NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Crawford, 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
9 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Crawford, Texas since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Alicia in 1983. Since 1950, 103 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 6 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 9
- Tornadoes
- 103
- EF3 or stronger
- 6
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
122 deaths in all
What the records show for Crawford
None of the 9 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Crawford; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 66 mph winds when its centre passed 10 miles away. The record near Crawford begins with an unnamed storm in 1897; the most recent system was Alicia in 1983, a tropical storm 42 miles away. The 1900s and the 1940s were the busiest decades, with 2 systems each. None of the 9 systems has come since 2000. Of the 753 Texas cities on this site, 51% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Crawford. The highest rating among the 103 tornadoes within 25 miles is F5, reached 2 times; the most recent, on May 6, 1973, came within 7 miles. The deadliest, an F5 on May 11, 1953, killed 114 people. Of the 103, 4 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 32 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 22. The most recent tornado was on June 11, 2025. Of the 753 Texas cities, 51% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Crawford. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 120 times since 1957, with stones up to 4 inches (softball size). Crawford has more hail reports within 10 miles than 70% of the 753 Texas cities.
Compare Crawford's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Crawford
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | AliciaAug 19 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1961 | CarlaSep 12 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1945 | Unnamed 1945 stormAug 29 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1943 | Unnamed 1943 stormJul 29 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1921 | Unnamed 1921 stormJun 23 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 18 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 27 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 9 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1897 | Unnamed 1897 stormSep 13 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Crawford: 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 Crawford
By decade
- 2020s10
- 2010s5
- 2000s17(1 EF3+)
- 1990s15(1 EF3+)
- 1980s10
- 1970s29(1 EF3+)
- 1960s5
- 1950s12(3 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 11, 1953 | F5 | 15 mi | 20.9 mi | 114 / 597 |
| May 6, 1973 | F5 | 7 mi | 10.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 31, 1959 | F4 | 23 mi | 10.4 mi | 6 / 31 |
| Apr 21, 1952 | F4 | 5 mi | 2.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 12, 2000 | F3 | 24 mi | 7 mi | 2 / 0 |
| May 27, 1997 | F3 | 17 mi | 3.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jan 15, 2017 | EF2 | 12 mi | 12.92 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 29, 2006 | F2 | 17 mi | 7.14 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 5, 2006 | F2 | 15 mi | 2.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 12, 2001 | F2 | 20 mi | 6.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 12, 2001 | F2 | 9 mi | 4.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 17, 1998 | F2 | 11 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 103, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Crawford
The Storm Prediction Center has 120 hail reports within 10 miles of Crawford since 1957, made on 80 separate days. Of these, 64 were 1 inch across or larger, and 10 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4 inches (softball size), fell on April 26, 2023. The most recent report is from April 30, 2025. April has the most reports, 48.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Crawford
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Mcgregor, TX, 8 miles south of Crawford at 723 feet. August is the warmest, with an average high of 96°F and low of 72°F; January is the coolest, at 59°F and 34°F. May is the wettest at 4.9 inches of precipitation on average and August the driest at 2.2 inches; the year adds up to 38.1 inches over 56 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 94 days a year, almost all from May to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 35 nights a year. That 38.1 inches is more than at 194 of the 312 Texas stations used on this site (62%). Valley Mills, 9 miles northwest, has its own station (Whitney Dam, TX): 37.7 inches a year, 0.4 less than here, and the same August average high, 96°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 59 | 34 | 2.6 | 5 |
| Feb | 62 | 38 | 2.7 | 5 |
| Mar | 69 | 45 | 3.4 | 5 |
| Apr | 77 | 52 | 3.0 | 5 |
| May | 83 | 61 | 4.9 | 6 |
| Jun | 91 | 69 | 3.7 | 5 |
| Jul | 95 | 72 | 2.3 | 4 |
| Aug | 96 | 72 | 2.2 | 3 |
| Sep | 90 | 65 | 3.1 | 4 |
| Oct | 80 | 55 | 4.6 | 5 |
| Nov | 68 | 44 | 2.8 | 5 |
| Dec | 61 | 36 | 2.8 | 5 |
| Year | 77 | 53 | 38.1 | 56 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Mcgregor, TX (723 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 Crawford
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 63 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Crawford: 52 thunderstorm wind reports, 8 flash floods, 2 floods and 1 lightning strike. They killed 0 people and injured 6, and the NWS estimated $422,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 79 mph, on April 26, 1999. May has had the most flash floods, 3 of 8. Of the 745 Texas cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 138 have had fewer than Crawford.
February 10, 2009: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Crawford — 6 injured, $60,000 damage.
June 9, 2010: flash flood 1 mile from the centre of Crawford — $100,000 damage.
NWS: “High water was reported in a residential structure in the city of Lorena. Several intersections in Hewitt were barricaded due to high water and Farm-to-Market Road 185 west of Waco Lake was closed due to flash flooding.”
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
McLennan County, which includes Crawford, has been named in 25 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 13 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 severe storms, 5 hurricanes, 4 fires, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storms, on February 19, 2021. FEMA's National Risk Index gives McLennan County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Very High for lightning; Relatively High for tornadoes; Relatively Moderate for hail, inland flooding, strong wind and heat waves; Relatively Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $84.5 million a year, the 23rd highest of 254 Texas counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $29.3 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 Crawford
- Valley Mills, TX9 mi
- China Spring, TX9 mi
- Mc Gregor, TX10 mi
- Waco, TX14 mi
- Hewitt, TX15 mi
- Robinson, TX17 mi
- Moody, TX18 mi
- Clifton, TX18 mi
- Lorena, TX18 mi
- Elm Mott, TX21 mi
- Gatesville, TX21 mi
- Eddy, TX22 mi
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