NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Marlin, 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 Marlin, Texas since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Chantal in 1989. Since 1950, 64 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 2 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 12
- Tornadoes
- 64
- EF3 or stronger
- 2
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
121 deaths in all
What the records show for Marlin
None of the 12 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Marlin; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 71 mph winds when its centre passed 11 miles away. The record near Marlin begins with an unnamed storm in 1871; the most recent system was Chantal in 1989, a tropical storm 58 miles away. None of the 12 systems has come since 2000. Marlin has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 56% of the 753 Texas cities on this site. The strongest of the 64 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F5 on May 11, 1953; its path came within 23 miles, and it killed 114 people. Of the 64, 3 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 26 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 16. The most recent tornado was on May 23, 2024. Of the 753 Texas cities, 80% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Marlin. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 41 times since 1972, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 753 Texas cities, 75% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Marlin.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Marlin
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | ChantalAug 2 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1983 | AliciaAug 18 | 16 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1961 | CarlaSep 12 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1945 | Unnamed 1945 stormAug 29 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1943 | Unnamed 1943 stormJul 29 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormAug 14 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1921 | Unnamed 1921 stormJun 23 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 18 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 27 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 9 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (71 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1897 | Unnamed 1897 stormSep 13 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1871 | Unnamed 1871 stormJun 5 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Marlin: 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 Marlin
By decade
- 2020s11
- 2010s6
- 2000s9
- 1990s11
- 1980s10
- 1970s10(1 EF3+)
- 1960s3
- 1950s4(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 11, 1953 | F5 | 23 mi | 20.9 mi | 114 / 597 |
| Mar 10, 1973 | F4 | 15 mi | 23.3 mi | 6 / 77 |
| Dec 29, 2006 | F2 | 14 mi | 20.4 mi | 1 / 20 |
| May 5, 2006 | F2 | 23 mi | 2.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 30, 2002 | F2 | 19 mi | 7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 13, 1981 | F2 | 23 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Jun 3, 1973 | F2 | 17 mi | 6.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 1, 1973 | F2 | 24 mi | 8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 21, 1972 | F2 | 24 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Oct 21, 1972 | F2 | 24 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 12, 1950 | F2 | 24 mi | 3.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 23, 2024 | EF1 | 21 mi | 2.83 mi | 0 / 2 |
The strongest 12 of 64, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Marlin
The Storm Prediction Center has 41 hail reports within 10 miles of Marlin since 1972, made on 38 separate days. Of these, 26 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 May 22, 1979. The most recent report is from May 23, 2024. April has the most reports, 14.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Marlin
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Marlin, TX, in Marlin at 407 feet. August is the warmest, with an average high of 96°F and low of 71°F; January is the coolest, at 59°F and 34°F. May is the wettest at 5.0 inches of precipitation on average and July the driest at 1.8 inches; the year adds up to 39.0 inches over 53 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 44% of the year's precipitation (17.3 of 39.0 inches); the other six months are wetter. August has brought the most of the 12 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (5); a normal August there has highs of 96°F and 2.2 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 102 days a year, almost all from April to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 38 nights a year. That 39.0 inches is more than at 204 of the 312 Texas stations used on this site (65%). Rosebud, 17 miles south, has its own station (Cameron, TX): 38.6 inches a year, 0.4 less than here, and an August average high of 95°F against 96°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 59 | 34 | 3.3 | 5 |
| Feb | 63 | 37 | 2.9 | 5 |
| Mar | 69 | 45 | 3.7 | 6 |
| Apr | 77 | 52 | 3.4 | 4 |
| May | 83 | 61 | 5.0 | 6 |
| Jun | 91 | 68 | 3.0 | 4 |
| Jul | 95 | 71 | 1.8 | 3 |
| Aug | 96 | 71 | 2.2 | 3 |
| Sep | 90 | 64 | 3.1 | 4 |
| Oct | 81 | 54 | 4.3 | 5 |
| Nov | 69 | 42 | 2.9 | 5 |
| Dec | 61 | 35 | 3.4 | 5 |
| Year | 78 | 53 | 39.0 | 53 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Marlin, TX (407 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 Marlin
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 37 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Marlin: 22 thunderstorm wind reports, 12 flash floods and 3 floods. They killed 1 person and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $129,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 69 mph, on May 31, 2024. June has had the most flash floods, 4 of 12. Of the 745 Texas cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 250 have had fewer than Marlin.
March 9, 2016: flood 3 miles from the centre of Marlin — 1 killed.
NWS: “The body of a rancher was found in flood waters along Big Creek after the creek rose up onto the rancher's property. The rancher disappeared on the evening of the 9th when we went out to move cattle out of the flood waters.”
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
Falls County, which includes Marlin, has been named in 16 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1974, 9 of them major disasters (by incident: 3 fires, 3 floods, 3 hurricanes, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on May 17, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Falls County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes and lightning; Relatively Low for hurricanes, hail, strong wind and heat waves; Very Low for inland flooding. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $6.0 million a year, the 187th highest of 254 Texas counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $1.9 million (33%), 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 Marlin
- Riesel, TX12 mi
- Lott, TX13 mi
- Mart, TX17 mi
- Rosebud, TX17 mi
- Lorena, TX18 mi
- Robinson, TX20 mi
- Eddy, TX20 mi
- Hewitt, TX21 mi
- Troy, TX24 mi
- Waco, TX24 mi
- Axtell, TX25 mi
- Groesbeck, TX25 mi
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