Texas severe thunderstorm wind
Every recorded severe thunderstorm wind event since 1955 · 254 counties with a record
NOAA's Storm Events Database records 36,939 severe thunderstorm wind events in Texas from 1955 through June 30, 2026, about 858 a year since 2000. The deadliest was the May 17, 1986 thunderstorm wind in Polk County: 9 deaths across 5 records. Texas ranks 1st of 52 states and territories by count and 35th of 51 per square mile.
Severe thunderstorm wind in Texas, 1955 to 2026
Thunderstorm wind records per year (NOAA Storm Events); 2026 to June 30, 2026. NOAA recorded every event type only from 1996.
- recorded, no damage figure
- under $1 million
- $1 million or more
- $10 million or more
- $100 million or more, or 10 deaths
- $1 billion or more, or 100 deaths
- a year's colour: its recorded damage or deaths
- a year with a death
- 1996: all 48 event types recorded from 1996
- Records
- 36,9391955 to June 30, 2026
- A year since 2000
- 858average
- Deaths
- 107937 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $5.1Bas filed
- Busiest year
- 20231,281 records
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; deaths and damage as filed, damage in 2025 dollars. Search the record at NCEI.
Are severe thunderstorm wind events common in Texas?
Texas averages about 858 severe thunderstorm wind events a year since 2000, 1st of 52 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 2023 (1,281). Per 10,000 square miles of land, Texas records 1414 severe thunderstorm wind events since 1955, 35th of 51 states and territories by that measure.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1955, per 10,000 square miles of land area (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer; places under 1,000 square miles not ranked). Damage colours: Storm Events damage, 2025 dollars.
Which counties in Texas have the most severe thunderstorm wind events?
Per square mile, Gregg County leads Texas: 180 days with a severe thunderstorm wind event since 1955, 658.4 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Tarrant County has the most thunderstorm wind records (957 since 1955); large counties collect more records simply by covering more ground, so the ranking counts days with a record per unit of area (a storm filed for several forecast zones adds several records but one day).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, days with a record in the county since 1955 per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer); in brackets, the count of records.
When is the severe thunderstorm season in Texas?
46% of its severe thunderstorm wind events since 1955 fell in May and June. The busiest month is May (8,875 records).
The values, month by month
Jan 579 · Feb 1,089 · Mar 2,498 · Apr 4,631 · May 8,875 · Jun 8,003 · Jul 2,941 · Aug 3,310 · Sep 1,711 · Oct 1,700 · Nov 972 · Dec 630 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began, since 1955.
What were the deadliest severe thunderstorm wind events in Texas?
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986-05-17 | Thunderstorm WindPolk County Every thunderstorm wind record filed in the state that day (5, in 3 places; before 1996 NOAA filed no storm episodes); the totals are the day's. | 9 | 0 | – | |
| 2024-05-16 | Thunderstorm WindNorthline Terrace, Harris County One storm episode: 10 records in 3 places; the totals are the episode's. On the evening of May 16, a derecho moved into SE TX. This resulted in extensive wind damage across much of the Greater Houston area, including much of Downtown Houston. Maximum wind gusts were estimated to have reached over 100 mph. Additionally, the system produced two tornadoes and widespread flash flooding. Power ... | 70 kt wind | 8 | 0 | $69M |
| 2012-07-07 | Thunderstorm WindRenner, Dallas County One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. A cluster of thunderstorms developed during the afternoon hours of July 7th. Thunderstorms for the most part, stayed below severe limits, with numerous reports of pea sized hail. However, two thunderstorm produced outflow winds in excess of 45 mph. One outflow crossed the campus of the University of Texas at Dallas, ... | 43 kt wind | 4 | 0 | $13K |
| 1992-05-27 | Thunderstorm WindTravis County | 4 | 0 | – | |
| 1987-07-02 | Thunderstorm WindSan Jacinto County | 3 | 0 | – | |
| 1987-09-15 | Thunderstorm WindSomervell County | 2 | 8 | – | |
| 2023-05-23 | Thunderstorm WindBeach, Montgomery County One storm episode: 3 records; the totals are the episode's. An isolated severe thunderstorm moved from north to south across a portion of Southeast Texas on Tuesday, May 23. The storm produced several reports of damage from multiple locations between Huntsville and Conroe along the storm`s path through Walker and Montgomery counties. One of the reports came from a home ... | 50 kt wind | 2 | 7 | – |
| 2018-03-10 | Thunderstorm WindOrrs, Marion County One storm episode: 5 records in 2 places, 2018-03-10 to 2018-03-11; the totals are the episode's. A warm front lifted north into Eastern Oklahoma and Western Arkansas during the daytime hours on March 10th, spreading, warmer, humid, and unstable air north across the region. A shortwave trough traversing the Southern Plains during the late afternoon through the overnight hours reinforced a cold front south into ... | 78 kt wind | 2 | 7 | $411K |
| 2019-06-09 | Thunderstorm WindDallas County One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. Another complex of storms moved south from Oklahoma into North Texas, producing widespread wind damage from the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex southward through a good portion of the region during the afternoon of Sunday June 9. The strong winds resulted in a construction crane collapse in Dallas that killed one person. ... | 60 kt wind | 2 | 6 | $12M |
| 1997-03-02 | Thunderstorm WindKerens, Navarro County An elevated severe windstorm developed just east of Corsicana and accelerated northeastward at 50 to 60 mph. The storm resulted in widespread wind damage, produced by estimated wind gusts determined by a damage survey of up to around 100 mph, over a 3 to 5 mile wide path across the northeastern quarter of the county. ... | 2 | 4 | $919K |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: deaths direct and indirect, as filed by the National Weather Service, summed over each storm (one episode, or one named storm filed by several offices). Storm names from the titles of FEMA declarations that name the storm's counties.
The costliest severe thunderstorm wind events in Texas
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995-05-05 | Thunderstorm WindNorth Centraltexas, Young County Every thunderstorm wind record filed in the state that day (3, in 2 places; before 1996 NOAA filed no storm episodes); the totals are the day's. | 0 | 0 | $2.3B | |
| 2013-06-05 | Thunderstorm WindLubbock International Ar, Lubbock County One storm episode: 8 records in 3 places; the totals are the episode's. | 63 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $508M |
| 1993-05-02 | Thunderstorm WindHarris County Every thunderstorm wind record filed in the state that day (3, in 3 places; before 1996 NOAA filed no storm episodes); the totals are the day's. | 0 | 0 | $205M | |
| 1995-05-28 | Thunderstorm WindSan Angelo, Tom Green County Every thunderstorm wind record filed in the state that day (2; before 1996 NOAA filed no storm episodes); the totals are the day's. | 0 | 50 | $116M | |
| 1994-04-11 | Thunderstorm WindMarshall, Harrison County | 0 | 1 | $100M | |
| 1998-02-10 | Thunderstorm WindJasper County | 0 | 0 | $72M | |
| 2024-05-16 | Thunderstorm WindNorthline Terrace, Harris County One storm episode: 10 records in 3 places; the totals are the episode's. | 70 kt wind | 8 | 0 | $69M |
| 2008-05-14 | Thunderstorm WindAustin, Travis County One storm episode: 2 records; the totals are the episode's. | 70 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $69M |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: property and crop damage as estimated by the National Weather Service, in 2025 dollars.
Are severe thunderstorm wind events becoming more frequent in Texas?
Texas's count per decade against the whole country's, and its share. NOAA recorded every event type only from 1996, so earlier decades are not comparable; the share of the national total is the fairer comparison across decades.
| Decade | Texas | United States | Texas's share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1955-59 | 428 | 3,482 | 12.3% |
| 1960s | 961 | 10,124 | 9.5% |
| 1970s | 1,423 | 18,714 | 7.6% |
| 1980s | 3,377 | 39,604 | 8.5% |
| 1990s | 7,794 | 85,554 | 9.1% |
| 2000s | 8,157 | 129,990 | 6.3% |
| 2010s | 8,313 | 161,286 | 5.2% |
| 2020-26 | 6,486 | 126,815 | 5.1% |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.
The most recent severe thunderstorm wind events in Texas
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-30 | Thunderstorm WindTitley, Brewster County | 52 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-30 | Thunderstorm WindReese Afb, Lubbock County | 59 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-30 | Thunderstorm WindBrownfield, Terry County | 53 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-30 | Thunderstorm WindHart, Castro County | 56 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-30 | Thunderstorm WindOlton, Lamb County | 60 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-30 | Thunderstorm WindBrownfield, Terry County | 59 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-30 | Thunderstorm WindLesley, Hall County | 60 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-30 | Thunderstorm WindLesley, Hall County | 63 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-30 | Thunderstorm WindGoodnight, Armstrong County | 54 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-30 | Thunderstorm WindPalo Duro Canyon State Park, Randall County | 56 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-29 | Thunderstorm WindHaymond, Brewster County | 53 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-29 | Thunderstorm WindSeagraves, Gaines County | 51 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; the newest months are revised by NCEI as reports arrive. Search the record at NCEI.
Federal disaster declarations for severe thunderstorm wind events in Texas
FEMA files hail and wind disasters under the incident type Severe Storm: 20 declarations in Texas, 20 of them major disasters; the latest on February 9, 2016.
| Declared | Number | Title | Areas named |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016-02-09 | DR-4255 | Severe Winter Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding | 51 |
| 2015-11-25 | DR-4245 | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding | 22 |
| 2015-05-29 | DR-4223 | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds and Flooding | 113 |
| 2013-12-20 | DR-4159 | Severe Storms and Flooding | 4 |
| 2007-10-02 | DR-1730 | Tropical Storm Erin | 6 |
| 2007-06-29 | DR-1709 | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding | 78 |
| 2007-05-01 | DR-1697 | Severe Storms and Tornadoes | 5 |
| 2006-08-15 | DR-1658 | Severe Storms and Flooding | 2 |
| 2002-11-05 | DR-1439 | Severe Storms, Tornadoes and Flooding | 18 |
| 1998-09-23 | DR-1245 | Hurricane Georges - Texas | 5 |
| 1998-08-26 | DR-1239 | Tropical Storm Charley | 258 |
| 1995-06-13 | DR-1056 | Severe Storms, Hail, Flooding, and Tornadoes | 1 |
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2), through October 2, 2026. OpenFEMA dataset page.
Next
- Gregg County: the county's whole recordThe Texas county with the most severe thunderstorm wind events per square mile
- Severe thunderstorm wind across the United StatesEvery state ranked, by year and month
- Every natural hazard in TexasTornadoes, floods, storms, heat and the federal declarations
- Hail in Texas55,544 records
- Drought in Texas18,588 records
- Floods in Texas15,832 records