NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Dripping Springs, 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
10 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Dripping Springs, Texas since 1851, 1 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Harvey in 2017. Since 1950, 79 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 5 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 1
- Tropical storms
- 9
- Tornadoes
- 79
- EF3 or stronger
- 5
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
2 deaths in all
What the records show for Dripping Springs
The strongest storm to pass near Dripping Springs was an unnamed storm in 1886, a Category 1 hurricane with 76 mph winds when its centre passed 51 miles away. The record near Dripping Springs begins with an unnamed storm in 1886; the most recent system was Harvey in 2017, a tropical storm 72 miles away. The 1960s and the 2010s were the busiest decades, with 2 systems each. Of the 10 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Dripping Springs has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 56% of the 753 Texas cities on this site. The strongest of the 79 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on May 27, 1997; its path came within 10 miles, and it killed 1 person. Of the 79, none had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 27 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 25. The most recent tornado was on October 24, 2025. Of the 753 Texas cities, 70% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Dripping Springs. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 52 times since 1976, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 753 Texas cities, 67% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Dripping Springs.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Dripping Springs
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | HarveyAug 27 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2010 | HermineSep 7 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1973 | DeliaSep 6 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1968 | CandyJun 24 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1961 | CarlaSep 12 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1942 | Unnamed 1942 stormAug 30 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (72 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormAug 14 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1929 | Unnamed 1929 stormJun 29 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (64 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 27 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormAug 20 | 51 mi | Category 1 (76 mph) | Category 4 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Dripping Springs: 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 Dripping Springs
By decade
- 2020s4
- 2010s8
- 2000s15
- 1990s14(3 EF3+)
- 1980s10
- 1970s16
- 1960s7(1 EF3+)
- 1950s5(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 27, 1997 | F4 | 10 mi | 5.6 mi | 1 / 5 |
| May 27, 1997 | F3 | 19 mi | 9.2 mi | 0 / 15 |
| May 13, 1994 | F3 | 25 mi | 3.5 mi | 0 / 1 |
| May 6, 1969 | F3 | 21 mi | 38.9 mi | 0 / 2 |
| May 10, 1959 | F3 | 23 mi | 11 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 4, 1970 | F2 | 17 mi | 1.5 mi | 1 / 4 |
| Apr 22, 1985 | F2 | 21 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 10, 1980 | F2 | 17 mi | 47.7 mi | 0 / 20 |
| Aug 10, 1980 | F2 | 24 mi | 5.4 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Apr 14, 1977 | F2 | 7 mi | 41 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 30, 1976 | F2 | 18 mi | 2.5 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Mar 30, 1976 | F2 | 17 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 79, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Dripping Springs
The Storm Prediction Center has 52 hail reports within 10 miles of Dripping Springs since 1976, made on 36 separate days. Of these, 38 were 1 inch across or larger, and 4 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on May 9, 2024, the most recent report. May has the most reports, 19.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Dripping Springs
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Dripping Springs 6 E, TX, 7 miles east of Dripping Springs 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. August has brought the most of the 10 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (4); a normal August there has highs of 95°F and 2.1 inches of precipitation. 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%). Spicewood, 13 miles north, has its own station (Austin 33 NW, TX): 33.2 inches a year, 2.6 less than here, and the same August average high, 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 Dripping Springs
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 45 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Dripping Springs: 21 thunderstorm wind reports, 20 flash floods, 2 floods and 2 lightning strikes. They killed 1 person and injured 3, and the NWS estimated $20.6 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on April 18, 2006. May has had the most flash floods, 10 of 20. Of the 745 Texas cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 438 have had fewer than Dripping Springs.
May 3, 2019: flash flood 1 mile from the centre of Dripping Springs — 1 killed.
NWS: “A man's car was swept off the road due to fast moving water at the 3300 block of Bell Springs road. The man's body was recovered the following day after the water had receded.”
August 26, 2014: lightning strike 10 miles from the centre of Dripping Springs — 3 injured.
October 30, 2015: flash flood 9 miles from the centre of Dripping Springs — $10.0 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 Dripping Springs's ZIP code 78620 have filed 42 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1985, and were paid $1.7 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The year with the most claims was 2019, with 29. 24% 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, 143 have fewer than Dripping Springs.
Hays County, which includes Dripping Springs, 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 Dripping Springs
- Driftwood, TX10 mi
- Spicewood, TX13 mi
- Lakeway, TX13 mi
- Wimberley, TX15 mi
- Round Rock, TX16 mi
- Lago Vista, TX17 mi
- Manchaca, TX18 mi
- Johnson City, TX18 mi
- Buda, TX21 mi
- Austin, TX21 mi
- Blanco, TX22 mi
- Kyle, TX23 mi
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