NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Graford, 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
2 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Graford, Texas since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Carla in 1961. Since 1950, 103 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 3 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 2
- Tornadoes
- 103
- EF3 or stronger
- 3
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
no recorded deaths
What the records show for Graford
None of the 2 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Graford; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 54 mph winds when its centre passed 37 miles away. The record near Graford begins with an unnamed storm in 1900; the most recent system was Carla in 1961, a tropical storm 55 miles away. Of the 753 Texas cities on this site, 84% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Graford. The highest rating among the 103 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3 or EF3, reached 3 times; the most recent, on March 21, 2022, came within 10 miles. Of the 103, 3 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 41 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 35. The most recent tornado was on May 18, 2025. Of the 753 Texas cities, 51% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Graford. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 103 times since 1967, with stones up to 4 inches (softball size). Graford has more hail reports within 10 miles than 63% of the 753 Texas cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Graford
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | CarlaSep 12 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 9 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 4 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Graford: 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 Graford
By decade
- 2020s15(1 EF3+)
- 2010s13
- 2000s13
- 1990s17
- 1980s13
- 1970s19(2 EF3+)
- 1960s6
- 1950s7
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 21, 2022 | EF3 | 10 mi | 34.5 mi | 0 / 9 |
| Oct 30, 1979 | F3 | 24 mi | 18.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 6, 1979 | F3 | 25 mi | 7.1 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Apr 5, 1990 | F2 | 23 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 5, 1990 | F2 | 23 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 2, 1980 | F2 | 20 mi | 4.5 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Oct 30, 1979 | F2 | 19 mi | 29.1 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Apr 15, 1976 | F2 | 19 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 15, 1976 | F2 | 21 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 8, 1975 | F2 | 6 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 4, 1974 | F2 | 19 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 25, 1970 | F2 | 16 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 103, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Graford
The Storm Prediction Center has 103 hail reports within 10 miles of Graford since 1967, made on 79 separate days. Of these, 72 were 1 inch across or larger, and 15 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 4 inches (softball size), was reported on 2 days, most recently April 5, 2003. The most recent report is from April 8, 2024. April has the most reports, 35.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Graford
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Graham, TX, 19 miles northwest of Graford at 1,078 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 98°F and low of 73°F; January is the coolest, at 57°F and 30°F. May and June are the wettest at 3.8 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 1.2 inches; the year adds up to 30.0 inches over 44 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 108 days a year, almost all from April to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 74 nights a year. That 30.0 inches is more than at 114 of the 312 Texas stations used on this site (37%). Mineral Wells, 16 miles southeast, has its own station (Mineral Wells Airport, TX): 31.9 inches a year, 1.9 more than here, and a July average high of 96°F against 98°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 57 | 30 | 1.2 | 3 |
| Feb | 62 | 33 | 1.7 | 3 |
| Mar | 70 | 41 | 3.0 | 4 |
| Apr | 78 | 49 | 2.1 | 3 |
| May | 85 | 60 | 3.8 | 5 |
| Jun | 93 | 69 | 3.8 | 5 |
| Jul | 98 | 73 | 2.0 | 3 |
| Aug | 97 | 72 | 2.2 | 4 |
| Sep | 90 | 64 | 3.1 | 4 |
| Oct | 80 | 51 | 3.7 | 4 |
| Nov | 68 | 39 | 1.6 | 3 |
| Dec | 59 | 32 | 1.8 | 4 |
| Year | 78 | 51 | 30.0 | 44 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Graham, TX (1,078 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 Graford
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 36 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Graford: 24 thunderstorm wind reports, 7 flash floods, 3 floods and 2 lightning strikes. They killed 2 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $2.3 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 85 mph, on March 4, 2025. Of the 745 Texas cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 115 have had fewer than Graford.
March 30, 2007: flash flood 8 miles from the centre of Graford — 1 killed, 1 injured, $10,000 damage.
NWS: “Numerous roads closed due to flooding countywide, including Old Christian Road and Highway 254 East near Graford, and FM 2270 near Salesville. Numerous high water rescues were required.”
June 23, 2015: flood 4 miles from the centre of Graford — 1 killed.
NWS: “A 19-year-old male drowned in the Brazos River when the river quickly rose in response to water releases from Possum Kingdom Lake upstream.”
June 10, 2009: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Graford — $2.0 million damage.
NWS: “The Brazos River Authority reported extensive damage at Possum Kingdom Lake. Twenty-three docks broke loose and their walkways fell fully or partially into the water.”
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 Graford's ZIP code 76449 have filed 11 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1994, and were paid $84,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 36% 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, 13 have fewer than Graford.
Palo Pinto County, which includes Graford, has been named in 27 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1981, 12 of them major disasters (by incident: 12 fires, 4 severe storms, 3 floods, 3 hurricanes). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storms, on February 19, 2021. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Palo Pinto County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for hail and strong wind; Relatively Low for tornadoes, inland flooding, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $14.7 million a year, the 112th highest of 254 Texas counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $7.2 million (49%), 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 Graford
- Mineral Wells, TX16 mi
- Graham, TX19 mi
- Jacksboro, TX23 mi
- Millsap, TX25 mi
- Poolville, TX27 mi
- Lipan, TX33 mi
- Weatherford, TX33 mi
- Ranger, TX34 mi
- Breckenridge, TX34 mi
- Bridgeport, TX37 mi
- Willow Park, TX38 mi
- Springtown, TX38 mi
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