NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Karnack, 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
13 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Karnack, Texas since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Laura in 2020. Since 1950, 164 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 7 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 13
- Tornadoes
- 164
- EF3 or stronger
- 7
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
8 deaths in all
What the records show for Karnack
None of the 13 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Karnack; the strongest was Laura in 2020, a tropical storm with 70 mph winds when its centre passed 70 miles away. The record near Karnack begins with an unnamed storm in 1865; the most recent system was Laura in 2020. The busiest decade was the 1940s, with 3 systems. Of the 13 systems, 4 have come since 2000. Karnack has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 59% of the 753 Texas cities on this site. The strongest of the 164 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on April 3, 1999; its path came within 22 miles, and it killed 7 people. Of the 164, 6 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 83 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 50. The most recent tornado was on March 28, 2025. Karnack has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 84% of the 753 Texas cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 58 times since 1974, with stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball size). Of the 753 Texas cities, 63% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Karnack.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Karnack
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | LauraAug 27 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (70 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2019 | BarryJul 14 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2008 | IkeSep 13 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2005 | RitaSep 24 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1947 | Unnamed 1947 stormSep 20 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 24 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1940 | Unnamed 1940 stormAug 9 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1920 | Unnamed 1920 stormSep 22 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1918 | Unnamed 1918 stormAug 7 | 32 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1891 | Unnamed 1891 stormJul 6 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormOct 13 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1879 | Unnamed 1879 stormAug 23 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1865 | Unnamed 1865 stormSep 14 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 2 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Karnack: 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 Karnack
By decade
- 2020s20
- 2010s41(1 EF3+)
- 2000s22(1 EF3+)
- 1990s26(1 EF3+)
- 1980s12
- 1970s9(1 EF3+)
- 1960s20(1 EF3+)
- 1950s14(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3, 1999 | F4 | 22 mi | 19.3 mi | 7 / 102 |
| Jan 20, 2010 | EF3 | 12 mi | 15.56 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 23, 2000 | F3 | 18 mi | 32.5 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Oct 22, 1972 | F3 | 15 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Apr 24, 1964 | F3 | 18 mi | 20.6 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Nov 4, 1959 | F3 | 16 mi | 15.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 3, 1958 | F3 | 8 mi | 59.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 13, 2022 | EF2 | 18 mi | 9.15 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 24, 2017 | EF2 | 18 mi | 2.71 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jan 21, 2017 | EF2 | 10 mi | 13.36 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jan 21, 2017 | EF2 | 4 mi | 6.93 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 27, 2015 | EF2 | 8 mi | 7.78 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 164, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Karnack
The Storm Prediction Center has 58 hail reports within 10 miles of Karnack since 1974, made on 47 separate days. Of these, 42 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.5 inches (tennis ball size), fell on May 30, 1990. The most recent report is from May 28, 2017. May has the most reports, 16.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Karnack
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Mooringsport 1 N, LA, 12 miles east of Karnack at 200 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 94°F and low of 73°F; January is the coolest, at 56°F and 35°F. December is the wettest at 5.1 inches of precipitation on average and August the driest at 3.0 inches; the year adds up to 50.8 inches over 68 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 46% of the year's precipitation (23.2 of 50.8 inches); the other six months are wetter. September has brought the most of the 13 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (6); a normal September there has highs of 89°F and 4.1 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 87 days a year, almost all from May to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 35 nights a year. That 50.8 inches is more than at 280 of the 312 Texas stations used on this site (90%). Jefferson, 13 miles northwest, has its own station (Jefferson, TX): 49.7 inches a year, 1.1 less than here, and the same July average high, 94°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 56 | 35 | 4.5 | 6 |
| Feb | 61 | 39 | 4.5 | 6 |
| Mar | 68 | 46 | 4.7 | 7 |
| Apr | 76 | 54 | 4.7 | 6 |
| May | 83 | 63 | 4.1 | 6 |
| Jun | 90 | 70 | 4.2 | 6 |
| Jul | 94 | 73 | 3.2 | 4 |
| Aug | 94 | 72 | 3.0 | 5 |
| Sep | 89 | 65 | 4.1 | 5 |
| Oct | 78 | 54 | 4.5 | 5 |
| Nov | 66 | 45 | 4.2 | 6 |
| Dec | 58 | 38 | 5.1 | 6 |
| Year | 76 | 55 | 50.8 | 68 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Mooringsport 1 N, LA (200 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 Karnack
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 61 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Karnack: 49 thunderstorm wind reports, 8 flash floods and 4 floods. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $810,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on May 24, 2015. March has had the most flash floods, 3 of 8. Of the 745 Texas cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 138 have had fewer than Karnack.
October 13, 2009: flood 8 miles from the centre of Karnack — $500,000 damage.
May 24, 2015: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Karnack — $150,000 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 Karnack's ZIP code 75661 have filed 177 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1987, and were paid $4.0 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Late winter severe storms in 2016: 65 claims (37% of all) and $2.7 million. 39% 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, 280 have fewer than Karnack.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Late winter severe storms2016 | 65 | $2.7 million |
Harrison County, which includes Karnack, has been named in 28 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1966, 18 of them major disasters (by incident: 7 hurricanes, 6 fires, 4 floods, 4 severe storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Hurricane Beryl, on July 9, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Harrison County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for tornadoes; Relatively Moderate for hail, strong wind, lightning and heat waves; Relatively Low for hurricanes and inland flooding. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $28.7 million a year, the 66th highest of 254 Texas counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $7.7 million (27%), 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 Karnack
- Mooringsport, LA11 mi
- Jefferson, TX13 mi
- Marshall, TX14 mi
- Waskom, TX14 mi
- Vivian, LA17 mi
- Greenwood, LA18 mi
- Harleton, TX22 mi
- Hallsville, TX25 mi
- Avinger, TX26 mi
- Linden, TX26 mi
- De Berry, TX26 mi
- Shreveport, LA27 mi
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