NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Arlington, 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
4 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Arlington, Texas since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Carla in 1961. Since 1950, 252 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 12 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 4
- Tornadoes
- 252
- EF3 or stronger
- 12
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
16 deaths in all
What the records show for Arlington
None of the 4 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Arlington; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 55 mph winds when its centre passed 32 miles away. The record near Arlington begins with an unnamed storm in 1871; the most recent system was Carla in 1961, a tropical storm 18 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1900s, with 2 systems. None of the 4 systems has come since 2000. Of the 753 Texas cities on this site, 67% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Arlington. The strongest of the 252 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on April 25, 1994; its path came within 23 miles, and it killed 3 people. The deadliest, an F3 on April 2, 1957, killed 10 people. Of the 252, 16 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 101 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 70. The most recent tornado was on March 4, 2025. Arlington has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 97% of the 753 Texas cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 398 times since 1955, with stones up to 5 inches. Arlington has more hail reports within 10 miles than 96% of the 753 Texas cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Arlington
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | CarlaSep 12 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 27 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 9 | 32 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1871 | Unnamed 1871 stormJun 5 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Tropical storm |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Arlington: 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 Arlington
By decade
- 2020s24
- 2010s38(2 EF3+)
- 2000s39(3 EF3+)
- 1990s33(1 EF3+)
- 1980s16
- 1970s62(1 EF3+)
- 1960s24(3 EF3+)
- 1950s16(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 25, 1994 | F4 | 23 mi | 6 mi | 3 / 48 |
| Apr 2, 1957 | F3 | 20 mi | 17.2 mi | 10 / 200 |
| Mar 28, 2000 | F3 | 14 mi | 4 mi | 2 / 80 |
| Oct 20, 2019 | EF3 | 17 mi | 15.76 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 26, 2015 | EF3 | 19 mi | 8.52 mi | 0 / 46 |
| Apr 16, 2002 | F3 | 14 mi | 2.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 28, 2000 | F3 | 2 mi | 8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 26, 1976 | F3 | 21 mi | 4.5 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Oct 12, 1969 | F3 | 17 mi | 45.9 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Mar 26, 1961 | F3 | 21 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 4, 1960 | F3 | 17 mi | 7.4 mi | 0 / 12 |
| Jun 12, 1957 | F3 | 14 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 252, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Arlington
The Storm Prediction Center has 398 hail reports within 10 miles of Arlington since 1955, made on 155 separate days. Of these, 291 were 1 inch across or larger, and 70 reached 2 inches. The largest, 5 inches, fell on June 12, 2023. The most recent report is from September 5, 2025. May has the most reports, 129.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Arlington
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Arlington Municipal Airport, TX, 3 miles southeast of Arlington at 630 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 96°F and low of 75°F; January is the coolest, at 58°F and 37°F. October is the wettest at 4.7 inches of precipitation on average and July and August the driest at 1.7 inches; the year adds up to 36.0 inches over 49 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 106 days a year, almost all from May to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 36 nights a year. That 36.0 inches is more than at 164 of the 312 Texas stations used on this site (53%). Grand Prairie, 8 miles east, has its own station (Joe Pool Lake, TX): 41.1 inches a year, 5.1 more than here, and the same July average high, 96°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 58 | 37 | 2.3 | 4 |
| Feb | 62 | 40 | 2.6 | 4 |
| Mar | 70 | 48 | 3.4 | 5 |
| Apr | 77 | 55 | 3.1 | 4 |
| May | 84 | 64 | 4.3 | 6 |
| Jun | 92 | 72 | 3.5 | 5 |
| Jul | 96 | 75 | 1.7 | 3 |
| Aug | 96 | 75 | 1.7 | 3 |
| Sep | 89 | 68 | 3.3 | 4 |
| Oct | 79 | 57 | 4.7 | 5 |
| Nov | 67 | 46 | 2.6 | 4 |
| Dec | 59 | 39 | 2.8 | 4 |
| Year | 77 | 56 | 36.0 | 49 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Arlington Municipal Airport, TX (630 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 Arlington
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 247 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Arlington: 169 thunderstorm wind reports, 57 flash floods, 11 lightning strikes, 8 floods and 2 heavy rain events. They killed 14 people and injured 12, and the NWS estimated $504.1 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on March 4, 2025. May has had the most flash floods, 13 of 57. Of the 745 Texas cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 688 have had fewer than Arlington.
May 23, 2015: heavy rain event 9 miles from the centre of Arlington — 3 killed.
September 8, 2018: flash flood 7 miles from the centre of Arlington — 2 killed, $10,000 damage.
March 29, 2017: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Arlington — 2 killed.
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 Arlington's 13 ZIP codes have filed 1,037 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1979, and were paid $22.4 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Flooding in 1989: 190 claims (18% of all) and $2.6 million, then Early summer storms in 2015 with 33 and Dallas Flash Floods in 2022 with 11. 25% 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, 372 have fewer than Arlington.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Flooding1989 | 190 | $2.6 million |
| Early summer storms2015 | 33 | $606,000 |
| Dallas Flash Floods2022 | 11 | $418,000 |
Tarrant County, which includes Arlington, has been named in 28 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1966, 14 of them major disasters (by incident: 8 hurricanes, 5 fires, 5 severe storms, 3 floods). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storms, on February 19, 2021. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Tarrant County a Relatively High rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Very High for tornadoes and hail; Relatively High for inland flooding, lightning and heat waves; Relatively Moderate for strong wind; Relatively Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $608.1 million a year, the 5th highest of 254 Texas counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $258.1 million (42%), 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 Arlington
- Kennedale, TX6 mi
- Grand Prairie, TX8 mi
- Mansfield, TX8 mi
- Hurst, TX10 mi
- Bedford, TX10 mi
- Euless, TX10 mi
- North Richland Hills, TX11 mi
- Haltom City, TX11 mi
- Cedar Hill, TX13 mi
- Duncanville, TX13 mi
- Fort Worth, TX13 mi
- Colleyville, TX13 mi
All Texas cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare Arlington with another place →