NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Ballinger, 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
2 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Ballinger, Texas since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was an unnamed storm in 1886. Since 1950, 88 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 7 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 2
- Tornadoes
- 88
- EF3 or stronger
- 7
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
2 deaths in all
What the records show for Ballinger
None of the 2 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Ballinger; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1886, a tropical storm with 48 mph winds when its centre passed 21 miles away. The record near Ballinger begins with an unnamed storm in 1851; the most recent system was an unnamed storm in 1886. Of the 753 Texas cities on this site, 84% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Ballinger. The highest rating among the 88 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3 or EF3, reached 7 times; the most recent, on May 18, 2019, came within 2 miles. The deadliest, an F1 on June 5, 1984, killed 1 person. Of the 88, 12 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 24 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 38. The most recent tornado was on May 29, 2025. Of the 753 Texas cities, 63% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Ballinger. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 134 times since 1972, with stones up to 4.5 inches (grapefruit size). Ballinger has more hail reports within 10 miles than 75% of the 753 Texas cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Ballinger
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormAug 21 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1851 | Unnamed 1851 stormJun 28 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Ballinger: 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 Ballinger
By decade
- 2020s4
- 2010s8(3 EF3+)
- 2000s12
- 1990s16(1 EF3+)
- 1980s14(1 EF3+)
- 1970s23(2 EF3+)
- 1960s6
- 1950s5
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 18, 2019 | EF3 | 21 mi | 7.84 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 18, 2019 | EF3 | 11 mi | 5.79 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 18, 2019 | EF3 | 2 mi | 18.01 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 14, 1995 | F3 | 23 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 14, 1982 | F3 | 13 mi | 40.5 mi | 0 / 14 |
| Apr 10, 1979 | F3 | 12 mi | 25 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Apr 15, 1976 | F3 | 15 mi | 9.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 10, 1973 | F2 | 22 mi | 0.3 mi | 1 / 7 |
| May 2, 2024 | EF2 | 25 mi | 6.11 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 2, 2024 | EF2 | in town | 4.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 19, 1982 | F2 | 8 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 14, 1982 | F2 | 22 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 88, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Ballinger
The Storm Prediction Center has 134 hail reports within 10 miles of Ballinger since 1972, made on 80 separate days. Of these, 108 were 1 inch across or larger, and 24 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4.5 inches (grapefruit size), fell on June 12, 2014. The most recent report is from June 10, 2024. May has the most reports, 72.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Ballinger
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Ballinger 2 NW, TX, 3 miles west of Ballinger at 1,755 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 96°F and low of 72°F; January is the coolest, at 59°F and 31°F. May and June are the wettest at 3.1 inches of precipitation on average and January and December the driest at 1.0 inches; the year adds up to 23.5 inches over 37 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 116 days a year, almost all from April to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 52 nights a year. Snowfall averages 0.6 inches a year. That 23.5 inches is more than at 69 of the 312 Texas stations used on this site (22%). Winters, 15 miles north, has its own station (Wingate, TX): 25.0 inches a year, 1.5 more than here, and a July average high of 95°F against 96°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 59 | 31 | 1.0 | 2 | 0.2 |
| Feb | 63 | 35 | 1.5 | 3 | 0.2 |
| Mar | 71 | 43 | 1.8 | 3 | 0.0 |
| Apr | 79 | 51 | 1.6 | 3 | 0.0 |
| May | 86 | 61 | 3.1 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 92 | 69 | 3.1 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 96 | 72 | 1.7 | 3 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 95 | 71 | 2.4 | 3 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 88 | 64 | 2.6 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 79 | 53 | 2.2 | 3 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 68 | 42 | 1.5 | 3 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 60 | 33 | 1.0 | 2 | 0.2 |
| Year | 78 | 52 | 23.5 | 37 | 0.6 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Ballinger 2 NW, TX (1,755 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 Ballinger
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 59 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Ballinger: 46 thunderstorm wind reports, 7 flash floods, 4 floods, 1 heavy rain event and 1 lightning strike. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $428,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on March 13, 2020. September has had the most flash floods, 2 of 7. Of the 745 Texas cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 115 have had fewer than Ballinger.
June 3, 1996: thunderstorm wind in Ballinger — $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
Runnels County, which includes Ballinger, has been named in 13 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1993, 6 of them major disasters (by incident: 3 fires, 3 hurricanes, 2 biological emergencies, 2 ice storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storms, on February 19, 2021. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Runnels County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for hail and strong wind; Relatively Low for tornadoes and lightning; Very Low for hurricanes, inland flooding and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $7.0 million a year, the 173rd highest of 254 Texas counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $2.2 million (31%), 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 Ballinger
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- Miles, TX19 mi
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- San Angelo, TX38 mi
- Dyess Afb, TX46 mi
- Bangs, TX47 mi
- Clyde, TX47 mi
- Abilene, TX48 mi
- Merkel, TX50 mi
- Baird, TX53 mi
- Brownwood, TX55 mi
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