NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Axtell, 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
10 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Axtell, Texas since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Alicia in 1983. Since 1950, 102 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 10 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 10
- Tornadoes
- 102
- EF3 or stronger
- 10
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
127 deaths in all
What the records show for Axtell
None of the 10 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Axtell; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 67 mph winds when its centre passed 17 miles away. The record near Axtell begins with an unnamed storm in 1871; the most recent system was Alicia in 1983, a tropical storm 6 miles away. The 1900s and the 1940s were the busiest decades, with 2 systems each. None of the 10 systems has come since 2000. Axtell has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 49% of the 753 Texas cities on this site. The highest rating among the 102 tornadoes within 25 miles is F5, reached 2 times; the most recent, on May 6, 1973, came within 24 miles. The deadliest, an F5 on May 11, 1953, killed 114 people. Of the 102, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 30 have come since 2000. April and May have had the most tornadoes, 25 each. The most recent tornado was on June 11, 2025. Of the 753 Texas cities, 52% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Axtell. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 88 times since 1955, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Axtell has more hail reports within 10 miles than 54% of the 753 Texas cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Axtell
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | AliciaAug 19 | 6 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1961 | CarlaSep 12 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1945 | Unnamed 1945 stormAug 29 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1943 | Unnamed 1943 stormJul 29 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1921 | Unnamed 1921 stormJun 23 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 18 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 27 | 9 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 9 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (67 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1897 | Unnamed 1897 stormSep 13 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1871 | Unnamed 1871 stormJun 5 | 50 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 Axtell: 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 Axtell
By decade
- 2020s13
- 2010s11
- 2000s6
- 1990s15
- 1980s14(1 EF3+)
- 1970s25(4 EF3+)
- 1960s10(2 EF3+)
- 1950s8(3 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 11, 1953 | F5 | 2 mi | 20.9 mi | 114 / 597 |
| May 6, 1973 | F5 | 24 mi | 10.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 10, 1973 | F4 | 8 mi | 23.3 mi | 6 / 77 |
| Mar 31, 1959 | F4 | 20 mi | 10.4 mi | 6 / 31 |
| May 23, 1971 | F3 | 25 mi | 7.1 mi | 1 / 49 |
| May 9, 1981 | F3 | 19 mi | 5.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 11, 1978 | F3 | 22 mi | 7.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 14, 1969 | F3 | 18 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 16, 1965 | F3 | 24 mi | 11.1 mi | 0 / 1 |
| May 22, 1957 | F3 | 17 mi | 4.1 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Apr 26, 2024 | EF2 | 10 mi | 5.68 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 5, 2006 | F2 | 14 mi | 2.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 102, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Axtell
The Storm Prediction Center has 88 hail reports within 10 miles of Axtell since 1955, made on 56 separate days. Of these, 61 were 1 inch across or larger, and 6 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on March 1, 1973. The most recent report is from November 20, 2025. April has the most reports, 37.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Axtell
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Waco Dam, TX, 16 miles west of Axtell at 495 feet. August is the warmest, with an average high of 95°F and low of 75°F; January is the coolest, at 59°F and 36°F. May is the wettest at 4.4 inches of precipitation on average and July the driest at 1.9 inches; the year adds up to 37.6 inches over 51 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 49% of the year's precipitation (18.3 of 37.6 inches); the other six months are wetter. Highs reach 90°F on about 108 days a year, almost all from May to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 38 nights a year. That 37.6 inches is more than at 186 of the 312 Texas stations used on this site (60%). Elm Mott, 8 miles west, has its own station (Waco Regional Airport, TX): 36.5 inches a year, 1.1 less than here, and an August average high of 97°F against 95°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 59 | 36 | 2.7 | 4 |
| Feb | 62 | 40 | 2.7 | 4 |
| Mar | 68 | 48 | 3.5 | 5 |
| Apr | 76 | 54 | 3.2 | 4 |
| May | 83 | 64 | 4.4 | 6 |
| Jun | 91 | 72 | 3.6 | 4 |
| Jul | 95 | 75 | 1.9 | 3 |
| Aug | 95 | 75 | 2.4 | 3 |
| Sep | 89 | 68 | 3.2 | 4 |
| Oct | 80 | 57 | 4.3 | 4 |
| Nov | 68 | 46 | 2.9 | 4 |
| Dec | 60 | 39 | 2.8 | 5 |
| Year | 77 | 56 | 37.6 | 51 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Waco Dam, TX (495 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 Axtell
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 44 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Axtell: 27 thunderstorm wind reports, 12 flash floods, 3 floods and 2 lightning strikes. They killed 1 person and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $826,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on February 10, 2009. June has had the most flash floods, 5 of 12. Of the 745 Texas cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 250 have had fewer than Axtell.
May 2, 2007: lightning strike 8 miles from the centre of Axtell — 1 killed.
June 10, 2010: flash flood 10 miles from the centre of Axtell — $400,000 damage.
October 24, 2015: flash flood 10 miles from the centre of Axtell — $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
McLennan County, which includes Axtell, has been named in 25 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 13 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 severe storms, 5 hurricanes, 4 fires, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storms, on February 19, 2021. FEMA's National Risk Index gives McLennan County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Very High for lightning; Relatively High for tornadoes; Relatively Moderate for hail, inland flooding, strong wind and heat waves; Relatively Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $84.5 million a year, the 23rd highest of 254 Texas counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $29.3 million (35%), 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).
Axtell in the notable storm records: The May 11, 1953 F5 Tornado in Texas, near Waco
What counts as a pass, the distances and the sources: how this storm history is built.
Cities near Axtell
- Elm Mott, TX8 mi
- Mart, TX11 mi
- West, TX11 mi
- Riesel, TX13 mi
- Robinson, TX14 mi
- Waco, TX14 mi
- Hubbard, TX15 mi
- Hewitt, TX20 mi
- Dawson, TX21 mi
- China Spring, TX22 mi
- Lorena, TX22 mi
- Marlin, TX25 mi
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