NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Plano, 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 Plano, Texas since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Carla in 1961. Since 1950, 165 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 12 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 3
- Tornadoes
- 165
- EF3 or stronger
- 12
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
23 deaths in all
What the records show for Plano
None of the 3 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Plano; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 54 mph winds when its centre passed 57 miles away. The record near Plano begins with an unnamed storm in 1900; the most recent system was Carla in 1961, a tropical storm 34 miles away. Of the 753 Texas cities on this site, 73% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Plano. The strongest of the 165 tornadoes within 25 miles was an EF4 on December 26, 2015; its path came within 16 miles, and it killed 10 people. Of the 165, 7 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 68 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 36. The most recent tornado was on August 28, 2025. Plano has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 85% of the 753 Texas cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 420 times since 1958, with stones up to 4.5 inches (grapefruit size). Plano has more hail reports within 10 miles than 97% of the 753 Texas cities.
Compare Plano's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Plano
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | CarlaSep 13 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 28 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 9 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 4 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Plano: 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 Plano
By decade
- 2020s16(1 EF3+)
- 2010s31(2 EF3+)
- 2000s21(1 EF3+)
- 1990s18
- 1980s14(1 EF3+)
- 1970s33(2 EF3+)
- 1960s20(2 EF3+)
- 1950s12(3 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 26, 2015 | EF4 | 16 mi | 13.04 mi | 10 / 468 |
| Apr 2, 1957 | F3 | 5 mi | 17.2 mi | 10 / 200 |
| May 25, 2024 | EF3 | 20 mi | 0.71 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 20, 2019 | EF3 | 8 mi | 15.76 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 28, 2000 | F3 | 25 mi | 8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 13, 1984 | F3 | 14 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 28 |
| May 26, 1976 | F3 | 9 mi | 4.5 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Mar 12, 1971 | F3 | 23 mi | 5.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 12, 1969 | F3 | 9 mi | 45.9 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Jun 12, 1966 | F3 | 22 mi | 3.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 4, 1959 | F3 | 16 mi | 27.6 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Apr 2, 1957 | F3 | 17 mi | 10.7 mi | 0 / 4 |
The strongest 12 of 165, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Plano
The Storm Prediction Center has 420 hail reports within 10 miles of Plano since 1958, made on 149 separate days. Of these, 311 were 1 inch across or larger, and 65 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 4.5 inches (grapefruit size), was reported on 2 days, most recently March 24, 2019. The most recent report is from November 24, 2025. April has the most reports, 126.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Plano
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Richardson, TX, 4 miles south of Plano at 678 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 94°F and low of 75°F; January is the coolest, at 56°F and 36°F. October is the wettest at 5.3 inches of precipitation on average and July the driest at 2.2 inches; the year adds up to 42.0 inches over 57 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 93 days a year, almost all from May to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 35 nights a year. That 42.0 inches is more than at 225 of the 312 Texas stations used on this site (72%). Allen, 6 miles northeast, has its own station (Mckinney Municipal Airport, TX): 38.4 inches a year, 3.6 less than here, and a July average high of 95°F against 94°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 56 | 36 | 2.8 | 5 |
| Feb | 60 | 40 | 3.4 | 5 |
| Mar | 69 | 48 | 3.6 | 6 |
| Apr | 75 | 55 | 3.5 | 5 |
| May | 83 | 64 | 5.2 | 7 |
| Jun | 90 | 71 | 3.8 | 5 |
| Jul | 94 | 75 | 2.2 | 4 |
| Aug | 95 | 75 | 2.5 | 4 |
| Sep | 87 | 67 | 3.3 | 4 |
| Oct | 78 | 56 | 5.3 | 6 |
| Nov | 66 | 46 | 3.0 | 4 |
| Dec | 57 | 38 | 3.4 | 4 |
| Year | 76 | 56 | 42.0 | 57 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Richardson, TX (678 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 Plano
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 321 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Plano: 202 thunderstorm wind reports, 64 flash floods, 50 lightning strikes, 3 floods and 2 heavy rain events. They killed 4 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $22.8 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 115 mph, on June 14, 1996. May has had the most flash floods, 17 of 64. Of the 745 Texas cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 704 have had fewer than Plano.
July 7, 2012: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Plano — 2 killed, $10,000 damage.
June 3, 2025: flash flood 9 miles from the centre of Plano — 1 killed, $45,000 damage.
June 6, 2021: flash flood 8 miles from the centre of Plano — 1 killed.
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
Flood insurance policyholders in Plano's 5 ZIP codes have filed 114 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1979, and were paid $804,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The year with the most claims was 1982, with 18. 17% of the claims carry the name of a storm or flood event; the rest have no event name. Of the 433 Texas cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 239 have fewer than Plano.
Collin County, which includes Plano, 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.