NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Kempner, 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
8 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Kempner, Texas since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Delia in 1973. Since 1950, 71 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 2 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 8
- Tornadoes
- 71
- EF3 or stronger
- 2
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
no recorded deaths
What the records show for Kempner
None of the 8 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Kempner; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 69 mph winds when its centre passed 55 miles away. The record near Kempner begins with an unnamed storm in 1897; the most recent system was Delia in 1973, a tropical storm 54 miles away. The 1900s and the 1960s were the busiest decades, with 2 systems each. None of the 8 systems has come since 2000. Of the 753 Texas cities on this site, 54% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Kempner. The highest rating among the 71 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3 or EF3, reached 2 times; the most recent, on April 12, 2022, came within 17 miles. Of the 71, 5 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 32 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 34. The most recent tornado was on May 1, 2025. Of the 753 Texas cities, 75% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Kempner. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 109 times since 1968, with stones up to 4.5 inches (grapefruit size). Kempner has more hail reports within 10 miles than 67% of the 753 Texas cities.
Compare Kempner's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Kempner
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | DeliaSep 6 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1968 | CandyJun 24 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1961 | CarlaSep 12 | 22 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1943 | Unnamed 1943 stormJul 29 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormAug 14 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 27 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 9 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1897 | Unnamed 1897 stormSep 13 | 30 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Kempner: 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 Kempner
By decade
- 2020s5(1 EF3+)
- 2010s12
- 2000s15
- 1990s6
- 1980s5
- 1970s14(1 EF3+)
- 1960s9
- 1950s5
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 12, 2022 | EF3 | 17 mi | 16.55 mi | 0 / 23 |
| Mar 10, 1973 | F3 | 20 mi | 7.8 mi | 0 / 40 |
| Jun 9, 2019 | EF2 | 4 mi | 1.57 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 12, 2014 | EF2 | 16 mi | 1.68 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 15, 1977 | F2 | 5 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 14, 1977 | F2 | 20 mi | 41 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 26, 1976 | F2 | 17 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 26, 1976 | F2 | 21 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 5, 1976 | F2 | 15 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 20, 1976 | F2 | 5 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 7, 1975 | F2 | 21 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 2 |
| May 18, 1966 | F2 | 20 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 71, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Kempner
The Storm Prediction Center has 109 hail reports within 10 miles of Kempner since 1968, made on 62 separate days. Of these, 84 were 1 inch across or larger, and 14 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 4.5 inches (grapefruit size), was reported on 2 days, most recently May 1, 2025. The most recent report is from May 1, 2025. May has the most reports, 42.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Kempner
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Lampasas, TX, 12 miles west of Kempner at 1,032 feet. August is the warmest, with an average high of 97°F and low of 72°F; January is the coolest, at 60°F and 34°F. May is the wettest at 4.6 inches of precipitation on average and July the driest at 1.9 inches; the year adds up to 32.2 inches over 50 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 106 days a year, almost all from April to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 55 nights a year. That 32.2 inches is more than at 133 of the 312 Texas stations used on this site (43%). Copperas Cove, 5 miles northeast, has its own station (Killeen, TX): 34.8 inches a year, 2.6 more than here, and the same August average high, 97°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 60 | 34 | 2.2 | 4 |
| Feb | 64 | 38 | 2.2 | 4 |
| Mar | 71 | 44 | 3.0 | 5 |
| Apr | 78 | 52 | 2.5 | 4 |
| May | 85 | 62 | 4.6 | 6 |
| Jun | 92 | 69 | 3.5 | 5 |
| Jul | 96 | 72 | 1.9 | 3 |
| Aug | 97 | 72 | 2.3 | 3 |
| Sep | 90 | 65 | 2.5 | 4 |
| Oct | 81 | 54 | 3.0 | 5 |
| Nov | 70 | 43 | 2.3 | 4 |
| Dec | 61 | 35 | 2.2 | 4 |
| Year | 79 | 53 | 32.2 | 50 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Lampasas, TX (1,032 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 Kempner
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 67 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Kempner: 43 thunderstorm wind reports, 18 flash floods, 3 floods and 3 lightning strikes. They killed 3 people and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $3.7 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 82 mph, on May 1, 2025. July has had the most flash floods, 8 of 18. Of the 745 Texas cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 394 have had fewer than Kempner.
May 24, 2007: flash flood 5 miles from the centre of Kempner — 2 killed, $15,000 damage.
September 7, 2010: flash flood 5 miles from the centre of Kempner — 1 killed, $3.0 million damage.
March 20, 2010: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Kempner — $175,000 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 Kempner's ZIP code 76539 have filed 18 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1996, and were paid $388,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 44% 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, 66 have fewer than Kempner.
Lampasas County, which includes Kempner, has been named in 19 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1991, 10 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 fires, 3 floods, 3 hurricanes, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding, on July 6, 2025. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Lampasas County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for lightning; Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail, inland flooding and strong wind; Very Low for hurricanes and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $7.7 million a year, the 165th highest of 254 Texas counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $4.1 million (53%), 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.