NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Bacliff, 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
59 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Bacliff, Texas since 1851, 23 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Beryl in 2024. Since 1950, 257 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 14 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 23
- Tropical storms
- 36
- Tornadoes
- 257
- EF3 or stronger
- 14
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
13 deaths in all
What the records show for Bacliff
The strongest storm to pass near Bacliff was an unnamed storm in 1932, a Category 4 hurricane with 148 mph winds when its centre passed 37 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was Jerry in 1989, whose centre crossed the city. The record near Bacliff begins with an unnamed storm in 1854; the most recent system was Beryl in 2024, a Category 1 hurricane 56 miles away. The 1940s and the 1980s were the busiest decades, with 8 systems each. Of the 59 systems, 8 have come since 2000. Bacliff has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 95% of the 753 Texas cities on this site. The highest rating among the 257 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on November 21, 1992, came within 23 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on September 12, 1961, killed 8 people. Of the 257, 15 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 76 have come since 2000. August has had the most tornadoes, 37. The most recent tornado was on December 28, 2024. Bacliff has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 97% of the 753 Texas cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 77 times since 1967, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Of the 753 Texas cities, 51% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Bacliff.
Compare Bacliff's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Bacliff
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | BerylJul 8 | 56 mi | Category 1 (74 mph) | Category 5 |
| 2021 | NicholasSep 14 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2019 | ImeldaSep 17 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2008 | IkeSep 13 | 10 mi | Category 2 (106 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2008 | EdouardAug 5 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2007 | HumbertoSep 13 | 32 mi | Category 1 (84 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2003 | GraceAug 31 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2001 | AllisonJun 6 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1995 | DeanJul 31 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1989 | JerryOct 16 | overhead | Category 1 (75 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1989 | ChantalAug 1 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (72 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1989 | AllisonJun 26 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1987 | Unnamed 1987 stormAug 10 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1986 | BonnieJun 26 | 47 mi | Category 1 (83 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1983 | AliciaAug 18 | 20 mi | Category 2 (105 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1982 | ChrisSep 11 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1980 | DanielleSep 6 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1979 | ClaudetteJul 24 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1978 | DebraAug 28 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1973 | Unnamed 1973 stormSep 12 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1973 | DeliaSep 5 | 35 mi | Category 1 (74 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1970 | FeliceSep 16 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1964 | AbbyAug 7 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (68 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1963 | CindySep 17 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1959 | DebraJul 25 | 7 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1957 | BerthaAug 10 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 27 | 73 mi | Category 3 (127 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormOct 4 | 26 mi | Category 1 (85 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1947 | Unnamed 1947 stormAug 25 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (71 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1945 | Unnamed 1945 stormAug 28 | 61 mi | Category 1 (75 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1943 | Unnamed 1943 stormJul 27 | 9 mi | Category 1 (92 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1942 | Unnamed 1942 stormAug 21 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (71 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 24 | 37 mi | Category 1 (83 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1940 | Unnamed 1940 stormSep 23 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1940 | Unnamed 1940 stormAug 8 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (72 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1938 | Unnamed 1938 stormOct 17 | 7 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormAug 27 | 34 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormAug 14 | 37 mi | Category 4 (148 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1921 | Unnamed 1921 stormJun 22 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 17 | 22 mi | Category 3 (129 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1909 | Unnamed 1909 stormJul 21 | 46 mi | Category 3 (112 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 9 | 25 mi | Category 4 (130 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1899 | Unnamed 1899 stormJun 27 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1898 | Unnamed 1898 stormSep 28 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1897 | Unnamed 1897 stormSep 13 | 37 mi | Category 1 (74 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1895 | Unnamed 1895 stormOct 7 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1891 | Unnamed 1891 stormJul 6 | 19 mi | Category 1 (77 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormJul 5 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormJun 17 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormJun 14 | 37 mi | Category 1 (92 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1882 | Unnamed 1882 stormSep 15 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1880 | Unnamed 1880 stormJun 24 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1879 | Unnamed 1879 stormAug 23 | 35 mi | Category 2 (104 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1875 | Unnamed 1875 stormSep 17 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1871 | Unnamed 1871 stormJun 9 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1871 | Unnamed 1871 stormJun 4 | 22 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1867 | Unnamed 1867 stormOct 3 | 66 mi | Category 2 (104 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1863 | Unnamed 1863 stormSep 29 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1854 | Unnamed 1854 stormSep 18 | 46 mi | Category 2 (104 mph) | Category 2 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Bacliff: 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 Bacliff
By decade
- 2020s9(2 EF3+)
- 2010s33
- 2000s34(1 EF3+)
- 1990s37(1 EF3+)
- 1980s56
- 1970s51(2 EF3+)
- 1960s23(6 EF3+)
- 1950s14(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 12, 1961 | F4 | 18 mi | 1 mi | 8 / 200 |
| Nov 21, 1992 | F4 | 23 mi | 30 mi | 0 / 16 |
| Oct 28, 1974 | F3 | 14 mi | 3.3 mi | 1 / 7 |
| Feb 11, 1950 | F3 | 12 mi | 12 mi | 1 / 12 |
| Dec 28, 2024 | EF3 | 20 mi | 67.88 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Jan 24, 2023 | EF3 | 15 mi | 23.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 30, 2002 | F3 | 8 mi | 0.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 8, 1976 | F3 | 7 mi | 12.7 mi | 0 / 18 |
| Sep 8, 1969 | F3 | 19 mi | 0.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 18, 1967 | F3 | 7 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 12, 1961 | F3 | 18 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 11, 1961 | F3 | 20 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 22 |
The strongest 12 of 257, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Bacliff
The Storm Prediction Center has 77 hail reports within 10 miles of Bacliff since 1967, made on 57 separate days. Of these, 47 were 1 inch across or larger, and 6 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on May 29, 1975. The most recent report is from May 31, 2024. May has the most reports, 24.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Bacliff
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Houston NWSO, TX, 6 miles west of Bacliff at 19 feet. August is the warmest, with an average high of 92°F and low of 76°F; January is the coolest, at 64°F and 46°F. September is the wettest at 7.3 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 3.0 inches; the year adds up to 60.0 inches over 69 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 59% of the year's precipitation (35.1 of 60.0 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 59 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (19); a normal September there has highs of 88°F and 7.3 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 76 days a year, almost all from May to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 9 nights a year. That 60.0 inches is more than at 304 of the 312 Texas stations used on this site (97%). Texas City, 8 miles south, has its own station (Galveston Scholes Field, TX): 47.2 inches a year, 12.8 less than here, and the same August average high, 92°F.
Water temperature at the NOAA tide station Eagle Point, Galveston Bay, TX, 5 miles east, averaged 89°F in August and 56°F in January over 2021–2025. It averaged 80°F or warmer from May to September. Sea level at the Eagle Point tide gauge, 5 miles from Bacliff, has risen 4.80 ± 0.27 inches per decade from 1993 to 2025, NOAA's linear trend; at that pace it is 48.0 inches in a hundred years. That is faster than at 142 of the 144 U.S. gauges with a NOAA trend.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Water °F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 64 | 46 | 4.8 | 6 | 56 |
| Feb | 67 | 50 | 3.0 | 5 | 58 |
| Mar | 73 | 56 | 3.3 | 4 | 67 |
| Apr | 78 | 61 | 4.2 | 4 | 73 |
| May | 85 | 69 | 5.1 | 5 | 80 |
| Jun | 90 | 75 | 6.5 | 7 | 86 |
| Jul | 92 | 76 | 4.4 | 6 | 88 |
| Aug | 92 | 76 | 6.6 | 7 | 89 |
| Sep | 88 | 72 | 7.3 | 7 | 85 |
| Oct | 82 | 63 | 5.8 | 6 | 77 |
| Nov | 73 | 53 | 4.5 | 5 | 67 |
| Dec | 66 | 47 | 4.5 | 6 | 62 |
| Year | 79 | 62 | 60.0 | 69 | 74 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Houston NWSO, TX (19 ft), from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals; water temperature: average of hourly readings 2021–2025 at the NOAA tide station Eagle Point, Galveston Bay, TX, from NOAA Tides & Currents. 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 Bacliff
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 148 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Bacliff: 92 thunderstorm wind reports, 39 flash floods, 13 lightning strikes, 3 heavy rain events and 1 flood. They killed 52 people and injured 3, and the NWS estimated $20.03 billion in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 83 mph, on April 10, 2024. May has had the most flash floods, 8 of 39. Of the 745 Texas cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 621 have had fewer than Bacliff.
August 26, 2017: flash flood 5 miles from the centre of Bacliff — 38 killed, $10.00 billion damage.
May 25, 2015: flash flood 6 miles from the centre of Bacliff — 7 killed, $25.0 million damage.
August 26, 2017: flash flood 4 miles from the centre of Bacliff — 6 killed, $10.00 billion damage.
NWS: “There were numerous water rescues across western and central Galveston County. Flood waters completely inundated hundreds to thousands of homes and businesses in League City, Dickinson and Santa Fe.”
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 Bacliff's ZIP code 77518 have filed 1,110 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1979, and were paid $28.2 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Hurricane Ike in 2008: 252 claims (23% of all) and $10.8 million, then Hurricane Harvey in 2017 with 211 and Flooding in 1981 with 114. 82% 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, 376 have fewer than Bacliff.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Hurricane Ike2008 | 252 | $10.8 million |
| Hurricane Harvey2017 | 211 | $11.9 million |
| Flooding1981 | 114 | $378,000 |
| Hurricane Alicia1983 | 93 | $200,000 |
| Hurricane Chantel1989 | 93 | $695,000 |
| Tropical Storm Allison2001 | 91 | $1.2 million |
Galveston County, which includes Bacliff, has been named in 31 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 20 of them major disasters (by incident: 14 hurricanes, 5 floods, 3 fires, 3 severe storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Hurricane Beryl, on July 9, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Galveston County a Relatively High rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Very High for lightning; Relatively High for hurricanes, tornadoes, inland flooding and coastal flooding; Relatively Moderate for strong wind and heat waves; Relatively Low for hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $198.0 million a year, the 12th highest of 254 Texas counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $63.0 million (32%), 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.