NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Hondo, 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
9 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Hondo, Texas since 1851, 2 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Hermine in 2010. Since 1950, 41 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 1 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 2
- Tropical storms
- 7
- Tornadoes
- 41
- EF3 or stronger
- 1
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
3 deaths in all
What the records show for Hondo
The strongest storm to pass near Hondo was an unnamed storm in 1886, a Category 1 hurricane with 77 mph winds when its centre passed 34 miles away. The record near Hondo begins with an unnamed storm in 1851; the most recent system was Hermine in 2010, a tropical storm 30 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1910s, with 2 systems. Of the 9 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Hondo has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 62% of the 753 Texas cities on this site. The strongest of the 41 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F3 on April 29, 1975; its path came within 21 miles, and it killed 3 people. Of the 41, 6 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 22 have come since 2000. March and May have had the most tornadoes, 12 each. The most recent tornado was on August 15, 2022. Of the 753 Texas cities, 92% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Hondo. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 54 times since 1964, with stones up to 6.42 inches. Of the 753 Texas cities, 66% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Hondo.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Hondo
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | HermineSep 7 | 30 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2003 | ClaudetteJul 16 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1970 | CeliaAug 4 | 54 mi | Category 1 (74 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1942 | Unnamed 1942 stormAug 30 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1929 | Unnamed 1929 stormJun 29 | 9 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormAug 19 | 75 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1913 | Unnamed 1913 stormJun 28 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormAug 20 | 34 mi | Category 1 (77 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1851 | Unnamed 1851 stormJun 27 | 29 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 Hondo: 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 Hondo
By decade
- 2020s2
- 2010s5
- 2000s15
- 1990s4
- 1980s2
- 1970s8(1 EF3+)
- 1960s1
- 1950s4
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 29, 1975 | F3 | 21 mi | 8.3 mi | 3 / 5 |
| Mar 19, 2012 | EF2 | 21 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Mar 19, 2012 | EF2 | 17 mi | 3.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 7, 2002 | F2 | 18 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 12, 2001 | F2 | 2 mi | 1.2 mi | 0 / 25 |
| May 14, 1970 | F2 | 18 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 1, 1959 | F2 | 18 mi | 5.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 2, 1958 | F2 | 18 mi | 20.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 28, 2021 | EF1 | 6 mi | 1.82 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 19, 2012 | EF1 | 16 mi | 7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 11, 2003 | F1 | 15 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 19, 2002 | F1 | 20 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 41, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Hondo
The Storm Prediction Center has 54 hail reports within 10 miles of Hondo since 1964, made on 33 separate days. Of these, 38 were 1 inch across or larger, and 14 reached 2 inches. The largest, 6.42 inches, fell on April 28, 2021. The most recent report is from May 21, 2022. April has the most reports, 20.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Hondo
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Hondo, TX, 3 miles south of Hondo at 879 feet. August is the warmest, with an average high of 97°F and low of 73°F; January is the coolest, at 65°F and 39°F. Highs reach 90°F on about 125 days a year, almost all from March to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 19 nights a year. That 30.8 inches is more than at 119 of the 312 Texas stations used on this site (38%). Castroville, 15 miles east, has its own station (Lytle 3W, TX): 29.7 inches a year, 1.1 less than here, and an August average high of 96°F against 97°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 65 | 39 | 1.5 | 3 |
| Feb | 70 | 44 | 1.5 | 3 |
| Mar | 76 | 52 | 2.4 | 4 |
| Apr | 82 | 57 | 2.4 | 3 |
| May | 87 | 66 | 4.4 | 5 |
| Jun | 93 | 71 | 3.5 | 4 |
| Jul | 95 | 73 | 2.6 | 4 |
| Aug | 97 | 73 | 2.5 | 3 |
| Sep | 91 | 68 | 3.7 | 4 |
| Oct | 83 | 60 | 3.0 | 4 |
| Nov | 72 | 50 | 1.8 | 3 |
| Dec | 66 | 41 | 1.5 | 3 |
| Year | 81 | 58 | 30.8 | 41 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Hondo, TX (879 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 Hondo
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 57 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Hondo: 42 thunderstorm wind reports, 14 flash floods and 1 flood. They killed 1 person and injured 15, and the NWS estimated $3.1 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 115 mph, on October 12, 2001. May has had the most flash floods, 6 of 14. Of the 745 Texas cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 298 have had fewer than Hondo.
May 24, 2015: flash flood 10 miles from the centre of Hondo — 1 killed.
NWS: “Thunderstorms produced heavy rain that caused flash flooding with water rescues in D'Hanis and Yancy. There were also a number of roads closed.”
March 19, 2002: thunderstorm wind 3 miles from the centre of Hondo — 15 injured, $200,000 damage.
NWS: “Across Eastern Medina County, wind damage was widespread, with road signs blown down, trees knocked over, roofs damaged and large limbs were taken out of trees. All the damage was laid out in an west-southwest to east-northeast path.”
October 12, 2001: thunderstorm wind 3 miles from the centre of Hondo — $2.1 million damage.
NWS: “The damage at Hondo was due to the combination of a large tornado, severe downburst winds and large hail. The event was classic, as taught in the NWS Skywarn training program.”
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 Hondo's ZIP code 78861 have filed 28 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1997, and were paid $379,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 39% 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, 112 have fewer than Hondo.
Medina County, which includes Hondo, has been named in 19 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1993, 10 of them major disasters (by incident: 4 floods, 4 hurricanes, 3 fires, 3 severe storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storms, on February 19, 2021. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Medina County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind and lightning; Relatively Moderate for hail and inland flooding; Relatively Low for hurricanes, tornadoes and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $20.5 million a year, the 89th highest of 254 Texas counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $12.9 million (63%), 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 Hondo
- Castroville, TX15 mi
- Mico, TX18 mi
- Devine, TX19 mi
- Lacoste, TX19 mi
- Natalia, TX21 mi
- Pipe Creek, TX21 mi
- Lytle, TX22 mi
- Bandera, TX24 mi
- Atascosa, TX25 mi
- Helotes, TX28 mi
- Somerset, TX30 mi
- Jbsa Lackland, TX31 mi
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