NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Buffalo, 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
18 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Buffalo, Texas since 1851, 1 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Beryl in 2024. Since 1950, 41 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 3 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 1
- Tropical storms
- 17
- Tornadoes
- 41
- EF3 or stronger
- 3
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
4 deaths in all
What the records show for Buffalo
The strongest storm to pass near Buffalo was an unnamed storm in 1900, a Category 1 hurricane with 74 mph winds when its centre passed 59 miles away. The record near Buffalo begins with an unnamed storm in 1871; the most recent system was Beryl in 2024, a tropical storm 44 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1940s, with 5 systems. Of the 18 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Buffalo has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 56% of the 753 Texas cities on this site. The highest rating among the 41 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3 or EF3, reached 3 times; the most recent, on April 13, 2019, came within 24 miles. The deadliest, an F2 on November 15, 1987, killed 3 people. Of the 41, 3 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 22 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 18. The most recent tornado was on May 6, 2025. Of the 753 Texas cities, 92% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Buffalo. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 27 times since 1981, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 753 Texas cities, 87% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Buffalo.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Buffalo
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | BerylJul 8 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 5 |
| 2008 | IkeSep 13 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1989 | ChantalAug 2 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1983 | AliciaAug 18 | 32 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormOct 4 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1945 | Unnamed 1945 stormAug 29 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1943 | Unnamed 1943 stormJul 28 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1942 | Unnamed 1942 stormAug 22 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 24 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1921 | Unnamed 1921 stormJun 23 | 6 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 18 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 27 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 9 | 59 mi | Category 1 (74 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1897 | Unnamed 1897 stormSep 13 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormJul 6 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1882 | Unnamed 1882 stormSep 15 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1871 | Unnamed 1871 stormJun 10 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1871 | Unnamed 1871 stormJun 5 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Buffalo: 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 Buffalo
By decade
- 2020s9
- 2010s7(1 EF3+)
- 2000s6
- 1990s8
- 1980s3(1 EF3+)
- 1970s1
- 1960s1
- 1950s6(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 15, 1987 | F3 | 22 mi | 10.5 mi | 1 / 59 |
| Apr 13, 2019 | EF3 | 24 mi | 32.48 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 30, 1954 | F3 | 16 mi | 139.9 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Nov 15, 1987 | F2 | 23 mi | 10 mi | 3 / 2 |
| Dec 29, 2006 | F2 | 14 mi | 14.7 mi | 0 / 12 |
| Apr 13, 1967 | F2 | 19 mi | 8.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 24, 1957 | F2 | 18 mi | 4.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 11, 1953 | F2 | 6 mi | 9.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 6, 2025 | EF1 | 4 mi | 5.98 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 6, 2025 | EF1 | 7 mi | 3.49 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 13, 2019 | EF1 | 1 mi | 11.22 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 10, 2010 | EF1 | 24 mi | 2.81 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 41, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Buffalo
The Storm Prediction Center has 27 hail reports within 10 miles of Buffalo since 1981, made on 25 separate days. Of these, 21 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 6 days, most recently April 2, 2017. The most recent report is from May 23, 2024. April has the most reports, 13.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Buffalo
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Centerville, TX, 14 miles south of Buffalo at 320 feet. August is the warmest, with an average high of 95°F and low of 71°F; January is the coolest, at 60°F and 35°F. May is the wettest at 4.7 inches of precipitation on average and July the driest at 2.5 inches; the year adds up to 42.4 inches over 56 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 48% of the year's precipitation (20.2 of 42.4 inches); the other six months are wetter. Highs reach 90°F on about 100 days a year, almost all from May to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 46 nights a year. That 42.4 inches is more than at 228 of the 312 Texas stations used on this site (73%). Oakwood, 14 miles northeast, has its own station (Palestine 6 WNW, TX): 43.9 inches a year, 1.5 more than here, and the same August average high, 95°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 60 | 35 | 3.5 | 5 |
| Feb | 63 | 39 | 3.2 | 5 |
| Mar | 70 | 45 | 3.9 | 5 |
| Apr | 78 | 52 | 3.1 | 4 |
| May | 84 | 62 | 4.7 | 5 |
| Jun | 91 | 69 | 4.0 | 5 |
| Jul | 94 | 72 | 2.5 | 3 |
| Aug | 95 | 71 | 2.7 | 4 |
| Sep | 89 | 65 | 3.2 | 4 |
| Oct | 80 | 54 | 4.2 | 5 |
| Nov | 69 | 44 | 3.6 | 5 |
| Dec | 61 | 37 | 3.8 | 5 |
| Year | 78 | 54 | 42.4 | 56 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Centerville, TX (320 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 Buffalo
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 48 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Buffalo: 33 thunderstorm wind reports, 14 flash floods and 1 flood. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $1.7 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on June 21, 2023. June has had the most flash floods, 6 of 14. Of the 745 Texas cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 298 have had fewer than Buffalo.
June 21, 2023: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Buffalo — $1.0 million damage.
NWS: “Downburst and straight-line winds caused considerable damage along a line from south of Fairfield in Freestone County to Buffalo in Leon County. Notable, consistent tree damage was observed along Interstate 45 with large trees uprooted.”
July 14, 2007: flash flood 9 miles from the centre of Buffalo — $350,000 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
Leon County, which includes Buffalo, has been named in 30 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 21 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 hurricanes, 5 fires, 5 severe storms, 4 floods). The latest major disaster declaration was Hurricane Beryl, on July 9, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Leon County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for lightning; Relatively Low for hurricanes, tornadoes, inland flooding, strong wind and heat waves; Very Low for hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $15.1 million a year, the 109th highest of 254 Texas counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $3.6 million (24%), 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 Buffalo
- Jewett, TX11 mi
- Oakwood, TX14 mi
- Centerville, TX15 mi
- Teague, TX18 mi
- Fairfield, TX22 mi
- Normangee, TX28 mi
- Groesbeck, TX28 mi
- Mexia, TX30 mi
- Palestine, TX32 mi
- Elkhart, TX32 mi
- Tennessee Colony, TX32 mi
- Streetman, TX33 mi
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