NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Joshua, 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 Joshua, Texas since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Carla in 1961. Since 1950, 227 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 11 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 3
- Tornadoes
- 227
- EF3 or stronger
- 11
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
9 deaths in all
What the records show for Joshua
None of the 3 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Joshua; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 56 mph winds when its centre passed 14 miles away. The record near Joshua begins with an unnamed storm in 1900; the most recent system was Carla in 1961, a tropical storm 4 miles away. Of the 753 Texas cities on this site, 73% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Joshua. The highest rating among the 227 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on May 15, 2013, came within 19 miles. Of the 227, 22 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 85 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 89. The most recent tornado was on December 13, 2022. Joshua has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 95% of the 753 Texas cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 252 times since 1961, with stones up to 4.5 inches (grapefruit size). Joshua has more hail reports within 10 miles than 91% of the 753 Texas cities.
Compare Joshua's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Joshua
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | CarlaSep 12 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 27 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 9 | 14 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 4 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Joshua: 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 Joshua
By decade
- 2020s16
- 2010s35(2 EF3+)
- 2000s34(3 EF3+)
- 1990s25
- 1980s20
- 1970s58(4 EF3+)
- 1960s24(2 EF3+)
- 1950s15
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 15, 2013 | EF4 | 19 mi | 2.5 mi | 6 / 54 |
| May 26, 1976 | F4 | 15 mi | 18.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 28, 2000 | F3 | 20 mi | 4 mi | 2 / 80 |
| May 15, 2013 | EF3 | 9 mi | 7.79 mi | 0 / 7 |
| Apr 16, 2002 | F3 | 20 mi | 2.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 28, 2000 | F3 | 25 mi | 8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 26, 1976 | F3 | 5 mi | 3.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 24, 1973 | F3 | 8 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 23, 1973 | F3 | 7 mi | 2.5 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Mar 26, 1961 | F3 | 3 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 4, 1960 | F3 | 23 mi | 7.4 mi | 0 / 12 |
| Apr 4, 2022 | EF2 | 1 mi | 9.72 mi | 0 / 1 |
The strongest 12 of 227, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Joshua
The Storm Prediction Center has 252 hail reports within 10 miles of Joshua since 1961, made on 138 separate days. Of these, 179 were 1 inch across or larger, and 28 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4.5 inches (grapefruit size), fell on October 17, 1993. The most recent report is from October 18, 2025. April has the most reports, 79.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Joshua
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Burleson, TX, 5 miles northeast of Joshua at 762 feet. August is the warmest, with an average high of 95°F and low of 72°F; January is the coolest, at 57°F and 34°F. October is the wettest at 4.4 inches of precipitation on average and July the driest at 2.2 inches; the year adds up to 36.6 inches over 52 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 98 days a year, almost all from May to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 39 nights a year. That 36.6 inches is more than at 175 of the 312 Texas stations used on this site (56%). Keene, 7 miles southeast, has its own station (Cleburne, TX): 37.6 inches a year, 1.0 more than here, and the same August average high, 95°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 57 | 34 | 2.3 | 4 |
| Feb | 61 | 37 | 2.6 | 4 |
| Mar | 68 | 44 | 3.7 | 5 |
| Apr | 76 | 52 | 3.0 | 5 |
| May | 83 | 61 | 4.2 | 6 |
| Jun | 91 | 69 | 3.5 | 5 |
| Jul | 95 | 72 | 2.2 | 3 |
| Aug | 95 | 72 | 2.3 | 3 |
| Sep | 89 | 65 | 3.1 | 4 |
| Oct | 78 | 54 | 4.4 | 5 |
| Nov | 67 | 44 | 2.7 | 4 |
| Dec | 58 | 35 | 2.6 | 4 |
| Year | 76 | 53 | 36.6 | 52 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Burleson, TX (762 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 Joshua
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 157 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Joshua: 118 thunderstorm wind reports, 28 flash floods, 6 lightning strikes, 4 floods and 1 heavy rain event. They killed 1 person and injured 17, and the NWS estimated $4.2 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 96 mph, on September 21, 2009. May has had the most flash floods, 10 of 28. Of the 745 Texas cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 543 have had fewer than Joshua.
November 27, 2015: flash flood 2 miles from the centre of Joshua — 1 killed, $10,000 damage.
NWS: “News media reported that a vehicle with one female driver washed about a quarter of a mile downstream from where it encountered flood waters, which was on FM 913 near the Rock Creek Bridge. Law enforcement found her body downstream of the car after waters receded.”
June 1, 2025: lightning strike 10 miles from the centre of Joshua — 14 injured, $5,000 damage.
May 8, 2014: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Joshua — 2 injured, $75,000 damage.
NWS: “A manufactured home on Jan Lane near Joshua was destroyed by a downburst. Most of the roof was lifted off the residence and two of the walls collapsed.”
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
Johnson County, which includes Joshua, has been named in 19 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1989, 9 of them major disasters (by incident: 5 fires, 4 severe storms, 3 hurricanes, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storms, on February 19, 2021. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Johnson County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for tornadoes; Relatively Moderate for hail, inland flooding, strong wind, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $70.7 million a year, the 24th highest of 254 Texas counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $28.0 million (40%), is from tornadoes.
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.