NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Kilgore, 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
11 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Kilgore, Texas since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Barry in 2019. Since 1950, 139 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 10 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 11
- Tornadoes
- 139
- EF3 or stronger
- 10
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
4 deaths in all
What the records show for Kilgore
None of the 11 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Kilgore; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1879, a tropical storm with 59 mph winds when its centre passed 62 miles away. The record near Kilgore begins with an unnamed storm in 1871; the most recent system was Barry in 2019, a tropical storm 74 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1940s, with 4 systems. Of the 11 systems, 3 have come since 2000. Kilgore has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 52% of the 753 Texas cities on this site. The highest rating among the 139 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3, reached 10 times; the most recent, on April 6, 2003, came within 15 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on November 15, 1987, killed 4 people. Of the 139, 11 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 54 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 41. The most recent tornado was on October 28, 2025. Kilgore has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 74% of the 753 Texas cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 105 times since 1957, with stones up to 4.5 inches (grapefruit size). Kilgore has more hail reports within 10 miles than 64% of the 753 Texas cities.
Compare Kilgore's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Kilgore
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | BarryJul 14 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2008 | IkeSep 13 | 16 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2005 | RitaSep 24 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormOct 5 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1947 | Unnamed 1947 stormSep 20 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 24 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1940 | Unnamed 1940 stormAug 9 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1918 | Unnamed 1918 stormAug 7 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1891 | Unnamed 1891 stormJul 6 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1879 | Unnamed 1879 stormAug 23 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1871 | Unnamed 1871 stormJun 5 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Kilgore: 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 Kilgore
By decade
- 2020s11
- 2010s28
- 2000s15(1 EF3+)
- 1990s16
- 1980s20(2 EF3+)
- 1970s25(2 EF3+)
- 1960s14(1 EF3+)
- 1950s10(4 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 15, 1987 | F3 | 17 mi | 33 mi | 4 / 81 |
| Apr 6, 2003 | F3 | 15 mi | 38.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 1, 1988 | F3 | 12 mi | 13 mi | 0 / 9 |
| Apr 1, 1979 | F3 | 14 mi | 5.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 3, 1970 | F3 | 9 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 22, 1965 | F3 | 16 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 3, 1958 | F3 | 3 mi | 59.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 26, 1957 | F3 | 1 mi | 14.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 26, 1957 | F3 | 2 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 18, 1954 | F3 | 21 mi | 0.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 5, 2022 | EF2 | 17 mi | 8.62 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Mar 21, 2022 | EF2 | 25 mi | 11.92 mi | 0 / 1 |
The strongest 12 of 139, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Kilgore
The Storm Prediction Center has 105 hail reports within 10 miles of Kilgore since 1957, made on 75 separate days. Of these, 71 were 1 inch across or larger, and 14 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4.5 inches (grapefruit size), fell on January 6, 1998. The most recent report is from April 30, 2025. April has the most reports, 38.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Kilgore
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Longview E Tx Regional Airport, TX, 10 miles east of Kilgore at 365 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 94°F and low of 74°F; January is the coolest, at 58°F and 37°F. May is the wettest at 4.8 inches of precipitation on average and July the driest at 2.5 inches; the year adds up to 45.4 inches over 62 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 45% of the year's precipitation (20.3 of 45.4 inches); the other six months are wetter. September has brought the most of the 11 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (4); a normal September there has highs of 89°F and 3.2 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 100 days a year, almost all from May to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 35 nights a year. That 45.4 inches is more than at 242 of the 312 Texas stations used on this site (78%). Overton, 9 miles southwest, has its own station (Henderson, TX): 50.4 inches a year, 5.0 more than here, and the same July average high, 94°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 58 | 37 | 3.6 | 5 |
| Feb | 62 | 40 | 3.8 | 6 |
| Mar | 70 | 47 | 4.5 | 7 |
| Apr | 77 | 54 | 3.9 | 5 |
| May | 84 | 63 | 4.8 | 6 |
| Jun | 91 | 70 | 4.2 | 6 |
| Jul | 94 | 74 | 2.5 | 4 |
| Aug | 95 | 73 | 2.6 | 4 |
| Sep | 89 | 66 | 3.2 | 4 |
| Oct | 79 | 55 | 4.0 | 5 |
| Nov | 68 | 45 | 3.8 | 5 |
| Dec | 60 | 39 | 4.5 | 6 |
| Year | 77 | 55 | 45.4 | 62 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Longview E Tx Regional Airport, TX (365 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 Kilgore
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 183 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Kilgore: 130 thunderstorm wind reports, 45 flash floods, 5 floods and 3 lightning strikes. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $3.8 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 100 mph, on January 10, 2020. April has had the most flash floods, 19 of 45. Of the 745 Texas cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 653 have had fewer than Kilgore.
March 30, 2008: flash flood 7 miles from the centre of Kilgore — $2.0 million damage.
January 21, 1999: thunderstorm wind in Kilgore — $640,000 damage.
NWS: “Numerous roofs were damaged. Several mobile homes were destroyed and extensive roof damage to an apartment complex.”
March 29, 2008: thunderstorm wind in Kilgore — $500,000 damage.
NWS: “A roof was blown off a gas station on Highway 259 in Kilgore, Texas. Numerous trees and powerlines were downed in town.”
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 Kilgore's ZIP code 75662 have filed 65 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1981, and were paid $1.2 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Late winter severe storms in 2016: 11 claims (17% of all) and $960,000. The year with the most claims was 1989, with 14. 32% 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, 192 have fewer than Kilgore.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Late winter severe storms2016 | 11 | $960,000 |
Gregg County, which includes Kilgore, has been named in 23 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1966, 14 of them major disasters (by incident: 7 hurricanes, 4 fires, 3 floods, 3 ice storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Hurricane Beryl, on July 9, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Gregg County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for tornadoes, hail and strong wind; Relatively Moderate for inland flooding, lightning and heat waves; Relatively Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $54.6 million a year, the 28th highest of 254 Texas counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $19.9 million (37%), 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.
Cities near Kilgore
- Overton, TX9 mi
- White Oak, TX10 mi
- Gladewater, TX11 mi
- Longview, TX11 mi
- Arp, TX14 mi
- Winona, TX16 mi
- Henderson, TX17 mi
- Hallsville, TX20 mi
- Tatum, TX20 mi
- Troup, TX22 mi
- Gilmer, TX22 mi
- Whitehouse, TX23 mi
All Texas cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare Kilgore with another place →