NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Alto, 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
20 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Alto, Texas since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Beryl in 2024. Since 1950, 84 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 9 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 20
- Tornadoes
- 84
- EF3 or stronger
- 9
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
10 deaths in all
What the records show for Alto
None of the 20 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Alto; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1879, a tropical storm with 71 mph winds when its centre passed 62 miles away. The record near Alto begins with an unnamed storm in 1871; the most recent system was Beryl in 2024, a tropical storm 4 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1940s, with 5 systems. Of the 20 systems, 4 have come since 2000. Alto has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 69% of the 753 Texas cities on this site. The highest rating among the 84 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3 or EF3, reached 9 times; the most recent, on April 13, 2019, came within 2 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on November 15, 1987, killed 4 people. Of the 84, 6 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 32 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 24. The most recent tornado was on July 8, 2024. Of the 753 Texas cities, 66% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Alto. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 19 times since 1981, with stones up to 4 inches (softball size). Of the 753 Texas cities, 94% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Alto.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Alto
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | BerylJul 8 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 5 |
| 2017 | CindyJun 22 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2008 | IkeSep 13 | 14 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2005 | RitaSep 24 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1986 | BonnieJun 26 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1959 | DebraJul 26 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormOct 4 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1947 | Unnamed 1947 stormSep 20 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1942 | Unnamed 1942 stormAug 22 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 24 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1940 | Unnamed 1940 stormAug 9 | 33 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1921 | Unnamed 1921 stormJun 23 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1918 | Unnamed 1918 stormAug 7 | 40 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 18 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1891 | Unnamed 1891 stormJul 6 | 32 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormJul 6 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1882 | Unnamed 1882 stormSep 15 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1879 | Unnamed 1879 stormAug 23 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (71 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1871 | Unnamed 1871 stormJun 10 | overhead | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1871 | Unnamed 1871 stormJun 5 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Alto: 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 Alto
By decade
- 2020s12
- 2010s14(1 EF3+)
- 2000s6(1 EF3+)
- 1990s12(1 EF3+)
- 1980s16(1 EF3+)
- 1970s9(2 EF3+)
- 1960s8(3 EF3+)
- 1950s7
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 15, 1987 | F3 | 21 mi | 33 mi | 4 / 81 |
| Apr 13, 2019 | EF3 | 2 mi | 41.13 mi | 2 / 20 |
| Nov 22, 1961 | F3 | 11 mi | 21.9 mi | 1 / 10 |
| Apr 6, 2003 | F3 | 19 mi | 38.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jan 19, 1990 | F3 | 23 mi | 13 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Mar 20, 1974 | F3 | 24 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 3, 1973 | F3 | 12 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Feb 11, 1965 | F3 | 22 mi | 42.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 11, 1961 | F3 | 24 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Mar 21, 2022 | EF2 | 23 mi | 19.07 mi | 1 / 10 |
| Mar 21, 2022 | EF2 | 3 mi | 37.13 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Mar 27, 2021 | EF2 | 9 mi | 20.53 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 84, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Alto
The Storm Prediction Center has 19 hail reports within 10 miles of Alto since 1981, made on 17 separate days. Of these, 14 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4 inches (softball size), fell on April 6, 2019. The most recent report is from February 11, 2024. April has the most reports, 9.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Alto
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Rusk, TX, 14 miles north of Alto at 695 feet. August is the warmest, with an average high of 92°F and low of 72°F; January is the coolest, at 56°F and 37°F. December is the wettest at 4.9 inches of precipitation on average and July and August the driest at 3.4 inches; the year adds up to 50.4 inches over 67 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 47% of the year's precipitation (23.7 of 50.4 inches); the other six months are wetter. Highs reach 90°F on about 69 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 27 nights a year. That 50.4 inches is more than at 274 of the 312 Texas stations used on this site (88%). Pollok, 17 miles southeast, has its own station (Lufkin 11 NW, TX): 50.1 inches a year, 0.3 less than here, and an August average high of 93°F against 92°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 56 | 37 | 4.4 | 6 |
| Feb | 60 | 41 | 4.3 | 6 |
| Mar | 67 | 47 | 4.5 | 7 |
| Apr | 74 | 54 | 4.0 | 5 |
| May | 81 | 63 | 4.6 | 6 |
| Jun | 87 | 70 | 4.5 | 6 |
| Jul | 91 | 72 | 3.4 | 5 |
| Aug | 92 | 72 | 3.4 | 5 |
| Sep | 86 | 67 | 3.7 | 5 |
| Oct | 76 | 57 | 4.7 | 5 |
| Nov | 65 | 47 | 4.0 | 6 |
| Dec | 58 | 40 | 4.9 | 6 |
| Year | 74 | 56 | 50.4 | 67 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Rusk, TX (695 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 Alto
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 42 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Alto: 27 thunderstorm wind reports, 7 flash floods, 6 floods and 2 heavy rain events. They killed 0 people and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $142,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 96 mph, on January 10, 2020. May has had the most flash floods, 5 of 7. Of the 745 Texas cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 115 have had fewer than Alto.
May 30, 1997: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Alto — 2 injured.
NWS: “Trees were toppled across the area. A two car accident occurred when cars slammed into one of the fallen trees.”
May 3, 2009: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Alto — $100,000 damage.
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
Cherokee County, which includes Alto, has been named in 28 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1987, 18 of them major disasters (by incident: 7 hurricanes, 5 fires, 5 severe storms, 3 floods). The latest major disaster declaration was Hurricane Beryl, on July 9, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Cherokee County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, lightning and heat waves; Relatively Low for hurricanes, hail and inland flooding. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $17.3 million a year, the 98th highest of 254 Texas counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $6.8 million (39%), 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 Alto
- Rusk, TX13 mi
- Pollok, TX17 mi
- Cushing, TX17 mi
- Nacogdoches, TX24 mi
- Grapeland, TX25 mi
- Jacksonville, TX25 mi
- Lufkin, TX28 mi
- Elkhart, TX28 mi
- Mount Enterprise, TX30 mi
- Crockett, TX33 mi
- Diboll, TX34 mi
- Garrison, TX34 mi
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