NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Elmendorf, 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
19 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Elmendorf, Texas since 1851, 5 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Harvey in 2017. Since 1950, 86 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 2 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 5
- Tropical storms
- 14
- Tornadoes
- 86
- EF3 or stronger
- 2
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
2 deaths in all
What the records show for Elmendorf
The strongest storm to pass near Elmendorf was an unnamed storm in 1886, a Category 1 hurricane with 90 mph winds when its centre passed 7 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was an unnamed storm in 1942, whose centre came within 5 miles. The record near Elmendorf begins with an unnamed storm in 1851; the most recent system was Harvey in 2017, a tropical storm 47 miles away. Of the 19 systems, 3 have come since 2000. Elmendorf has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 75% of the 753 Texas cities on this site. The highest rating among the 86 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3, reached 2 times; the most recent, on November 22, 1961, came within 15 miles. The deadliest, an F1 on September 17, 1988, killed 1 person. Of the 86, 4 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 32 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 20. The most recent tornado was on October 26, 2023. Of the 753 Texas cities, 64% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Elmendorf. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 40 times since 1971, with stones up to 5.5 inches. Of the 753 Texas cities, 75% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Elmendorf.
Compare Elmendorf's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Elmendorf
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | HarveyAug 27 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2010 | HermineSep 7 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2003 | ClaudetteJul 16 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1998 | FrancesSep 11 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1973 | DeliaSep 6 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1970 | CeliaAug 4 | 60 mi | Category 1 (89 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1968 | CandyJun 24 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1961 | CarlaSep 12 | 73 mi | Category 1 (79 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1942 | Unnamed 1942 stormAug 30 | 5 mi | Category 1 (79 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1936 | Unnamed 1936 stormJun 28 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJul 26 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1929 | Unnamed 1929 stormJun 29 | 3 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 27 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormSep 24 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormAug 20 | 7 mi | Category 1 (90 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1875 | Unnamed 1875 stormSep 17 | 71 mi | Category 1 (79 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1869 | Unnamed 1869 stormAug 17 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1866 | Unnamed 1866 stormJul 16 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1851 | Unnamed 1851 stormJun 26 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Category 1 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Elmendorf: 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 Elmendorf
By decade
- 2020s3
- 2010s13
- 2000s16
- 1990s6
- 1980s16
- 1970s12
- 1960s15(1 EF3+)
- 1950s5(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 28, 1953 | F3 | 25 mi | 4.9 mi | 1 / 5 |
| Nov 22, 1961 | F3 | 15 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 19, 2017 | EF2 | 20 mi | 4.64 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 30, 2015 | EF2 | 13 mi | 5.26 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 19, 2012 | EF2 | 24 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Mar 19, 2002 | F2 | 19 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 30 |
| Sep 17, 1988 | F2 | 20 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Aug 10, 1980 | F2 | 14 mi | 12.2 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Sep 13, 1970 | F2 | 4 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 16, 1969 | F2 | 16 mi | 4.3 mi | 0 / 3 |
| May 3, 1969 | F2 | 11 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 18, 1965 | F2 | 7 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 86, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Elmendorf
The Storm Prediction Center has 40 hail reports within 10 miles of Elmendorf since 1971, made on 31 separate days. Of these, 30 were 1 inch across or larger, and 6 reached 2 inches. The largest, 5.5 inches, fell on May 3, 2021. The most recent report is from April 30, 2025. April has the most reports, 14.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Elmendorf
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is San Antonio Stinson Airport, TX, 10 miles northwest of Elmendorf at 571 feet. August is the warmest, with an average high of 98°F and low of 76°F; January is the coolest, at 65°F and 42°F. May is the wettest at 3.9 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 1.6 inches; the year adds up to 29.8 inches over 39 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 53% of the year's precipitation (15.7 of 29.8 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 19 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (6); a normal September there has highs of 91°F and 3.2 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 134 days a year, almost all from April to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 14 nights a year. That 29.8 inches is more than at 113 of the 312 Texas stations used on this site (36%). Adkins, 12 miles northeast, has its own station (Floresville, TX): 31.7 inches a year, 1.9 more than here, and the same August average high, 98°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 65 | 42 | 1.8 | 3 |
| Feb | 69 | 47 | 1.6 | 2 |
| Mar | 75 | 54 | 2.4 | 4 |
| Apr | 82 | 60 | 2.3 | 3 |
| May | 88 | 68 | 3.9 | 4 |
| Jun | 94 | 74 | 3.2 | 4 |
| Jul | 96 | 75 | 1.8 | 3 |
| Aug | 98 | 76 | 2.5 | 3 |
| Sep | 91 | 71 | 3.2 | 4 |
| Oct | 84 | 62 | 3.0 | 4 |
| Nov | 73 | 51 | 2.0 | 3 |
| Dec | 66 | 44 | 2.1 | 3 |
| Year | 82 | 60 | 29.8 | 39 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at San Antonio Stinson Airport, TX (571 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 Elmendorf
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 34 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Elmendorf: 15 thunderstorm wind reports, 14 flash floods and 5 floods. They killed 2 people and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $15.6 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 85 mph, on May 30, 2017. Of the 745 Texas cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 298 have had fewer than Elmendorf.
August 16, 2007: flash flood 3 miles from the centre of Elmendorf — 2 killed, $15.0 million damage.
NWS: “The area of extremely heavy rainfall associated with the remains of Tropical Storm Erin continued to spread northwestward across Bexar County, with a general 4 to 5 inch rain over the county.”
May 30, 2017: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Elmendorf — $200,000 damage.
NWS: “A thunderstorm produced wind gusts estimated at 85 mph that snapped some power poles, damaged trees, and several structures in Elmendorf. Over 100 houses had some damage, most of which was due to trees.”
August 8, 2002: thunderstorm wind 3 miles from the centre of Elmendorf — $100,000 damage.
NWS: “Severe thunderstorm winds struck the small community of Sandy Oaks in south Bexar County, just southwest of Elmendorf. The winds estimated to have gusted to near 70 knots by an NWS survey of the damage, knocked down several trees and caused minor damage to about 15 mobile homes.”
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
Bexar County, which includes Elmendorf, has been named in 31 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1988, 12 of them major disasters (by incident: 12 hurricanes, 8 fires, 4 floods, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storms, on February 19, 2021. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Bexar County a Relatively High rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Very High for tornadoes, hail and inland flooding; Relatively High for strong wind, lightning and heat waves; Relatively Moderate for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $619.4 million a year, the 4th highest of 254 Texas counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $364.8 million (59%), 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 Elmendorf
- Adkins, TX12 mi
- Floresville, TX12 mi
- Von Ormy, TX14 mi
- Fort Sam Houston, TX17 mi
- Poteet, TX17 mi
- Saint Hedwig, TX18 mi
- La Vernia, TX18 mi
- Somerset, TX18 mi
- Jbsa Lackland, TX19 mi
- Pleasanton, TX19 mi
- Converse, TX20 mi
- San Antonio, TX21 mi
All Texas cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare Elmendorf with another place →