NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit San Marcos, 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 Marcos, Texas since 1851, 2 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Harvey in 2017. Since 1950, 85 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 2 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 2
- Tropical storms
- 10
- Tornadoes
- 85
- EF3 or stronger
- 2
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
no recorded deaths
What the records show for San Marcos
The strongest storm to pass near San Marcos was an unnamed storm in 1886, a Category 1 hurricane with 84 mph winds when its centre passed 42 miles away. The record near San Marcos begins with an unnamed storm in 1875; the most recent system was Harvey in 2017, a tropical storm 45 miles away. Of the 12 systems, 2 have come since 2000. San Marcos has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 62% of the 753 Texas cities on this site. The highest rating among the 85 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3, reached 2 times; the most recent, on September 20, 1967, came within 19 miles. Of the 85, 6 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 31 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 21. The most recent tornado was on October 24, 2025. Of the 753 Texas cities, 65% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than San Marcos. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 111 times since 1970, with stones up to 4.5 inches (grapefruit size). San Marcos has more hail reports within 10 miles than 68% of the 753 Texas cities.
Compare San Marcos's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near San Marcos
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | HarveyAug 27 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2010 | HermineSep 7 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1973 | DeliaSep 6 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1968 | CandyJun 24 | 22 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1961 | CarlaSep 12 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (68 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1942 | Unnamed 1942 stormAug 30 | 47 mi | Category 1 (79 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormAug 14 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1929 | Unnamed 1929 stormJun 29 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (67 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 27 | 33 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormSep 24 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormAug 20 | 42 mi | Category 1 (84 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1875 | Unnamed 1875 stormSep 17 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in San Marcos: 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 Marcos
By decade
- 2020s8
- 2010s9
- 2000s14
- 1990s9
- 1980s8
- 1970s15
- 1960s16(1 EF3+)
- 1950s6(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 20, 1967 | F3 | 19 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 1, 1953 | F3 | 24 mi | 5.1 mi | 0 / 10 |
| Mar 21, 2022 | EF2 | 17 mi | 7.93 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 30, 2015 | EF2 | 10 mi | 8.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 22, 1985 | F2 | 12 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 10, 1980 | F2 | 3 mi | 47.7 mi | 0 / 20 |
| Mar 30, 1976 | F2 | 11 mi | 2.5 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Mar 30, 1976 | F2 | 11 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 25, 1971 | F2 | 17 mi | 11.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 22, 1969 | F2 | 19 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 1, 1967 | F2 | 16 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 21, 1966 | F2 | 15 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 85, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in San Marcos
The Storm Prediction Center has 111 hail reports within 10 miles of San Marcos since 1970, made on 62 separate days. Of these, 83 were 1 inch across or larger, and 16 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4.5 inches (grapefruit size), fell on March 16, 2000. The most recent report is from May 22, 2025. April has the most reports, 39.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in San Marcos
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is San Marcos, TX, in San Marcos at 665 feet. August is the warmest, with an average high of 97°F and low of 74°F; January is the coolest, at 62°F and 39°F. May is the wettest at 4.5 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 1.7 inches; the year adds up to 36.5 inches over 48 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 53% of the year's precipitation (19.5 of 36.5 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 12 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (5); a normal September there has highs of 91°F and 4.0 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 117 days a year, almost all from April to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 20 nights a year. That 36.5 inches is more than at 172 of the 312 Texas stations used on this site (55%). Wimberley, 15 miles northwest, has its own station (Canyon Dam, TX): 37.9 inches a year, 1.4 more than here, and an August average high of 96°F against 97°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 62 | 39 | 2.4 | 4 |
| Feb | 67 | 42 | 1.7 | 4 |
| Mar | 73 | 50 | 2.8 | 5 |
| Apr | 80 | 56 | 3.2 | 4 |
| May | 86 | 65 | 4.5 | 6 |
| Jun | 92 | 72 | 3.6 | 5 |
| Jul | 96 | 73 | 2.2 | 3 |
| Aug | 97 | 74 | 2.6 | 3 |
| Sep | 91 | 69 | 4.0 | 5 |
| Oct | 82 | 58 | 4.4 | 4 |
| Nov | 72 | 48 | 2.7 | 3 |
| Dec | 64 | 41 | 2.4 | 4 |
| Year | 80 | 57 | 36.5 | 48 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at San Marcos, TX (665 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 Marcos
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 109 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of San Marcos: 65 thunderstorm wind reports, 38 flash floods, 4 lightning strikes and 2 floods. They killed 2 people and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $23.8 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 109 mph, on April 25, 2007. May has had the most flash floods, 8 of 38. Of the 745 Texas cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 615 have had fewer than San Marcos.
December 7, 2018: flash flood 8 miles from the centre of San Marcos — 2 killed.
June 2, 2003: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of San Marcos — $13.0 million damage.
June 2, 2003: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of San Marcos — $7.0 million damage.
NWS: “A line of thunderstorms formed along a cold front in central Texas and moved quickly southward. As the storms moved through Hays County, they produced a downburst that struck the town of San Marcos and spread southeastward into Caldwell County.”
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 Marcos's ZIP code 78666 have filed 816 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1979, and were paid $29.6 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Early summer storms in 2015: 242 claims (30% of all) and $17.9 million, then Fall severe storms in 2015 with 220 and Flooding in 1998 with 213. 84% 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, 357 have fewer than San Marcos.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Early summer storms2015 | 242 | $17.9 million |
| Fall severe storms2015 | 220 | $6.8 million |
| Flooding1998 | 213 | $2.8 million |
Hays County, which includes San Marcos, has been named in 27 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1970, 16 of them major disasters (by incident: 7 fires, 6 floods, 4 severe storms, 3 hurricanes). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on May 17, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Hays County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for tornadoes, hail, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Moderate for inland flooding and heat waves; Relatively Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $108.6 million a year, the 21st highest of 254 Texas counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $68.1 million (63%), 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.