NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Big Lake, 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
3 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Big Lake, Texas since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was an unnamed storm in 1942. Since 1950, 22 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 3
- Tornadoes
- 22
- EF3 or stronger
- 0
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
no recorded deaths
What the records show for Big Lake
None of the 3 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Big Lake; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1929, a tropical storm with 55 mph winds when its centre passed 74 miles away. The record near Big Lake begins with an unnamed storm in 1886; the most recent system was an unnamed storm in 1942, a tropical storm 13 miles away. Of the 753 Texas cities on this site, 73% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Big Lake. The strongest of the 22 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F2 on March 22, 2000; its path came within 19 miles. Of the 22, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 11 have come since 2000. The most recent tornado was on June 18, 2017. Of the 753 Texas cities, 96% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Big Lake. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 67 times since 1958, with stones up to 4 inches (softball size). Of the 753 Texas cities, 57% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Big Lake.
Compare Big Lake's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Big Lake
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1942 | Unnamed 1942 stormAug 31 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1929 | Unnamed 1929 stormJun 29 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormAug 21 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Big Lake: 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 Big Lake
By decade
- 2010s4
- 2000s7
- 1990s1
- 1980s5
- 1970s2
- 1960s1
- 1950s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 22, 2000 | F2 | 19 mi | 12 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Mar 22, 2000 | F1 | 8 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 22, 2000 | F1 | 24 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 2, 1986 | F1 | 24 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 15, 1981 | F1 | 14 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 18, 2017 | EF0 | 13 mi | 2.04 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 18, 2017 | EF0 | 7 mi | 1.75 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 18, 2017 | EF0 | 16 mi | 6.06 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 14, 2010 | EF0 | 6 mi | 0.71 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 23, 2007 | EF0 | 17 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 4, 2004 | F0 | 16 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 11, 2000 | F0 | 24 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 22, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Big Lake
The Storm Prediction Center has 67 hail reports within 10 miles of Big Lake since 1958, made on 54 separate days. Of these, 43 were 1 inch across or larger, and 9 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4 inches (softball size), fell on May 31, 1962. The most recent report is from October 24, 2025. April has the most reports, 23.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Big Lake
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Big Lake 2, TX, 8 miles south of Big Lake at 2,734 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 94°F and low of 71°F; January is the coolest, at 60°F and 33°F. September is the wettest at 2.3 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 0.8 inches; the year adds up to 18.3 inches over 30 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 104 days a year, almost all from April to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 56 nights a year. Snowfall averages 2.3 inches a year, most of it in January. That 18.3 inches is more than at 20 of the 312 Texas stations used on this site (6%).
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 60 | 33 | 1.0 | 2 | 0.9 |
| Feb | 65 | 37 | 0.8 | 2 | 0.5 |
| Mar | 73 | 45 | 1.0 | 2 | 0.0 |
| Apr | 82 | 52 | 1.5 | 2 | 0.0 |
| May | 88 | 61 | 1.8 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 93 | 69 | 2.1 | 3 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 94 | 71 | 2.1 | 3 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 95 | 70 | 1.8 | 3 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 89 | 63 | 2.3 | 3 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 80 | 54 | 1.6 | 2 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 69 | 42 | 1.4 | 2 | 0.4 |
| Dec | 61 | 35 | 0.9 | 2 | 0.5 |
| Year | 79 | 53 | 18.3 | 30 | 2.3 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Big Lake 2, TX (2,734 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 Big Lake
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 27 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Big Lake: 18 thunderstorm wind reports and 9 flash floods. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $22,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 70 mph, on July 9, 2012. Of the 745 Texas cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 176 have had fewer than Big Lake.
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
Reagan County, which includes Big Lake, has been named in 13 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1993, 6 of them major disasters (by incident: 4 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 Reagan County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for hail; Very Low for hurricanes, tornadoes, inland flooding, strong wind, lightning and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $3.0 million a year, the 224th highest of 254 Texas counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $535,000 (18%), 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 Big Lake
- Ozona, TX50 mi
- Crane, TX50 mi
- Stanton, TX57 mi
- Midland, TX58 mi
- San Angelo, TX62 mi
- Big Spring, TX63 mi
- Odessa, TX64 mi
- Eldorado, TX65 mi
- Gardendale, TX70 mi
- Miles, TX80 mi
- Colorado City, TX81 mi
- Sonora, TX81 mi
All Texas cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare Big Lake with another place →