NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Fort Sam Houston, 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
15 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Fort Sam Houston, Texas since 1851, 4 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Harvey in 2017. Since 1950, 92 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 4 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 4
- Tropical storms
- 11
- Tornadoes
- 92
- EF3 or stronger
- 4
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
4 deaths in all
What the records show for Fort Sam Houston
The strongest storm to pass near Fort Sam Houston was an unnamed storm in 1886, a Category 1 hurricane with 85 mph winds when its centre crossed the city. The record near Fort Sam Houston begins with an unnamed storm in 1851; the most recent system was Harvey in 2017, a tropical storm 53 miles away. Of the 15 systems, 3 have come since 2000. Fort Sam Houston has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 73% of the 753 Texas cities on this site. The strongest of the 92 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on April 28, 1953; its path came within 17 miles, and it killed 2 people. Of the 92, 17 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 36 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 19. The most recent tornado was on October 26, 2023. Of the 753 Texas cities, 60% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Fort Sam Houston. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 294 times since 1957, with stones up to 5.5 inches. Fort Sam Houston has more hail reports within 10 miles than 92% of the 753 Texas cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Fort Sam Houston
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | HarveyAug 27 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2010 | HermineSep 7 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2003 | ClaudetteJul 16 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1973 | DeliaSep 6 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1970 | CeliaAug 4 | 73 mi | Category 1 (84 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1968 | CandyJun 24 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1961 | CarlaSep 12 | 72 mi | Category 1 (74 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1942 | Unnamed 1942 stormAug 30 | 7 mi | Category 1 (76 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1936 | Unnamed 1936 stormJun 28 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1929 | Unnamed 1929 stormJun 29 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (64 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 27 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormSep 24 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormAug 20 | overhead | Category 1 (85 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1866 | Unnamed 1866 stormJul 16 | 75 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1851 | Unnamed 1851 stormJun 26 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Fort Sam Houston: 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 Fort Sam Houston
By decade
- 2020s4
- 2010s12
- 2000s20
- 1990s6
- 1980s15
- 1970s13
- 1960s12(2 EF3+)
- 1950s10(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 28, 1953 | F4 | 17 mi | 1 mi | 2 / 15 |
| Apr 28, 1953 | F3 | 8 mi | 4.9 mi | 1 / 5 |
| Sep 20, 1967 | F3 | 24 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 22, 1961 | F3 | 7 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 19, 2017 | EF2 | 3 mi | 4.64 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 19, 2012 | EF2 | 22 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Mar 19, 2002 | F2 | 20 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 30 |
| Sep 17, 1988 | F2 | 8 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Aug 10, 1980 | F2 | 3 mi | 12.2 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Sep 13, 1970 | F2 | 17 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 18, 1970 | F2 | 20 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 16, 1969 | F2 | in town | 4.3 mi | 0 / 3 |
The strongest 12 of 92, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Fort Sam Houston
The Storm Prediction Center has 294 hail reports within 10 miles of Fort Sam Houston since 1957, made on 151 separate days. Of these, 230 were 1 inch across or larger, and 43 reached 2 inches. The largest, 5.5 inches, fell on May 3, 2021. The most recent report is from March 23, 2025. April has the most reports, 89.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Fort Sam Houston
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is San Antonio Incarnate Word, TX, 1 mile northwest of Fort Sam Houston at 700 feet. August is the warmest, with an average high of 95°F and low of 74°F; January is the coolest, at 63°F and 40°F. May is the wettest at 4.4 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 1.9 inches; the year adds up to 34.0 inches over 47 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 55% of the year's precipitation (18.7 of 34.0 inches); the other six months are drier. June has brought the most of the 15 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (5); a normal June there has highs of 92°F and 3.6 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 112 days a year, almost all from April to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 22 nights a year. That 34.0 inches is more than at 145 of the 312 Texas stations used on this site (46%). Live Oak, 8 miles northeast, has its own station (San Antonio International Airport, TX): 32.5 inches a year, 1.5 less than here, and an August average high of 96°F against 95°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 63 | 40 | 2.2 | 4 |
| Feb | 68 | 44 | 1.9 | 3 |
| Mar | 74 | 51 | 2.4 | 4 |
| Apr | 80 | 57 | 2.3 | 3 |
| May | 86 | 66 | 4.4 | 4 |
| Jun | 92 | 72 | 3.6 | 4 |
| Jul | 94 | 74 | 2.4 | 4 |
| Aug | 95 | 74 | 2.4 | 3 |
| Sep | 90 | 69 | 3.9 | 5 |
| Oct | 82 | 59 | 3.9 | 5 |
| Nov | 71 | 49 | 2.5 | 3 |
| Dec | 64 | 41 | 2.1 | 4 |
| Year | 80 | 58 | 34.0 | 47 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at San Antonio Incarnate Word, TX (700 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 Fort Sam Houston
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 334 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Fort Sam Houston: 203 flash floods, 118 thunderstorm wind reports, 7 floods, 4 heavy rain events and 2 lightning strikes. They killed 21 people and injured 20, and the NWS estimated $29.6 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 92 mph, on July 15, 2007. June has had the most flash floods, 53 of 203. Of the 745 Texas cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 743 have had fewer than Fort Sam Houston.
June 12, 2025: flash flood 5 miles from the centre of Fort Sam Houston — 11 killed, $23.0 million damage.
August 31, 2025: flash flood 7 miles from the centre of Fort Sam Houston — 2 killed.
September 10, 2015: heavy rain event 4 miles from the centre of Fort Sam Houston — 1 killed.
NWS: “Three homeless men were staying under a culvert on San Pedro. During brief heavy rains, two of the three men were able to swim out, but the third man was discovered drown near the 300 block of Barbara.”
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 Fort Sam Houston, 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 Fort Sam Houston
- San Antonio, TX6 mi
- Live Oak, TX8 mi
- Converse, TX10 mi
- Jbsa Lackland, TX11 mi
- Universal City, TX11 mi
- Schertz, TX13 mi
- Saint Hedwig, TX15 mi
- Garden Ridge, TX15 mi
- Cibolo, TX16 mi
- Adkins, TX17 mi
- Elmendorf, TX17 mi
- Von Ormy, TX18 mi
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