NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Garden Ridge, 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
11 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Garden Ridge, Texas since 1851, 2 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Harvey in 2017. Since 1950, 97 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 5 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 2
- Tropical storms
- 9
- Tornadoes
- 97
- EF3 or stronger
- 5
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
4 deaths in all
What the records show for Garden Ridge
The strongest storm to pass near Garden Ridge was an unnamed storm in 1886, a Category 1 hurricane with 84 mph winds when its centre passed 15 miles away. The record near Garden Ridge begins with an unnamed storm in 1886; the most recent system was Harvey in 2017, a tropical storm 49 miles away. Of the 11 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Garden Ridge has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 62% of the 753 Texas cities on this site. The strongest of the 97 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on April 28, 1953; its path came within 24 miles, and it killed 2 people. Of the 97, 6 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 38 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 23. The most recent tornado was on October 24, 2025. Of the 753 Texas cities, 56% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Garden Ridge. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 94 times since 1974, with stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball size). Garden Ridge has more hail reports within 10 miles than 58% of the 753 Texas cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Garden Ridge
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | HarveyAug 27 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2010 | HermineSep 7 | 22 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1973 | DeliaSep 6 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1968 | CandyJun 24 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1961 | CarlaSep 12 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (71 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1942 | Unnamed 1942 stormAug 30 | 23 mi | Category 1 (77 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1936 | Unnamed 1936 stormJun 28 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1929 | Unnamed 1929 stormJun 29 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (64 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 27 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormSep 24 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormAug 20 | 15 mi | Category 1 (84 mph) | Category 4 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Garden Ridge: 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 Garden Ridge
By decade
- 2020s9
- 2010s15
- 2000s14
- 1990s6
- 1980s12
- 1970s15
- 1960s18(2 EF3+)
- 1950s8(3 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 28, 1953 | F4 | 24 mi | 1 mi | 2 / 15 |
| Apr 28, 1953 | F3 | 11 mi | 4.9 mi | 1 / 5 |
| Sep 20, 1967 | F3 | 11 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 22, 1961 | F3 | 22 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 1, 1953 | F3 | 25 mi | 5.1 mi | 0 / 10 |
| Feb 19, 2017 | EF2 | 11 mi | 4.64 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 30, 2015 | EF2 | 19 mi | 8.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 21, 2007 | EF2 | 24 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 17, 1988 | F2 | 20 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Aug 10, 1980 | F2 | 17 mi | 12.2 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Apr 18, 1970 | F2 | 22 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 22, 1969 | F2 | 22 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 97, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Garden Ridge
The Storm Prediction Center has 94 hail reports within 10 miles of Garden Ridge since 1974, made on 45 separate days. Of these, 68 were 1 inch across or larger, and 5 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2.5 inches (tennis ball size), was reported on 2 days, most recently May 2, 2006. The most recent report is from May 2, 2025. April has the most reports, 34.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Garden Ridge
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is New Braunfels, TX, 9 miles east of Garden Ridge at 720 feet. August is the warmest, with an average high of 95°F and low of 71°F; January is the coolest, at 62°F and 37°F. May and June are the wettest at 3.6 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 1.9 inches; the year adds up to 33.7 inches over 46 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 54% of the year's precipitation (18.1 of 33.7 inches); the other six months are drier. Highs reach 90°F on about 117 days a year, almost all from April to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 32 nights a year. That 33.7 inches is more than at 144 of the 312 Texas stations used on this site (46%). Universal City, 6 miles south, has its own station (San Antonio International Airport, TX): 32.5 inches a year, 1.2 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 | 62 | 37 | 2.3 | 4 |
| Feb | 66 | 40 | 1.9 | 4 |
| Mar | 73 | 48 | 2.7 | 4 |
| Apr | 79 | 54 | 2.5 | 3 |
| May | 85 | 64 | 3.6 | 5 |
| Jun | 90 | 70 | 3.6 | 4 |
| Jul | 93 | 72 | 3.0 | 4 |
| Aug | 95 | 71 | 2.4 | 3 |
| Sep | 89 | 66 | 3.5 | 4 |
| Oct | 81 | 56 | 3.2 | 4 |
| Nov | 71 | 46 | 2.4 | 3 |
| Dec | 63 | 40 | 2.6 | 4 |
| Year | 79 | 55 | 33.7 | 46 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at New Braunfels, TX (720 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 Garden Ridge
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 131 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Garden Ridge: 87 flash floods, 42 thunderstorm wind reports, 1 flood and 1 lightning strike. They killed 4 people and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $879,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on May 2, 2006. Of the 745 Texas cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 724 have had fewer than Garden Ridge.
May 25, 2013: flash flood 8 miles from the centre of Garden Ridge — 2 killed.
September 8, 2010: flash flood 7 miles from the centre of Garden Ridge — 1 killed.
May 25, 2013: flash flood 6 miles from the centre of Garden Ridge — 1 killed.
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 Garden Ridge's ZIP code 78266 have filed 22 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1998, and were paid $273,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 41% 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, 87 have fewer than Garden Ridge.
Comal County, which includes Garden Ridge, has been named in 27 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1972, 14 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 fires, 6 floods, 6 hurricanes, 3 severe storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storm, on April 21, 2023. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Comal County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for tornadoes, hail, inland flooding and lightning; Relatively Moderate for strong wind and heat waves; Relatively Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $143.7 million a year, the 16th highest of 254 Texas counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $117.7 million (82%), 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 Garden Ridge
- Schertz, TX5 mi
- Universal City, TX6 mi
- Cibolo, TX6 mi
- Live Oak, TX7 mi
- Converse, TX10 mi
- Marion, TX11 mi
- Bulverde, TX11 mi
- New Braunfels, TX12 mi
- Fort Sam Houston, TX15 mi
- Saint Hedwig, TX16 mi
- Mc Queeney, TX16 mi
- Canyon Lake, TX17 mi
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