Yoakum County, Texas

What hazards hit Yoakum County most?

The most frequent records are hail reports: 125 since 1961. 60% of its hail reports since 1961 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.

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 Yoakum County had?

NOAA records 26 tornadoes in Yoakum County from 1957 to 2023, 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 26 tornadoes whose track touched Yoakum County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 26, the same count); along their whole tracks they killed 0 people.

Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Texas.

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 Yoakum County?

The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the December 17, 2016 high wind ($615,000 in damage in 2025 dollars).

In advance of a significant Arctic front plunging south across the South Plains early this morning, strong southwest winds led to temperatures soaring into the low 70s before noon CST over the far southwest South Plains. Shortly after noon, these already strong winds ratcheted up into destructive territory as the cold front drew closer. Numerous wind gusts between 60 and 75 mph were measured for just over one hour near Plains, with a peak wind gust of 79 mph measured near Denver City accompanying the front's passage. These winds created several thick plumes of blowing dust which led to dust storm conditions and zero visibility at times. Beside the dust storm and temperatures plummeting into the teens and 20s behind the Arctic front, the worst impacts were dealt to property in the form of widespread minor structural damage to roofs, buildings, downed trees and snapped utility lines. …
National Weather Service event narrative, NOAA Storm Events Database (search the full record, event 662673)

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

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 Yoakum 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).

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

What time of year?

60% of its hail reports since 1961 fell in May and June. The two busiest months are in violet.

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

Federal disaster declarations for Yoakum County

FEMA's register lists 12 declarations that include Yoakum County: 6 major disasters, 6 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for fire (3) and hurricane (3).

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 Yoakum County had?

NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 15 flood or flash flood records for Yoakum County from 1999 to 2023, on 13 days, with 0 deaths. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Yoakum County ranks 2245th of 2,942 U.S. counties.

The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $73,000 on 14 claims filed in Yoakum County; the most in one year was 6 in 2004. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.

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 Yoakum County

FEMA's National Risk Index rates Yoakum County Relatively Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $8.5 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.

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

Counties that share a border with Yoakum County

1. Lea County, NM 1,198
2. Hockley County 958
3. Terry County 582
4. Gaines County 565
5. Cochran County 525
6. Yoakum County 499

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 Yoakum CountyThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
• Download Yoakum County's FEMA declarations (CSV)12 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis