NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Columbus, TX
Every tropical system within 75 miles since 1851 and every tornado within 25 miles since 1950.
36 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Columbus, Texas since 1851, 7 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Beryl in 2024. Since 1950, 67 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 3 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 7
- Tropical storms
- 29
- Tornadoes
- 67
- EF3 or stronger
- 3
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
1 deaths in all
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Columbus
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | BerylJul 8 | 40 mi | Category 1 (76 mph) | Category 5 |
| 2021 | NicholasSep 14 | 75 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2020 | BetaSep 22 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2017 | HarveyAug 27 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2015 | BillJun 17 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1989 | AllisonJun 27 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1983 | AliciaAug 18 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1980 | DanielleSep 6 | 32 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1973 | DeliaSep 6 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1970 | FeliceSep 16 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1968 | CandyJun 24 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1964 | AbbyAug 8 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1961 | CarlaSep 12 | 41 mi | Category 1 (84 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormOct 4 | 68 mi | Category 2 (97 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1947 | Unnamed 1947 stormAug 25 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1945 | Unnamed 1945 stormAug 28 | 30 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1943 | Unnamed 1943 stormJul 28 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1942 | Unnamed 1942 stormAug 30 | 74 mi | Category 2 (98 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 24 | 58 mi | Category 1 (77 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormAug 14 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (70 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1929 | Unnamed 1929 stormJun 29 | 71 mi | Category 1 (75 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1921 | Unnamed 1921 stormJun 23 | 33 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 17 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1909 | Unnamed 1909 stormJul 22 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (68 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 27 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1901 | Unnamed 1901 stormJul 10 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 9 | 36 mi | Category 2 (99 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1897 | Unnamed 1897 stormSep 13 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormJul 5 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormJun 17 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormSep 24 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1880 | Unnamed 1880 stormJun 24 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1875 | Unnamed 1875 stormSep 17 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1874 | Unnamed 1874 stormJul 5 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1871 | Unnamed 1871 stormJun 4 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1854 | Unnamed 1854 stormSep 19 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (68 mph) | Category 2 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Columbus: 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 Columbus
By decade
- 2020s3
- 2010s4
- 2000s6
- 1990s15
- 1980s4
- 1970s12
- 1960s18(3 EF3+)
- 1950s5
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 20, 1967 | F3 | 21 mi | 19.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 20, 1967 | F3 | 21 mi | 19.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 28, 1966 | F3 | 23 mi | 9.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 10, 2012 | EF2 | 14 mi | 0.62 mi | 0 / 8 |
| May 13, 1994 | F2 | 25 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 25, 1971 | F2 | 17 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 25, 1971 | F2 | 16 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 25, 1971 | F2 | 13 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 21, 1967 | F2 | 14 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jan 21, 1965 | F2 | 20 mi | 0.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 4, 1964 | F2 | 16 mi | 3.8 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Mar 16, 1961 | F2 | 24 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 67, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
How to read this page
A storm is listed when the centre of its track passed within 75 miles of Columbus while it was at least a tropical storm, which is the reach of damaging wind and rain for a typical hurricane. Being on the list does not mean the city took a direct hit; the "closest" column says how near the centre came. Tornadoes are counted when any part of the path came within 25 miles.
Tornado records before the 1990s are thinner, because weak tornadoes in open country often went unreported before Doppler radar and mobile phones. A rise in the decade counts is mostly better reporting, not a change in the weather.
Tracks come from the National Hurricane Center's HURDAT2 database, tornadoes from the Storm Prediction Center's database. Both are the official federal records and both are revised as old storms are re-analysed.