NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Dawson, 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 Dawson, Texas since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Alicia in 1983. Since 1950, 101 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 10 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 9
- Tornadoes
- 101
- EF3 or stronger
- 10
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
122 deaths in all
What the records show for Dawson
None of the 9 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Dawson; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 66 mph winds when its centre passed 37 miles away. The record near Dawson begins with an unnamed storm in 1871; the most recent system was Alicia in 1983, a tropical storm 14 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 Dawson. The strongest of the 101 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F5 on May 11, 1953; its path came within 14 miles, and it killed 114 people. Of the 101, 3 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 35 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 28. The most recent tornado was on April 30, 2025. Of the 753 Texas cities, 53% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Dawson. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 57 times since 1958, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 753 Texas cities, 63% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Dawson.
Compare Dawson's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Dawson
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | AliciaAug 19 | 14 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1961 | CarlaSep 12 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1945 | Unnamed 1945 stormAug 29 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1943 | Unnamed 1943 stormJul 29 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 18 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 27 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 9 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1897 | Unnamed 1897 stormSep 13 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1871 | Unnamed 1871 stormJun 5 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Dawson: 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 Dawson
By decade
- 2020s12
- 2010s14
- 2000s9
- 1990s16(1 EF3+)
- 1980s10(1 EF3+)
- 1970s15(3 EF3+)
- 1960s14(3 EF3+)
- 1950s11(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 11, 1953 | F5 | 14 mi | 20.9 mi | 114 / 597 |
| Mar 10, 1973 | F4 | 6 mi | 23.3 mi | 6 / 77 |
| Apr 27, 1990 | F3 | 23 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 9, 1981 | F3 | 14 mi | 5.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 11, 1978 | F3 | 20 mi | 7.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 15, 1973 | F3 | 17 mi | 3.8 mi | 0 / 3 |
| May 14, 1969 | F3 | 11 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 16, 1965 | F3 | 12 mi | 11.1 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Mar 26, 1961 | F3 | 23 mi | 9.1 mi | 0 / 4 |
| May 22, 1957 | F3 | 13 mi | 4.1 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Dec 29, 2006 | F2 | 22 mi | 20.4 mi | 1 / 20 |
| Oct 17, 1998 | F2 | 7 mi | 3.5 mi | 1 / 4 |
The strongest 12 of 101, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Dawson
The Storm Prediction Center has 57 hail reports within 10 miles of Dawson since 1958, made on 44 separate days. Of these, 39 were 1 inch across or larger, and 4 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on May 23, 1971. The most recent report is from May 2, 2025. April has the most reports, 27.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Dawson
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Navarro Mills Dam, TX, 6 miles north of Dawson at 454 feet. August is the warmest, with an average high of 96°F and low of 73°F; January is the coolest, at 57°F and 35°F. October is the wettest at 4.6 inches of precipitation on average and July the driest at 1.9 inches; the year adds up to 40.4 inches over 56 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 109 days a year, almost all from May to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 44 nights a year. That 40.4 inches is more than at 213 of the 312 Texas stations used on this site (68%). Mexia, 19 miles southeast, has its own station (Fairfield 3W, TX): 43.6 inches a year, 3.2 more than here, and an August average high of 95°F against 96°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 57 | 35 | 2.8 | 5 |
| Feb | 62 | 39 | 3.1 | 5 |
| Mar | 68 | 47 | 3.6 | 6 |
| Apr | 76 | 53 | 3.4 | 5 |
| May | 83 | 63 | 4.5 | 6 |
| Jun | 91 | 71 | 4.4 | 5 |
| Jul | 95 | 74 | 1.9 | 3 |
| Aug | 96 | 73 | 2.4 | 3 |
| Sep | 89 | 67 | 3.2 | 4 |
| Oct | 79 | 55 | 4.6 | 5 |
| Nov | 68 | 45 | 3.0 | 4 |
| Dec | 59 | 37 | 3.5 | 5 |
| Year | 77 | 55 | 40.4 | 56 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Navarro Mills Dam, TX (454 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 Dawson
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 53 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Dawson: 43 thunderstorm wind reports, 8 flash floods, 1 flood and 1 heavy rain event. They killed 0 people 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 June 4, 1998. Of the 745 Texas cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 138 have had fewer than Dawson.
June 4, 1998: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Dawson — 3 injured, $50,000 damage.
June 10, 2010: flash flood 2 miles from the centre of Dawson — $1.9 million damage.
NWS: “Significant flash flooding occurred in the southern parts of Navarro County as portions of the county received up to 14 inches of rainfall. Over twenty high water rescues were conducted by volunteer fire departments throughout the county.”
November 7, 1996: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Dawson — $100,000 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
Navarro County, which includes Dawson, has been named in 27 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 17 of them major disasters (by incident: 8 severe storms, 5 hurricanes, 4 fires, 3 floods). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on May 17, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Navarro County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for tornadoes and strong wind; Relatively Moderate for hail, lightning and heat waves; Relatively Low for hurricanes and inland flooding. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $26.5 million a year, the 71st highest of 254 Texas counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $9.4 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).
Dawson in the notable storm records: The May 11, 1953 F5 Tornado in Texas, near Waco
What counts as a pass, the distances and the sources: how this storm history is built.
Cities near Dawson
- Hubbard, TX7 mi
- Frost, TX12 mi
- Mexia, TX19 mi
- Corsicana, TX20 mi
- Axtell, TX21 mi
- Italy, TX23 mi
- West, TX23 mi
- Mart, TX24 mi
- Streetman, TX26 mi
- Elm Mott, TX26 mi
- Hillsboro, TX26 mi
- Rice, TX27 mi
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