NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Driftwood, 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
11 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Driftwood, Texas since 1851, 2 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Harvey in 2017. Since 1950, 92 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 3 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 2
- Tropical storms
- 9
- Tornadoes
- 92
- EF3 or stronger
- 3
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
2 deaths in all
What the records show for Driftwood
The strongest storm to pass near Driftwood was an unnamed storm in 1886, a Category 1 hurricane with 79 mph winds when its centre passed 48 miles away. The record near Driftwood begins with an unnamed storm in 1875; the most recent system was Harvey in 2017, a tropical storm 61 miles away. The 1960s and the 2010s were the busiest decades, with 2 systems each. Of the 11 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Driftwood has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 62% of the 753 Texas cities on this site. The strongest of the 92 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on May 27, 1997; its path came within 16 miles, and it killed 1 person. Of the 92, 4 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 33 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 22. The most recent tornado was on October 24, 2025. Of the 753 Texas cities, 60% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Driftwood. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 74 times since 1967, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Of the 753 Texas cities, 52% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Driftwood.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Driftwood
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | HarveyAug 27 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2010 | HermineSep 7 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1973 | DeliaSep 6 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1968 | CandyJun 24 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1961 | CarlaSep 12 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1942 | Unnamed 1942 stormAug 30 | 58 mi | Category 1 (77 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormAug 14 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1929 | Unnamed 1929 stormJun 29 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 27 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormAug 20 | 48 mi | Category 1 (79 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1875 | Unnamed 1875 stormSep 17 | 75 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Driftwood: 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 Driftwood
By decade
- 2020s7
- 2010s8
- 2000s18
- 1990s12(2 EF3+)
- 1980s10
- 1970s19
- 1960s13
- 1950s5(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 27, 1997 | F4 | 16 mi | 5.6 mi | 1 / 5 |
| May 27, 1997 | F3 | 24 mi | 9.2 mi | 0 / 15 |
| May 10, 1959 | F3 | 23 mi | 11 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 4, 1970 | F2 | 24 mi | 1.5 mi | 1 / 4 |
| Apr 22, 1985 | F2 | 12 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 10, 1980 | F2 | 10 mi | 47.7 mi | 0 / 20 |
| Aug 10, 1980 | F2 | 23 mi | 5.4 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Apr 14, 1977 | F2 | 12 mi | 41 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 30, 1976 | F2 | 9 mi | 2.5 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Mar 30, 1976 | F2 | 7 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jan 20, 1973 | F2 | 18 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 12, 1961 | F2 | 17 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 92, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Driftwood
The Storm Prediction Center has 74 hail reports within 10 miles of Driftwood since 1967, made on 51 separate days. Of these, 54 were 1 inch across or larger, and 9 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 3 inches (tea cup size), was reported on 2 days, most recently May 9, 2024. The most recent report is from May 9, 2024. May has the most reports, 32.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Driftwood
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Dripping Springs 6 E, TX, 9 miles north of Driftwood at 1,084 feet. August is the warmest, with an average high of 95°F and low of 72°F; January is the coolest, at 60°F and 39°F. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 52% of the year's precipitation (18.5 of 35.8 inches); the other six months are drier. Highs reach 90°F on about 106 days a year, almost all from April to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 29 nights a year. That 35.8 inches is more than at 163 of the 312 Texas stations used on this site (52%). Wimberley, 8 miles southwest, has its own station (Canyon Dam, TX): 37.9 inches a year, 2.1 more than here, and an August average high of 96°F against 95°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 60 | 39 | 2.7 | 4 |
| Feb | 65 | 43 | 2.1 | 4 |
| Mar | 72 | 49 | 2.9 | 5 |
| Apr | 79 | 56 | 2.6 | 4 |
| May | 85 | 64 | 4.3 | 5 |
| Jun | 91 | 70 | 3.7 | 5 |
| Jul | 94 | 72 | 2.1 | 3 |
| Aug | 95 | 72 | 2.1 | 3 |
| Sep | 89 | 66 | 3.7 | 4 |
| Oct | 80 | 58 | 4.0 | 5 |
| Nov | 69 | 48 | 2.9 | 4 |
| Dec | 61 | 41 | 2.7 | 4 |
| Year | 78 | 56 | 35.8 | 50 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Dripping Springs 6 E, TX (1,084 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 Driftwood
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 64 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Driftwood: 31 flash floods, 28 thunderstorm wind reports, 3 floods and 2 lightning strikes. They killed 1 person and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $12.7 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on April 18, 2006. October has had the most flash floods, 6 of 31. Of the 745 Texas cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 571 have had fewer than Driftwood.
March 11, 2007: flash flood 8 miles from the centre of Driftwood — 1 killed.
October 30, 2015: flash flood 2 miles from the centre of Driftwood — $10.0 million damage.
NWS: “Massive flooding occurred along and just west of Interstate 35 on the morning of October 30th as a supercell thunderstorm merged with another line of storms.”
October 31, 2013: flash flood 9 miles from the centre of Driftwood — $1.0 million 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
Flood insurance policyholders in Driftwood's ZIP code 78619 have filed 16 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1991, and were paid $178,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 31% 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, 51 have fewer than Driftwood.
Hays County, which includes Driftwood, has been named in 27 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1970, 16 of them major disasters (by incident: 7 fires, 6 floods, 4 severe storms, 3 hurricanes). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on May 17, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Hays County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for tornadoes, hail, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Moderate for inland flooding and heat waves; Relatively Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $108.6 million a year, the 21st highest of 254 Texas counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $68.1 million (63%), 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 Driftwood
- Wimberley, TX8 mi
- Dripping Springs, TX10 mi
- Manchaca, TX12 mi
- Buda, TX13 mi
- Kyle, TX14 mi
- San Marcos, TX17 mi
- Maxwell, TX19 mi
- Lakeway, TX20 mi
- Canyon Lake, TX20 mi
- Austin, TX22 mi
- Martindale, TX22 mi
- Spicewood, TX23 mi
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