NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Center, 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
19 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Center, Texas since 1851, 2 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Laura in 2020. Since 1950, 96 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 11 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 2
- Tropical storms
- 17
- Tornadoes
- 96
- EF3 or stronger
- 11
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
26 deaths in all
What the records show for Center
The strongest storm to pass near Center was Laura in 2020, a Category 1 hurricane with 90 mph winds when its centre passed 59 miles away. The record near Center begins with an unnamed storm in 1865; the most recent system was Laura in 2020. The busiest decade was the 1940s, with 4 systems. Of the 19 systems, 6 have come since 2000. Center has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 62% of the 753 Texas cities on this site. The strongest of the 96 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on February 12, 1950; its path came within 18 miles, and it killed 18 people. Of the 96, 6 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 39 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 25. The most recent tornado was on March 28, 2025. Of the 753 Texas cities, 57% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Center. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 76 times since 1962, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Of the 753 Texas cities, 52% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Center.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Center
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | LauraAug 27 | 59 mi | Category 1 (90 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2019 | BarryJul 14 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2017 | CindyJun 22 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2008 | IkeSep 13 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2008 | GustavSep 2 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2005 | RitaSep 24 | 6 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1986 | BonnieJun 26 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 27 | 69 mi | Category 1 (76 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormOct 5 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1947 | Unnamed 1947 stormSep 20 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 24 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1940 | Unnamed 1940 stormAug 9 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1938 | Unnamed 1938 stormAug 15 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1918 | Unnamed 1918 stormAug 7 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1891 | Unnamed 1891 stormJul 6 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormOct 13 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (67 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1879 | Unnamed 1879 stormAug 23 | 14 mi | Tropical storm (67 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1871 | Unnamed 1871 stormJun 10 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1865 | Unnamed 1865 stormSep 14 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 2 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Center: 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 Center
By decade
- 2020s17
- 2010s15
- 2000s7(1 EF3+)
- 1990s13(2 EF3+)
- 1980s15(2 EF3+)
- 1970s10(2 EF3+)
- 1960s12(2 EF3+)
- 1950s7(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 12, 1950 | F4 | 18 mi | 82.6 mi | 18 / 77 |
| Feb 12, 1950 | F3 | 2 mi | 1.9 mi | 3 / 15 |
| Mar 27, 1961 | F3 | 10 mi | 13.8 mi | 2 / 4 |
| Nov 15, 1987 | F3 | 7 mi | 48 mi | 1 / 116 |
| Mar 20, 1974 | F3 | 18 mi | 85.2 mi | 1 / 9 |
| Mar 30, 2002 | F3 | 22 mi | 49 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Apr 3, 1999 | F3 | 16 mi | 5.4 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Feb 19, 1991 | F3 | 15 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 7, 1989 | F3 | 21 mi | 6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 20, 1974 | F3 | 20 mi | 44.7 mi | 0 / 18 |
| Feb 11, 1965 | F3 | 8 mi | 42.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 27, 2021 | EF2 | 24 mi | 15.84 mi | 1 / 3 |
The strongest 12 of 96, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Center
The Storm Prediction Center has 76 hail reports within 10 miles of Center since 1962, made on 60 separate days. Of these, 53 were 1 inch across or larger, and 7 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on April 10, 1962. The most recent report is from June 8, 2025. April has the most reports, 33.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Center
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Center, TX, 3 miles northeast of Center at 325 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 94°F and low of 72°F; January is the coolest, at 59°F and 36°F. December is the wettest at 5.6 inches of precipitation on average and September the driest at 3.6 inches; the year adds up to 56.8 inches over 70 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 46% of the year's precipitation (26.4 of 56.8 inches); the other six months are wetter. September has brought the most of the 19 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (6); a normal September there has highs of 89°F and 3.6 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 97 days a year, almost all from May to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 42 nights a year. Snowfall averages 0.6 inches a year, most of it in February. That 56.8 inches is more than at 299 of the 312 Texas stations used on this site (96%). San Augustine, 18 miles south, has its own station (San Augustine, TX): 55.7 inches a year, 1.1 less than here, and the same July average high, 94°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 59 | 36 | 5.2 | 6 | 0.2 |
| Feb | 63 | 39 | 4.8 | 7 | 0.4 |
| Mar | 70 | 46 | 5.3 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Apr | 77 | 53 | 5.0 | 6 | 0.0 |
| May | 84 | 62 | 4.5 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 91 | 69 | 5.0 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 94 | 72 | 3.7 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 95 | 71 | 4.2 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 89 | 65 | 3.6 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 80 | 53 | 5.0 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 68 | 43 | 4.9 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 60 | 37 | 5.6 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Year | 77 | 54 | 56.8 | 70 | 0.6 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Center, TX (325 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 Center
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 104 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Center: 82 thunderstorm wind reports, 20 flash floods and 2 lightning strikes. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $530,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 100 mph, on June 8, 2025. Of the 745 Texas cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 438 have had fewer than Center.
July 14, 2014: lightning strike 1 mile from the centre of Center — $250,000 damage.
NWS: “The Center Fire Department was dispatched to a house fire at 1134 CR 2230 in Center Texas at 5:30pm. The caller reported lightning struck the house and ignited a fire.”
May 11, 2015: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Center — $130,000 damage.
NWS: “An NWS Storm survey team determined that storm damage on the southwest side of Center, Texas was consistent with that of straight line wind damage. Scattered trees were downed on mainly the west side of town near FM.”
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
Shelby County, which includes Center, has been named in 27 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1966, 17 of them major disasters (by incident: 8 hurricanes, 4 fires, 4 floods, 3 ice storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Hurricane Beryl, on July 9, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Shelby County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind; Relatively Moderate for hurricanes, tornadoes and lightning; Relatively Low for hail, inland flooding and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $12.9 million a year, the 128th highest of 254 Texas counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $4.0 million (31%), 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 Center
- Tenaha, TX12 mi
- Joaquin, TX15 mi
- Timpson, TX16 mi
- Shelbyville, TX17 mi
- San Augustine, TX18 mi
- Logansport, LA20 mi
- Garrison, TX20 mi
- Gary, TX20 mi
- Carthage, TX27 mi
- Nacogdoches, TX29 mi
- Bronson, TX31 mi
- Mount Enterprise, TX31 mi
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