NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Helotes, 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
8 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Helotes, Texas since 1851, 1 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Harvey in 2017. Since 1950, 89 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 3 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 1
- Tropical storms
- 7
- Tornadoes
- 89
- EF3 or stronger
- 3
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
3 deaths in all
What the records show for Helotes
The strongest storm to pass near Helotes was an unnamed storm in 1886, a Category 1 hurricane with 78 mph winds when its centre passed 6 miles away. The record near Helotes begins with an unnamed storm in 1851; the most recent system was Harvey in 2017, a tropical storm 72 miles away. The busiest decade was the 2010s, with 2 systems. Of the 8 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Helotes has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 56% of the 753 Texas cities on this site. The strongest of the 89 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on April 28, 1953; its path came within 4 miles, and it killed 2 people. Of the 89, 4 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 36 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, 62% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Helotes. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 126 times since 1963, with stones up to 4.5 inches (grapefruit size). Helotes has more hail reports within 10 miles than 72% of the 753 Texas cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Helotes
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | HarveyAug 27 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2010 | HermineSep 7 | 3 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1973 | DeliaSep 6 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1968 | CandyJun 24 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1942 | Unnamed 1942 stormAug 30 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (71 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1929 | Unnamed 1929 stormJun 29 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormAug 20 | 6 mi | Category 1 (78 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1851 | Unnamed 1851 stormJun 27 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 1 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Helotes: 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 Helotes
By decade
- 2020s3
- 2010s10
- 2000s23
- 1990s4
- 1980s14
- 1970s16
- 1960s7(1 EF3+)
- 1950s12(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 28, 1953 | F4 | 4 mi | 1 mi | 2 / 15 |
| Apr 28, 1953 | F3 | 14 mi | 4.9 mi | 1 / 5 |
| Nov 22, 1961 | F3 | 21 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 19, 2017 | EF2 | 17 mi | 4.64 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 19, 2012 | EF2 | 21 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Mar 19, 2002 | F2 | 24 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 30 |
| Sep 17, 1988 | F2 | 13 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Mar 4, 1983 | F2 | 18 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Aug 10, 1980 | F2 | 15 mi | 12.2 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Mar 30, 1976 | F2 | 23 mi | 15.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 18, 1970 | F2 | 6 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 16, 1969 | F2 | 20 mi | 4.3 mi | 0 / 3 |
The strongest 12 of 89, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Helotes
The Storm Prediction Center has 126 hail reports within 10 miles of Helotes since 1963, made on 72 separate days. Of these, 93 were 1 inch across or larger, and 25 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4.5 inches (grapefruit size), fell on April 12, 2016. The most recent report is from June 11, 2025. April has the most reports, 57.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Helotes
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is San Antonio/Seaworld, TX, 12 miles south of Helotes at 940 feet. August is the warmest, with an average high of 99°F and low of 74°F; January is the coolest, at 65°F and 43°F. May is the wettest at 4.0 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 1.8 inches; the year adds up to 31.5 inches over 44 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 123 days a year, almost all from April to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 14 nights a year. That 31.5 inches is more than at 124 of the 312 Texas stations used on this site (40%). Pipe Creek, 12 miles west, has its own station (Boerne, TX): 37.5 inches a year, 6.0 more than here, and an August average high of 94°F against 99°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 65 | 43 | 2.0 | 4 |
| Feb | 70 | 46 | 1.8 | 3 |
| Mar | 76 | 53 | 2.3 | 4 |
| Apr | 83 | 60 | 2.4 | 3 |
| May | 89 | 67 | 4.0 | 5 |
| Jun | 95 | 73 | 3.4 | 5 |
| Jul | 97 | 74 | 2.4 | 3 |
| Aug | 99 | 74 | 2.5 | 3 |
| Sep | 93 | 70 | 3.1 | 4 |
| Oct | 85 | 62 | 3.8 | 4 |
| Nov | 74 | 51 | 1.9 | 3 |
| Dec | 66 | 44 | 1.9 | 3 |
| Year | 83 | 60 | 31.5 | 44 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at San Antonio/Seaworld, TX (940 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 Helotes
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 80 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Helotes: 55 flash floods, 22 thunderstorm wind reports, 2 floods and 1 lightning strike. They killed 4 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $2.7 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on May 24, 2020. June has had the most flash floods, 12 of 55. Of the 745 Texas cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 686 have had fewer than Helotes.
August 16, 2007: flash flood 9 miles from the centre of Helotes — 2 killed, $300,000 damage.
NWS: “The extremely heavy rainfall associated with the remains of Tropical Storm Erin moved into Kendall County in the afternoon, producing between 3 and 5 inches over most of the county. Highest rain totals were 8 inches between Boerne and Sisterdale.”
September 4, 2007: flash flood 3 miles from the centre of Helotes — 1 killed, 1 injured.
NWS: “Up to 2 inches of rain fell over the northwestern part of the county. At around 1:00 AM a man and a woman were washed away in a four door sedan as they attempted to cross the Tower View Bridge on Scenic Loop Road which was in flood due to Helotes Creek.”
November 4, 2024: flash flood 7 miles from the centre of Helotes — 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 Helotes's ZIP code 78023 have filed 53 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1997, and were paid $872,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Torrential rain in 2002: 14 claims (26% of all) and $121,000. 68% 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, 173 have fewer than Helotes.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Torrential rain2002 | 14 | $121,000 |
Bexar County, which includes Helotes, has been named in 31 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1988, 12 of them major disasters (by incident: 12 hurricanes, 8 fires, 4 floods, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storms, on February 19, 2021. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Bexar County a Relatively High rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Very High for tornadoes, hail and inland flooding; Relatively High for strong wind, lightning and heat waves; Relatively Moderate for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $619.4 million a year, the 4th highest of 254 Texas counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $364.8 million (59%), 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 Helotes
- Mico, TX11 mi
- Pipe Creek, TX12 mi
- Boerne, TX14 mi
- San Antonio, TX15 mi
- Jbsa Lackland, TX17 mi
- Castroville, TX20 mi
- Fort Sam Houston, TX20 mi
- Bulverde, TX21 mi
- Bandera, TX21 mi
- Lacoste, TX21 mi
- Atascosa, TX23 mi
- Live Oak, TX23 mi
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