NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Gary, 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 Gary, Texas since 1851, 1 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Laura in 2020. Since 1950, 128 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 13 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 1
- Tropical storms
- 14
- Tornadoes
- 128
- EF3 or stronger
- 13
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
26 deaths in all
What the records show for Gary
The strongest storm to pass near Gary was Laura in 2020, a Category 1 hurricane with 85 mph winds when its centre passed 73 miles away. The record near Gary begins with an unnamed storm in 1865; the most recent system was Laura in 2020. The busiest decade was the 1940s, with 4 systems. Of the 15 systems, 5 have come since 2000. Gary has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 56% of the 753 Texas cities on this site. The strongest of the 128 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on February 12, 1950; its path came within 22 miles, and it killed 18 people. Of the 128, 10 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 63 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 28. The most recent tornado was on July 8, 2024. Gary has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 67% of the 753 Texas cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 92 times since 1974, with stones up to 3.5 inches. Gary has more hail reports within 10 miles than 57% of the 753 Texas cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Gary
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | LauraAug 27 | 73 mi | Category 1 (85 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2019 | BarryJul 14 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2017 | CindyJun 22 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2008 | IkeSep 13 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2005 | RitaSep 24 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormOct 5 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1947 | Unnamed 1947 stormSep 20 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 24 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1940 | Unnamed 1940 stormAug 9 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1918 | Unnamed 1918 stormAug 7 | 7 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1891 | Unnamed 1891 stormJul 6 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormOct 13 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1879 | Unnamed 1879 stormAug 23 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1871 | Unnamed 1871 stormJun 10 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1865 | Unnamed 1865 stormSep 14 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 2 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Gary: 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 Gary
By decade
- 2020s23
- 2010s29
- 2000s11(1 EF3+)
- 1990s11(1 EF3+)
- 1980s20(4 EF3+)
- 1970s10
- 1960s15(4 EF3+)
- 1950s9(3 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 12, 1950 | F4 | 22 mi | 82.6 mi | 18 / 77 |
| Feb 12, 1950 | F3 | 18 mi | 1.9 mi | 3 / 15 |
| Mar 27, 1961 | F3 | 20 mi | 13.8 mi | 2 / 4 |
| Nov 15, 1987 | F3 | 15 mi | 48 mi | 1 / 116 |
| Nov 22, 1961 | F3 | 19 mi | 21.9 mi | 1 / 10 |
| Apr 6, 2003 | F3 | 24 mi | 38.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 3, 1999 | F3 | 21 mi | 5.4 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jun 7, 1989 | F3 | in town | 6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 25, 1982 | F3 | 24 mi | 7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 25, 1982 | F3 | 24 mi | 7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 11, 1965 | F3 | 23 mi | 33 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Feb 11, 1965 | F3 | 13 mi | 42.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 128, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Gary
The Storm Prediction Center has 92 hail reports within 10 miles of Gary since 1974, made on 74 separate days. Of these, 63 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3.5 inches, fell on June 13, 2023. The most recent report is from June 8, 2025. April has the most reports, 27.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Gary
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Carthage, TX, 10 miles north of Gary at 305 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 92°F and low of 73°F; January is the coolest, at 57°F and 36°F. December is the wettest at 5.6 inches of precipitation on average and August the driest at 3.4 inches; the year adds up to 52.1 inches over 64 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 45% of the year's precipitation (23.6 of 52.1 inches); the other six months are wetter. September has brought the most of the 15 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (5); a normal September there has highs of 87°F and 3.7 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 89 days a year, almost all from May to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 39 nights a year. Snowfall averages 0.8 inches a year, most of it in February. That 52.1 inches is more than at 288 of the 312 Texas stations used on this site (92%). Timpson, 8 miles south, has its own station (Center, TX): 56.8 inches a year, 4.7 more 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 | 57 | 36 | 4.7 | 6 | 0.3 |
| Feb | 61 | 40 | 4.2 | 6 | 0.4 |
| Mar | 69 | 46 | 4.9 | 6 | 0.1 |
| Apr | 76 | 54 | 4.7 | 5 | 0.0 |
| May | 83 | 63 | 4.4 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 89 | 70 | 4.0 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 92 | 73 | 3.6 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 93 | 73 | 3.4 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 87 | 66 | 3.7 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 78 | 55 | 4.5 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 67 | 45 | 4.4 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 59 | 38 | 5.6 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Year | 76 | 55 | 52.1 | 64 | 0.8 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Carthage, TX (305 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 Gary
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 114 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Gary: 103 thunderstorm wind reports, 8 flash floods and 3 lightning strikes. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $8.2 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 100 mph, on June 8, 2025. June has had the most flash floods, 3 of 8. Of the 745 Texas cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 138 have had fewer than Gary.
May 18, 2015: lightning strike 8 miles from the centre of Gary — 1 injured.
February 10, 1998: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Gary — $8.0 million damage.
August 20, 2011: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Gary — $100,000 damage.
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
Panola County, which includes Gary, has been named in 24 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1987, 14 of them major disasters (by incident: 7 hurricanes, 6 fires, 3 ice storms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Hurricane Beryl, on July 9, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Panola County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes and hail; Relatively Low for hurricanes, inland flooding, lightning and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $12.9 million a year, the 131st highest of 254 Texas counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $3.9 million (30%), 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 Gary
- Timpson, TX8 mi
- Tenaha, TX9 mi
- Carthage, TX9 mi
- Garrison, TX16 mi
- Beckville, TX16 mi
- Joaquin, TX19 mi
- Mount Enterprise, TX19 mi
- Center, TX20 mi
- De Berry, TX22 mi
- Tatum, TX22 mi
- Logansport, LA23 mi
- Henderson, TX27 mi
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