NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Rockdale, 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
18 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Rockdale, Texas since 1851, 1 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Chantal in 1989. Since 1950, 61 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 6 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 1
- Tropical storms
- 17
- Tornadoes
- 61
- EF3 or stronger
- 6
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
5 deaths in all
What the records show for Rockdale
The strongest storm to pass near Rockdale was an unnamed storm in 1900, a Category 1 hurricane with 79 mph winds when its centre passed 20 miles away. The record near Rockdale begins with an unnamed storm in 1854; the most recent system was Chantal in 1989, a tropical storm 55 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1940s, with 3 systems. None of the 18 systems has come since 2000. Rockdale has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 56% of the 753 Texas cities on this site. The highest rating among the 61 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3 or EF3, reached 6 times; the most recent, on April 13, 2019, came within 25 miles. The deadliest, an F2 on November 15, 1987, killed 2 people. Of the 61, 4 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 16 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 13. The most recent tornado was on May 6, 2025. Of the 753 Texas cities, 82% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Rockdale. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 21 times since 1965, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 753 Texas cities, 93% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Rockdale.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Rockdale
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | ChantalAug 2 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1983 | AliciaAug 18 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1973 | DeliaSep 6 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1968 | CandyJun 24 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1961 | CarlaSep 12 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1947 | Unnamed 1947 stormAug 25 | 75 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1945 | Unnamed 1945 stormAug 28 | 33 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1943 | Unnamed 1943 stormJul 28 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormAug 14 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1921 | Unnamed 1921 stormJun 23 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 18 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 27 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 9 | 20 mi | Category 1 (79 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1897 | Unnamed 1897 stormSep 13 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormJun 18 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1875 | Unnamed 1875 stormSep 17 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1871 | Unnamed 1871 stormJun 4 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1854 | Unnamed 1854 stormSep 20 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 2 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Rockdale: 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 Rockdale
By decade
- 2020s5
- 2010s8(1 EF3+)
- 2000s3
- 1990s16
- 1980s7(1 EF3+)
- 1970s8
- 1960s2
- 1950s12(4 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 7, 1980 | F3 | 24 mi | 31.7 mi | 1 / 5 |
| Apr 13, 2019 | EF3 | 25 mi | 32.48 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 24, 1957 | F3 | 20 mi | 14.7 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Mar 20, 1957 | F3 | 22 mi | 16.9 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Apr 30, 1954 | F3 | in town | 139.9 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Dec 2, 1953 | F3 | 8 mi | 3.3 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Nov 15, 1987 | F2 | 20 mi | 10 mi | 2 / 12 |
| May 25, 2015 | EF2 | 13 mi | 8.88 mi | 1 / 6 |
| Mar 21, 2022 | EF2 | 23 mi | 34.62 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 20, 2017 | EF2 | 17 mi | 4.24 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 20, 2017 | EF2 | 14 mi | 9.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 17, 1998 | F2 | 21 mi | 3.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 61, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Rockdale
The Storm Prediction Center has 21 hail reports within 10 miles of Rockdale since 1965, made on 19 separate days. Of these, 14 were 1 inch across or larger, and 4 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2.75 inches (baseball size), was reported on 2 days, most recently April 25, 2008. The most recent report is from April 6, 2023. April has the most reports, 12.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Rockdale
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Cameron, TX, 14 miles north of Rockdale at 364 feet. August is the warmest, with an average high of 95°F and low of 73°F; January is the coolest, at 61°F and 39°F. May is the wettest at 5.3 inches of precipitation on average and April the driest at 2.3 inches; the year adds up to 38.6 inches over 53 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 52% of the year's precipitation (20.0 of 38.6 inches); the other six months are drier. Highs reach 90°F on about 88 days a year, almost all from April to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 28 nights a year. That 38.6 inches is more than at 201 of the 312 Texas stations used on this site (64%). Thorndale, 11 miles west, has its own station (Granger Dam, TX): 35.3 inches a year, 3.3 less than here, and an August average high of 97°F against 95°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 61 | 39 | 2.6 | 5 |
| Feb | 66 | 43 | 2.4 | 4 |
| Mar | 72 | 50 | 2.9 | 5 |
| Apr | 78 | 57 | 2.3 | 4 |
| May | 85 | 65 | 5.3 | 6 |
| Jun | 91 | 72 | 3.6 | 6 |
| Jul | 94 | 73 | 2.6 | 3 |
| Aug | 95 | 73 | 2.5 | 3 |
| Sep | 90 | 68 | 3.9 | 4 |
| Oct | 81 | 57 | 4.3 | 4 |
| Nov | 71 | 48 | 3.1 | 5 |
| Dec | 63 | 41 | 3.1 | 6 |
| Year | 79 | 57 | 38.6 | 53 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Cameron, TX (364 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 Rockdale
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 34 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Rockdale: 20 thunderstorm wind reports, 9 flash floods, 3 floods and 2 heavy rain events. They killed 0 people and injured 3, and the NWS estimated $348,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 70 mph, on May 23, 2015. May has had the most flash floods, 4 of 9. Of the 745 Texas cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 176 have had fewer than Rockdale.
April 26, 2010: heavy rain event 3 miles from the centre of Rockdale — 2 injured, $50,000 damage.
NWS: “A vehicle accident at East Belton and CR 333 during a thunderstorm resulted in two injuries and extensive damage to the vehicles.”
May 23, 2015: thunderstorm wind 1 mile from the centre of Rockdale — 1 injured, $50,000 damage.
NWS: “The Milam County emergency manager reported a mobile home was moved off the foundation piers on Green Street in Rockdale. Several trees were blown down, as were power lines.”
July 12, 2007: flood in Rockdale — $100,000 damage.
NWS: “Ham Branch breached its banks in central Rockdale, neccesitating water rescues and evacuations. A few houses were threatened by flood waters.”
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
Milam County, which includes Rockdale, has been named in 23 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1991, 14 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 hurricanes, 4 fires, 3 floods, 3 severe storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Hurricane Beryl, on July 9, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Milam County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for lightning; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes and hail; Relatively Low for hurricanes, inland flooding, strong wind and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $12.6 million a year, the 132nd highest of 254 Texas counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $4.4 million (35%), 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 Rockdale
- Thorndale, TX11 mi
- Cameron, TX14 mi
- Lexington, TX16 mi
- Caldwell, TX22 mi
- Rogers, TX23 mi
- Taylor, TX24 mi
- Granger, TX26 mi
- Bartlett, TX27 mi
- Holland, TX28 mi
- Mc Dade, TX28 mi
- Hearne, TX29 mi
- Rosebud, TX30 mi
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