NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Denison, 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
3 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Denison, Texas since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Carla in 1961. Since 1950, 155 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 17 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 3
- Tornadoes
- 155
- EF3 or stronger
- 17
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
14 deaths in all
What the records show for Denison
None of the 3 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Denison; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 51 mph winds when its centre passed 71 miles away. The record near Denison begins with an unnamed storm in 1900; the most recent system was Carla in 1961, a tropical storm 33 miles away. Of the 753 Texas cities on this site, 73% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Denison. The highest rating among the 155 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on April 2, 1957, came within 18 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on May 9, 2006, killed 3 people. Of the 155, 6 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 39 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 52. The most recent tornado was on June 8, 2025. Denison has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 81% of the 753 Texas cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 201 times since 1955, with stones up to 4.5 inches (grapefruit size). Denison has more hail reports within 10 miles than 86% of the 753 Texas cities.
Compare Denison's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Denison
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | CarlaSep 13 | 33 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 28 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 10 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 4 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Denison: 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 Denison
By decade
- 2020s14
- 2010s16(1 EF3+)
- 2000s9(1 EF3+)
- 1990s20
- 1980s19(2 EF3+)
- 1970s27(5 EF3+)
- 1960s20(1 EF3+)
- 1950s30(7 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 2, 1957 | F4 | 15 mi | 7.9 mi | 3 / 3 |
| Apr 2, 1957 | F4 | 18 mi | 5.2 mi | 2 / 6 |
| May 9, 2006 | F3 | 23 mi | 9.3 mi | 3 / 10 |
| May 25, 2015 | EF3 | 23 mi | 18.8 mi | 1 / 1 |
| Apr 2, 1982 | F3 | 18 mi | 32 mi | 1 / 1 |
| Apr 6, 1955 | F3 | 9 mi | 30.2 mi | 1 / 27 |
| May 23, 1981 | F3 | 19 mi | 9.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 14, 1974 | F3 | 23 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 10, 1973 | F3 | 10 mi | 6.8 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Mar 12, 1971 | F3 | 14 mi | 5.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 12, 1971 | F3 | 14 mi | 5.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 12, 1971 | F3 | 9 mi | 41.6 mi | 0 / 4 |
The strongest 12 of 155, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Denison
The Storm Prediction Center has 201 hail reports within 10 miles of Denison since 1955, made on 131 separate days. Of these, 129 were 1 inch across or larger, and 18 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 4.5 inches (grapefruit size), was reported on 2 days, most recently April 21, 1996. The most recent report is from September 23, 2025. April has the most reports, 61.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Denison
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Sherman, TX, 6 miles southwest of Denison at 760 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 93°F and low of 74°F; January is the coolest, at 53°F and 34°F. May is the wettest at 5.5 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 2.5 inches; the year adds up to 44.3 inches over 60 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 73 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 43 nights a year. That 44.3 inches is more than at 236 of the 312 Texas stations used on this site (76%). Calera, OK, 14 miles northeast, has its own station (Durant, OK): 44.2 inches a year, 0.1 less than here, and a July average high of 94°F against 93°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 53 | 34 | 2.5 | 5 |
| Feb | 57 | 37 | 2.8 | 5 |
| Mar | 65 | 45 | 4.0 | 6 |
| Apr | 73 | 53 | 3.9 | 5 |
| May | 80 | 62 | 5.5 | 7 |
| Jun | 88 | 70 | 4.5 | 6 |
| Jul | 93 | 74 | 2.9 | 4 |
| Aug | 93 | 73 | 2.9 | 4 |
| Sep | 85 | 66 | 3.4 | 4 |
| Oct | 75 | 55 | 4.8 | 6 |
| Nov | 63 | 44 | 3.5 | 5 |
| Dec | 54 | 36 | 3.6 | 5 |
| Year | 73 | 54 | 44.3 | 60 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Sherman, TX (760 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 Denison
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 183 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Denison: 137 thunderstorm wind reports, 35 flash floods, 8 floods and 3 lightning strikes. They killed 2 people and injured 3, and the NWS estimated $2.7 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on April 26, 2016. June has had the most flash floods, 10 of 35. Of the 745 Texas cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 602 have had fewer than Denison.
December 24, 2024: flood 10 miles from the centre of Denison — 2 killed, $50,000 damage.
August 5, 2009: thunderstorm wind in Denison — 1 injured, $30,000 damage.
NWS: “A man was injured on the 1600 block of West Bond when a large tree fell through his home. He suffered minor cuts and bruises.”
October 2, 2014: lightning strike 2 miles from the centre of Denison — 1 injured.
NWS: “The Grayson County Emergency Manager reported a teacher at Lamar Elementary school was struck by lightning while walking to her car.”
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 Denison's 2 ZIP codes have filed 51 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1982, and were paid $2.1 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The year with the most claims was 2015, with 12. 27% 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, 168 have fewer than Denison.
Grayson County, which includes Denison, has been named in 21 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1981, 12 of them major disasters (by incident: 5 severe storms, 4 fires, 4 hurricanes, 3 ice storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storms, on February 19, 2021. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Grayson County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for tornadoes; Relatively Moderate for hail, inland flooding, strong wind and heat waves; Relatively Low for lightning; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $42.6 million a year, the 42nd highest of 254 Texas counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $19.0 million (45%), 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 Denison
- Colbert, OK8 mi
- Sherman, TX8 mi
- Pottsboro, TX9 mi
- Bells, TX12 mi
- Calera, OK14 mi
- Kingston, OK16 mi
- Savoy, TX16 mi
- Howe, TX17 mi
- Mead, OK17 mi
- Whitewright, TX20 mi
- Durant, OK20 mi
- Whitesboro, TX21 mi
All Texas cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare Denison with another place →