NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Roanoke, 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 Roanoke, Texas since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Carla in 1961. Since 1950, 183 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 9 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 3
- Tornadoes
- 183
- EF3 or stronger
- 9
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
13 deaths in all
What the records show for Roanoke
None of the 3 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Roanoke; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 54 mph winds when its centre passed 30 miles away. The record near Roanoke begins with an unnamed storm in 1900; the most recent system was Carla in 1961, a tropical storm 9 miles away. Of the 753 Texas cities on this site, 73% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Roanoke. The highest rating among the 183 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3 or EF3, reached 9 times; the most recent, on October 20, 2019, came within 20 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on April 2, 1957, killed 10 people. Of the 183, 5 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 86 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 45. The most recent tornado was on August 28, 2025. Roanoke has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 88% of the 753 Texas cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 436 times since 1958, with stones up to 4.5 inches (grapefruit size). Roanoke has more hail reports within 10 miles than 98% of the 753 Texas cities.
Compare Roanoke's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Roanoke
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | CarlaSep 13 | 9 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 27 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 9 | 30 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 Roanoke: 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 Roanoke
By decade
- 2020s17
- 2010s39(1 EF3+)
- 2000s30(3 EF3+)
- 1990s15
- 1980s12
- 1970s38(1 EF3+)
- 1960s21(2 EF3+)
- 1950s11(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 2, 1957 | F3 | 23 mi | 17.2 mi | 10 / 200 |
| Mar 28, 2000 | F3 | 19 mi | 4 mi | 2 / 80 |
| Oct 20, 2019 | EF3 | 20 mi | 15.76 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 16, 2002 | F3 | 19 mi | 2.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 28, 2000 | F3 | 20 mi | 8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 26, 1976 | F3 | 22 mi | 4.5 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jun 12, 1966 | F3 | 24 mi | 3.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 4, 1960 | F3 | 11 mi | 7.4 mi | 0 / 12 |
| Apr 2, 1957 | F3 | 19 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Dec 13, 2022 | EF2 | 24 mi | 9.71 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Nov 24, 2020 | EF2 | 21 mi | 5.05 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Apr 3, 2012 | EF2 | 20 mi | 6.4 mi | 0 / 7 |
The strongest 12 of 183, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Roanoke
The Storm Prediction Center has 436 hail reports within 10 miles of Roanoke since 1958, made on 157 separate days. Of these, 313 were 1 inch across or larger, and 61 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 4.5 inches (grapefruit size), was reported on 2 days, most recently October 21, 1996. The most recent report is from November 24, 2025. April has the most reports, 121.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Roanoke
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Fort Worth Alliance Airport, TX, 6 miles west of Roanoke at 685 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 97°F and low of 76°F; January is the coolest, at 57°F and 36°F. Highs reach 90°F on about 108 days a year, almost all from April to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 45 nights a year. That 36.7 inches is more than at 176 of the 312 Texas stations used on this site (56%). Southlake, 6 miles southeast, has its own station (Grapevine Dam, TX): 39.0 inches a year, 2.3 more than here, and a July average high of 95°F against 97°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 57 | 36 | 1.9 | 4 |
| Feb | 62 | 40 | 2.2 | 4 |
| Mar | 69 | 48 | 2.9 | 4 |
| Apr | 77 | 55 | 4.0 | 5 |
| May | 84 | 64 | 4.1 | 6 |
| Jun | 93 | 73 | 4.1 | 5 |
| Jul | 97 | 76 | 2.4 | 3 |
| Aug | 97 | 76 | 2.8 | 3 |
| Sep | 89 | 68 | 3.2 | 4 |
| Oct | 79 | 56 | 4.1 | 5 |
| Nov | 67 | 46 | 2.5 | 4 |
| Dec | 59 | 38 | 2.5 | 4 |
| Year | 77 | 56 | 36.7 | 49 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Fort Worth Alliance Airport, TX (685 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 Roanoke
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 258 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Roanoke: 178 thunderstorm wind reports, 34 flash floods, 34 lightning strikes and 12 floods. They killed 2 people and injured 4, and the NWS estimated $23.1 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 100 mph, on September 10, 1999. May has had the most flash floods, 11 of 34. Of the 745 Texas cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 592 have had fewer than Roanoke.
April 25, 2026: lightning strike 10 miles from the centre of Roanoke — 2 killed, 1 injured, $750,000 damage.
May 5, 2025: lightning strike 8 miles from the centre of Roanoke — 3 injured, $10,000 damage.
May 30, 2015: flash flood 7 miles from the centre of Roanoke — $13.0 million 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 Roanoke's ZIP code 76262 have filed 62 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1982, and were paid $1.4 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Thunderstorms in 2007: 10 claims (16% of all) and $386,000. 24% 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, 189 have fewer than Roanoke.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorms2007 | 10 | $386,000 |
Denton County, which includes Roanoke, has been named in 24 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1974, 12 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 severe storms, 5 fires, 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 Denton 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; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $354.7 million a year, the 7th highest of 254 Texas counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $145.3 million (41%), 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.