Winkler County, Texas
County storm and disaster record · FIPS 48495 · population 7,780 · 841 sq mi
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 275 records for Winkler County, Texas from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 211 days; the most frequent are hail reports (114 records). The most damaging was the August 1, 1996 drought ($1.4 million in 2025 dollars). FEMA has issued 12 declarations naming the county since 1998, 10 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
- 275on 211 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
- Deaths recorded
- 01 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $2.7Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
- Tornadoes
- 11strongest F2
- FEMA declarations
- 12latest 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 Winkler County most?
The most frequent records are hail reports: 114 since 1959. 65% of its hail reports since 1959 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.
| Hazard | Records | Days | First, last | Killed | Injured | Damage | Rank in state |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 114 | 83 | 1959-2025 | 0 | 0 | $526K | 156 of 254 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 77 | 65 | 1955-2025 | 0 | 0 | $387K | 166 of 254 |
| Floods | 20 | 19 | 1996-2018 | 0 | 0 | $39K | 182 of 254 |
| High wind and dust storms | 20 | 20 | 1996-2025 | 0 | 0 | $66K | 54 of 254 |
| Drought | 16 | 16 | 1996-2006 | 0 | 0 | $1.4M | 215 of 254 |
| Winter storms | 16 | 16 | 1997-2021 | 0 | 0 | – | 174 of 254 |
| Tornadoes | 11 | 10 | 1955-2010 | 0 | 0 | $301K | 214 of 254 |
| Wildfires | 1 | 1 | 2011-2011 | 0 | 1 | – | 181 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 Winkler County had?
NOAA records 11 tornadoes in Winkler County from 1955 to 2010, 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 11 tornadoes whose track touched Winkler County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 11, the same count); along their whole tracks they killed 0 people.
Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Texas.
Every tornado record filed for Winkler County (11)
| Date | Place | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010-05-14 | Kermit Robinson Airport, Winkler County | EF0 2.98 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2007-06-03 | Kermit Robinson Airport, Winkler County | EF0 4 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1999-05-26 | Winkler County | F0 0.3 mi x 150 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1995-05-15 | Kermit, Winkler County | F1 0.8 mi x 80 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1985-08-13 | Winkler County | F0 0.1 mi x 23 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1985-06-03 | Winkler County | F0 0.2 mi x 40 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1969-06-16 | Winkler County | F0 0.1 mi x 33 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1969-06-16 | Winkler County | F0 0.1 mi x 33 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1965-06-10 | Winkler County | F0 0.1 mi x 17 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1958-03-07 | Winkler County | F1 1.3 mi x 17 yd | 0 | 0 | $3K step |
| 1955-05-30 | Winkler County | F2 2 mi x 600 yd | 0 | 0 | $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 Winkler County?
The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the August 3, 2025 thunderstorm wind ($1,000 in damage in 2025 dollars).
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-08-03 | Thunderstorm WindKermit, Winkler County | 56 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $1K |
| 2025-05-04 | HailKermit, Winkler County | 1.50 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-05-04 | HailKermit, Winkler County | 1.50 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-05-04 | Thunderstorm WindWinkler Co Airport, Winkler County | 67 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-04-22 | HailKermit, Winkler County | 2.00 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-03-18 | High WindWinkler County · forecast zone Winkler | 53 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-03-14 | High WindWinkler County · forecast zone Winkler | 51 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2024-05-04 | HailKermit Robinson Airport, Winkler County | 4.00 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2022-06-03 | Thunderstorm WindWinkler County | 70 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $35K |
| 2020-09-08 | Thunderstorm WindKermit, Winkler County | 65 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $23K |
| 2019-05-03 | HailKermit, Winkler County | 2.50 in hail | 0 | 0 | $1K |
| 2019-04-29 | HailWinkler County | 2.00 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
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011-05-25 | WildfireWinkler County · forecast zone Winkler This fire in Winkler County burned 9,600 acres. One firefighter received burn injuries and was flown to the burn center in Lubbock, TX. | 0 | 1 | – |
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996-08-01 | DroughtWinkler County · forecast zone Winkler | 0 | 0 | $1.4M | |
| 2004-07-06 | HailWinkler County | 2.50 in hail | 0 | 0 | $430K |
| 2017-08-06 | Thunderstorm WindWinkler County | 65 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $36K |
| 2022-06-03 | Thunderstorm WindWinkler County | 70 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $35K |
| 2003-10-05 | HailKermit, Winkler County | 2.50 in hail | 0 | 0 | $32K |
| 2020-09-08 | Thunderstorm WindKermit, Winkler County | 65 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $23K |
| 2002-09-13 | Thunderstorm WindKermit, Winkler County | 65 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $16K |
| 2006-03-28 | HailKermit, Winkler County | 2.00 in hail | 0 | 0 | $15K |
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: May 30, 1955 (tornado, Winkler 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 Winkler 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 1 | 13 | 5 | 9 | 24 | 32 | 20 | 10 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 3 | 5 | 3 | 7 | 12 | 21 | 13 | 13 |
| Floods | – | – | – | – | 3 | 11 | 6 | 0 |
| High wind and dust storms | – | – | – | – | 1 | 4 | 5 | 10 |
| Drought | – | – | – | – | 15 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Winter storms | – | – | – | – | 2 | 5 | 7 | 2 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records per calendar decade; zone records from the CZ_TYPE field (Z).
What time of year?
65% of its hail reports since 1959 fell in May and June. The two busiest months are in violet.
The values, month by month
Jan 9 · Feb 8 · Mar 25 · Apr 22 · May 68 · Jun 58 · Jul 16 · Aug 28 · Sep 16 · Oct 14 · Nov 3 · Dec 8 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.
Federal disaster declarations for Winkler County
FEMA's register lists 12 declarations that include Winkler County: 6 major disasters, 6 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for fire (4) and hurricane (3).
| Declared | Number | Type | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| 2011-07-01 | DR-1999 | Fire | Wildfires |
| 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 |
| 1999-09-01 | EM-3142 | Fire | Extreme Fire Hazards |
| 1998-08-26 | DR-1239 | Severe Storm | Tropical Storm Charley |
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.
FEMA's modeled risk for Winkler County
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Winkler County Very Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $2.4 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.
| Hazard | Risk rating | Expected annual loss | Modeled frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drought | Relatively Moderate | $743K | 75 modeled event-days a year |
| Hail | Relatively Low | $244K | 3 a year (modeled) |
| Winter Weather | Relatively Low | $38K | 4.9 a year (modeled) |
| Strong Wind | Relatively Low | $205K | 1.1 a year (modeled) |
| Wildfire | Very Low | $60K | once in about 533 years (modeled) |
| Heat Wave | Very Low | $106K | 6.6 modeled event-days a year |
| Ice Storm | Very Low | $18K | once in about 3 years (modeled) |
| Lightning | Very Low | $60K | 44 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 Winkler 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
- Hail in TexasThe state's hail reports, 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 Winkler CountyThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
- Download Winkler County's FEMA declarations (CSV)12 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis