NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Bells, 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 Bells, Texas since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Carla in 1961. Since 1950, 130 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 11 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 2
- Tornadoes
- 130
- EF3 or stronger
- 11
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
9 deaths in all
What the records show for Bells
None of the 2 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Bells; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1902, a tropical storm with 40 mph winds when its centre passed 12 miles away. The record near Bells begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Carla in 1961, a tropical storm 43 miles away. Of the 753 Texas cities on this site, 84% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Bells. The strongest of the 130 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on April 2, 1957; its path came within 22 miles, and it killed 3 people. The deadliest, an F3 on May 9, 2006, killed 3 people. Of the 130, 3 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 33 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 38. The most recent tornado was on June 8, 2025. Bells has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 68% of the 753 Texas cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 141 times since 1962, with stones up to 4.5 inches (grapefruit size). Bells has more hail reports within 10 miles than 76% of the 753 Texas cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Bells
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | CarlaSep 13 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 28 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Bells: 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 Bells
By decade
- 2020s13
- 2010s11
- 2000s9(1 EF3+)
- 1990s18
- 1980s17(1 EF3+)
- 1970s26(5 EF3+)
- 1960s17
- 1950s19(4 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 2, 1957 | F4 | 22 mi | 7.9 mi | 3 / 3 |
| May 9, 2006 | F3 | 12 mi | 9.3 mi | 3 / 10 |
| Apr 2, 1982 | F3 | 8 mi | 32 mi | 1 / 1 |
| Apr 6, 1955 | F3 | in town | 30.2 mi | 1 / 27 |
| Mar 10, 1973 | F3 | 21 mi | 6.8 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Mar 12, 1971 | F3 | 8 mi | 5.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 12, 1971 | F3 | 8 mi | 5.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 12, 1971 | F3 | 24 mi | 5.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 12, 1971 | F3 | 16 mi | 41.6 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Apr 18, 1957 | F3 | 19 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 2, 1957 | F3 | 16 mi | 10.7 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Dec 13, 2022 | EF2 | 18 mi | 17.61 mi | 0 / 2 |
The strongest 12 of 130, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Bells
The Storm Prediction Center has 141 hail reports within 10 miles of Bells since 1962, made on 93 separate days. Of these, 94 were 1 inch across or larger, and 22 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4.5 inches (grapefruit size), fell on May 16, 1989. The most recent report is from September 21, 2025. April has the most reports, 37.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Bells
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Sherman, TX, 14 miles northwest of Bells at 760 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 93°F and low of 74°F; January is the coolest, at 53°F and 34°F. May is the wettest at 5.5 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 2.5 inches; the year adds up to 44.3 inches over 60 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 73 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 43 nights a year. That 44.3 inches is more than at 236 of the 312 Texas stations used on this site (76%). Savoy, 4 miles east, has its own station (Bonham 3NNE, TX): 45.6 inches a year, 1.3 more than here, and a July average high of 94°F against 93°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 53 | 34 | 2.5 | 5 |
| Feb | 57 | 37 | 2.8 | 5 |
| Mar | 65 | 45 | 4.0 | 6 |
| Apr | 73 | 53 | 3.9 | 5 |
| May | 80 | 62 | 5.5 | 7 |
| Jun | 88 | 70 | 4.5 | 6 |
| Jul | 93 | 74 | 2.9 | 4 |
| Aug | 93 | 73 | 2.9 | 4 |
| Sep | 85 | 66 | 3.4 | 4 |
| Oct | 75 | 55 | 4.8 | 6 |
| Nov | 63 | 44 | 3.5 | 5 |
| Dec | 54 | 36 | 3.6 | 5 |
| Year | 73 | 54 | 44.3 | 60 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Sherman, TX (760 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 Bells
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 71 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Bells: 50 thunderstorm wind reports, 14 flash floods, 6 floods and 1 heavy rain event. They killed 1 person and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $860,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on April 26, 2016. April has had the most flash floods, 5 of 14. Of the 745 Texas cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 298 have had fewer than Bells.
February 28, 2011: heavy rain event 5 miles from the centre of Bells — 1 killed.
NWS: “Slick roadways are believed to be the cause of a fatal accident on FM 1753. A man riding a motorcycle lost control on the wet road and slid off the road.”
July 10, 2007: flash flood 9 miles from the centre of Bells — $200,000 damage.
April 30, 2019: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Bells — $200,000 damage.
NWS: “Thunderstorm winds damaged the metal roof of a home and rolled an unsecured fifth-wheel on a property near Ambrose, destroying the fifth-wheel. Tree damage was also noted in the area and sporadic tree damage was noted extending north and northeast of the home for a few miles.”
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
Grayson County, which includes Bells, has been named in 21 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1981, 12 of them major disasters (by incident: 5 severe storms, 4 fires, 4 hurricanes, 3 ice storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storms, on February 19, 2021. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Grayson County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for tornadoes; Relatively Moderate for hail, inland flooding, strong wind and heat waves; Relatively Low for lightning; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $42.6 million a year, the 42nd highest of 254 Texas counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $19.0 million (45%), 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 Bells
- Savoy, TX4 mi
- Whitewright, TX8 mi
- Sherman, TX12 mi
- Denison, TX12 mi
- Trenton, TX13 mi
- Bonham, TX14 mi
- Howe, TX14 mi
- Van Alstyne, TX15 mi
- Colbert, OK17 mi
- Leonard, TX19 mi
- Anna, TX19 mi
- Blue Ridge, TX20 mi
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