NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit San Antonio, 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
12 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of San Antonio, Texas since 1851, 3 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Harvey in 2017. Since 1950, 88 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 3 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 3
- Tropical storms
- 9
- Tornadoes
- 88
- EF3 or stronger
- 3
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
4 deaths in all
What the records show for San Antonio
The strongest storm to pass near San Antonio was an unnamed storm in 1886, a Category 1 hurricane with 83 mph winds when its centre passed 3 miles away. The record near San Antonio begins with an unnamed storm in 1851; the most recent system was Harvey in 2017, a tropical storm 58 miles away. The 1970s and the 2010s were the busiest decades, with 2 systems each. Of the 12 systems, 3 have come since 2000. San Antonio has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 69% of the 753 Texas cities on this site. The strongest of the 88 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on April 28, 1953; its path came within 11 miles, and it killed 2 people. Of the 88, 13 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 34 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 18. The most recent tornado was on October 26, 2023. Of the 753 Texas cities, 63% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than San Antonio. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 369 times since 1957, with stones up to 4.5 inches (grapefruit size). San Antonio has more hail reports within 10 miles than 95% of the 753 Texas cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near San Antonio
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | HarveyAug 27 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2010 | HermineSep 7 | 5 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2003 | ClaudetteJul 16 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1973 | DeliaSep 6 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1970 | CeliaAug 4 | 73 mi | Category 1 (82 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1968 | CandyJun 24 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1942 | Unnamed 1942 stormAug 30 | 6 mi | Category 1 (75 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1936 | Unnamed 1936 stormJun 28 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1929 | Unnamed 1929 stormJun 29 | 9 mi | Tropical storm (64 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 27 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormAug 20 | 3 mi | Category 1 (83 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1851 | Unnamed 1851 stormJun 26 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in San Antonio: 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 San Antonio
By decade
- 2020s3
- 2010s11
- 2000s20
- 1990s5
- 1980s13
- 1970s16
- 1960s10(1 EF3+)
- 1950s10(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 28, 1953 | F4 | 11 mi | 1 mi | 2 / 15 |
| Apr 28, 1953 | F3 | 5 mi | 4.9 mi | 1 / 5 |
| Nov 22, 1961 | F3 | 7 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 19, 2017 | EF2 | 3 mi | 4.64 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 19, 2012 | EF2 | 18 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Mar 19, 2002 | F2 | 17 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 30 |
| Sep 17, 1988 | F2 | 2 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Aug 10, 1980 | F2 | 4 mi | 12.2 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Sep 13, 1970 | F2 | 20 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 18, 1970 | F2 | 15 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 16, 1969 | F2 | 5 mi | 4.3 mi | 0 / 3 |
| May 3, 1969 | F2 | 11 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 88, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in San Antonio
The Storm Prediction Center has 369 hail reports within 10 miles of San Antonio since 1957, made on 158 separate days. Of these, 292 were 1 inch across or larger, and 53 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4.5 inches (grapefruit size), fell on April 12, 2016. The most recent report is from May 26, 2025. April has the most reports, 125.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in San Antonio
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is San Antonio Incarnate Word, TX, 5 miles east of San Antonio at 700 feet. August is the warmest, with an average high of 95°F and low of 74°F; January is the coolest, at 63°F and 40°F. May is the wettest at 4.4 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 1.9 inches; the year adds up to 34.0 inches over 47 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 55% of the year's precipitation (18.7 of 34.0 inches); the other six months are drier. June has brought the most of the 12 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (5); a normal June there has highs of 92°F and 3.6 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 112 days a year, almost all from April to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 22 nights a year. That 34.0 inches is more than at 145 of the 312 Texas stations used on this site (46%). Jbsa Lackland, 7 miles southwest, has its own station (San Antonio/Seaworld, TX): 31.5 inches a year, 2.5 less than here, and an August average high of 99°F against 95°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 63 | 40 | 2.2 | 4 |
| Feb | 68 | 44 | 1.9 | 3 |
| Mar | 74 | 51 | 2.4 | 4 |
| Apr | 80 | 57 | 2.3 | 3 |
| May | 86 | 66 | 4.4 | 4 |
| Jun | 92 | 72 | 3.6 | 4 |
| Jul | 94 | 74 | 2.4 | 4 |
| Aug | 95 | 74 | 2.4 | 3 |
| Sep | 90 | 69 | 3.9 | 5 |
| Oct | 82 | 59 | 3.9 | 5 |
| Nov | 71 | 49 | 2.5 | 3 |
| Dec | 64 | 41 | 2.1 | 4 |
| Year | 80 | 58 | 34.0 | 47 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at San Antonio Incarnate Word, TX (700 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 San Antonio
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 346 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of San Antonio: 212 flash floods, 121 thunderstorm wind reports, 6 floods, 4 heavy rain events and 3 lightning strikes. They killed 22 people and injured 22, and the NWS estimated $29.6 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 122 mph, on May 27, 1997. June has had the most flash floods, 52 of 212. Of the 745 Texas cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 744 have had fewer than San Antonio.
June 12, 2025: flash flood 9 miles from the centre of San Antonio — 11 killed, $23.0 million damage.
August 31, 2025: flash flood 7 miles from the centre of San Antonio — 2 killed.
NWS: “Thunderstorms produced heavy rain that led to flash flooding. The bodies of two homeless individuals were recovered from Salado Creek near Maltsberger Ln.”
September 5, 2013: lightning strike 8 miles from the centre of San Antonio — 1 killed, 2 injured.
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 San Antonio's 54 ZIP codes have filed 2,093 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $30.1 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Flooding in 1998: 520 claims (25% of all) and $10.7 million, then Torrential rain in 2002 with 211 and Hurricane Allen in 1980 with 41. 43% 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, 398 have fewer than San Antonio.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Flooding1998 | 520 | $10.7 million |
| Torrential rain2002 | 211 | $3.3 million |
| Hurricane Allen1980 | 41 | $162,000 |
| Tropical Storm Erin2007 | 40 | $1.1 million |
| Early summer storms2015 | 17 | $28,000 |
| Early summer severe storms2016 | 16 | $179,000 |
Bexar County, which includes San Antonio, has been named in 31 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1988, 12 of them major disasters (by incident: 12 hurricanes, 8 fires, 4 floods, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storms, on February 19, 2021. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Bexar County a Relatively High rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Very High for tornadoes, hail and inland flooding; Relatively High for strong wind, lightning and heat waves; Relatively Moderate for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $619.4 million a year, the 4th highest of 254 Texas counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $364.8 million (59%), 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 San Antonio
- Fort Sam Houston, TX6 mi
- Jbsa Lackland, TX7 mi
- Live Oak, TX12 mi
- Converse, TX15 mi
- Helotes, TX15 mi
- Universal City, TX16 mi
- Atascosa, TX17 mi
- Schertz, TX18 mi
- Von Ormy, TX18 mi
- Garden Ridge, TX18 mi
- Lacoste, TX20 mi
- Cibolo, TX20 mi
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