Victoria County, Texas

County storm and disaster record · FIPS 48469 · population 91,218 · 882 sq mi

NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 639 records for Victoria County, Texas from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 420 days; the most frequent are severe thunderstorm wind events (179 records). The deadliest single record is the May 16, 2021 flood: 1 death and 1 injury. FEMA has issued 28 declarations naming the county since 1967, 26 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
639on 420 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
Deaths recorded
26 injuries
Damage, 2025 dollars
$245Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
Tornadoes
39strongest F3
FEMA declarations
28latest 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 Victoria County most?

The most frequent records are severe thunderstorm wind events: 179 since 1955. 56% of its severe thunderstorm wind events since 1955 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.

Victoria County: records by hazard, 1950 to June 30, 2026
HazardRecordsDaysFirst, lastKilledInjuredDamageRank in state
Severe thunderstorm wind 179 100 1955-2026 0 0 $2.4M 106 of 254
Hail 108 64 1960-2026 0 0 $431K 186 of 254
Drought 99 99 1996-2026 0 0 – 53 of 254
Floods 74 59 1997-2026 1 1 $28M 66 of 254
Heat 66 66 2000-2024 1 0 – 36 of 254
Tornadoes 39 32 1954-2026 0 5 $4.6M 108 of 254
Extreme cold 24 18 2010-2026 0 0 $5.7M 29 of 254
Winter storms 18 16 2004-2026 0 0 $62K 176 of 254
Heavy rain 10 4 2007-2025 0 0 $11M 67 of 254
Fog, smoke and funnel clouds 9 7 1997-2013 0 0 – 39 of 254
Lightning 6 6 2005-2014 0 0 $62K 40 of 254
Hurricanes and tropical storms 3 3 2017-2021 0 0 $193M 48 of 254
High wind and dust storms 2 2 2003-2004 0 0 – 158 of 254
Wildfires 2 2 2018-2022 0 0 – 156 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 Victoria County had?

NOAA records 39 tornadoes in Victoria County from 1954 to 2026, the strongest rated F3, with 0 deaths and 5 injuries recorded in the county. That is 108th 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 38 tornadoes whose track touched Victoria County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 39: 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.

The deadliest and strongest tornadoes that touched Victoria County, whole tracks
DateTornadoRatingPathKilled
1968-11-05 20:30, as SPC files itVictoriaF314.4 mi0

Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Texas.

Every tornado record filed for Victoria County (39)
Every tornado recorded in Victoria County, newest first
DatePlaceCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2026-05-01 Dacosta, Victoria County EF1 1.1 mi x 400 yd 0 0 $500K
2015-05-13 Telferner, Victoria County EF0 0.01 mi x 10 yd 0 0 –
2013-05-25 Victoria Ball Airport, Victoria County EF0 1.25 mi x 25 yd 0 0 –
2006-05-10 Victoria County F0 0.5 mi x 75 yd 0 0 –
2004-11-20 Dacosta, Victoria County F1 2 mi x 100 yd 0 0 $39K
2004-04-06 Mc Faddin, Victoria County F0 0.1 mi x 50 yd 0 0 –
2000-10-22 Victoria County F0 0.3 mi x 0 yd 0 0 –
1998-10-17 Dacosta, Victoria County F0 0.2 mi x 20 yd 0 0 –
1994-10-18 Placedo, Victoria County F0 0.3 mi x 50 yd 0 0 –
1993-05-18 Mc Faddin, Victoria County F0 0.1 mi x 15 yd 0 0 –
1993-05-18 Bloomington, Victoria County F0 0.1 mi x 10 yd 0 0 $1K
1992-07-03 Victoria County F0 0.3 mi x 10 yd 0 0 –
1986-05-17 Victoria County F0 1 mi x 30 yd 0 0 –
1984-03-12 Victoria County F0 0.1 mi x 10 yd 0 1 $25K step
1983-03-26 Victoria County F0 0.5 mi x 30 yd 0 0 $25K step
1982-05-13 Victoria County F1 0.8 mi x 40 yd 0 0 $250K step
1981-10-18 Victoria County F0 0.1 mi x 27 yd 0 0 $3K step
1980-08-10 Victoria County F1 0.8 mi x 30 yd 0 0 $25K step
1976-05-07 Victoria County F1 5.6 mi x 50 yd 0 0 $25K step
1975-10-15 Victoria County F0 0 0 $250 step
1975-09-04 Victoria County F0 0 0 $250 step
1975-08-04 Victoria County F0 0 0 –
1975-08-04 Victoria County F0 0 0 –
1975-05-08 Victoria County F0 0 0 –
1972-05-10 Victoria County F1 0.3 mi x 33 yd 0 0 $3K step
1969-04-11 Victoria County F1 1 mi x 50 yd 0 0 $250 step
1968-11-05 Victoria County F3 14.4 mi x 200 yd 0 2 $250K step
1968-05-09 Victoria County F0 0.1 mi x 13 yd 0 0 –
1968-05-09 Victoria County F0 0.5 mi x 17 yd 0 0 –
1967-09-20 Victoria County 0 0 $250 step
1967-09-20 Victoria County 0 0 –
1967-09-20 Victoria County 0 0 –
1967-09-20 Victoria County 0 0 –
1967-09-20 Victoria County 0 1 $25K step
1962-04-27 Victoria County F1 1.5 mi x 17 yd 0 0 $25K step
1961-06-09 Victoria County F0 0.2 mi x 50 yd 0 0 $250 step
1961-05-24 Victoria County F0 2 mi x 50 yd 0 0 –
1960-10-18 Victoria County F1 0.2 mi x 33 yd 0 0 –
1954-10-22 Victoria County F1 7.1 mi x 333 yd 0 1 $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 Victoria County?

The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the May 1, 2026 thunderstorm wind ($36,000 in damage in 2025 dollars).

Report of 3 train cars tipped partially over. Time and location approximated using radar.
National Weather Service event narrative, NOAA Storm Events Database (search the full record, event 1332402)
The 12 most recent records kept for Victoria County
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2026-06-01 DroughtVictoria County · forecast zone Victoria 0 0 –
2026-05-23 Thunderstorm WindVictoria County 65 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-05-21 Flash FloodVictoria County 0 0 –
2026-05-01 Thunderstorm WindPlacedo, Victoria County 83 kt wind 0 0 $36K
2026-05-01 HailVictoria County 1.00 in hail 0 0 –
2026-05-01 Thunderstorm WindPlacedo, Victoria County 96 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-05-01 Thunderstorm WindPlacedo, Victoria County 96 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-05-01 Thunderstorm WindPlacedo, Victoria County 83 kt wind 0 0 $24K
2026-05-01 Thunderstorm WindPlacedo, Victoria County 83 kt wind 0 0 $1K
2026-05-01 Thunderstorm WindPlacedo, Victoria County 52 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-05-01 Thunderstorm WindBloomington, Victoria County 52 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-05-01 Thunderstorm WindGuadalupe, Victoria County 78 kt wind 0 0 $15K

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 Victoria County, most deaths first
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2021-05-16 FloodSalem, Victoria County Two individuals were kayaking in a drainage creek that flows to Leona Creek. Around the time of heavy rain in Victoria County, both individuals were taken downstream into a pipe culvert by the force of the flowing water. The force of the rushing water pushed one individual through the pipe and other was lodged within ... 1 1 –
2024-08-21 HeatVictoria County · forecast zone Victoria Heat index values of 110-113 were observed at KVCT. 1 0 –
1968-11-05 TornadoVictoria County F3 14.4 mi x 200 yd 0 2 $250K step
1984-03-12 TornadoVictoria County F0 0.1 mi x 10 yd 0 1 $25K step
1967-09-20 TornadoVictoria County 0 1 $25K step
1954-10-22 TornadoVictoria County F1 7.1 mi x 333 yd 0 1 $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.

The costliest records in Victoria County since 1993, damage in 2025 dollars
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2017-08-26 Hurricane (Typhoon)Victoria County · forecast zone Victoria 0 0 $193M
2017-08-27 FloodMission Vly, Victoria County 0 0 $24M
2021-07-06 Heavy RainVictoria Regional A, Victoria County 0 0 $11M
2021-02-14 Cold/Wind ChillVictoria County · forecast zone Victoria 0 0 $5.7M
2007-07-02 Flash FloodVictoria County 0 0 $1.4M
2004-11-21 Flash FloodCountywide, Victoria County 0 0 $1.1M
2010-05-15 Flash FloodMission Vly, Victoria County 0 0 $947K
2026-05-01 TornadoDacosta, Victoria County EF1 1.1 mi x 400 yd 0 0 $500K

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: November 5, 1968 (tornado, Victoria County); May 13, 1982 (tornado, Victoria 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 Victoria 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).

Victoria County: records per decade (the 2020s to June 30, 2026)
Hazard1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020-26
Severe thunderstorm wind213111727203059
Hail06563641212
Drought––––1264032
Floods––––12311516
Heat––––02064
Tornadoes113765421

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records per calendar decade; zone records from the CZ_TYPE field (Z).

What time of year?

56% of its severe thunderstorm wind events since 1955 fell in May and June. The two busiest months are in violet.

The values, month by month

Jan 45 · Feb 31 · Mar 52 · Apr 56 · May 163 · Jun 80 · Jul 46 · Aug 54 · Sep 43 · Oct 28 · Nov 23 · Dec 18 (records).

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

Federal disaster declarations for Victoria County

FEMA's register lists 28 declarations that include Victoria County: 17 major disasters, 11 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for hurricane (13) and severe storm (4).

Declarations including Victoria County, newest first
DeclaredNumberTypeTitle
2024-07-09DR-4798HurricaneHurricane Beryl
2021-02-19DR-4586Severe Ice StormSevere Winter Storms
2021-02-14EM-3554Severe Ice StormSevere Winter Storm
2020-08-24EM-3540HurricaneTropical Storms Marco and Laura
2020-07-26EM-3530HurricaneHurricane Hanna
2020-03-25DR-4485BiologicalCovid-19 Pandemic
2020-03-13EM-3458BiologicalCovid-19
2017-08-25DR-4332HurricaneHurricane Harvey
2015-05-29DR-4223Severe StormSevere Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds and Flooding
2008-09-10EM-3294HurricaneHurricane Ike
2008-08-29EM-3290HurricaneHurricane Gustav
2008-07-24DR-1780HurricaneHurricane Dolly
2007-08-18EM-3277HurricaneHurricane Dean
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
2003-07-17DR-1479HurricaneHurricane Claudette
2002-07-04DR-1425FloodSevere Storms and Flooding
1999-09-01EM-3142FireExtreme Fire Hazards
1998-10-21DR-1257FloodTx-Flooding 10/18/98
1998-08-26DR-1239Severe StormTropical Storm Charley
1994-10-18DR-1041FloodSevere Thunderstorms and Flooding
1993-09-10EM-3113DroughtExtreme Fire Hazard
1991-12-26DR-930FloodSevere Thunderstorms
1991-04-12DR-900Severe StormSevere Storms, Tornadoes & Flooding
1967-09-28DR-232HurricaneHurricane Beulah

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 Victoria County had?

NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 74 flood or flash flood records for Victoria County from 1997 to 2026, on 59 days, with 1 death. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Victoria County ranks 401st of 2,942 U.S. counties.

Named storms on Victoria County's flood and tropical record
StormBeganRecordsDeaths in the county
Hurricane Harvey2017-08-2620

The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $11.3 million on 744 claims filed in Victoria County; the most in one year was 113 in 2017. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.

The values, year by year

1978: 26 · 1979: 12 · 1980: 12 · 1981: 43 · 1982: 2 · 1983: 3 · 1984: 6 · 1985: 17 · 1987: 22 · 1988: 2 · 1989: 1 · 1990: 6 · 1991: 80 · 1992: 11 · 1993: 5 · 1994: 24 · 1995: 1 · 1996: 1 · 1997: 45 · 1998: 94 · 1999: 2 · 2001: 8 · 2002: 18 · 2003: 14 · 2004: 63 · 2005: 1 · 2006: 2 · 2007: 22 · 2008: 1 · 2009: 1 · 2010: 41 · 2012: 1 · 2013: 1 · 2014: 6 · 2015: 9 · 2017: 113 · 2020: 1 · 2021: 13 · 2022: 3 · 2023: 2 · 2024: 1 · 2025: 8; 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 Victoria County

FEMA's National Risk Index rates Victoria County Relatively Moderate overall, with an expected annual loss of $53.4 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 Victoria County (December 2025 release), by FEMA's rating, then score
HazardRisk ratingExpected annual lossModeled frequency
HurricaneRelatively High$26Monce in about 8 years (modeled)
Cold WaveRelatively High$6.7M2.7 a year (modeled)
DroughtRelatively Moderate$1.4M48 modeled event-days a year
TornadoRelatively Moderate$4.6Monce in about 3 years (modeled)
Heat WaveRelatively Moderate$1.5M8.8 modeled event-days a year
LightningRelatively Moderate$459K58 a year (modeled)
Ice StormRelatively Moderate$138Konce in about 2 years (modeled)
WildfireRelatively Low$261Konce in about 260 years (modeled)

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

Counties that share a border with Victoria County

  1. Victoria County 639
  2. Calhoun County 419
  3. Lavaca County 382
  4. DeWitt County 372
  5. Refugio County 325
  6. Goliad County 316
  7. Jackson County 258

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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