NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Houston, 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
54 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Houston, Texas since 1851, 13 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Beryl in 2024. Since 1950, 271 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 8 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 13
- Tropical storms
- 41
- Tornadoes
- 271
- EF3 or stronger
- 8
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
11 deaths in all
What the records show for Houston
The strongest storm to pass near Houston was an unnamed storm in 1900, a Category 3 hurricane with 114 mph winds when its centre passed 19 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was Alicia in 1983, whose centre came within 6 miles. The record near Houston begins with an unnamed storm in 1854; the most recent system was Beryl in 2024, a tropical storm 24 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1940s, with 8 systems, 2 of them at hurricane strength. Of the 54 systems, 8 have come since 2000. Houston has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 86% of the 753 Texas cities on this site. The strongest of the 271 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on November 21, 1992; its path came within 10 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on February 5, 1986, killed 2 people. Of the 271, 15 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 93 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 45. The most recent tornado was on November 24, 2025. Houston has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 98% of the 753 Texas cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 211 times since 1966, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Houston has more hail reports within 10 miles than 87% of the 753 Texas cities.
Compare Houston's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Houston
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | BerylJul 8 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (71 mph) | Category 5 |
| 2021 | NicholasSep 14 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2019 | ImeldaSep 17 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2008 | IkeSep 13 | 28 mi | Category 2 (102 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2008 | EdouardAug 5 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2007 | HumbertoSep 13 | 65 mi | Category 1 (86 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2003 | GraceAug 31 | 30 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2001 | AllisonJun 6 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1995 | DeanJul 31 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1989 | JerryOct 16 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1989 | ChantalAug 1 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1989 | AllisonJun 27 | 9 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1987 | Unnamed 1987 stormAug 10 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1986 | BonnieJun 26 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (68 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1983 | AliciaAug 18 | 6 mi | Category 1 (90 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1980 | DanielleSep 6 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1973 | Unnamed 1973 stormSep 12 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1973 | DeliaSep 6 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1970 | FeliceSep 16 | 6 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1964 | AbbyAug 7 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1963 | CindySep 18 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1959 | DebraJul 25 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1957 | BerthaAug 10 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormOct 4 | 7 mi | Category 1 (79 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1947 | Unnamed 1947 stormAug 25 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1945 | Unnamed 1945 stormAug 28 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (64 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1943 | Unnamed 1943 stormJul 28 | 3 mi | Tropical storm (68 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1942 | Unnamed 1942 stormAug 21 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 24 | 9 mi | Category 1 (75 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1940 | Unnamed 1940 stormSep 23 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1940 | Unnamed 1940 stormAug 8 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1938 | Unnamed 1938 stormOct 17 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormAug 28 | 63 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormAug 14 | 38 mi | Category 2 (97 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1921 | Unnamed 1921 stormJun 23 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 17 | 25 mi | Category 2 (101 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1909 | Unnamed 1909 stormJul 21 | 52 mi | Category 2 (97 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 9 | 19 mi | Category 3 (114 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1899 | Unnamed 1899 stormJun 27 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1898 | Unnamed 1898 stormSep 28 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1897 | Unnamed 1897 stormSep 13 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1895 | Unnamed 1895 stormOct 7 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1891 | Unnamed 1891 stormJul 6 | 12 mi | Category 1 (75 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormJul 5 | 9 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormJun 17 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormJun 14 | 70 mi | Category 1 (92 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1882 | Unnamed 1882 stormSep 15 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1880 | Unnamed 1880 stormJun 24 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1879 | Unnamed 1879 stormAug 23 | 64 mi | Category 2 (102 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1875 | Unnamed 1875 stormSep 17 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1871 | Unnamed 1871 stormJun 9 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1871 | Unnamed 1871 stormJun 4 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1863 | Unnamed 1863 stormSep 29 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1854 | Unnamed 1854 stormSep 20 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Houston: 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 Houston
By decade
- 2020s17(1 EF3+)
- 2010s36
- 2000s40
- 1990s50(1 EF3+)
- 1980s46(1 EF3+)
- 1970s63(2 EF3+)
- 1960s14(2 EF3+)
- 1950s5(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 21, 1992 | F4 | 10 mi | 30 mi | 0 / 16 |
| Feb 5, 1986 | F3 | 14 mi | 5 mi | 2 / 0 |
| Dec 13, 1977 | F3 | 10 mi | 25.1 mi | 1 / 40 |
| Feb 11, 1950 | F3 | 25 mi | 12 mi | 1 / 12 |
| Jan 24, 2023 | EF3 | 17 mi | 23.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 13, 1974 | F3 | 20 mi | 3.6 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Sep 8, 1969 | F3 | 15 mi | 0.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 11, 1961 | F3 | 19 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 22 |
| Apr 15, 1994 | F2 | 21 mi | 5 mi | 1 / 20 |
| May 20, 1983 | F2 | 9 mi | 4 mi | 1 / 2 |
| May 20, 1983 | F2 | 6 mi | 12 mi | 1 / 7 |
| May 20, 1983 | F2 | 20 mi | 7 mi | 1 / 5 |
The strongest 12 of 271, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Houston
The Storm Prediction Center has 211 hail reports within 10 miles of Houston since 1966, made on 121 separate days. Of these, 118 were 1 inch across or larger, and 12 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2.75 inches (baseball size), was reported on 2 days, most recently April 20, 1995. The most recent report is from August 18, 2025. May has the most reports, 67.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Houston
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Houston-Port, TX, 10 miles east of Houston at 19 feet. August is the warmest, with an average high of 94°F and low of 77°F; January is the coolest, at 63°F and 44°F. June is the wettest at 7.9 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.8 inches; the year adds up to 54.3 inches over 55 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 54% of the year's precipitation (29.1 of 54.3 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 54 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (18); a normal September there has highs of 90°F and 4.5 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 109 days a year, almost all from May to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 5 nights a year. That 54.3 inches is more than at 293 of the 312 Texas stations used on this site (94%). Stafford, 13 miles southwest, has its own station (Houston Sugarland Mem, TX): 49.8 inches a year, 4.5 less than here, and the same August average high, 94°F.
Water temperature at the NOAA tide station Manchester, TX, 11 miles east, averaged 89°F in August and 60°F in February over 2021–2025. It averaged 80°F or warmer from June to October. Sea level at the Morgans Point tide gauge, 28 miles from Houston, has risen 1.50 ± 0.24 inches per decade from 1993 to 2025, NOAA's linear trend; at that pace it is 15.0 inches in a hundred years. That is faster than at 90 of the 144 U.S. gauges with a NOAA trend.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Water °F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 63 | 44 | 4.0 | 5 | 60 |
| Feb | 67 | 49 | 2.8 | 4 | 60 |
| Mar | 73 | 54 | 3.8 | 4 | 67 |
| Apr | 79 | 61 | 5.2 | 3 | 73 |
| May | 86 | 69 | 5.1 | 4 | 79 |
| Jun | 91 | 75 | 7.9 | 6 | 85 |
| Jul | 93 | 77 | 4.5 | 5 | 86 |
| Aug | 94 | 77 | 3.4 | 5 | 89 |
| Sep | 90 | 72 | 4.5 | 5 | 86 |
| Oct | 82 | 63 | 5.4 | 4 | 80 |
| Nov | 72 | 53 | 3.4 | 4 | 71 |
| Dec | 65 | 46 | 4.3 | 5 | 65 |
| Year | 80 | 62 | 54.3 | 55 | 75 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Houston-Port, TX (19 ft), from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals; water temperature: average of hourly readings 2021–2025 at the NOAA tide station Manchester, TX, from NOAA Tides & Currents. 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 Houston
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 283 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Houston: 203 thunderstorm wind reports, 63 flash floods, 14 lightning strikes, 2 floods and 1 heavy rain event. They killed 20 people and injured 26, and the NWS estimated $34.9 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 92 mph, on September 2, 1997. May has had the most flash floods, 20 of 63. Of the 745 Texas cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 701 have had fewer than Houston.
May 16, 2024: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Houston — 8 killed.
NWS: “Nine total fatalities occurred due to the derecho across the City of Houston. One was from a fire from a lightning strike which is entered separately.”
August 16, 2007: flash flood 6 miles from the centre of Houston — 3 killed, $750,000 damage.
NWS: “Numerous roads flooded and impassable across the eastern half of Harris County from the Houston area to the La Porte, Pasadena, and Deer Park areas. Flooding in Deer Park included homes off of Hender, Martha, and Eight Streets, as well as Harvard Avenue, with two feet of water reported over portions of East Boulevard.”
July 15, 2012: lightning strike 9 miles from the centre of Houston — 2 killed, 1 injured.
NWS: “Two men who were playing soccer were killed by a lightning strike while seeking shelter under a tree on the perimeter of the field. A third man was injured.”
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 Houston's 96 ZIP codes have filed 119,200 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $5.95 billion for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Hurricane Harvey in 2017: 34,117 claims (29% of all) and $3.55 billion, then Tropical Storm Allison in 2001 with 19,089 and Flooding in 1981 with 14,763. 87% 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, 432 have fewer than Houston.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Hurricane Harvey2017 | 34,117 | $3.55 billion |
| Tropical Storm Allison2001 | 19,089 | $737.1 million |
| Flooding1981 | 14,763 | $232.2 million |
| Hurricane Ike2008 | 8,586 | $168.6 million |
| Spring severe storms2016 | 5,942 | $338.1 million |
| Early summer storms2015 | 5,379 | $355.9 million |
Harris County, which includes Houston, has been named in 41 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 30 of them major disasters (by incident: 12 floods, 12 hurricanes, 8 severe storms, 3 fires). The latest major disaster declaration was Hurricane Beryl, on July 9, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Harris County a Very High rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Very High for hurricanes, tornadoes, inland flooding, strong wind, lightning and heat waves; Relatively High for coastal flooding; Relatively Moderate for hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $2.22 billion a year, the highest of 254 Texas counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $1.12 billion (51%), 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).
Houston in the notable storm records: Hurricane Harvey (2017) · Hurricane Ike (2008) · Tropical Storm Allison (2001)
What counts as a pass, the distances and the sources: how this storm history is built.
Cities near Houston
- Bellaire, TX5 mi
- Galena Park, TX13 mi
- Stafford, TX13 mi
- South Houston, TX15 mi
- Missouri City, TX15 mi
- Tomball, TX16 mi
- Pasadena, TX17 mi
- Sugar Land, TX17 mi
- Fresno, TX18 mi
- Pearland, TX18 mi
- Cypress, TX18 mi
- Humble, TX19 mi
All Texas cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare Houston with another place →