NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Chico, 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
2 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Chico, Texas since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Carla in 1961. Since 1950, 105 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 5 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 2
- Tornadoes
- 105
- EF3 or stronger
- 5
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
11 deaths in all
What the records show for Chico
None of the 2 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Chico; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 52 mph winds when its centre passed 4 miles away. The record near Chico begins with an unnamed storm in 1900; the most recent system was Carla in 1961, a tropical storm 32 miles away. Of the 753 Texas cities on this site, 84% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Chico. The highest rating among the 105 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3 or EF3, reached 5 times; the most recent, on May 25, 2024, came within 17 miles. Of the 105, 5 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 43 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 33. The most recent tornado was on April 19, 2025. Chico has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 49% of the 753 Texas cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 105 times since 1956, with stones up to 4 inches (softball size). Chico has more hail reports within 10 miles than 64% of the 753 Texas cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Chico
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | CarlaSep 13 | 32 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 9 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 4 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Chico: 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 Chico
By decade
- 2020s21(2 EF3+)
- 2010s11
- 2000s11
- 1990s23(1 EF3+)
- 1980s5
- 1970s17
- 1960s9
- 1950s8(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 25, 2024 | EF3 | 17 mi | 47.27 mi | 7 / 80 |
| May 7, 1995 | F3 | 25 mi | 26 mi | 2 / 11 |
| Mar 21, 2022 | EF3 | 11 mi | 34.5 mi | 0 / 9 |
| Apr 2, 1958 | F3 | 25 mi | 18.2 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Apr 6, 1955 | F3 | 16 mi | 21.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 13, 2022 | EF2 | 17 mi | 9.71 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Oct 12, 2001 | F2 | 16 mi | 9 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Oct 12, 2001 | F2 | 16 mi | 2.5 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Apr 13, 1996 | F2 | 22 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 25, 1990 | F2 | 14 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 25, 1990 | F2 | 17 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 12, 1982 | F2 | 23 mi | 20 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 105, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Chico
The Storm Prediction Center has 105 hail reports within 10 miles of Chico since 1956, made on 79 separate days. Of these, 75 were 1 inch across or larger, and 11 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4 inches (softball size), fell on April 24, 1964. The most recent report is from May 17, 2025. May has the most reports, 30.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Chico
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Bridgeport, TX, 8 miles southeast of Chico at 769 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 96°F and low of 72°F; January is the coolest, at 56°F and 31°F. May is the wettest at 4.6 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 1.7 inches; the year adds up to 33.3 inches over 47 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 101 days a year, almost all from April to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 61 nights a year. Snowfall averages 1.8 inches a year, most of it in January. That 33.3 inches is more than at 143 of the 312 Texas stations used on this site (46%). Alvord, 11 miles northeast, has its own station (Alvord 3 N, TX): 35.3 inches a year, 2.0 more than here, and a July average high of 95°F against 96°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 56 | 31 | 1.7 | 3 | 0.6 |
| Feb | 60 | 35 | 2.2 | 4 | 0.5 |
| Mar | 68 | 42 | 2.8 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Apr | 76 | 51 | 3.0 | 4 | 0.2 |
| May | 83 | 61 | 4.6 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 91 | 69 | 3.7 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 96 | 72 | 2.1 | 3 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 96 | 71 | 2.2 | 3 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 88 | 64 | 3.0 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 78 | 52 | 3.9 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 67 | 41 | 2.2 | 4 | 0.3 |
| Dec | 58 | 33 | 1.9 | 4 | 0.2 |
| Year | 76 | 52 | 33.3 | 47 | 1.8 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Bridgeport, TX (769 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 Chico
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 91 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Chico: 65 thunderstorm wind reports, 17 flash floods, 4 floods, 4 lightning strikes and 1 heavy rain event. They killed 1 person and injured 3, and the NWS estimated $2.4 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 86 mph, on May 11, 2011. May has had the most flash floods, 9 of 17. Of the 745 Texas cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 375 have had fewer than Chico.
October 14, 2013: heavy rain event 8 miles from the centre of Chico — 1 killed, $40,000 damage.
June 21, 2011: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Chico — 1 injured, $300,000 damage.
June 14, 2011: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Chico — 1 injured, $12,000 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
Wise County, which includes Chico, has been named in 22 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1981, 12 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 fires, 5 severe storms, 4 hurricanes, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storms, on February 19, 2021. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Wise County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, hail and heat waves; Relatively Low for inland flooding and strong wind; Very Low for hurricanes and lightning. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $20.3 million a year, the 92nd highest of 254 Texas counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $8.9 million (44%), 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 Chico
- Bridgeport, TX7 mi
- Alvord, TX11 mi
- Sunset, TX12 mi
- Paradise, TX14 mi
- Bowie, TX17 mi
- Decatur, TX18 mi
- Jacksboro, TX18 mi
- Poolville, TX20 mi
- Boyd, TX22 mi
- Springtown, TX25 mi
- Rhome, TX27 mi
- Newark, TX29 mi
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