NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Melissa, 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
3 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Melissa, Texas since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Carla in 1961. Since 1950, 136 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 15 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 3
- Tornadoes
- 136
- EF3 or stronger
- 15
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
35 deaths in all
What the records show for Melissa
None of the 3 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Melissa; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 53 mph winds when its centre passed 69 miles away. The record near Melissa begins with an unnamed storm in 1900; the most recent system was Carla in 1961, a tropical storm 40 miles away. Of the 753 Texas cities on this site, 73% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Melissa. The strongest of the 136 tornadoes within 25 miles was an EF4 on December 26, 2015; its path came within 22 miles, and it killed 10 people. Of the 136, 3 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 47 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 31. The most recent tornado was on August 28, 2025. Melissa has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 72% of the 753 Texas cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 185 times since 1958, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Melissa has more hail reports within 10 miles than 84% of the 753 Texas cities.
Compare Melissa's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Melissa
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | CarlaSep 13 | 40 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 28 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 9 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 4 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Melissa: 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 Melissa
By decade
- 2020s12(2 EF3+)
- 2010s18(2 EF3+)
- 2000s17(1 EF3+)
- 1990s19
- 1980s11
- 1970s25(4 EF3+)
- 1960s17(2 EF3+)
- 1950s17(4 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 26, 2015 | EF4 | 22 mi | 13.04 mi | 10 / 468 |
| Apr 2, 1957 | F3 | 19 mi | 17.2 mi | 10 / 200 |
| May 25, 2024 | EF3 | 25 mi | 47.27 mi | 7 / 80 |
| May 9, 2006 | F3 | 7 mi | 9.3 mi | 3 / 10 |
| Apr 6, 1955 | F3 | 24 mi | 30.2 mi | 1 / 27 |
| May 25, 2024 | EF3 | 11 mi | 0.71 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 20, 2019 | EF3 | 23 mi | 15.76 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 14, 1974 | F3 | 24 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 12, 1971 | F3 | 15 mi | 5.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 12, 1971 | F3 | 15 mi | 5.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 12, 1971 | F3 | 16 mi | 5.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 12, 1969 | F3 | 8 mi | 45.9 mi | 0 / 2 |
The strongest 12 of 136, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Melissa
The Storm Prediction Center has 185 hail reports within 10 miles of Melissa since 1958, made on 106 separate days. Of these, 131 were 1 inch across or larger, and 13 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2.75 inches (baseball size), was reported on 2 days, most recently May 28, 2024. The most recent report is from November 24, 2025. April has the most reports, 52.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Melissa
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Mckinney Municipal Airport, TX, 7 miles south of Melissa at 580 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 95°F and low of 74°F; January is the coolest, at 56°F and 34°F. May is the wettest at 4.8 inches of precipitation on average and August the driest at 1.7 inches; the year adds up to 38.4 inches over 54 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 97 days a year, almost all from May to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 48 nights a year. That 38.4 inches is more than at 198 of the 312 Texas stations used on this site (63%). Farmersville, 15 miles southeast, has its own station (Lavon Dam, TX): 39.8 inches a year, 1.4 more than here, and a July average high of 92°F against 95°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 56 | 34 | 2.7 | 4 |
| Feb | 60 | 38 | 2.6 | 4 |
| Mar | 68 | 46 | 3.5 | 5 |
| Apr | 75 | 53 | 3.6 | 5 |
| May | 83 | 62 | 4.8 | 6 |
| Jun | 91 | 70 | 3.6 | 5 |
| Jul | 95 | 74 | 2.0 | 3 |
| Aug | 96 | 73 | 1.7 | 3 |
| Sep | 88 | 66 | 2.8 | 4 |
| Oct | 78 | 54 | 4.4 | 5 |
| Nov | 66 | 44 | 3.2 | 4 |
| Dec | 57 | 36 | 3.5 | 4 |
| Year | 76 | 54 | 38.4 | 54 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Mckinney Municipal Airport, TX (580 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 Melissa
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 141 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Melissa: 109 thunderstorm wind reports, 23 flash floods, 6 lightning strikes and 3 floods. They killed 4 people and injured 6, and the NWS estimated $1.8 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 87 mph, on April 10, 2008. May has had the most flash floods, 6 of 23. Of the 745 Texas cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 481 have had fewer than Melissa.
August 23, 2013: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Melissa — 2 killed, $10,000 damage.
August 26, 2003: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Melissa — 1 killed, 4 injured, $15,000 damage.
June 7, 2018: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Melissa — 1 killed, $40,000 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
Collin County, which includes Melissa, has been named in 20 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1966, 10 of them major disasters (by incident: 5 hurricanes, 4 severe storms, 3 fires, 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 Collin County a Relatively High rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Very High for tornadoes and hail; Relatively High for inland flooding, strong wind and heat waves; Relatively Moderate for lightning; Relatively Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $716.3 million a year, the 3rd highest of 254 Texas counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $420.4 million (59%), 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 Melissa
- Mckinney, TX6 mi
- Anna, TX6 mi
- Princeton, TX10 mi
- Van Alstyne, TX10 mi
- Blue Ridge, TX11 mi
- Celina, TX11 mi
- Allen, TX13 mi
- Prosper, TX13 mi
- Farmersville, TX15 mi
- Gunter, TX15 mi
- Frisco, TX17 mi
- Howe, TX17 mi
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