NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Bullard, 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
10 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Bullard, Texas since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 109 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 11 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 10
- Tornadoes
- 109
- EF3 or stronger
- 11
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
6 deaths in all
What the records show for Bullard
None of the 10 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Bullard; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1891, a tropical storm with 59 mph winds when its centre passed 63 miles away. The record near Bullard begins with an unnamed storm in 1871; the most recent system was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm 9 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1940s, with 4 systems. Of the 10 systems, one has come since 2000. Bullard has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 49% of the 753 Texas cities on this site. The highest rating among the 109 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3 or EF3, reached 11 times; the most recent, on May 10, 2015, came within 24 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on November 15, 1987, killed 4 people. Of the 109, 11 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 33 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 32. The most recent tornado was on November 20, 2025. Bullard has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 52% of the 753 Texas cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 113 times since 1979, with stones up to 4.25 inches. Bullard has more hail reports within 10 miles than 68% of the 753 Texas cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Bullard
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 13 | 9 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormOct 5 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1947 | Unnamed 1947 stormSep 20 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 24 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1940 | Unnamed 1940 stormAug 9 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1918 | Unnamed 1918 stormAug 7 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 18 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1891 | Unnamed 1891 stormJul 6 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1871 | Unnamed 1871 stormJun 10 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1871 | Unnamed 1871 stormJun 5 | 40 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Tropical storm |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Bullard: 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 Bullard
By decade
- 2020s7
- 2010s15(1 EF3+)
- 2000s11(1 EF3+)
- 1990s18(1 EF3+)
- 1980s20(2 EF3+)
- 1970s16(1 EF3+)
- 1960s10(1 EF3+)
- 1950s12(4 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 15, 1987 | F3 | 9 mi | 33 mi | 4 / 81 |
| May 10, 2015 | EF3 | 24 mi | 10.22 mi | 2 / 43 |
| Apr 6, 2003 | F3 | 25 mi | 38.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 26, 1991 | F3 | 7 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 1 |
| May 9, 1981 | F3 | 20 mi | 15 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 23, 1979 | F3 | 4 mi | 10.3 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Sep 11, 1961 | F3 | 16 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Nov 4, 1959 | F3 | 18 mi | 25.1 mi | 0 / 3 |
| May 3, 1958 | F3 | 17 mi | 59.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 12, 1955 | F3 | 5 mi | 5.6 mi | 0 / 7 |
| May 2, 1954 | F3 | 19 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 4 |
| May 25, 2015 | EF2 | 25 mi | 19.45 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 109, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Bullard
The Storm Prediction Center has 113 hail reports within 10 miles of Bullard since 1979, made on 70 separate days. Of these, 84 were 1 inch across or larger, and 13 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4.25 inches, fell on February 5, 2008. The most recent report is from May 6, 2025. April has the most reports, 32.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Bullard
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Tyler, TX, 12 miles north of Bullard at 550 feet. August is the warmest, with an average high of 94°F and low of 73°F; January is the coolest, at 58°F and 39°F. June is the wettest at 4.8 inches of precipitation on average and July the driest at 2.7 inches; the year adds up to 47.7 inches over 64 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 46% of the year's precipitation (22.1 of 47.7 inches); the other six months are wetter. Highs reach 90°F on about 96 days a year, almost all from May to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 28 nights a year. That 47.7 inches is more than at 256 of the 312 Texas stations used on this site (82%). Frankston, 9 miles southwest, has its own station (Jacksonville, TX): 47.5 inches a year, 0.2 less than here, and the same August average high, 94°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 58 | 39 | 4.0 | 6 |
| Feb | 63 | 42 | 4.3 | 6 |
| Mar | 70 | 49 | 4.3 | 6 |
| Apr | 77 | 55 | 4.0 | 5 |
| May | 84 | 64 | 4.3 | 6 |
| Jun | 90 | 71 | 4.8 | 6 |
| Jul | 93 | 74 | 2.7 | 4 |
| Aug | 94 | 73 | 2.9 | 4 |
| Sep | 88 | 67 | 3.2 | 4 |
| Oct | 78 | 57 | 4.7 | 5 |
| Nov | 66 | 47 | 3.8 | 5 |
| Dec | 59 | 40 | 4.7 | 6 |
| Year | 77 | 56 | 47.7 | 64 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Tyler, TX (550 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 Bullard
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 130 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Bullard: 77 thunderstorm wind reports, 41 flash floods, 7 floods, 4 lightning strikes and 1 heavy rain event. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $877,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 75 mph, on January 5, 1998. Of the 745 Texas cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 639 have had fewer than Bullard.
September 7, 2022: lightning strike 5 miles from the centre of Bullard — $250,000 damage.
NWS: “Lightning struck a home on FM 2493 in Bullard, setting the house on fire. Unfortunately, the home was destroyed from the fire.”
October 9, 2009: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Bullard — $100,000 damage.
NWS: “A large oak tree was downed on a home in the Bullard, Texas community. The tree did moderate damage to the roof and the kitchen.”
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 Bullard's ZIP code 75757 have filed 16 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 2007, and were paid $76,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 25% 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, 51 have fewer than Bullard.
Smith County, which includes Bullard, has been named in 33 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 20 of them major disasters (by incident: 8 hurricanes, 6 fires, 5 severe storms, 4 floods). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on May 17, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Smith County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind and lightning; Relatively Moderate for hail, inland flooding and heat waves; Relatively Low for hurricanes and tornadoes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $43.1 million a year, the 40th highest of 254 Texas counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $21.4 million (50%), 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 Bullard
- Flint, TX6 mi
- Frankston, TX9 mi
- Whitehouse, TX11 mi
- Chandler, TX11 mi
- Tyler, TX14 mi
- Jacksonville, TX14 mi
- Troup, TX16 mi
- Larue, TX16 mi
- Brownsboro, TX18 mi
- Arp, TX19 mi
- Murchison, TX24 mi
- Ben Wheeler, TX26 mi
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