NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Palmer, 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
6 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Palmer, Texas since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Alicia in 1983. Since 1950, 147 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 8 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 6
- Tornadoes
- 147
- EF3 or stronger
- 8
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
3 deaths in all
What the records show for Palmer
None of the 6 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Palmer; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 60 mph winds when its centre passed 55 miles away. The record near Palmer begins with an unnamed storm in 1871; the most recent system was Alicia in 1983, a tropical storm 64 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1900s, with 2 systems. None of the 6 systems has come since 2000. Of the 753 Texas cities on this site, 59% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Palmer. The strongest of the 147 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on April 25, 1994; its path came within 13 miles, and it killed 3 people. Of the 147, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 44 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 41. The most recent tornado was on April 26, 2024. Palmer has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 77% of the 753 Texas cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 208 times since 1958, with stones up to 3.75 inches. Palmer has more hail reports within 10 miles than 87% of the 753 Texas cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Palmer
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | AliciaAug 19 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1961 | CarlaSep 12 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 18 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 27 | 5 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 9 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1871 | Unnamed 1871 stormJun 5 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Tropical storm |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Palmer: 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 Palmer
By decade
- 2020s11
- 2010s20(1 EF3+)
- 2000s13
- 1990s42(1 EF3+)
- 1980s12(1 EF3+)
- 1970s28
- 1960s11(3 EF3+)
- 1950s10(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 25, 1994 | F4 | 13 mi | 6 mi | 3 / 48 |
| Dec 26, 2015 | EF3 | 13 mi | 8.52 mi | 0 / 46 |
| Dec 13, 1984 | F3 | 21 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 28 |
| Oct 12, 1969 | F3 | 19 mi | 45.9 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Mar 11, 1963 | F3 | 25 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 26, 1961 | F3 | 13 mi | 9.1 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Oct 4, 1959 | F3 | 25 mi | 27.6 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Jun 12, 1957 | F3 | 21 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 3, 2021 | EF2 | 11 mi | 5.43 mi | 0 / 8 |
| Apr 3, 2012 | EF2 | 11 mi | 13.7 mi | 0 / 10 |
| Oct 24, 2010 | EF2 | 17 mi | 6.51 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Jan 17, 1996 | F2 | 13 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 147, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Palmer
The Storm Prediction Center has 208 hail reports within 10 miles of Palmer since 1958, made on 119 separate days. Of these, 148 were 1 inch across or larger, and 17 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3.75 inches, fell on June 14, 2023. The most recent report is from May 16, 2025. April has the most reports, 64.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Palmer
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Ferris, TX, 8 miles north of Palmer at 470 feet. August is the warmest, with an average high of 97°F and low of 73°F; January is the coolest, at 58°F and 36°F. October is the wettest at 4.9 inches of precipitation on average and July the driest at 2.0 inches; the year adds up to 41.0 inches over 52 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 106 days a year, almost all from May to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 40 nights a year. That 41.0 inches is more than at 221 of the 312 Texas stations used on this site (71%). Ennis, 7 miles southeast, has its own station (Bardwell Dam, TX): 40.4 inches a year, 0.6 less than here, and an August average high of 95°F against 97°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 58 | 36 | 3.0 | 4 |
| Feb | 62 | 39 | 3.1 | 5 |
| Mar | 69 | 45 | 4.0 | 5 |
| Apr | 77 | 53 | 3.9 | 5 |
| May | 84 | 63 | 4.3 | 6 |
| Jun | 92 | 71 | 4.0 | 4 |
| Jul | 96 | 74 | 2.0 | 3 |
| Aug | 97 | 73 | 2.8 | 3 |
| Sep | 90 | 66 | 2.7 | 3 |
| Oct | 80 | 55 | 4.9 | 5 |
| Nov | 67 | 45 | 2.8 | 4 |
| Dec | 59 | 37 | 3.5 | 4 |
| Year | 77 | 55 | 41.0 | 52 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Ferris, TX (470 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 Palmer
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 97 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Palmer: 64 thunderstorm wind reports, 28 flash floods, 2 floods, 2 lightning strikes and 1 heavy rain event. They killed 1 person and injured 6, and the NWS estimated $2.0 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 85 mph, on March 8, 2025. January has had the most flash floods, 6 of 28. Of the 745 Texas cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 543 have had fewer than Palmer.
March 8, 2025: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Palmer — 1 killed, 4 injured, $9,000 damage.
March 25, 2009: heavy rain event 7 miles from the centre of Palmer — 2 injured, $8,000 damage.
May 4, 2000: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Palmer — $300,000 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
Ellis County, which includes Palmer, has been named in 24 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1989, 11 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 fires, 6 severe storms, 5 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 Ellis County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for hail and lightning; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, inland flooding and heat waves; Relatively Low for strong wind; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $46.9 million a year, the 35th highest of 254 Texas counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $23.8 million (51%), 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 Palmer
- Ennis, TX7 mi
- Ferris, TX8 mi
- Waxahachie, TX10 mi
- Red Oak, TX11 mi
- Wilmer, TX12 mi
- Lancaster, TX13 mi
- Hutchins, TX15 mi
- Desoto, TX16 mi
- Seagoville, TX16 mi
- Scurry, TX17 mi
- Rice, TX18 mi
- Midlothian, TX18 mi
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