NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Athens, 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
9 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Athens, Texas since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 82 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 9 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 9
- Tornadoes
- 82
- EF3 or stronger
- 9
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
6 deaths in all
What the records show for Athens
None of the 9 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Athens; the strongest was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm with 54 mph winds when its centre passed 37 miles away. The record near Athens begins with an unnamed storm in 1871; the most recent system was Ike in 2008. The busiest decade was the 1940s, with 3 systems. Of the 9 systems, one has come since 2000. Of the 753 Texas cities on this site, 51% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Athens. The strongest of the 82 tornadoes within 25 miles was an EF4 on April 29, 2017; its path came within 12 miles, and it killed 2 people. The deadliest, an EF3 on April 29, 2017, killed 2 people. Of the 82, 8 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 36 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 29. The most recent tornado was on May 6, 2025. Of the 753 Texas cities, 67% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Athens. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 57 times since 1955, with stones up to 4 inches (softball size). Of the 753 Texas cities, 63% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Athens.
Compare Athens's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Athens
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 13 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1983 | AliciaAug 19 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormOct 5 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1947 | Unnamed 1947 stormSep 20 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 24 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1918 | Unnamed 1918 stormAug 7 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 18 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 27 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1871 | Unnamed 1871 stormJun 5 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Tropical storm |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Athens: 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 Athens
By decade
- 2020s6
- 2010s21(3 EF3+)
- 2000s9
- 1990s10
- 1980s14(2 EF3+)
- 1970s11(1 EF3+)
- 1960s5
- 1950s6(3 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 29, 2017 | EF4 | 12 mi | 21.42 mi | 2 / 25 |
| Apr 29, 2017 | EF3 | 14 mi | 39.71 mi | 2 / 24 |
| May 10, 2015 | EF3 | 19 mi | 10.22 mi | 2 / 43 |
| Oct 13, 1981 | F3 | 20 mi | 7.2 mi | 0 / 1 |
| May 9, 1981 | F3 | 13 mi | 15 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 23, 1979 | F3 | 20 mi | 10.3 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Nov 4, 1959 | F3 | 6 mi | 25.1 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Apr 12, 1955 | F3 | 21 mi | 5.6 mi | 0 / 7 |
| May 2, 1954 | F3 | 9 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Nov 4, 2022 | EF2 | 2 mi | 15.05 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 29, 2019 | EF2 | 22 mi | 7.24 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 29, 2019 | EF2 | 23 mi | 4.01 mi | 0 / 1 |
The strongest 12 of 82, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Athens
The Storm Prediction Center has 57 hail reports within 10 miles of Athens since 1955, made on 52 separate days. Of these, 40 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 4 inches (softball size), fell on June 20, 1955. The most recent report is from March 23, 2025. April has the most reports, 17.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Athens
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Athens, TX, 2 miles south of Athens at 448 feet. August is the warmest, with an average high of 95°F and low of 72°F; January is the coolest, at 58°F and 35°F. October is the wettest at 5.1 inches of precipitation on average and July the driest at 2.5 inches; the year adds up to 44.7 inches over 56 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 92 days a year, almost all from May to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 41 nights a year. That 44.7 inches is more than at 239 of the 312 Texas stations used on this site (77%). Brownsboro, 15 miles northeast, has its own station (Tyler Pounds Field, TX): 42.2 inches a year, 2.5 less than here, and the same August average high, 95°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 58 | 35 | 3.5 | 5 |
| Feb | 62 | 39 | 3.9 | 5 |
| Mar | 69 | 45 | 4.1 | 6 |
| Apr | 76 | 53 | 3.8 | 5 |
| May | 83 | 63 | 4.3 | 5 |
| Jun | 90 | 70 | 4.1 | 5 |
| Jul | 94 | 73 | 2.5 | 3 |
| Aug | 95 | 72 | 2.6 | 3 |
| Sep | 89 | 66 | 3.0 | 3 |
| Oct | 79 | 55 | 5.1 | 5 |
| Nov | 68 | 44 | 3.5 | 5 |
| Dec | 59 | 37 | 4.3 | 6 |
| Year | 77 | 54 | 44.7 | 56 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Athens, TX (448 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 Athens
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 44 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Athens: 38 thunderstorm wind reports, 5 flash floods and 1 heavy rain event. They killed 1 person and injured 3, and the NWS estimated $564,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 92 mph, on November 1, 1998. Of the 745 Texas cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 68 have had fewer than Athens.
June 6, 2013: heavy rain event 1 mile from the centre of Athens — 1 killed.
NWS: “Heavy rainfall contributed to a collission of a tractor trailer rig and a pickup truck on Loop 7 in Athens. A passenger in the pickup was killed in the accident.”
June 5, 1998: thunderstorm wind 1 mile from the centre of Athens — 3 injured, $50,000 damage.
NWS: “Thunderstorm winds unroofed a house. Three people were injured by debris when they abandoned the house.”
June 14, 2026: flash flood 4 miles from the centre of Athens — $100,000 damage.
NWS: “Numerous Facebook reports indicated significant flooding across Athens with several cars submerged. Roads flooded and closed included Valle Vista Drive, FM 317, and streets around downtown Athens.”
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 Athens's 2 ZIP codes have filed 17 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1980, and were paid $571,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 53% 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, 58 have fewer than Athens.
Henderson County, which includes Athens, has been named in 25 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1966, 16 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 severe storms, 4 fires, 4 floods, 4 hurricanes). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on May 17, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Henderson County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for tornadoes, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Moderate for hail and heat waves; Relatively Low for hurricanes and inland flooding. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $37.4 million a year, the 47th highest of 254 Texas counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $10.4 million (28%), 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 Athens
- Malakoff, TX11 mi
- Larue, TX12 mi
- Murchison, TX12 mi
- Eustace, TX13 mi
- Brownsboro, TX15 mi
- Trinidad, TX16 mi
- Ben Wheeler, TX18 mi
- Gun Barrel City, TX18 mi
- Mabank, TX18 mi
- Chandler, TX20 mi
- Frankston, TX21 mi
- Canton, TX23 mi
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