NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Cotulla, 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 Cotulla, Texas since 1851, 1 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Harold in 2023. Since 1950, 15 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 1
- Tropical storms
- 18
- Tornadoes
- 15
- EF3 or stronger
- 0
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
no recorded deaths
What the records show for Cotulla
The strongest storm to pass near Cotulla was Celia in 1970, a Category 1 hurricane with 78 mph winds when its centre passed 9 miles away. The record near Cotulla begins with an unnamed storm in 1851; the most recent system was Harold in 2023, a tropical storm 62 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1910s, with 3 systems. Of the 19 systems, 4 have come since 2000. Cotulla has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 56% of the 753 Texas cities on this site. The highest rating among the 15 tornadoes within 25 miles is F2, reached 3 times; the most recent, on August 3, 1970, came within 10 miles. Of the 15, 2 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 5 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 7. The most recent tornado was on May 15, 2023. Of the 753 Texas cities, 97% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Cotulla. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 38 times since 1957, with stones up to 4 inches (softball size). Of the 753 Texas cities, 77% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Cotulla.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Cotulla
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | HaroldAug 22 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2010 | HermineSep 7 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2008 | DollyJul 24 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 2 |
| 2003 | ClaudetteJul 16 | 5 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1999 | BretAug 23 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1980 | AllenAug 10 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (70 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1978 | AmeliaJul 31 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1970 | CeliaAug 4 | 9 mi | Category 1 (78 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1967 | BeulahSep 21 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1954 | AliceJun 26 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1936 | Unnamed 1936 stormJun 28 | 75 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJul 26 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1929 | Unnamed 1929 stormJun 29 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1919 | Unnamed 1919 stormSep 15 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (64 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormAug 19 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (67 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1913 | Unnamed 1913 stormJun 28 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1880 | Unnamed 1880 stormAug 13 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1869 | Unnamed 1869 stormAug 17 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1851 | Unnamed 1851 stormJun 26 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Cotulla: 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 Cotulla
By decade
- 2020s1
- 2010s4
- 1980s4
- 1970s4
- 1960s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 3, 1970 | F2 | 21 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 3, 1970 | F2 | 10 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 26, 1968 | F2 | 13 mi | 18.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 15, 2015 | EF1 | 11 mi | 2.26 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jun 6, 1983 | F1 | 25 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 15, 1980 | F1 | 6 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 15, 1980 | F1 | 21 mi | 99.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 15, 1980 | F1 | in town | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 11, 1972 | F1 | 14 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 27, 1972 | F1 | 12 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 26, 1968 | F1 | 1 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 15, 2023 | EF0 | 17 mi | 0.71 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 15, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Cotulla
The Storm Prediction Center has 38 hail reports within 10 miles of Cotulla since 1957, made on 31 separate days. Of these, 24 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4 inches (softball size), fell on March 17, 2023. The most recent report is from April 9, 2024. May has the most reports, 13.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Cotulla
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Cotulla La Salle Co Airport, TX, 2 miles north of Cotulla at 476 feet. August is the warmest, with an average high of 100°F and low of 75°F; January is the coolest, at 67°F and 44°F. May and September are the wettest at 3.0 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 0.9 inches; the year adds up to 21.9 inches over 33 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 58% of the year's precipitation (12.8 of 21.9 inches); the other six months are drier. August has brought the most of the 19 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (7); a normal August there has highs of 100°F and 1.7 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 166 days a year, almost all from February to November. Lows fall below freezing on about 10 nights a year. That 21.9 inches is more than at 52 of the 312 Texas stations used on this site (17%). Dilley, 20 miles north, has its own station (Dilley, TX): 25.1 inches a year, 3.2 more than here, and an August average high of 98°F against 100°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 67 | 44 | 0.9 | 2 |
| Feb | 74 | 48 | 1.3 | 2 |
| Mar | 80 | 55 | 1.6 | 2 |
| Apr | 86 | 61 | 1.3 | 3 |
| May | 93 | 69 | 3.0 | 4 |
| Jun | 98 | 74 | 2.2 | 3 |
| Jul | 99 | 75 | 2.3 | 3 |
| Aug | 100 | 75 | 1.7 | 2 |
| Sep | 94 | 71 | 3.0 | 5 |
| Oct | 87 | 63 | 2.4 | 2 |
| Nov | 76 | 52 | 1.2 | 2 |
| Dec | 69 | 45 | 1.0 | 2 |
| Year | 85 | 61 | 21.9 | 33 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Cotulla La Salle Co Airport, TX (476 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 Cotulla
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 39 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Cotulla: 28 thunderstorm wind reports, 6 flash floods, 3 floods, 1 heavy rain event and 1 lightning strike. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $233,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 70 mph, on June 5, 2007. August has had the most flash floods, 2 of 6. Of the 745 Texas cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 91 have had fewer than Cotulla.
September 27, 2017: flash flood 8 miles from the centre of Cotulla — $100,000 damage.
NWS: “Texas Department of Transportation reported Interstate 35 north of Millet was closed due to flooding. Bulldozers are being used to help push cars and trucks out of high water north of Cotulla.”
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 Cotulla's ZIP code 78014 have filed 18 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 2002, and were paid $93,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 39% 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, 66 have fewer than Cotulla.
La Salle County, which includes Cotulla, has been named in 19 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1967, 10 of them major disasters (by incident: 5 hurricanes, 4 fires, 3 floods, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on September 1, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives La Salle County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for hurricanes and heat waves; Very Low for tornadoes, hail, inland flooding, strong wind and lightning. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $4.3 million a year, the 207th highest of 254 Texas counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $1.5 million (35%), 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 Cotulla
- Dilley, TX20 mi
- Pearsall, TX32 mi
- Carrizo Springs, TX38 mi
- Crystal City, TX40 mi
- Jourdanton, TX50 mi
- Freer, TX52 mi
- Devine, TX53 mi
- Natalia, TX57 mi
- Poteet, TX58 mi
- Pleasanton, TX58 mi
- Lytle, TX60 mi
- Somerset, TX62 mi
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