NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Brownsville, 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
42 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Brownsville, Texas since 1851, 24 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Nicholas in 2021. Since 1950, 60 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 2 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 24
- Tropical storms
- 18
- Tornadoes
- 60
- EF3 or stronger
- 2
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
1 deaths in all
What the records show for Brownsville
The strongest storm to pass near Brownsville was an unnamed storm in 1880, a Category 4 hurricane with 133 mph winds when its centre passed 6 miles away. The record near Brownsville begins with an unnamed storm in 1854; the most recent system was Nicholas in 2021, a tropical storm 48 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1910s, with 5 systems, 4 of them at hurricane strength. Of the 42 systems, 5 have come since 2000. Brownsville has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 97% of the 753 Texas cities on this site. The highest rating among the 60 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3, reached 2 times; the most recent, on May 12, 1969, came within 24 miles. The deadliest, an EF1 on May 13, 2023, killed 1 person. Of the 60, 9 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 23 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 14. The most recent tornado was on October 27, 2025. Of the 753 Texas cities, 83% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Brownsville. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 34 times since 1968, with stones up to 4 inches (softball size). Of the 753 Texas cities, 80% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Brownsville.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Brownsville
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | NicholasSep 13 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2020 | HannaJul 25 | 53 mi | Category 1 (92 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2010 | HermineSep 7 | 9 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2008 | DollyJul 23 | 32 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 2 |
| 2003 | ErikaAug 16 | 43 mi | Category 1 (74 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1999 | BretAug 22 | 60 mi | Category 4 (130 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1993 | ArleneJun 20 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1983 | BarryAug 28 | 37 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1980 | AllenAug 10 | 19 mi | Category 3 (114 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1978 | AmeliaJul 30 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1971 | EdithSep 15 | 58 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1968 | CandyJun 23 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1967 | BeulahSep 20 | 11 mi | Category 3 (120 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1960 | Unnamed 1960 stormJun 23 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1958 | GerdaSep 20 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1958 | AlmaJun 15 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1954 | AliceJun 25 | 45 mi | Category 1 (83 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1947 | Unnamed 1947 stormAug 2 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1945 | Unnamed 1945 stormAug 26 | 63 mi | Category 2 (106 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1944 | Unnamed 1944 stormAug 22 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1936 | Unnamed 1936 stormSep 13 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1933 | Unnamed 1933 stormSep 5 | 11 mi | Category 2 (106 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1933 | Unnamed 1933 stormAug 5 | 17 mi | Category 1 (79 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1931 | Unnamed 1931 stormJun 27 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1925 | Unnamed 1925 stormSep 7 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormAug 18 | 65 mi | Category 4 (132 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1913 | Unnamed 1913 stormJun 27 | 72 mi | Category 1 (75 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1912 | Unnamed 1912 stormOct 16 | 47 mi | Category 2 (98 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1910 | Unnamed 1910 stormSep 14 | 66 mi | Category 2 (104 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1910 | Unnamed 1910 stormAug 31 | 22 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1909 | Unnamed 1909 stormJun 29 | 10 mi | Category 1 (86 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 26 | 32 mi | Category 1 (77 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1895 | Unnamed 1895 stormOct 6 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1895 | Unnamed 1895 stormAug 30 | 68 mi | Category 1 (87 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1887 | Unnamed 1887 stormSep 21 | 9 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormSep 23 | 15 mi | Category 2 (97 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1885 | Unnamed 1885 stormSep 18 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1880 | Unnamed 1880 stormAug 13 | 6 mi | Category 4 (133 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1874 | Unnamed 1874 stormSep 4 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1867 | Unnamed 1867 stormOct 2 | 23 mi | Category 2 (104 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1857 | Unnamed 1857 stormSep 30 | 3 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1854 | Unnamed 1854 stormJun 26 | 22 mi | Category 1 (74 mph) | Category 1 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Brownsville: 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 Brownsville
By decade
- 2020s5
- 2010s8
- 2000s10
- 1990s9
- 1980s8
- 1970s12
- 1960s8(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 12, 1969 | F3 | 14 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 12, 1969 | F3 | 24 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 9, 1980 | F2 | 5 mi | 4.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 24, 1970 | F2 | 25 mi | 25.5 mi | 0 / 1 |
| May 12, 1969 | F2 | 4 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 13, 2023 | EF1 | 16 mi | 0.45 mi | 1 / 11 |
| Apr 4, 1997 | F1 | 2 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 16, 1988 | F1 | 22 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 21, 1977 | F1 | 17 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 16, 1977 | F1 | 19 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 1, 1970 | F1 | 16 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 13, 1969 | F1 | 18 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 60, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Brownsville
The Storm Prediction Center has 34 hail reports within 10 miles of Brownsville since 1968, made on 17 separate days. Of these, 30 were 1 inch across or larger, and 7 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4 inches (softball size), fell on May 11, 1971. The most recent report is from November 1, 2025. April has the most reports, 13.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Brownsville
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Brownsville, TX, 3 miles southeast of Brownsville at 23 feet. August is the warmest, with an average high of 96°F and low of 78°F; January is the coolest, at 73°F and 53°F. September is the wettest at 5.7 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 1.0 inches; the year adds up to 26.9 inches over 39 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 68% of the year's precipitation (18.4 of 26.9 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 42 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (14); a normal September there has highs of 92°F and 5.7 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 140 days a year, almost all from March to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 1 nights a year. That 26.9 inches is more than at 88 of the 312 Texas stations used on this site (28%). Los Fresnos, 11 miles north, has its own station (Port Isabel Cameron Airport, TX): 23.3 inches a year, 3.6 less than here, and an August average high of 93°F against 96°F.
Water temperature at the NOAA tide station Port Isabel, TX, 18 miles northeast, averaged 87°F in September and 62°F in February over 2021–2025. It averaged 80°F or warmer from May to October. Sea level at the Port Isabel tide gauge, 18 miles from Brownsville, has risen 1.71 ± 0.06 inches per decade from 1944 to 2025, NOAA's linear trend; at that pace it is 17.1 inches in a hundred years. That is faster than at 108 of the 144 U.S. gauges with a NOAA trend.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Water °F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 73 | 53 | 1.1 | 2 | 63 |
| Feb | 76 | 57 | 1.0 | 2 | 62 |
| Mar | 81 | 62 | 1.5 | 2 | 69 |
| Apr | 86 | 68 | 1.5 | 2 | 75 |
| May | 90 | 74 | 2.2 | 2 | 81 |
| Jun | 94 | 77 | 2.9 | 4 | 85 |
| Jul | 95 | 78 | 2.0 | 3 | 84 |
| Aug | 96 | 78 | 2.2 | 4 | 86 |
| Sep | 92 | 75 | 5.7 | 8 | 87 |
| Oct | 87 | 69 | 3.8 | 5 | 82 |
| Nov | 80 | 61 | 1.8 | 3 | 74 |
| Dec | 74 | 55 | 1.2 | 3 | 69 |
| Year | 85 | 67 | 26.9 | 39 | 76 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Brownsville, TX (23 ft), from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals; water temperature: average of hourly readings 2021–2025 at the NOAA tide station Port Isabel, 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 Brownsville
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 108 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Brownsville: 36 flash floods, 36 thunderstorm wind reports, 23 heavy rain events, 11 floods and 2 lightning strikes. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $31.9 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on May 30, 2005. July has had the most flash floods, 10 of 36. Of the 745 Texas cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 607 have had fewer than Brownsville.
June 20, 2018: flash flood 5 miles from the centre of Brownsville — $20.0 million damage.
NWS: “One day after 3 to more than 5 inches fell between Brownsville and Los Fresnos during the afternoon and early evening hours, a repeat event occurred, fed by deep tropical moisture and multiple boundaries left behind from devastating morning flooding across western Cameron and eastern Hidalgo County.”
September 19, 2010: flash flood 6 miles from the centre of Brownsville — $5.0 million damage.
NWS: “Upper level energy, low level convergence, and a possible overnight low level jet stream of extremely moisture laden air from the Gulf of Mexico produced prolonged torrential rains across south central Cameron County between 2 and 7 AM CST September 19th.”
June 19, 2018: flash flood 3 miles from the centre of Brownsville — $5.0 million damage.
NWS: “A band of thunderstorms, moving slowly from west to east, intersected the sea breeze and stalled between Brownsville and Los Fresnos, dumping 3 to 5 or more inches of rainfall in a 2 to 3 hour period, causing significant street flooding and some road closures. Flood prone roads, including Morrison Blvd.”
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 Brownsville's 3 ZIP codes have filed 994 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $11.6 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Hurricane Dolly in 2008: 126 claims (13% of all) and $592,000, then Flooding in 1984 with 116 and Hurricane Allen in 1980 with 82. 36% 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, 366 have fewer than Brownsville.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Hurricane Dolly2008 | 126 | $592,000 |
| Flooding1984 | 116 | $363,000 |
| Hurricane Allen1980 | 82 | $293,000 |
| Fall severe storms2015 | 24 | $498,000 |
Cameron County, which includes Brownsville, has been named in 34 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1967, 22 of them major disasters (by incident: 16 hurricanes, 5 floods, 4 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms and Flooding, on May 21, 2025. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Cameron County a Relatively High rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Very High for hurricanes; Relatively High for hail, strong wind, lightning and heat waves; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, inland flooding and coastal flooding. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $165.1 million a year, the 14th highest of 254 Texas counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $84.1 million (51%), is from hurricanes.
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 Brownsville
- Olmito, TX8 mi
- Los Fresnos, TX11 mi
- San Benito, TX16 mi
- Port Isabel, TX17 mi
- South Padre Island, TX22 mi
- Rio Hondo, TX23 mi
- Harlingen, TX24 mi
- La Feria, TX27 mi
- Mercedes, TX32 mi
- Santa Rosa, TX32 mi
- Progreso, TX33 mi
- Lyford, TX35 mi
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