NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Rockwall, 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
5 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Rockwall, Texas since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Carla in 1961. Since 1950, 142 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 14 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 5
- Tornadoes
- 142
- EF3 or stronger
- 14
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
27 deaths in all
What the records show for Rockwall
None of the 5 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Rockwall; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 55 mph winds when its centre passed 73 miles away. The record near Rockwall begins with an unnamed storm in 1871; the most recent system was Carla in 1961, a tropical storm 54 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1900s, with 2 systems. None of the 5 systems has come since 2000. Of the 753 Texas cities on this site, 63% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Rockwall. The highest rating among the 142 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on December 26, 2015, came within 4 miles. Of the 142, 13 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 38 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 37. The most recent tornado was on March 30, 2022. Rockwall has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 75% of the 753 Texas cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 148 times since 1961, with stones up to 5.25 inches. Rockwall has more hail reports within 10 miles than 78% of the 753 Texas cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Rockwall
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | CarlaSep 13 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1947 | Unnamed 1947 stormSep 20 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 28 | 5 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 9 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1871 | Unnamed 1871 stormJun 5 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Rockwall: 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 Rockwall
By decade
- 2020s3
- 2010s28(4 EF3+)
- 2000s7
- 1990s39(1 EF3+)
- 1980s13(1 EF3+)
- 1970s26(2 EF3+)
- 1960s14(3 EF3+)
- 1950s12(3 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 26, 2015 | EF4 | 4 mi | 13.04 mi | 10 / 468 |
| Apr 25, 1994 | F4 | 21 mi | 6 mi | 3 / 48 |
| Apr 2, 1957 | F3 | 22 mi | 17.2 mi | 10 / 200 |
| Oct 20, 2019 | EF3 | 14 mi | 15.76 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 3, 2012 | EF3 | 7 mi | 3.34 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Apr 3, 2012 | EF3 | 9 mi | 7.73 mi | 0 / 7 |
| Dec 13, 1984 | F3 | 11 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 28 |
| May 5, 1978 | F3 | 13 mi | 29.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 26, 1976 | F3 | 19 mi | 4.5 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Oct 12, 1969 | F3 | 11 mi | 45.9 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Dec 21, 1967 | F3 | 24 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 11, 1963 | F3 | 24 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 142, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Rockwall
The Storm Prediction Center has 148 hail reports within 10 miles of Rockwall since 1961, made on 77 separate days. Of these, 115 were 1 inch across or larger, and 22 reached 2 inches. The largest, 5.25 inches, fell on April 11, 2016. The most recent report is from May 6, 2025. April has the most reports, 57.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Rockwall
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Lavon Dam, TX, 10 miles north of Rockwall at 510 feet. August is the warmest, with an average high of 93°F and low of 73°F; January is the coolest, at 54°F and 34°F. May is the wettest at 4.7 inches of precipitation on average and July the driest at 1.9 inches; the year adds up to 39.8 inches over 57 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 95 days a year, almost all from May to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 44 nights a year. That 39.8 inches is more than at 208 of the 312 Texas stations used on this site (67%). Sunnyvale, 10 miles southwest, has its own station (Richardson, TX): 42.0 inches a year, 2.2 more than here, and an August average high of 95°F against 93°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 54 | 34 | 2.6 | 5 |
| Feb | 58 | 38 | 2.7 | 5 |
| Mar | 65 | 46 | 3.5 | 5 |
| Apr | 73 | 53 | 3.7 | 5 |
| May | 80 | 63 | 4.7 | 6 |
| Jun | 88 | 70 | 4.1 | 6 |
| Jul | 92 | 73 | 1.9 | 4 |
| Aug | 93 | 73 | 2.2 | 3 |
| Sep | 87 | 66 | 3.1 | 4 |
| Oct | 77 | 55 | 4.4 | 5 |
| Nov | 65 | 45 | 3.4 | 5 |
| Dec | 56 | 36 | 3.5 | 5 |
| Year | 74 | 54 | 39.8 | 57 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Lavon Dam, TX (510 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 Rockwall
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 130 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Rockwall: 82 thunderstorm wind reports, 35 flash floods, 7 floods, 4 lightning strikes and 2 heavy rain events. They killed 5 people and injured 13, and the NWS estimated $4.6 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 86 mph, on March 29, 2017. May has had the most flash floods, 9 of 35. Of the 745 Texas cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 602 have had fewer than Rockwall.
November 20, 2009: heavy rain event 8 miles from the centre of Rockwall — 3 killed, 3 injured.
May 23, 2015: heavy rain event 3 miles from the centre of Rockwall — 1 killed, 2 injured.
NWS: “A westbound 18-wheeler on Interstate 30 near Horizon Road crossed a concrete divider into the eastbound lanes and crashed. The driver was killed, and two other people involved in the accident were taken to area hospitals with non-life threatening injuries.”
January 25, 2012: flood 10 miles from the centre of Rockwall — 1 killed, $3,000 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 Rockwall's 2 ZIP codes have filed 55 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1979, and were paid $826,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 11% 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, 175 have fewer than Rockwall.
Rockwall County, which includes Rockwall, has been named in 17 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1966, 9 of them major disasters (by incident: 3 fires, 3 hurricanes, 3 severe storms, 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 Rockwall County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for tornadoes; Relatively Moderate for hail, strong wind and heat waves; Relatively Low for inland flooding and lightning; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $46.4 million a year, the 38th highest of 254 Texas counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $16.1 million (35%), 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.
Cities near Rockwall
- Rowlett, TX6 mi
- Lavon, TX8 mi
- Royse City, TX9 mi
- Wylie, TX9 mi
- Sachse, TX10 mi
- Sunnyvale, TX10 mi
- Nevada, TX10 mi
- Forney, TX11 mi
- Garland, TX11 mi
- Murphy, TX12 mi
- Mesquite, TX12 mi
- Terrell, TX15 mi
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