NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Italy, 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
6 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Italy, Texas since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Alicia in 1983. Since 1950, 155 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 13 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 6
- Tornadoes
- 155
- EF3 or stronger
- 13
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
14 deaths in all
What the records show for Italy
None of the 6 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Italy; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 61 mph winds when its centre passed 37 miles away. The record near Italy begins with an unnamed storm in 1871; the most recent system was Alicia in 1983, a tropical storm 48 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1900s, with 2 systems. None of the 6 systems has come since 2000. Of the 753 Texas cities on this site, 59% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Italy. The highest rating among the 155 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 3 times; the most recent, on May 26, 1976, came within 7 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on March 10, 1973, killed 6 people. Of the 155, 7 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 58 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 50. The most recent tornado was on April 30, 2025. Italy has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 81% of the 753 Texas cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 66 times since 1973, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Of the 753 Texas cities, 57% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Italy.
Compare Italy's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Italy
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | AliciaAug 19 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1961 | CarlaSep 12 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 18 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 27 | overhead | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 9 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1871 | Unnamed 1871 stormJun 5 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Italy: 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 Italy
By decade
- 2020s18
- 2010s23(1 EF3+)
- 2000s17
- 1990s24
- 1980s14(1 EF3+)
- 1970s36(6 EF3+)
- 1960s11(3 EF3+)
- 1950s12(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 10, 1973 | F4 | 23 mi | 23.3 mi | 6 / 77 |
| Mar 31, 1959 | F4 | 20 mi | 10.4 mi | 6 / 31 |
| May 26, 1976 | F4 | 7 mi | 18.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 23, 1971 | F3 | 24 mi | 7.1 mi | 1 / 49 |
| Dec 26, 2015 | EF3 | 20 mi | 8.52 mi | 0 / 46 |
| May 9, 1981 | F3 | 16 mi | 5.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 11, 1978 | F3 | 16 mi | 7.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 25, 1976 | F3 | 19 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 15, 1973 | F3 | 22 mi | 3.8 mi | 0 / 3 |
| May 14, 1969 | F3 | 18 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 16, 1965 | F3 | 11 mi | 11.1 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Mar 26, 1961 | F3 | in town | 9.1 mi | 0 / 4 |
The strongest 12 of 155, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Italy
The Storm Prediction Center has 66 hail reports within 10 miles of Italy since 1973, made on 49 separate days. Of these, 34 were 1 inch across or larger, and 4 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on April 9, 2021. The most recent report is from May 30, 2024. April has the most reports, 26.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Italy
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Bardwell Dam, TX, 15 miles northeast of Italy at 461 feet. August is the warmest, with an average high of 95°F and low of 74°F; January is the coolest, at 56°F and 36°F. October is the wettest at 4.7 inches of precipitation on average and July the driest at 1.9 inches; the year adds up to 40.4 inches over 55 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 103 days a year, almost all from May to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 39 nights a year. That 40.4 inches is more than at 214 of the 312 Texas stations used on this site (69%). Frost, 11 miles southeast, has its own station (Navarro Mills Dam, TX): 40.4 inches a year, the same as here, and an August average high of 96°F against 95°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 56 | 36 | 2.9 | 5 |
| Feb | 61 | 40 | 3.0 | 5 |
| Mar | 68 | 46 | 3.5 | 5 |
| Apr | 75 | 54 | 3.7 | 5 |
| May | 82 | 63 | 4.4 | 6 |
| Jun | 90 | 72 | 3.6 | 5 |
| Jul | 94 | 74 | 1.9 | 3 |
| Aug | 95 | 74 | 2.8 | 4 |
| Sep | 89 | 67 | 3.4 | 4 |
| Oct | 79 | 55 | 4.7 | 4 |
| Nov | 67 | 45 | 3.1 | 5 |
| Dec | 59 | 38 | 3.4 | 4 |
| Year | 76 | 55 | 40.4 | 55 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Bardwell Dam, TX (461 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 Italy
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 46 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Italy: 27 thunderstorm wind reports, 12 flash floods and 7 floods. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $1.00 billion in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 70 mph, on December 30, 2002. May has had the most flash floods, 3 of 12. Of the 745 Texas cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 250 have had fewer than Italy.
October 23, 2015: flash flood 7 miles from the centre of Italy — $1.00 billion damage.
May 2, 2007: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Italy — $250,000 damage.
NWS: “Seventeen electrical towers were knocked down. Numerous power lines and poles were also knocked down.”
June 1, 2004: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Italy — $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
Ellis County, which includes Italy, has been named in 24 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1989, 11 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 fires, 6 severe storms, 5 hurricanes, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on May 17, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Ellis County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for hail and lightning; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, inland flooding and heat waves; Relatively Low for strong wind; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $46.9 million a year, the 35th highest of 254 Texas counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $23.8 million (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).
What counts as a pass, the distances and the sources: how this storm history is built.
Cities near Italy
- Frost, TX11 mi
- Maypearl, TX13 mi
- Waxahachie, TX15 mi
- Itasca, TX16 mi
- Hillsboro, TX18 mi
- Ennis, TX19 mi
- Grandview, TX20 mi
- Palmer, TX21 mi
- Venus, TX22 mi
- Midlothian, TX22 mi
- Dawson, TX23 mi
- Hubbard, TX23 mi
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