NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Cactus, 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
No tropical storm or hurricane has passed within 75 miles of Cactus, Texas since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 102 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 3 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 102
- EF3 or stronger
- 3
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
no recorded deaths
What the records show for Cactus
The highest rating among the 102 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on March 18, 1982, came within 16 miles. Of the 102, 7 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 44 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 36. The most recent tornado was on July 7, 2023. Of the 753 Texas cities on this site, 52% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Cactus. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 77 times since 1958, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 753 Texas cities, 51% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Cactus.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Cactus
By decade
- 2020s8
- 2010s16
- 2000s20
- 1990s11(1 EF3+)
- 1980s11(1 EF3+)
- 1970s15(1 EF3+)
- 1960s15
- 1950s6
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 18, 1982 | F4 | 16 mi | 88 mi | 0 / 12 |
| Jun 9, 1971 | F4 | 11 mi | 5.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 27, 1992 | F3 | 24 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 21, 2007 | EF2 | 15 mi | 11.93 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 21, 2007 | EF2 | in town | 19.67 mi | 0 / 14 |
| May 10, 1972 | F2 | 19 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 10, 1972 | F2 | 18 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 9, 1971 | F2 | 11 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 9, 1971 | F2 | 11 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 9, 1971 | F2 | 11 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 5, 1967 | F2 | 1 mi | 2.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 14, 1965 | F2 | 21 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 102, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Cactus
The Storm Prediction Center has 77 hail reports within 10 miles of Cactus since 1958, made on 60 separate days. Of these, 43 were 1 inch across or larger, and 7 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2.75 inches (baseball size), was reported on 2 days, most recently June 14, 1967. The most recent report is from June 13, 2023. June has the most reports, 35.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Cactus
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Dumas, TX, 12 miles south of Cactus at 3,655 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 92°F and low of 65°F; January is the coolest, at 49°F and 22°F. August is the wettest at 3.0 inches of precipitation on average and January and February the driest at 0.4 inches; the year adds up to 17.8 inches over 31 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 73 days a year, almost all from May to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 124 nights a year. Snowfall averages 9.1 inches a year, most of it in December. That 17.8 inches is more than at 17 of the 312 Texas stations used on this site (5%). Gruver, 33 miles northeast, has its own station (Gruver, TX): 20.7 inches a year, 2.9 more than here, and a July average high of 93°F against 92°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 49 | 22 | 0.4 | 1 | 2.2 |
| Feb | 53 | 24 | 0.4 | 1 | 0.8 |
| Mar | 62 | 32 | 1.0 | 2 | 1.2 |
| Apr | 70 | 39 | 1.4 | 3 | 0.1 |
| May | 79 | 50 | 1.9 | 3 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 89 | 60 | 2.3 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 92 | 65 | 2.7 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 90 | 64 | 3.0 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 83 | 56 | 1.7 | 3 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 72 | 43 | 1.8 | 3 | 0.4 |
| Nov | 59 | 31 | 0.5 | 2 | 1.3 |
| Dec | 49 | 23 | 0.7 | 2 | 3.1 |
| Year | 71 | 42 | 17.8 | 31 | 9.1 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Dumas, TX (3,655 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 Cactus
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 27 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Cactus: 23 thunderstorm wind reports, 2 flash floods and 2 floods. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $276,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 85 mph, on June 20, 2017.
April 11, 2012: flash flood in Cactus — $100,000 damage.
NWS: “The Moore County Emergency Manager reported that County Road E and Farm to Market Road 281 were closed due to flowing water. There were numerous homes and businesses that were flooded in the Etter and Cactus, Texas areas.”
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
Moore County, which includes Cactus, has been named in 15 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1992, 8 of them major disasters (by incident: 5 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 Moore County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, hail and strong wind; Relatively Low for lightning; Very Low for inland flooding and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $20.3 million a year, the 91st highest of 254 Texas counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $2.9 million (14%), is from tornadoes.
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 Cactus
- Dumas, TX11 mi
- Sunray, TX14 mi
- Gruver, TX33 mi
- Dalhart, TX33 mi
- Fritch, TX37 mi
- Borger, TX43 mi
- Spearman, TX47 mi
- Guymon, OK56 mi
- Panhandle, TX60 mi
- Amarillo, TX60 mi
- Pampa, TX69 mi
- Hooker, OK69 mi
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