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NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database

Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Longview, 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

12 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Longview, Texas since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Barry in 2019. Since 1950, 136 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 10 of them rated EF3 or stronger.

Hurricanes
0

within 75 mi, since 1851

Tropical storms
12

below hurricane strength

Tornadoes
136

within 25 mi, since 1950

EF3 or stronger
10

no recorded deaths

What the records show for Longview

None of the 12 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Longview; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1879, a tropical storm with 58 mph winds when its centre passed 57 miles away. The record near Longview begins with an unnamed storm in 1871; the most recent system was Barry in 2019, a tropical storm 69 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1940s, with 4 systems. Of the 12 systems, 3 have come since 2000. Longview has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 56% of the 753 Texas cities on this site. The highest rating among the 136 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3, reached 10 times; the most recent, on April 6, 2003, came within 19 miles. Of the 136, 13 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 52 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 39. The most recent tornado was on October 28, 2025. Longview has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 72% of the 753 Texas cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 157 times since 1955, with stones up to 4.5 inches (grapefruit size). Longview has more hail reports within 10 miles than 79% of the 753 Texas cities.

Compare Longview's storm record with another city →

Tropical storms and hurricanes near Longview

Tropical systems that passed within 75 miles of Longview, Texas, newest first
YearStormClosestStrength when closestPeak
2019BarryJul 1469 miTropical storm (40 mph)Category 1
2008IkeSep 1321 miTropical storm (49 mph)Category 4
2005RitaSep 2443 miTropical storm (43 mph)Category 5
1949Unnamed 1949 stormOct 563 miTropical storm (40 mph)Category 2
1947Unnamed 1947 stormSep 208 miTropical storm (41 mph)Category 4
1941Unnamed 1941 stormSep 2434 miTropical storm (44 mph)Category 3
1940Unnamed 1940 stormAug 952 miTropical storm (40 mph)Category 2
1918Unnamed 1918 stormAug 74 miTropical storm (49 mph)Category 3
1891Unnamed 1891 stormJul 646 miTropical storm (55 mph)Category 1
1886Unnamed 1886 stormOct 1374 miTropical storm (58 mph)Category 3
1879Unnamed 1879 stormAug 2357 miTropical storm (58 mph)Category 2
1871Unnamed 1871 stormJun 569 miTropical storm (39 mph)Tropical storm

Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Longview: 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 Longview

By decade

  • 2020s11
  • 2010s28
  • 2000s13(1 EF3+)
  • 1990s14
  • 1980s18(1 EF3+)
  • 1970s23(2 EF3+)
  • 1960s17(1 EF3+)
  • 1950s12(5 EF3+)
Strongest tornadoes near Longview, Texas
DateRatingDistancePathKilled / injured
Apr 6, 2003F319 mi38.2 mi0 / 0
Apr 1, 1988F310 mi13 mi0 / 9
Apr 1, 1979F35 mi5.6 mi0 / 0
Mar 3, 1970F320 mi0.5 mi0 / 0
Sep 22, 1965F36 mi0.1 mi0 / 0
Nov 4, 1959F320 mi15.5 mi0 / 0
May 3, 1958F34 mi59.2 mi0 / 0
Apr 26, 1957F33 mi14.2 mi0 / 0
Apr 26, 1957F313 mi1 mi0 / 0
Jul 18, 1954F319 mi0.8 mi0 / 0
May 5, 2022EF221 mi8.62 mi0 / 1
Mar 21, 2022EF215 mi39.97 mi0 / 8

The strongest 12 of 136, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.

Hail in Longview

The Storm Prediction Center has 157 hail reports within 10 miles of Longview since 1955, made on 103 separate days. Of these, 105 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, 61.

Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.

Radar-estimated hail days in Longview since 2019 →

Weather by month in Longview

The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Longview #2, TX, 2 miles east of Longview at 504 feet. August is the warmest, with an average high of 96°F and low of 74°F; January is the coolest, at 58°F and 36°F. December is the wettest at 5.3 inches of precipitation on average and August the driest at 2.9 inches; the year adds up to 50.6 inches over 60 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 44% of the year's precipitation (22.1 of 50.6 inches); the other six months are wetter. September has brought the most of the 12 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (4); a normal September there has highs of 90°F and 3.9 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 112 days a year, almost all from April to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 38 nights a year. Snowfall averages 0.9 inches a year, most of it in February. That 50.6 inches is more than at 277 of the 312 Texas stations used on this site (89%). Hallsville, 11 miles east, has its own station (Hallsville 4 S, TX): 50.7 inches a year, 0.1 more than here, and an August average high of 94°F against 96°F.

Monthly climate normals 1991–2020 at Longview #2, TX
MonthHigh °FLow °FPrecip. inDays ≥ 0.1"Snow in
Jan58364.250.1
Feb62404.360.7
Mar71475.060.0
Apr78545.050.0
May85634.760.0
Jun92714.060.0
Jul95743.350.0
Aug96742.940.0
Sep90673.940.0
Oct80564.650.0
Nov68453.440.0
Dec60385.360.1
Year785550.6600.9

Averages for 1991–2020 at Longview #2, TX (504 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.

Texas weather by month, station by station →

Floods, thunderstorm wind and lightning near Longview

Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 210 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Longview: 136 thunderstorm wind reports, 61 flash floods, 8 lightning strikes and 5 floods. They killed 3 people and injured 3, and the NWS estimated $3.4 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 105 mph, on August 5, 2022. April has had the most flash floods, 17 of 61. Of the 745 Texas cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 695 have had fewer than Longview.

  • March 11, 2018: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Longview — 1 killed, $50,000 damage.

  • September 27, 2007: lightning strike 3 miles from the centre of Longview — 1 killed.

    NWS: “A 53 year old man was struck and killed by lightning on Cox Lane. Victim was located approximately 25 feet from a large tree that was struck by lightning.”

  • April 12, 2020: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Longview — 1 killed.

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 Longview's 5 ZIP codes have filed 184 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1979, and were paid $2.8 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Late winter severe storms in 2016: 19 claims (10% of all) and $921,000. The year with the most claims was 1991, with 36. 15% 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, 285 have fewer than Longview.

Flood insurance claims in Longview by named event
EventClaimsPaid
Late winter severe storms201619$921,000

Gregg County, which includes Longview, 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 Longview