NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Canyon 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
10 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Canyon Lake, Texas since 1851, 2 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Harvey in 2017. Since 1950, 69 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 3 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 2
- Tropical storms
- 8
- Tornadoes
- 69
- EF3 or stronger
- 3
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
1 deaths in all
What the records show for Canyon Lake
The strongest storm to pass near Canyon Lake was an unnamed storm in 1886, a Category 1 hurricane with 81 mph winds when its centre passed 29 miles away. The record near Canyon Lake begins with an unnamed storm in 1886; the most recent system was Harvey in 2017, a tropical storm 56 miles away. Of the 10 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Canyon Lake has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 62% of the 753 Texas cities on this site. The highest rating among the 69 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3, reached 3 times; the most recent, on May 6, 1969, came within 25 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on April 28, 1953, killed 1 person. Of the 69, 5 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 30 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 19. The most recent tornado was on October 24, 2025. Of the 753 Texas cities, 77% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Canyon Lake. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 66 times since 1971, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 753 Texas cities, 57% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Canyon Lake.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Canyon Lake
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | HarveyAug 27 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2010 | HermineSep 7 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1973 | DeliaSep 6 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1968 | CandyJun 24 | 40 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1961 | CarlaSep 12 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1942 | Unnamed 1942 stormAug 30 | 39 mi | Category 1 (76 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1929 | Unnamed 1929 stormJun 29 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (64 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 27 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormSep 24 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormAug 20 | 29 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 4 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Canyon 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 Canyon Lake
By decade
- 2020s7
- 2010s9
- 2000s14
- 1990s8
- 1980s3
- 1970s11
- 1960s11(2 EF3+)
- 1950s6(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 28, 1953 | F3 | 25 mi | 4.9 mi | 1 / 5 |
| May 6, 1969 | F3 | 25 mi | 38.9 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Sep 20, 1967 | F3 | 18 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 30, 2015 | EF2 | 17 mi | 8.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 10, 1980 | F2 | 9 mi | 47.7 mi | 0 / 20 |
| Mar 30, 1976 | F2 | 22 mi | 2.5 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Mar 30, 1976 | F2 | 14 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 1, 1967 | F2 | 23 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 21, 1966 | F2 | 16 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 12, 1961 | F2 | 19 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 4, 1961 | F2 | 21 mi | 1.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 3, 1958 | F2 | 12 mi | 21 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 69, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Canyon Lake
The Storm Prediction Center has 66 hail reports within 10 miles of Canyon Lake since 1971, made on 51 separate days. Of these, 50 were 1 inch across or larger, and 5 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on April 30, 2016. The most recent report is from April 9, 2024. April has the most reports, 20.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Canyon Lake
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Canyon Dam, TX, 4 miles southeast of Canyon Lake at 1,000 feet. August is the warmest, with an average high of 96°F and low of 73°F; January is the coolest, at 61°F and 40°F. October is the wettest at 4.9 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.0 inches; the year adds up to 37.9 inches over 53 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 55% of the year's precipitation (20.9 of 37.9 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 10 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (4); a normal September there has highs of 89°F and 3.9 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 103 days a year, almost all from April to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 18 nights a year. That 37.9 inches is more than at 192 of the 312 Texas stations used on this site (62%). New Braunfels, 14 miles southeast, has its own station (New Braunfels, TX): 33.7 inches a year, 4.2 less than here, and an August average high of 95°F against 96°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 61 | 40 | 2.4 | 5 |
| Feb | 65 | 43 | 2.0 | 4 |
| Mar | 72 | 50 | 2.8 | 5 |
| Apr | 79 | 57 | 2.9 | 4 |
| May | 85 | 65 | 4.5 | 6 |
| Jun | 91 | 71 | 4.1 | 5 |
| Jul | 94 | 73 | 2.7 | 4 |
| Aug | 96 | 73 | 2.4 | 4 |
| Sep | 89 | 68 | 3.9 | 5 |
| Oct | 81 | 59 | 4.9 | 4 |
| Nov | 70 | 49 | 2.9 | 4 |
| Dec | 63 | 42 | 2.4 | 4 |
| Year | 79 | 58 | 37.9 | 53 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Canyon Dam, TX (1,000 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 Canyon Lake
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 53 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Canyon Lake: 28 flash floods and 25 thunderstorm wind reports. They killed 11 people and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $100.8 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 100 mph, on October 24, 2025. May has had the most flash floods, 7 of 28. Of the 745 Texas cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 543 have had fewer than Canyon Lake.
May 24, 2015: flash flood 10 miles from the centre of Canyon Lake — 10 killed, $100.0 million damage.
October 30, 2015: flash flood 7 miles from the centre of Canyon Lake — 1 killed.
May 12, 2020: flash flood 3 miles from the centre of Canyon Lake — $250,000 damage.
NWS: “Thunderstorms produced heavy rain that led to flash flooding. 01 inches of rain between 7 am and 1 pm.”
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 Canyon Lake's ZIP code 78133 have filed 108 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1979, and were paid $4.5 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Torrential rain in 2002: 41 claims (38% of all) and $3.7 million, then Fall severe storms in 2015 with 17 and Flooding in 1998 with 12. 69% 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, 231 have fewer than Canyon Lake.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Torrential rain2002 | 41 | $3.7 million |
| Fall severe storms2015 | 17 | $234,000 |
| Flooding1998 | 12 | $210,000 |
Comal County, which includes Canyon Lake, has been named in 27 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1972, 14 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 fires, 6 floods, 6 hurricanes, 3 severe storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storm, on April 21, 2023. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Comal County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for tornadoes, hail, inland flooding and lightning; Relatively Moderate for strong wind and heat waves; Relatively Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $143.7 million a year, the 16th highest of 254 Texas counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $117.7 million (82%), 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 Canyon Lake
- Spring Branch, TX9 mi
- Wimberley, TX12 mi
- New Braunfels, TX14 mi
- Bulverde, TX14 mi
- Garden Ridge, TX17 mi
- Blanco, TX18 mi
- San Marcos, TX18 mi
- Driftwood, TX20 mi
- Schertz, TX21 mi
- Cibolo, TX21 mi
- Marion, TX23 mi
- Universal City, TX23 mi
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