NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Merkel, 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
1 tropical system has passed within 75 miles of Merkel, Texas since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was an unnamed storm in 1886. Since 1950, 135 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 6 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 1
- Tornadoes
- 135
- EF3 or stronger
- 6
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
3 deaths in all
What the records show for Merkel
None of the 1 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Merkel; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1886, a tropical storm with 40 mph winds when its centre passed 51 miles away. Of the 753 Texas cities on this site, 87% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Merkel. The highest rating among the 135 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3 or EF3, reached 6 times; the most recent, on May 2, 2024, came within 14 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on April 19, 1986, killed 1 person. Of the 135, 6 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 42 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 54. The most recent tornado was on May 2, 2024. Merkel has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 71% of the 753 Texas cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 128 times since 1959, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Merkel has more hail reports within 10 miles than 73% of the 753 Texas cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Merkel
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormAug 21 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Merkel: 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 Merkel
By decade
- 2020s6(1 EF3+)
- 2010s9
- 2000s27
- 1990s20
- 1980s20(1 EF3+)
- 1970s20(2 EF3+)
- 1960s17(2 EF3+)
- 1950s16
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 19, 1986 | F3 | 19 mi | 4.5 mi | 1 / 100 |
| May 25, 1962 | F3 | 25 mi | 4.1 mi | 1 / 1 |
| May 2, 2024 | EF3 | 14 mi | 3.29 mi | 0 / 4 |
| May 26, 1976 | F3 | 22 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 25, 1976 | F3 | 21 mi | 20.3 mi | 0 / 1 |
| May 15, 1965 | F3 | 17 mi | 9.3 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Apr 28, 1985 | F2 | 21 mi | 4 mi | 1 / 0 |
| May 23, 2023 | EF2 | 22 mi | 4.61 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Mar 19, 2020 | EF2 | 21 mi | 5.38 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 19, 2020 | EF2 | 7 mi | 10.86 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 18, 2019 | EF2 | 12 mi | 5.04 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 4, 2004 | F2 | 22 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 2 |
The strongest 12 of 135, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Merkel
The Storm Prediction Center has 128 hail reports within 10 miles of Merkel since 1959, made on 85 separate days. Of these, 98 were 1 inch across or larger, and 23 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on June 17, 2023. The most recent report is from June 8, 2025. May has the most reports, 48.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Merkel
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Abilene Regional Airport, TX, 21 miles east of Merkel at 1,790 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 96°F and low of 73°F; January is the coolest, at 59°F and 34°F. June is the wettest at 3.4 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 1.1 inches; the year adds up to 25.2 inches over 41 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 102 days a year, almost all from April to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 48 nights a year. Snowfall averages 3.7 inches a year, most of it in February. That 25.2 inches is more than at 79 of the 312 Texas stations used on this site (25%). Hawley, 16 miles northeast, has its own station (Anson, TX): 25.6 inches a year, 0.4 more than here, and the same July average high, 96°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 59 | 34 | 1.1 | 2 | 0.7 |
| Feb | 63 | 37 | 1.3 | 3 | 1.0 |
| Mar | 71 | 45 | 1.7 | 3 | 0.1 |
| Apr | 79 | 53 | 1.9 | 3 | 0.3 |
| May | 86 | 62 | 3.2 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 93 | 70 | 3.4 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 96 | 73 | 1.9 | 3 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 96 | 72 | 2.5 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 89 | 65 | 2.7 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 79 | 55 | 2.8 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 68 | 43 | 1.4 | 3 | 0.7 |
| Dec | 59 | 35 | 1.3 | 3 | 0.9 |
| Year | 78 | 54 | 25.2 | 41 | 3.7 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Abilene Regional Airport, TX (1,790 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 Merkel
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 38 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Merkel: 31 thunderstorm wind reports and 7 flash floods. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $167,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 96 mph, on September 5, 2023. August has had the most flash floods, 3 of 7. Of the 745 Texas cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 115 have had fewer than Merkel.
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
Taylor County, which includes Merkel, has been named in 22 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1981, 11 of them major disasters (by incident: 7 fires, 5 severe storms, 3 hurricanes, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storms, on February 19, 2021. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Taylor County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Very High for hail; Relatively High for lightning; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, inland flooding, strong wind and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $53.7 million a year, the 30th highest of 254 Texas counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $22.9 million (43%), 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 Merkel
- Dyess Afb, TX13 mi
- Hawley, TX16 mi
- Abilene, TX16 mi
- Tuscola, TX18 mi
- Anson, TX21 mi
- Sweetwater, TX22 mi
- Hamlin, TX29 mi
- Clyde, TX31 mi
- Stamford, TX35 mi
- Winters, TX36 mi
- Baird, TX41 mi
- Albany, TX48 mi
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