NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Richardson, 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 Richardson, Texas since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Carla in 1961. Since 1950, 169 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 13 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 3
- Tornadoes
- 169
- EF3 or stronger
- 13
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
26 deaths in all
What the records show for Richardson
None of the 3 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Richardson; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 54 mph winds when its centre passed 58 miles away. The record near Richardson begins with an unnamed storm in 1900; the most recent system was Carla in 1961, a tropical storm 38 miles away. Of the 753 Texas cities on this site, 73% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Richardson. The highest rating among the 169 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on December 26, 2015, came within 11 miles. Of the 169, 8 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 66 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 35. The most recent tornado was on August 28, 2025. Richardson has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 86% 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). Richardson has more hail reports within 10 miles than 97% of the 753 Texas cities.
Compare Richardson's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Richardson
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | CarlaSep 13 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 28 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 9 | 58 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 Richardson: 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 Richardson
By decade
- 2020s14
- 2010s32(4 EF3+)
- 2000s20(1 EF3+)
- 1990s22(1 EF3+)
- 1980s14(1 EF3+)
- 1970s34(1 EF3+)
- 1960s20(1 EF3+)
- 1950s13(4 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 26, 2015 | EF4 | 11 mi | 13.04 mi | 10 / 468 |
| Apr 25, 1994 | F4 | 21 mi | 6 mi | 3 / 48 |
| Apr 2, 1957 | F3 | 7 mi | 17.2 mi | 10 / 200 |
| Oct 20, 2019 | EF3 | 1 mi | 15.76 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 3, 2012 | EF3 | 23 mi | 3.34 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Apr 3, 2012 | EF3 | 21 mi | 7.73 mi | 0 / 7 |
| Mar 28, 2000 | F3 | 22 mi | 8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 13, 1984 | F3 | 8 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 28 |
| May 26, 1976 | F3 | 5 mi | 4.5 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Oct 12, 1969 | F3 | 4 mi | 45.9 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Oct 4, 1959 | F3 | 12 mi | 27.6 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Jun 12, 1957 | F3 | 22 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 169, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Richardson
The Storm Prediction Center has 420 hail reports within 10 miles of Richardson since 1958, made on 176 separate days. Of these, 309 were 1 inch across or larger, and 64 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4.5 inches (grapefruit size), fell on July 2, 1989. The most recent report is from May 6, 2025. April has the most reports, 130.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Richardson
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Richardson, TX, 3 miles northwest of Richardson 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%). Murphy, 6 miles northeast, has its own station (Lavon Dam, TX): 39.8 inches a year, 2.2 less than here, and a July average high of 92°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 Richardson
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 334 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Richardson: 215 thunderstorm wind reports, 97 flash floods, 16 lightning strikes, 4 floods and 2 heavy rain events. They killed 6 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $12.6 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, 27 of 97. Of the 745 Texas cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 729 have had fewer than Richardson.
July 7, 2012: thunderstorm wind 3 miles from the centre of Richardson — 2 killed, $10,000 damage.
NWS: “Outflow from thunderstorms to the east produced wind gusts in excess of 45 MPH on the campus of The University of Texas-Dallas, in the city of Richardson. This outflow caused the collapse of a crane which was being dismantled at a construction project.”
May 29, 2015: flash flood 10 miles from the centre of Richardson — 1 killed, $90,000 damage.
June 3, 2025: flash flood 5 miles from the centre of Richardson — 1 killed, $45,000 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
Flood insurance policyholders in Richardson's 3 ZIP codes have filed 37 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1980, and were paid $166,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 41% 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, 132 have fewer than Richardson.
Dallas County, which includes Richardson, has been named in 28 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1966, 15 of them major disasters (by incident: 8 hurricanes, 6 severe storms, 4 fires, 4 floods). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on May 17, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Dallas County a Very High rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Very High for tornadoes, hail, inland flooding, strong wind, lightning and heat waves; Relatively Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $973.2 million a year, the 2nd highest of 254 Texas counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $323.7 million (33%), 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 Richardson
- Plano, TX6 mi
- Garland, TX6 mi
- Murphy, TX6 mi
- Sachse, TX7 mi
- Addison, TX7 mi
- Allen, TX10 mi
- Rowlett, TX10 mi
- Wylie, TX11 mi
- Carrollton, TX11 mi
- Dallas, TX12 mi
- Frisco, TX13 mi
- The Colony, TX13 mi
All Texas cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare Richardson with another place →