NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Howe, 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
3 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Howe, Texas since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Carla in 1961. Since 1950, 132 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 15 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 3
- Tornadoes
- 132
- EF3 or stronger
- 15
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
14 deaths in all
What the records show for Howe
None of the 3 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Howe; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 52 mph winds when its centre passed 67 miles away. The record near Howe begins with an unnamed storm in 1900; the most recent system was Carla in 1961, a tropical storm 33 miles away. Of the 753 Texas cities on this site, 73% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Howe. The highest rating among the 132 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3 or EF3, reached 15 times; the most recent, on May 25, 2024, came within 20 miles. Of the 132, 7 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 40 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 43. The most recent tornado was on June 8, 2025. Howe has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 69% of the 753 Texas cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 184 times since 1962, with stones up to 4.5 inches (grapefruit size). Howe has more hail reports within 10 miles than 83% of the 753 Texas cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Howe
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | CarlaSep 13 | 33 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 28 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 10 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 4 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Howe: 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 Howe
By decade
- 2020s13(2 EF3+)
- 2010s14
- 2000s13(1 EF3+)
- 1990s21
- 1980s10(1 EF3+)
- 1970s24(5 EF3+)
- 1960s17(2 EF3+)
- 1950s20(4 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 25, 2024 | EF3 | 20 mi | 47.27 mi | 7 / 80 |
| May 9, 2006 | F3 | 12 mi | 9.3 mi | 3 / 10 |
| Apr 2, 1982 | F3 | 22 mi | 32 mi | 1 / 1 |
| Apr 6, 1955 | F3 | 8 mi | 30.2 mi | 1 / 27 |
| May 25, 2024 | EF3 | 13 mi | 0.71 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 14, 1974 | F3 | 12 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 10, 1973 | F3 | 18 mi | 6.8 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Mar 12, 1971 | F3 | 2 mi | 5.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 12, 1971 | F3 | 2 mi | 5.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 12, 1971 | F3 | 10 mi | 5.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 12, 1969 | F3 | 23 mi | 45.9 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Jun 12, 1966 | F3 | 23 mi | 3.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 132, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Howe
The Storm Prediction Center has 184 hail reports within 10 miles of Howe since 1962, made on 113 separate days. Of these, 122 were 1 inch across or larger, and 20 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4.5 inches (grapefruit size), fell on May 16, 1989. The most recent report is from September 21, 2025. May has the most reports, 54.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Howe
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Sherman, TX, 13 miles north of Howe at 760 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 93°F and low of 74°F; January is the coolest, at 53°F and 34°F. May is the wettest at 5.5 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 2.5 inches; the year adds up to 44.3 inches over 60 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 73 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 43 nights a year. That 44.3 inches is more than at 236 of the 312 Texas stations used on this site (76%). Van Alstyne, 8 miles southeast, has its own station (Mckinney Municipal Airport, TX): 38.4 inches a year, 5.9 less than here, and a July average high of 95°F against 93°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 53 | 34 | 2.5 | 5 |
| Feb | 57 | 37 | 2.8 | 5 |
| Mar | 65 | 45 | 4.0 | 6 |
| Apr | 73 | 53 | 3.9 | 5 |
| May | 80 | 62 | 5.5 | 7 |
| Jun | 88 | 70 | 4.5 | 6 |
| Jul | 93 | 74 | 2.9 | 4 |
| Aug | 93 | 73 | 2.9 | 4 |
| Sep | 85 | 66 | 3.4 | 4 |
| Oct | 75 | 55 | 4.8 | 6 |
| Nov | 63 | 44 | 3.5 | 5 |
| Dec | 54 | 36 | 3.6 | 5 |
| Year | 73 | 54 | 44.3 | 60 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Sherman, TX (760 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 Howe
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 138 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Howe: 104 thunderstorm wind reports, 27 flash floods, 4 floods and 3 lightning strikes. They killed 3 people and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $2.1 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 96 mph, on February 10, 2013. May has had the most flash floods, 7 of 27. Of the 745 Texas cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 527 have had fewer than Howe.
December 24, 2024: flood 7 miles from the centre of Howe — 2 killed, $50,000 damage.
June 8, 2025: lightning strike 7 miles from the centre of Howe — 1 killed, 1 injured.
July 31, 2025: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Howe — 1 injured, $200,000 damage.
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 Howe's ZIP code 75459 have filed 13 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 2006, and were paid $91,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 23% 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, 31 have fewer than Howe.
Grayson County, which includes Howe, has been named in 21 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1981, 12 of them major disasters (by incident: 5 severe storms, 4 fires, 4 hurricanes, 3 ice storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storms, on February 19, 2021. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Grayson County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for tornadoes; Relatively Moderate for hail, inland flooding, strong wind and heat waves; Relatively Low for lightning; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $42.6 million a year, the 42nd highest of 254 Texas counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $19.0 million (45%), 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 Howe
- Gunter, TX7 mi
- Van Alstyne, TX8 mi
- Sherman, TX8 mi
- Anna, TX13 mi
- Whitewright, TX14 mi
- Bells, TX14 mi
- Collinsville, TX15 mi
- Celina, TX15 mi
- Denison, TX17 mi
- Melissa, TX17 mi
- Savoy, TX18 mi
- Trenton, TX18 mi
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