NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Graham, 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 Graham, Texas since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Carla in 1961. Since 1950, 81 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 7 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 2
- Tornadoes
- 81
- EF3 or stronger
- 7
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
5 deaths in all
What the records show for Graham
None of the 2 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Graham; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 53 mph winds when its centre passed 49 miles away. The record near Graham begins with an unnamed storm in 1900; the most recent system was Carla in 1961, a tropical storm 71 miles away. Of the 753 Texas cities on this site, 84% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Graham. The strongest of the 81 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on May 18, 1951; its path came within 25 miles, and it killed 2 people. The deadliest, an F3 on April 21, 1985, killed 3 people. Of the 81, 16 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 30 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 26. The most recent tornado was on March 21, 2022. Of the 753 Texas cities, 68% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Graham. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 127 times since 1955, with stones up to 7.5 inches. Graham has more hail reports within 10 miles than 73% of the 753 Texas cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Graham
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | CarlaSep 13 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 9 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 4 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Graham: 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 Graham
By decade
- 2020s6(1 EF3+)
- 2010s7
- 2000s17(1 EF3+)
- 1990s16(1 EF3+)
- 1980s11(1 EF3+)
- 1970s13(2 EF3+)
- 1960s4
- 1950s7(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 18, 1951 | F4 | 25 mi | 2 mi | 2 / 100 |
| Apr 21, 1985 | F3 | 24 mi | 4.5 mi | 3 / 0 |
| Mar 21, 2022 | EF3 | 16 mi | 34.5 mi | 0 / 9 |
| Apr 30, 2000 | F3 | 22 mi | 13 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 29, 1994 | F3 | 17 mi | 7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 30, 1979 | F3 | 21 mi | 18.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 6, 1979 | F3 | 10 mi | 7.1 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Oct 30, 1979 | F2 | in town | 29.1 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Jun 6, 1979 | F2 | 13 mi | 7.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 15, 1976 | F2 | 2 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 15, 1976 | F2 | 3 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 8, 1975 | F2 | 13 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 81, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Graham
The Storm Prediction Center has 127 hail reports within 10 miles of Graham since 1955, made on 89 separate days. Of these, 93 were 1 inch across or larger, and 23 reached 2 inches. The largest, 7.5 inches, fell on April 14, 1965. The most recent report is from May 22, 2025. May has the most reports, 51.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Graham
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Graham, TX, 3 miles northeast of Graham 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%). Olney, 21 miles northwest, has its own station (Olney, TX): 29.2 inches a year, 0.8 less than here, and a July average high of 97°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 Graham
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 48 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Graham: 34 thunderstorm wind reports, 7 flash floods, 4 floods, 2 lightning strikes and 1 heavy rain event. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $399,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on March 18, 2020. Of the 745 Texas cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 115 have had fewer than Graham.
June 10, 2009: lightning strike 3 miles from the centre of Graham — $100,000 damage.
NWS: “A lightning strike is believed to have started a fire that burned the saltwater disposal tanks on Highway 16 South.”
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 Graham's 2 ZIP codes have filed 50 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $313,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Flooding in 1990: 24 claims (48% of all) and $61,000. 58% 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, 165 have fewer than Graham.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Flooding1990 | 24 | $61,000 |
Young County, which includes Graham, has been named in 21 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1978, 11 of them major disasters (by incident: 7 fires, 4 severe storms, 3 hurricanes, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storms, on February 19, 2021. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Young County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for hail and strong wind; Relatively Low for tornadoes and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes, inland flooding and lightning. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $10.8 million a year, the 140th highest of 254 Texas counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $3.9 million (36%), 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 Graham
- Graford, TX19 mi
- Olney, TX21 mi
- Jacksboro, TX27 mi
- Breckenridge, TX29 mi
- Mineral Wells, TX34 mi
- Ranger, TX41 mi
- Poolville, TX41 mi
- Millsap, TX43 mi
- Chico, TX45 mi
- Albany, TX46 mi
- Bridgeport, TX46 mi
- Holliday, TX47 mi
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