield, Terry County F0 0.8 mi x 70 yd 0 0 –
2006-05-05 Brownfield, Terry County F0 0.7 mi x 50 yd 0 0 –
1995-06-10 Brownfield, Terry County F0 0.1 mi x 10 yd 0 0 $39K
1992-06-13 Terry County F0 3.5 mi x 80 yd 0 0 –
1992-06-11 Terry County F0 0.7 mi x 60 yd 0 0 –
1986-04-06 Terry County F0 0.2 mi x 300 yd 0 0 –
1984-06-14 Terry County F0 0 0 –
1982-05-27 Terry County F0 0.2 mi x 10 yd 0 0 $30 step
1982-05-24 Terry County F0 0.1 mi x 7 yd 0 0 $30 step
1981-06-03 Terry County F2 2 mi x 40 yd 0 0 $25K step
1977-05-20 Terry County F1 2 mi x 30 yd 0 0 $30 step
1971-08-13 Terry County F2 4.1 mi x 133 yd 0 0 –
1971-08-12 Terry County F2 1 mi x 33 yd 0 0 –
1971-08-12 Terry County F2 1 mi x 33 yd 0 0 –
1971-08-12 Terry County F2 0.5 mi x 33 yd 0 0 –
1971-08-12 Terry County F1 1 mi x 33 yd 0 0 –
1971-08-12 Terry County F1 0.5 mi x 133 yd 0 0 –
1969-05-06 Terry County F0 0.1 mi x 17 yd 0 0 –
1967-06-13 Terry County F1 4.3 mi x 1,760 yd 0 0 –
1967-06-04 Terry County F0 1.5 mi x 33 yd 0 0 –
1966-06-17 Terry County F0 0.8 mi x 23 yd 0 0 –
1964-06-17 Terry County F1 0.2 mi x 13 yd 0 0 $3K step
1963-07-06 Terry County F0 0.5 mi x 33 yd 0 0 –
1962-07-26 Terry County F0 0 0 –
1962-07-25 Terry County F0 6 mi x 20 yd 0 0 –
1961-05-20 Terry County F2 0.1 mi x 23 yd 0 0 $3K step
1958-03-28 Terry County F1 11.9 mi x 150 yd 0 0 $25K step
1957-04-20 Terry County F1 1.3 mi x 100 yd 0 0 $3K 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 Terry County?

The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the January 31, 2023 winter weather (3 deaths).

Several consecutive days of wintry precipitation occurred from late January through early February. Temperatures tumbled 30-40 degrees behind an arctic cold front from the 28th into the 29th. Even colder air settled into the region on the night of the 29th and morning of the 30th, as temperatures dipped into the teens over all of the South and Rolling Plains, and single digits in the Texas Panhandle. The bitter cold was accompanied by enough moistening to result in the development of areas of light freezing drizzle, light sleet, and light snow. Though light, the wintry precipitation did create some travel difficulties as it quickly stuck to the sub-freezing roadways. The light drizzle, sleet, and snow diminished toward midday on the 30th. Pockets of light freezing drizzle and snow flurries redeveloped over parts of the region for the second morning in a row on the 31st. …
National Weather Service event narrative, NOAA Storm Events Database (search the full record, event 1070217)
The 12 most recent records kept for Terry County
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2026-06-30 Thunderstorm WindBrownfield, Terry County 53 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-06-30 Thunderstorm WindBrownfield, Terry County 59 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-06-23 HailBrownfield, Terry County 1.50 in hail 0 0 –
2026-06-23 HailMeadow, Terry County 1.75 in hail 0 0 –
2026-06-02 Flash FloodNeedmore, Terry County 0 0 –
2026-05-22 Thunderstorm WindBrownfield, Terry County 50 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-05-17 High WindTerry County · forecast zone Terry 50 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-01-24 Extreme Cold/Wind ChillTerry County · forecast zone Terry 0 0 –
2025-06-09 HailTokio, Terry County 1.00 in hail 0 0 –
2025-05-29 Strong WindTerry County · forecast zone Terry 48 kt wind 0 0 –
2025-05-29 HailBrownfield, Terry County 1.75 in hail 0 0 –
2025-05-29 HailNeedmore, Terry County 3.50 in hail 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 Terry County, most deaths first
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2023-01-31 Winter WeatherTerry County · forecast zone Terry Several consecutive days of wintry precipitation occurred from late January through early February. Temperatures tumbled 30-40 degrees behind an arctic cold front from the 28th into the 29th. Even colder air settled into the region on the night of the 29th and morning of the 30th, as temperatures dipped into the teens ... 3 0 –
2011-02-01 Extreme Cold/Wind ChillTerry County · forecast zone Terry A winter storm impacted west Texas during the pre-dawn hours of the 1st, and marked the onset of a prolonged outbreak of arctic air in the Southern Plains. This invasion of arctic air brought the coldest temperatures experienced in more than a decade to the South Plains of west Texas, and was the first of two ... 1 0 –
2009-01-26 Winter WeatherTerry County · forecast zone Terry A cold Canadian airmass pushed southward over the west Texas South Plains on the 25th and dropped temperatures into the 20s across the region. Widespread clouds and freezing fog transitioned to a light wintry mix of snow, sleet, freezing rain, and freezing drizzle by midday on the 26th. Intermittent precipitation fell ... 0 1 $69K
The costliest records in Terry County since 1993, damage in 2025 dollars
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2010-10-21 HailTokio, Terry County 1.75 in hail 0 0 $20M
2010-10-21 HailBrownfield, Terry County 1.75 in hail 0 0 $20M
2003-09-07 HailBrownfield, Terry County 1.75 in hail 0 0 $6.4M
1999-06-11 HailTokio, Terry County 1.00 in hail 0 0 $5.3M
1997-06-09 HailNeedmore, Terry County 1.75 in hail 0 0 $4.6M
2002-06-12 HailGomez, Terry County 1.00 in hail 0 0 $2.5M
2004-06-17 HailMeadow, Terry County 1.75 in hail 0 0 $2.0M
2006-06-22 Dust StormTerry County · forecast zone Terry 0 0 $1.6M

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 $25K, in the dollars of the day) holds: March 28, 1958 (tornado, Terry County); June 3, 1981 (tornado, Terry 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 Terry 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).

Terry County: records per decade (the 2020s to June 30, 2026)
Hazard1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020-26
Hail09151941881616
Drought––––10225217
Severe thunderstorm wind244411331513
High wind and dust storms––––4251620
Winter storms––––217248
Tornadoes29753640

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 1962 fell in May and June. The two busiest months are in violet.

The values, month by month

Jan 29 · Feb 36 · Mar 39 · Apr 63 · May 117 · Jun 130 · Jul 30 · Aug 26 · Sep 37 · Oct 30 · Nov 19 · Dec 26 (records).

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

Federal disaster declarations for Terry County

FEMA's register lists 15 declarations that include Terry County: 9 major disasters, 6 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for fire (4) and hurricane (4).

Declarations including Terry County, newest first
DeclaredNumberTypeTitle
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
2016-02-09DR-4255Severe StormSevere Winter Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding
2011-07-01DR-1999FireWildfires
2010-08-03DR-1931HurricaneHurricane Alex
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
1999-09-01EM-3142FireExtreme Fire Hazards
1998-08-26DR-1239Severe StormTropical Storm Charley
1992-09-09DR-960Severe StormExcessive Rain & Hail

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 Terry County had?

NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 20 flood or flash flood records for Terry County from 2000 to 2026, on 19 days, with 0 deaths. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Terry County ranks 2262nd of 2,942 U.S. counties.

Named storms on Terry County's flood and tropical record
StormBeganRecordsDeaths in the county
Hurricane Alex2010-07-0320

The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $84,000 on 13 claims filed in Terry County; the most in one year was 4 in 2005. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.

The values, year by year

1980: 1 · 1982: 1 · 1994: 1 · 2002: 1 · 2004: 1 · 2005: 4 · 2010: 2 · 2012: 1 · 2017: 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 Terry County

FEMA's National Risk Index rates Terry County Relatively Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $12.2 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 Terry County (December 2025 release), by FEMA's rating, then score
HazardRisk ratingExpected annual lossModeled frequency
HailRelatively High$3.0M4.4 a year (modeled)
DroughtRelatively High$1.8M102 modeled event-days a year
Cold WaveRelatively Moderate$4.4Mabout once a year (modeled)
Winter WeatherRelatively Moderate$69K6.5 a year (modeled)
Strong WindRelatively Moderate$534K2 a year (modeled)
TornadoRelatively Low$1.0Monce in about 2 years (modeled)
Ice StormRelatively Low$24Konce in about 3 years (modeled)
LightningRelatively Low$60K47 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 Terry County

  1. Lubbock County 1,725
  2. Hockley County 958
  3. Lynn County 712
  4. Terry County 582
  5. Gaines County 565
  6. Cochran County 525
  7. Yoakum County 499
  8. Dawson County 446

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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