NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Del Rio, 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 Del Rio, Texas since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Claudette in 2003. Since 1950, 39 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 1 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 9
- Tornadoes
- 39
- EF3 or stronger
- 1
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
no recorded deaths
What the records show for Del Rio
None of the 9 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Del Rio; the strongest was Celia in 1970, a tropical storm with 60 mph winds when its centre passed 16 miles away. The record near Del Rio begins with an unnamed storm in 1851; the most recent system was Claudette in 2003, a tropical storm 38 miles away. Of the 9 systems, one has come since 2000. Of the 753 Texas cities on this site, 51% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Del Rio. The strongest of the 39 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F3 on June 26, 1970; its path came within 25 miles. Of the 39, 17 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 17 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 21. The most recent tornado was on August 19, 2025. Of the 753 Texas cities, 92% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Del Rio. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 148 times since 1956, with stones up to 4.5 inches (grapefruit size). Del Rio has more hail reports within 10 miles than 78% of the 753 Texas cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Del Rio
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | ClaudetteJul 16 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1970 | CeliaAug 4 | 16 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1954 | AliceJun 26 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1942 | Unnamed 1942 stormAug 31 | 75 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJul 26 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1929 | Unnamed 1929 stormJun 29 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormAug 19 | 6 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1880 | Unnamed 1880 stormAug 14 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1851 | Unnamed 1851 stormJun 27 | 64 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 Del Rio: 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 Del Rio
By decade
- 2020s1
- 2010s1
- 2000s15
- 1990s7
- 1980s11
- 1970s1(1 EF3+)
- 1960s3
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 26, 1970 | F3 | 25 mi | 3.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 10, 1995 | F2 | 3 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 22 |
| Sep 17, 1988 | F2 | 3 mi | 11 mi | 0 / 2 |
| May 12, 1982 | F2 | 2 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 12, 1982 | F2 | 5 mi | 19 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Apr 16, 1964 | F2 | 9 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 27, 2004 | F1 | 3 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 22, 2000 | F1 | 10 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 23, 1995 | F1 | 3 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 10, 1995 | F1 | 3 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 19, 1993 | F1 | 3 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Oct 19, 1993 | F1 | 3 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 39, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Del Rio
The Storm Prediction Center has 148 hail reports within 10 miles of Del Rio since 1956, made on 96 separate days. Of these, 101 were 1 inch across or larger, and 25 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 4.5 inches (grapefruit size), was reported on 2 days, most recently April 7, 2002. The most recent report is from October 24, 2025. April has the most reports, 63.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Del Rio
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Del Rio 4NW, TX, 3 miles west of Del Rio at 1,051 feet. August is the warmest, with an average high of 98°F and low of 75°F; January is the coolest, at 64°F and 39°F. May and September are the wettest at 2.9 inches of precipitation on average and January and February the driest at 0.7 inches; the year adds up to 20.9 inches over 30 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 137 days a year, almost all from March to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 21 nights a year. That 20.9 inches is more than at 47 of the 312 Texas stations used on this site (15%). Brackettville, 28 miles east, has its own station (Brackettville, TX): 24.5 inches a year, 3.6 more than here, and an August average high of 97°F against 98°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 64 | 39 | 0.7 | 1 |
| Feb | 69 | 44 | 0.7 | 2 |
| Mar | 77 | 52 | 1.2 | 3 |
| Apr | 84 | 59 | 1.4 | 2 |
| May | 90 | 67 | 2.9 | 4 |
| Jun | 95 | 73 | 2.5 | 3 |
| Jul | 98 | 75 | 2.0 | 3 |
| Aug | 98 | 75 | 2.8 | 3 |
| Sep | 92 | 69 | 2.9 | 4 |
| Oct | 83 | 60 | 2.0 | 3 |
| Nov | 73 | 50 | 1.0 | 2 |
| Dec | 64 | 40 | 0.8 | 2 |
| Year | 82 | 59 | 20.9 | 30 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Del Rio 4NW, TX (1,051 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 Del Rio
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 119 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Del Rio: 77 thunderstorm wind reports, 40 flash floods and 2 floods. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $1.6 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on June 21, 2004. August has had the most flash floods, 12 of 40. Of the 745 Texas cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 629 have had fewer than Del Rio.
September 15, 2008: flood 5 miles from the centre of Del Rio — $1.0 million damage.
NWS: “Water releases from an upstream reservoir in Mexico caused flooding along the Rio Grande in Del Rio. Vega Verde Road and several properties along the road were flooded.”
April 7, 2002: thunderstorm wind 3 miles from the centre of Del Rio — $200,000 damage.
NWS: “The supercell thunderstorm that produced downbursts and large hail in Del Rio formed in Mexico and moved eastward into Val Verde County. The severe thunderstorm winds struck first, knocking over trees and signs and damaging roofs in and around Del Rio.”
May 24, 2010: flash flood in Del Rio — $100,000 damage.
NWS: “Thunderstorms produced heavy rain which flooded some homes in Del Rio.”
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 Del Rio's ZIP code 78840 have filed 156 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1979, and were paid $3.7 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The year with the most claims was 1998, with 72. 4% 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, 270 have fewer than Del Rio.
Val Verde County, which includes Del Rio, has been named in 17 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1993, 9 of them major disasters (by incident: 4 fires, 4 hurricanes, 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 Val Verde County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for hail, inland flooding and lightning; Relatively Low for tornadoes, strong wind and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $23.6 million a year, the 80th highest of 254 Texas counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $19.8 million (84%), 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 Del Rio
- Brackettville, TX28 mi
- Eagle Pass, TX53 mi
- Uvalde, TX65 mi
- Sonora, TX75 mi
- Crystal City, TX81 mi
- Ozona, TX87 mi
- Carrizo Springs, TX88 mi
- Junction, TX100 mi
- Eldorado, TX103 mi
- Hondo, TX106 mi
- Ingram, TX108 mi
- Dilley, TX110 mi
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