NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Monahans, 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
2 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Monahans, Texas since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was an unnamed storm in 1942. Since 1950, 35 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 2 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 2
- Tornadoes
- 35
- EF3 or stronger
- 2
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
no recorded deaths
What the records show for Monahans
None of the 2 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Monahans; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1929, a tropical storm with 52 mph winds when its centre passed 62 miles away. The record near Monahans begins with an unnamed storm in 1929; the most recent system was an unnamed storm in 1942, a tropical storm 19 miles away. Of the 753 Texas cities on this site, 84% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Monahans. The highest rating among the 35 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3 or EF3, reached 2 times; the most recent, on May 14, 2010, came within 21 miles. Of the 35, 2 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 7 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 13. The most recent tornado was on May 14, 2010. Of the 753 Texas cities, 94% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Monahans. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 60 times since 1959, with stones up to 4.5 inches (grapefruit size). Of the 753 Texas cities, 61% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Monahans.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Monahans
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1942 | Unnamed 1942 stormAug 31 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1929 | Unnamed 1929 stormJun 29 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Monahans: 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 Monahans
By decade
- 2010s2(1 EF3+)
- 2000s5
- 1990s6
- 1980s7
- 1970s8(1 EF3+)
- 1960s4
- 1950s3
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 14, 2010 | EF3 | 21 mi | 4.28 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 19, 1977 | F3 | 10 mi | 4.3 mi | 0 / 18 |
| May 25, 1987 | F2 | 1 mi | 11 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 30, 1955 | F2 | 21 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 29, 1954 | F2 | 21 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Jun 3, 1989 | F1 | 12 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 17, 1974 | F1 | 21 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 7, 1958 | F1 | 13 mi | 1.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 14, 2010 | EF0 | 14 mi | 2.98 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 5, 2008 | EF0 | 24 mi | 2.28 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 3, 2007 | EF0 | 19 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 22, 2006 | F0 | 14 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 35, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Monahans
The Storm Prediction Center has 60 hail reports within 10 miles of Monahans since 1959, made on 47 separate days. Of these, 47 were 1 inch across or larger, and 6 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4.5 inches (grapefruit size), fell on June 3, 1989. The most recent report is from May 24, 2025. May has the most reports, 29.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Monahans
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Monahans, TX, 2 miles southwest of Monahans at 2,547 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 98°F and low of 69°F; December is the coolest, at 60°F and 27°F. September is the wettest at 2.2 inches of precipitation on average and April the driest at 0.4 inches; the year adds up to 13.9 inches over 26 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 144 days a year, almost all from March to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 74 nights a year. Snowfall averages 0.7 inches a year, most of it in December. That 13.9 inches is more than at 12 of the 312 Texas stations used on this site (4%). Kermit, 22 miles northwest, has its own station (Winkler Co Airport, TX): 11.5 inches a year, 2.4 less than here, and a July average high of 97°F against 98°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 60 | 28 | 0.7 | 2 | 0.0 |
| Feb | 66 | 31 | 0.5 | 2 | 0.0 |
| Mar | 74 | 39 | 0.6 | 2 | 0.0 |
| Apr | 82 | 46 | 0.4 | 1 | 0.0 |
| May | 90 | 57 | 1.3 | 2 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 97 | 67 | 1.6 | 3 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 98 | 69 | 1.9 | 3 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 97 | 68 | 1.9 | 3 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 90 | 62 | 2.2 | 3 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 81 | 49 | 1.5 | 2 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 69 | 36 | 0.5 | 1 | 0.2 |
| Dec | 60 | 27 | 0.8 | 2 | 0.5 |
| Year | 80 | 48 | 13.9 | 26 | 0.7 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Monahans, TX (2,547 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 Monahans
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 19 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Monahans: 13 thunderstorm wind reports, 5 flash floods and 1 lightning strike. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $348,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on September 13, 2002. June has had the most flash floods, 3 of 5. Of the 745 Texas cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 68 have had fewer than Monahans.
June 26, 2021: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Monahans — $200,000 damage.
NWS: “A thunderstorm moved across Ward County and produced wind damage south of Monahans. The damage swath included metal roofs/carports lifted or bent, downed tree branches between one to three inches in diameter, and several damaged travel trailers.”
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
Ward County, which includes Monahans, has been named in 11 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1998, 5 of them major disasters (by incident: 3 fires, 3 hurricanes, 2 biological emergencies, 2 ice storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storms, on February 19, 2021. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Ward County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for strong wind; Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes and inland flooding. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $4.1 million a year, the 210th highest of 254 Texas counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $2.1 million (52%), 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 Monahans
- Kermit, TX22 mi
- Crane, TX34 mi
- Odessa, TX37 mi
- Pecos, TX39 mi
- Gardendale, TX45 mi
- Fort Stockton, TX48 mi
- Jal, NM48 mi
- Midland, TX56 mi
- Andrews, TX57 mi
- Eunice, NM63 mi
- Stanton, TX73 mi
- Seminole, TX80 mi
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