NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Abilene, TX
Every tropical system within 75 miles since 1851 and every tornado within 25 miles since 1950.
Data: NOAA NHC HURDAT2 and NOAA SPC tornado and hail reports, through 2025 · Updated
1 tropical system has passed within 75 miles of Abilene, Texas since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was an unnamed storm in 1886. Since 1950, 140 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 7 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 1
- Tornadoes
- 140
- EF3 or stronger
- 7
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
5 deaths in all
What the records show for Abilene
None of the 1 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Abilene; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1886, a tropical storm with 44 mph winds when its centre passed 61 miles away. Of the 753 Texas cities on this site, 87% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Abilene. The strongest of the 140 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on April 28, 1950; its path came within 15 miles, and it killed 5 people. Of the 140, 7 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 42 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 56. The most recent tornado was on May 18, 2025. Abilene has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 74% of the 753 Texas cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 363 times since 1955, with stones up to 4.5 inches (grapefruit size). Abilene has more hail reports within 10 miles than 95% of the 753 Texas cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Abilene
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormAug 21 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 4 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Abilene: a hurricane's worst winds sit within a few dozen miles of its centre, and inland cities are usually past that.
Tornadoes within 25 miles of Abilene
By decade
- 2020s6(1 EF3+)
- 2010s11
- 2000s25
- 1990s20
- 1980s26(1 EF3+)
- 1970s19(2 EF3+)
- 1960s16(2 EF3+)
- 1950s17(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 28, 1950 | F4 | 15 mi | 1.3 mi | 5 / 5 |
| May 2, 2024 | EF3 | 12 mi | 3.29 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Mar 14, 1982 | F3 | 23 mi | 40.5 mi | 0 / 14 |
| May 26, 1976 | F3 | 9 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 25, 1976 | F3 | 10 mi | 20.3 mi | 0 / 1 |
| May 15, 1965 | F3 | 2 mi | 9.3 mi | 0 / 2 |
| May 31, 1962 | F3 | 15 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 2 |
| May 23, 2023 | EF2 | 20 mi | 4.61 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Mar 19, 2020 | EF2 | 8 mi | 5.38 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 19, 2020 | EF2 | 18 mi | 10.86 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 18, 2019 | EF2 | 1 mi | 5.04 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 4, 2004 | F2 | 14 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 2 |
The strongest 12 of 140, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Abilene
The Storm Prediction Center has 363 hail reports within 10 miles of Abilene since 1955, made on 197 separate days. Of these, 274 were 1 inch across or larger, and 48 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 4.5 inches (grapefruit size), was reported on 2 days, most recently June 12, 2014. The most recent report is from June 8, 2025. May has the most reports, 115.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Abilene
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Abilene Regional Airport, TX, 4 miles east of Abilene at 1,790 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 96°F and low of 73°F; January is the coolest, at 59°F and 34°F. June is the wettest at 3.4 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 1.1 inches; the year adds up to 25.2 inches over 41 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 102 days a year, almost all from April to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 48 nights a year. Snowfall averages 3.7 inches a year, most of it in February. That 25.2 inches is more than at 79 of the 312 Texas stations used on this site (25%). Hawley, 13 miles north, has its own station (Anson, TX): 25.6 inches a year, 0.4 more than here, and the same July average high, 96°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 59 | 34 | 1.1 | 2 | 0.7 |
| Feb | 63 | 37 | 1.3 | 3 | 1.0 |
| Mar | 71 | 45 | 1.7 | 3 | 0.1 |
| Apr | 79 | 53 | 1.9 | 3 | 0.3 |
| May | 86 | 62 | 3.2 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 93 | 70 | 3.4 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 96 | 73 | 1.9 | 3 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 96 | 72 | 2.5 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 89 | 65 | 2.7 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 79 | 55 | 2.8 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 68 | 43 | 1.4 | 3 | 0.7 |
| Dec | 59 | 35 | 1.3 | 3 | 0.9 |
| Year | 78 | 54 | 25.2 | 41 | 3.7 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Abilene Regional Airport, TX (1,790 ft), from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals. Normals describe the station; the farther a place is from it, and the bigger the difference in height, the more its weather can differ.
Floods, thunderstorm wind and lightning near Abilene
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 263 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Abilene: 206 thunderstorm wind reports, 40 flash floods, 13 floods, 2 heavy rain events and 2 lightning strikes. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $23.5 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on June 17, 2013. Of the 745 Texas cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 629 have had fewer than Abilene.
April 26, 1998: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Abilene — 1 injured, $2,000 damage.
NWS: “A skylight at the mall was shattered, with falling glass injuring a child below.”
August 2, 2007: flash flood 8 miles from the centre of Abilene — $10.0 million damage.
NWS: “Flooding was reported along Cedar Creek. Water entered homes along FM1750.”
August 18, 2007: flood 2 miles from the centre of Abilene — $5.0 million damage.
NWS: “Excessive rainfall from heavy rains Friday night into Saturday morning across southwest Taylor County caused water to spill over the main spillway at Lake Abilene.”
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, events whose starting point is on record, 1996 to June 30, 2026. Damage is the NWS estimate in the dollars of the year, not insured losses, and NWS notes that some reports are unverified.
Flood insurance claims, disaster declarations and FEMA risk ratings
Flood insurance policyholders in Abilene's 5 ZIP codes have filed 893 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $14.8 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Torrential rain in 2002: 363 claims (41% of all) and $10.5 million, then Flooding in 1981 with 103 and Tropical Storm Erin in 2007 with 22. 57% of the claims carry the name of a storm or flood event; the rest have no event name. Of the 433 Texas cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 360 have fewer than Abilene.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Torrential rain2002 | 363 | $10.5 million |
| Flooding1981 | 103 | $1.0 million |
| Tropical Storm Erin2007 | 22 | $292,000 |
Taylor County, which includes Abilene, has been named in 22 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1981, 11 of them major disasters (by incident: 7 fires, 5 severe storms, 3 hurricanes, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storms, on February 19, 2021. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Taylor County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Very High for hail; Relatively High for lightning; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, inland flooding, strong wind and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $53.7 million a year, the 30th highest of 254 Texas counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $22.9 million (43%), is from inland flooding.
Claims: FEMA, OpenFEMA Dataset FIMA NFIP Redacted Claims – v3, summed over ZIP codes; payments in the dollars of each year, not adjusted for inflation. Declarations: Disaster Declarations Summaries – v2, by county. Retrieved October 25, 2026. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
Risk ratings: FEMA, National Risk Index county table, December 2025 (v1.20), retrieved October 26, 2026; ratings compare counties nationwide, are meant for planning and are no substitute for a local risk assessment. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Risk Index dataset API or downloadable datasets but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
What counts as a pass, the distances and the sources: how this storm history is built.
Cities near Abilene
- Dyess Afb, TX4 mi
- Hawley, TX13 mi
- Clyde, TX15 mi
- Merkel, TX16 mi
- Tuscola, TX16 mi
- Anson, TX24 mi
- Baird, TX24 mi
- Winters, TX34 mi
- Albany, TX35 mi
- Stamford, TX36 mi
- Sweetwater, TX38 mi
- Hamlin, TX38 mi
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