NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Kemp, 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
7 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Kemp, Texas since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 99 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 5 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 7
- Tornadoes
- 99
- EF3 or stronger
- 5
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
5 deaths in all
What the records show for Kemp
None of the 7 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Kemp; the strongest was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm with 53 mph winds when its centre passed 60 miles away. The record near Kemp begins with an unnamed storm in 1871; the most recent system was Ike in 2008. Of the 7 systems, one has come since 2000. Of the 753 Texas cities on this site, 57% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Kemp. The strongest of the 99 tornadoes within 25 miles was an EF4 on April 29, 2017; its path came within 12 miles, and it killed 2 people. The deadliest, an EF3 on April 29, 2017, killed 2 people. Of the 99, 7 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 43 have come since 2000. April and May have had the most tornadoes, 28 each. The most recent tornado was on June 3, 2024. Of the 753 Texas cities, 55% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Kemp. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 65 times since 1957, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 753 Texas cities, 58% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Kemp.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Kemp
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 13 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1983 | AliciaAug 19 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1961 | CarlaSep 12 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1947 | Unnamed 1947 stormSep 20 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 18 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 27 | 33 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1871 | Unnamed 1871 stormJun 5 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Tropical storm |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Kemp: 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 Kemp
By decade
- 2020s8
- 2010s28(2 EF3+)
- 2000s7
- 1990s12
- 1980s9(1 EF3+)
- 1970s19(1 EF3+)
- 1960s10(1 EF3+)
- 1950s6
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 29, 2017 | EF4 | 12 mi | 21.42 mi | 2 / 25 |
| Apr 29, 2017 | EF3 | 20 mi | 39.71 mi | 2 / 24 |
| Oct 13, 1981 | F3 | 21 mi | 7.2 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Apr 15, 1973 | F3 | 24 mi | 3.8 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Mar 11, 1963 | F3 | 17 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 25, 1970 | F2 | 23 mi | 0.1 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Nov 4, 2022 | EF2 | 20 mi | 15.05 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 29, 2019 | EF2 | 15 mi | 7.24 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 29, 2019 | EF2 | 1 mi | 4.01 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Apr 29, 2017 | EF2 | 15 mi | 11.68 mi | 0 / 10 |
| Oct 24, 2010 | EF2 | 16 mi | 6.51 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Jan 20, 2010 | EF2 | 25 mi | 15.17 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 99, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Kemp
The Storm Prediction Center has 65 hail reports within 10 miles of Kemp since 1957, made on 49 separate days. Of these, 44 were 1 inch across or larger, and 4 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2.75 inches (baseball size), was reported on 2 days, most recently October 24, 2010. The most recent report is from May 16, 2025. April has the most reports, 22.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Kemp
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Corsicana, TX, 22 miles southwest of Kemp at 449 feet. August is the warmest, with an average high of 96°F and low of 73°F; January is the coolest, at 57°F and 35°F. October is the wettest at 5.0 inches of precipitation on average and July the driest at 2.1 inches; the year adds up to 42.2 inches over 56 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 100 days a year, almost all from May to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 37 nights a year. That 42.2 inches is more than at 227 of the 312 Texas stations used on this site (73%). Mabank, 6 miles east, has its own station (Athens, TX): 44.7 inches a year, 2.5 more than here, and an August average high of 95°F against 96°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 57 | 35 | 3.1 | 5 |
| Feb | 61 | 38 | 3.3 | 5 |
| Mar | 68 | 46 | 4.0 | 5 |
| Apr | 76 | 53 | 4.0 | 5 |
| May | 83 | 63 | 4.3 | 6 |
| Jun | 90 | 70 | 3.8 | 5 |
| Jul | 95 | 74 | 2.1 | 3 |
| Aug | 96 | 73 | 2.5 | 3 |
| Sep | 90 | 66 | 3.3 | 4 |
| Oct | 79 | 55 | 5.0 | 5 |
| Nov | 67 | 45 | 3.2 | 5 |
| Dec | 59 | 37 | 3.6 | 5 |
| Year | 77 | 55 | 42.2 | 56 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Corsicana, TX (449 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 Kemp
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 83 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Kemp: 60 thunderstorm wind reports, 12 floods, 9 flash floods and 2 lightning strikes. They killed 0 people and injured 3, and the NWS estimated $10.5 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on June 1, 1996. October has had the most flash floods, 4 of 9. Of the 745 Texas cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 176 have had fewer than Kemp.
March 2, 1997: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Kemp — 1 injured, $1.5 million damage.
May 28, 2024: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Kemp — 1 injured, $20,000 damage.
March 13, 2007: lightning strike 3 miles from the centre of Kemp — 1 injured.
NWS: “Person struck by lightning in Seven Points.”
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 Kemp's ZIP code 75143 have filed 20 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1995, and were paid $128,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 25% 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, 78 have fewer than Kemp.
Henderson County, which includes Kemp, has been named in 25 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1966, 16 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 severe storms, 4 fires, 4 floods, 4 hurricanes). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on May 17, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Henderson County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for tornadoes, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Moderate for hail and heat waves; Relatively Low for hurricanes and inland flooding. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $37.4 million a year, the 47th highest of 254 Texas counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $10.4 million (28%), 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 Kemp
- Mabank, TX6 mi
- Gun Barrel City, TX7 mi
- Eustace, TX12 mi
- Scurry, TX13 mi
- Trinidad, TX13 mi
- Kerens, TX16 mi
- Malakoff, TX16 mi
- Kaufman, TX17 mi
- Rice, TX18 mi
- Canton, TX23 mi
- Corsicana, TX23 mi
- Crandall, TX24 mi
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