NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Galveston, 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
66 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Galveston, Texas since 1851, 33 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Beryl in 2024. Since 1950, 127 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 6 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 33
- Tropical storms
- 33
- Tornadoes
- 127
- EF3 or stronger
- 6
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
10 deaths in all
What the records show for Galveston
The strongest storm to pass near Galveston was an unnamed storm in 1932, a Category 4 hurricane with 148 mph winds when its centre passed 29 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was an unnamed storm in 1947, whose centre came within 6 miles. The record near Galveston begins with an unnamed storm in 1854; the most recent system was Beryl in 2024, a Category 1 hurricane 69 miles away. The 1940s and the 1980s were the busiest decades, with 8 systems each. Of the 66 systems, 11 have come since 2000. Galveston has more hurricanes within 75 miles than any other of the 753 Texas cities on this site. The strongest of the 127 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on September 12, 1961; its path came within 4 miles, and it killed 8 people. Of the 127, 26 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 35 have come since 2000. August has had the most tornadoes, 20. The most recent tornado was on December 28, 2024. Galveston has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 66% of the 753 Texas cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 33 times since 1957, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 753 Texas cities, 81% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Galveston.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Galveston
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | BerylJul 8 | 69 mi | Category 1 (77 mph) | Category 5 |
| 2021 | NicholasSep 14 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2019 | ImeldaSep 17 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2017 | HarveyAug 29 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2017 | CindyJun 22 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2008 | IkeSep 13 | 8 mi | Category 2 (109 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2008 | EdouardAug 5 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2007 | HumbertoSep 13 | 17 mi | Category 1 (78 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2005 | RitaSep 24 | 74 mi | Category 3 (115 mph) | Category 5 |
| 2003 | GraceAug 31 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2001 | AllisonJun 5 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1995 | DeanJul 31 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1989 | JerryOct 16 | 10 mi | Category 1 (83 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1989 | ChantalAug 1 | 34 mi | Category 1 (78 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1989 | AllisonJun 26 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1987 | Unnamed 1987 stormAug 10 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1986 | BonnieJun 26 | 44 mi | Category 1 (86 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1983 | AliciaAug 18 | 20 mi | Category 3 (114 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1982 | ChrisSep 11 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1980 | DanielleSep 5 | 9 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1979 | ClaudetteJul 24 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1978 | DebraAug 28 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1973 | Unnamed 1973 stormSep 12 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1973 | DeliaSep 5 | 20 mi | Category 1 (75 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1971 | EdithSep 16 | 59 mi | Category 1 (92 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1971 | FernSep 10 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1970 | FeliceSep 16 | 22 mi | Tropical storm (64 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1964 | AbbyAug 7 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1963 | CindySep 17 | 33 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1959 | DebraJul 25 | 20 mi | Category 1 (75 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1957 | BerthaAug 10 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 27 | 62 mi | Category 3 (127 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormOct 4 | 40 mi | Category 1 (92 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1947 | Unnamed 1947 stormAug 24 | 6 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1945 | Unnamed 1945 stormAug 28 | 71 mi | Category 1 (75 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1943 | Unnamed 1943 stormJul 27 | 20 mi | Category 2 (100 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1942 | Unnamed 1942 stormAug 21 | 21 mi | Category 1 (75 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 24 | 46 mi | Category 1 (90 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1940 | Unnamed 1940 stormSep 23 | 14 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1940 | Unnamed 1940 stormAug 8 | 48 mi | Category 1 (75 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1938 | Unnamed 1938 stormOct 17 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormAug 27 | 16 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormAug 14 | 29 mi | Category 4 (148 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1921 | Unnamed 1921 stormJun 22 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (70 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 17 | 17 mi | Category 4 (132 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1909 | Unnamed 1909 stormJul 21 | 35 mi | Category 3 (115 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 9 | 19 mi | Category 4 (138 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1899 | Unnamed 1899 stormJun 27 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1898 | Unnamed 1898 stormSep 28 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1897 | Unnamed 1897 stormSep 13 | 49 mi | Category 1 (78 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1895 | Unnamed 1895 stormOct 7 | 1 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1891 | Unnamed 1891 stormJul 6 | 32 mi | Category 1 (78 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormJul 5 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormJun 17 | 64 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormJun 14 | 21 mi | Category 1 (90 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1882 | Unnamed 1882 stormSep 15 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1880 | Unnamed 1880 stormJun 24 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1879 | Unnamed 1879 stormAug 23 | 26 mi | Category 2 (104 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1877 | Unnamed 1877 stormSep 17 | 57 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1875 | Unnamed 1875 stormSep 17 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1871 | Unnamed 1871 stormJun 9 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1871 | Unnamed 1871 stormJun 4 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1867 | Unnamed 1867 stormOct 3 | 48 mi | Category 2 (104 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1866 | Unnamed 1866 stormJul 14 | 65 mi | Category 2 (104 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1863 | Unnamed 1863 stormSep 29 | overhead | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1854 | Unnamed 1854 stormSep 18 | 37 mi | Category 2 (104 mph) | Category 2 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Galveston: 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 Galveston
By decade
- 2020s6
- 2010s11
- 2000s18
- 1990s17
- 1980s30
- 1970s21(1 EF3+)
- 1960s15(4 EF3+)
- 1950s9(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 12, 1961 | F4 | 4 mi | 1 mi | 8 / 200 |
| Mar 8, 1976 | F3 | 23 mi | 12.7 mi | 0 / 18 |
| Aug 18, 1967 | F3 | 11 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 12, 1961 | F3 | 2 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 18, 1961 | F3 | 4 mi | 2.5 mi | 0 / 5 |
| May 21, 1959 | F3 | 8 mi | 4.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 28, 2024 | EF2 | 24 mi | 8.9 mi | 1 / 5 |
| Mar 17, 1957 | F2 | 10 mi | 0.1 mi | 1 / 7 |
| Jun 5, 1981 | F2 | 18 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jun 5, 1981 | F2 | 2 mi | 2.7 mi | 0 / 2 |
| May 9, 1981 | F2 | 18 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Mar 9, 1971 | F2 | 4 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 1 |
The strongest 12 of 127, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Galveston
The Storm Prediction Center has 33 hail reports within 10 miles of Galveston since 1957, made on 27 separate days. Of these, 18 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 11 days, most recently April 25, 2015. The most recent report is from April 20, 2023. April has the most reports, 15.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Galveston
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Galveston Scholes Field, TX, 2 miles west of Galveston at 5 feet. August is the warmest, with an average high of 92°F and low of 80°F; January is the coolest, at 63°F and 49°F. September is the wettest at 6.7 inches of precipitation on average and February and April the driest at 2.1 inches; the year adds up to 47.2 inches over 56 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 60% of the year's precipitation (28.5 of 47.2 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 66 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (23); a normal September there has highs of 89°F and 6.7 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 66 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 2 nights a year. That 47.2 inches is more than at 252 of the 312 Texas stations used on this site (81%). Santa Fe, 17 miles northwest, has its own station (Houston NWSO, TX): 60.0 inches a year, 12.8 more than here, and the same August average high, 92°F.
Water temperature at the NOAA tide station Galveston Pier 21, TX, 3 miles northeast, averaged 90°F in August and 58°F in January over 2021–2025. It averaged 80°F or warmer from May to September. Sea level at the Galveston Pier 21 tide gauge, 3 miles from Galveston, has risen 2.61 ± 0.04 inches per decade from 1904 to 2025, NOAA's linear trend; at that pace it is 26.1 inches in a hundred years. That is faster than at 140 of the 144 U.S. gauges with a NOAA trend.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Water °F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 63 | 49 | 4.3 | 5 | 58 |
| Feb | 66 | 52 | 2.1 | 3 | 58 |
| Mar | 72 | 58 | 3.0 | 4 | 66 |
| Apr | 78 | 65 | 2.1 | 3 | 73 |
| May | 84 | 72 | 3.0 | 3 | 81 |
| Jun | 90 | 78 | 4.2 | 6 | 87 |
| Jul | 91 | 80 | 3.4 | 6 | 88 |
| Aug | 92 | 80 | 4.7 | 5 | 90 |
| Sep | 89 | 76 | 6.7 | 7 | 87 |
| Oct | 82 | 69 | 5.2 | 5 | 80 |
| Nov | 72 | 59 | 4.3 | 5 | 71 |
| Dec | 66 | 52 | 4.2 | 5 | 64 |
| Year | 79 | 66 | 47.2 | 56 | 75 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Galveston Scholes Field, TX (5 ft), from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals; water temperature: average of hourly readings 2021–2025 at the NOAA tide station Galveston Pier 21, TX, from NOAA Tides & Currents. 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 Galveston
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 72 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Galveston: 48 thunderstorm wind reports, 19 flash floods, 4 lightning strikes and 1 heavy rain event. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $1.1 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 98 mph, on June 6, 1998. September has had the most flash floods, 6 of 19. Of the 745 Texas cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 414 have had fewer than Galveston.
May 8, 2005: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Galveston — 1 injured, $175,000 damage.
NWS: “Building damage along the Port of Galveston, vehicle blown off the road and trees down. One house shifted about ten feet into another house next door dislodging it from its piers (both homes were Galveston 1900 Storm survivors).”
July 26, 2010: lightning strike in Galveston — $250,000 damage.
NWS: “Eight apartments were damaged by fire due to a lightning strike in Galveston. The apartment complex had been abandoned since Hurricane Ike in 2008.”
May 10, 1999: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Galveston — $150,000 damage.
NWS: “Numerous power poles, street signs and traffic signs blown down between 61st and 71st Streets near Harborside Drive. Roof of home torn off and 2-ton boat blown into car along Channelview Drive.”
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 Galveston's 3 ZIP codes have filed 21,589 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1979, and were paid $816.5 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Hurricane Ike in 2008: 13,971 claims (65% of all) and $757.5 million, then Hurricane Alicia in 1983 with 2,158 and Flooding in 1998 with 2,031. 95% 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, 431 have fewer than Galveston.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Hurricane Ike2008 | 13,971 | $757.5 million |
| Hurricane Alicia1983 | 2,158 | $11.7 million |
| Flooding1998 | 2,031 | $12.2 million |
| Hurricane Harvey2017 | 860 | $15.4 million |
| Hurricane Claudette2003 | 340 | $2.1 million |
| Hurricane Beryl2024 | 228 | $3.1 million |
Galveston County, which includes Galveston, has been named in 31 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 20 of them major disasters (by incident: 14 hurricanes, 5 floods, 3 fires, 3 severe storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Hurricane Beryl, on July 9, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Galveston County a Relatively High rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Very High for lightning; Relatively High for hurricanes, tornadoes, inland flooding and coastal flooding; Relatively Moderate for strong wind and heat waves; Relatively Low for hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $198.0 million a year, the 12th highest of 254 Texas counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $63.0 million (32%), 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).
Galveston in the notable storm records: Hurricane Ike (2008) · Hurricane Rita (2005) · Tropical Storm Allison (2001)
What counts as a pass, the distances and the sources: how this storm history is built.
Cities near Galveston
- Texas City, TX10 mi
- La Marque, TX10 mi
- Hitchcock, TX11 mi
- Crystal Beach, TX14 mi
- Santa Fe, TX17 mi
- Dickinson, TX18 mi
- Bacliff, TX18 mi
- Kemah, TX22 mi
- League City, TX22 mi
- Seabrook, TX24 mi
- Webster, TX26 mi
- Alvin, TX26 mi
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