NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Idalou, 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
No tropical storm or hurricane has passed within 75 miles of Idalou, Texas since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 181 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 6 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 181
- EF3 or stronger
- 6
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
26 deaths in all
What the records show for Idalou
The strongest of the 181 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F5 on May 11, 1970; its path came within 8 miles, and it killed 26 people. Of the 181, 6 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 54 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 57. The most recent tornado was on June 5, 2025. Idalou has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 88% of the 753 Texas cities on this site. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 165 times since 1956, with stones up to 4.5 inches (grapefruit size). Idalou has more hail reports within 10 miles than 81% of the 753 Texas cities.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Idalou
By decade
- 2020s6
- 2010s13
- 2000s35(2 EF3+)
- 1990s17
- 1980s37(1 EF3+)
- 1970s42(1 EF3+)
- 1960s18
- 1950s13(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 11, 1970 | F5 | 8 mi | 8.4 mi | 26 / 500 |
| Apr 21, 1957 | F4 | 12 mi | 15.5 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Jun 9, 2005 | F3 | 13 mi | 15 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 12, 2005 | F3 | 14 mi | 6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 6, 1989 | F3 | 11 mi | 30 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 24, 1957 | F3 | 17 mi | 37.3 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jun 5, 2025 | EF2 | 23 mi | 3.25 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 12, 2005 | F2 | 16 mi | 4.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 29, 1987 | F2 | 20 mi | 8 mi | 0 / 3 |
| May 7, 1981 | F2 | 21 mi | 2.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 7, 1981 | F2 | 18 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 7, 1981 | F2 | 24 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 181, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Idalou
The Storm Prediction Center has 165 hail reports within 10 miles of Idalou since 1956, made on 113 separate days. Of these, 123 were 1 inch across or larger, and 32 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 4.5 inches (grapefruit size), was reported on 2 days, most recently June 17, 2013. The most recent report is from June 8, 2025. May has the most reports, 64.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Idalou
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Lubbock, TX, 8 miles southwest of Idalou at 3,259 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 93°F and low of 69°F; January is the coolest, at 55°F and 27°F. May is the wettest at 2.7 inches of precipitation on average and January and February the driest at 0.7 inches; the year adds up to 18.5 inches over 33 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 92 days a year, almost all from April to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 84 nights a year. Snowfall averages 7.0 inches a year, most of it in December. That 18.5 inches is more than at 24 of the 312 Texas stations used on this site (8%). Abernathy, 15 miles northwest, has its own station (Abernathy, TX): 19.3 inches a year, 0.8 more than here, and a July average high of 91°F against 93°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 55 | 27 | 0.7 | 1 | 1.6 |
| Feb | 60 | 31 | 0.7 | 2 | 1.4 |
| Mar | 68 | 38 | 1.1 | 2 | 0.4 |
| Apr | 76 | 46 | 1.3 | 2 | 0.1 |
| May | 84 | 57 | 2.7 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 92 | 66 | 2.6 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 93 | 69 | 2.0 | 3 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 92 | 68 | 1.7 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 85 | 60 | 2.6 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 76 | 48 | 1.5 | 3 | 0.1 |
| Nov | 64 | 36 | 0.8 | 2 | 1.0 |
| Dec | 55 | 28 | 0.8 | 2 | 2.4 |
| Year | 75 | 48 | 18.5 | 33 | 7.0 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Lubbock, TX (3,259 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 Idalou
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 79 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Idalou: 66 thunderstorm wind reports, 6 floods, 4 heavy rain events and 3 flash floods. They killed 0 people and injured 5, and the NWS estimated $4.9 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on June 14, 2012.
March 25, 2007: heavy rain event 8 miles from the centre of Idalou — 3 injured, $10,000 damage.
NWS: “Heavy rainfall and wet driving conditions contributed to a vehicle accident along Interstate 27 south of New Deal. Three children that were passengers in the vehicle were transported to local hospitals with injuries.”
March 25, 2007: flash flood 10 miles from the centre of Idalou — 2 injured, $15,000 damage.
NWS: “S. Highway 62/82 between Lorenzo and Crosbyton.”
July 6, 2015: flood 7 miles from the centre of Idalou — $2.0 million 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
Lubbock County, which includes Idalou, has been named in 20 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1970, 11 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 hurricanes, 5 severe storms, 3 fires, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storms, on February 19, 2021. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Lubbock County a Relatively High rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Very High for hail and strong wind; Relatively High for tornadoes and lightning; Relatively Moderate for inland flooding and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $213.5 million a year, the 11th highest of 254 Texas counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $46.8 million (22%), 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 Idalou
- Abernathy, TX15 mi
- Lubbock, TX16 mi
- Slaton, TX18 mi
- Shallowater, TX19 mi
- Wolfforth, TX24 mi
- Hale Center, TX26 mi
- Floydada, TX28 mi
- Plainview, TX34 mi
- Tahoka, TX35 mi
- Post, TX36 mi
- Lockney, TX38 mi
- Littlefield, TX39 mi
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