NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Emory, 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
5 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Emory, Texas since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 119 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 8 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 5
- Tornadoes
- 119
- EF3 or stronger
- 8
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
5 deaths in all
What the records show for Emory
None of the 5 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Emory; the strongest was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm with 47 mph winds when its centre passed 40 miles away. The record near Emory begins with an unnamed storm in 1871; the most recent system was Ike in 2008. Of the 5 systems, one has come since 2000. Of the 753 Texas cities on this site, 63% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Emory. The highest rating among the 119 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3 or EF3, reached 8 times; the most recent, on April 29, 2017, passed within a mile of the city centre. Of the 119, 5 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 42 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 35. The most recent tornado was on April 4, 2025. Emory has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 61% of the 753 Texas cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 73 times since 1962, with stones up to 4.5 inches (grapefruit size). Of the 753 Texas cities, 53% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Emory.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Emory
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 13 | 40 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1947 | Unnamed 1947 stormSep 20 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1918 | Unnamed 1918 stormAug 7 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 28 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1871 | Unnamed 1871 stormJun 5 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Emory: 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 Emory
By decade
- 2020s4
- 2010s29(2 EF3+)
- 2000s9
- 1990s24
- 1980s14
- 1970s18(3 EF3+)
- 1960s17(2 EF3+)
- 1950s4(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 29, 2017 | EF3 | in town | 39.71 mi | 2 / 24 |
| May 10, 2015 | EF3 | 23 mi | 10.22 mi | 2 / 43 |
| May 3, 1979 | F3 | 15 mi | 7.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 5, 1978 | F3 | 12 mi | 29.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 3, 1973 | F3 | 7 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 14, 1969 | F3 | 19 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 24, 1962 | F3 | 20 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 8 |
| Jun 6, 1958 | F3 | 24 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 18, 1993 | F2 | 4 mi | 2 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Nov 4, 2022 | EF2 | 9 mi | 2.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jan 20, 2010 | EF2 | 17 mi | 15.17 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 6, 2003 | F2 | 22 mi | 54.4 mi | 0 / 5 |
The strongest 12 of 119, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Emory
The Storm Prediction Center has 73 hail reports within 10 miles of Emory since 1962, made on 51 separate days. Of these, 50 were 1 inch across or larger, and 8 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4.5 inches (grapefruit size), fell on November 25, 1988. The most recent report is from June 16, 2023. April has the most reports, 25.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Emory
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Emory, TX, 3 miles west of Emory at 484 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 92°F and low of 72°F; January is the coolest, at 55°F and 33°F. October is the wettest at 4.8 inches of precipitation on average and August the driest at 2.8 inches; the year adds up to 45.6 inches over 56 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 75 days a year, almost all from May to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 54 nights a year. Snowfall averages 1.3 inches a year, most of it in February. That 45.6 inches is more than at 243 of the 312 Texas stations used on this site (78%). Point, 8 miles west, has its own station (Lake Tawakoni, TX): 44.5 inches a year, 1.1 less than here, and a July average high of 94°F against 92°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 55 | 33 | 3.1 | 5 | 0.4 |
| Feb | 59 | 36 | 3.5 | 5 | 0.9 |
| Mar | 67 | 44 | 4.6 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Apr | 74 | 51 | 4.1 | 5 | 0.0 |
| May | 81 | 60 | 4.6 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 88 | 68 | 4.1 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 92 | 72 | 3.1 | 3 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 92 | 70 | 2.8 | 3 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 87 | 64 | 3.3 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 77 | 53 | 4.8 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 66 | 43 | 3.4 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 57 | 35 | 4.2 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Year | 74 | 52 | 45.6 | 56 | 1.3 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Emory, TX (484 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 Emory
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 88 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Emory: 62 thunderstorm wind reports, 20 flash floods, 5 floods and 1 lightning strike. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $741,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on May 18, 2019. May has had the most flash floods, 5 of 20. Of the 745 Texas cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 438 have had fewer than Emory.
April 29, 2016: flash flood 10 miles from the centre of Emory — $200,000 damage.
April 24, 2026: flash flood 5 miles from the centre of Emory — $100,000 damage.
NWS: “Emergency management reported that several county roads were flooded and some sustained culvert damage or failures, including County Roads 1495, 1325, 3425, 2350, and 1150. Additionally, a section of County Road 2300 was flooded due to a small private earthen dam being overtopped due to the locally heavy rain.”
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
Rains County, which includes Emory, has been named in 17 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1966, 11 of them major disasters (by incident: 3 fires, 3 floods, 3 hurricanes, 3 ice storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on May 17, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Rains County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail, strong wind, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes and inland flooding. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $5.6 million a year, the 193rd highest of 254 Texas counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $1.9 million (33%), is from tornadoes.
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 Emory
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- Edgewood, TX15 mi
- Grand Saline, TX15 mi
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- Sulphur Springs, TX20 mi
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