NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Sinton, 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
37 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Sinton, Texas since 1851, 14 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Harold in 2023. Since 1950, 149 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 4 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 14
- Tropical storms
- 23
- Tornadoes
- 149
- EF3 or stronger
- 4
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
1 deaths in all
What the records show for Sinton
The strongest storm to pass near Sinton was an unnamed storm in 1886, a Category 4 hurricane with 132 mph winds when its centre passed 31 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was an unnamed storm in 1886, whose centre came within 3 miles. The record near Sinton begins with an unnamed storm in 1851; the most recent system was Harold in 2023, a tropical storm 62 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1960s, with 5 systems, one of them at hurricane strength. Of the 37 systems, 6 have come since 2000. Sinton has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 87% of the 753 Texas cities on this site. The highest rating among the 149 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3, reached 4 times; the most recent, on April 29, 1976, came within 17 miles. The deadliest, an F2 on October 24, 2002, killed 1 person. Of the 149, 7 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 51 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 28. The most recent tornado was on August 25, 2022. Sinton has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 78% of the 753 Texas cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 27 times since 1958, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 753 Texas cities, 87% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Sinton.
Compare Sinton's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Sinton
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | HaroldAug 22 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2020 | BetaSep 22 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2017 | HarveyAug 26 | 27 mi | Category 3 (121 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2015 | BillJun 16 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2010 | HermineSep 7 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2003 | ClaudetteJul 15 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1999 | BretAug 23 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (71 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1998 | FrancesSep 11 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1998 | CharleyAug 22 | 5 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1993 | ArleneJun 20 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1978 | AmeliaJul 31 | 40 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1971 | FernSep 11 | 27 mi | Category 1 (86 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1970 | CeliaAug 3 | 5 mi | Category 3 (120 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1968 | CandyJun 23 | 22 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1967 | BeulahSep 21 | 75 mi | Tropical storm (72 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1964 | AbbyAug 8 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1961 | CarlaSep 11 | 66 mi | Category 3 (123 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1960 | Unnamed 1960 stormJun 24 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1958 | EllaSep 6 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1945 | Unnamed 1945 stormAug 27 | 36 mi | Category 3 (115 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1942 | Unnamed 1942 stormAug 30 | 51 mi | Category 2 (105 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1936 | Unnamed 1936 stormJun 27 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (67 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJul 25 | 6 mi | Category 1 (78 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1929 | Unnamed 1929 stormJun 28 | 56 mi | Category 1 (78 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1919 | Unnamed 1919 stormSep 14 | 52 mi | Category 2 (96 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormAug 19 | 59 mi | Category 2 (98 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1913 | Unnamed 1913 stormJun 28 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1912 | Unnamed 1912 stormOct 17 | 9 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 26 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormSep 24 | 3 mi | Category 1 (78 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormAug 20 | 31 mi | Category 4 (132 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1881 | Unnamed 1881 stormAug 13 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1875 | Unnamed 1875 stormSep 17 | 13 mi | Category 2 (102 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1874 | Unnamed 1874 stormJul 5 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1869 | Unnamed 1869 stormAug 17 | 9 mi | Category 1 (74 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1866 | Unnamed 1866 stormJul 15 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1851 | Unnamed 1851 stormJun 26 | 16 mi | Tropical storm (71 mph) | Category 1 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Sinton: 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 Sinton
By decade
- 2020s5
- 2010s25
- 2000s21
- 1990s21
- 1980s9
- 1970s20(1 EF3+)
- 1960s40(2 EF3+)
- 1950s8(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 29, 1976 | F3 | 17 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 16, 1969 | F3 | 19 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 8, 1963 | F3 | 10 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Oct 22, 1954 | F3 | 7 mi | 20.5 mi | 0 / 25 |
| Oct 24, 2002 | F2 | 20 mi | 2.5 mi | 1 / 20 |
| Jun 2, 2010 | EF2 | 24 mi | 3.76 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 9, 1980 | F2 | 17 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 26, 1976 | F2 | 13 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Aug 3, 1970 | F2 | 24 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 2 |
| May 12, 1969 | F2 | 23 mi | 4.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 17, 1968 | F2 | 25 mi | 0.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 22, 1967 | F2 | 22 mi | 18.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 149, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Sinton
The Storm Prediction Center has 27 hail reports within 10 miles of Sinton since 1958, made on 23 separate days. Of these, 16 were 1 inch across or larger, and 4 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on May 10, 2006. The most recent report is from May 6, 2025. May has the most reports, 17.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Sinton
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Sinton, TX, 2 miles southwest of Sinton at 48 feet. August is the warmest, with an average high of 95°F and low of 76°F; January is the coolest, at 66°F and 45°F. September is the wettest at 5.3 inches of precipitation on average and January and December the driest at 1.7 inches; the year adds up to 33.1 inches over 44 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 61% of the year's precipitation (20.3 of 33.1 inches); the other six months are drier. August has brought the most of the 37 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (12); a normal August there has highs of 95°F and 2.5 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 113 days a year, almost all from April to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 7 nights a year. That 33.1 inches is more than at 140 of the 312 Texas stations used on this site (45%). Taft, 10 miles southeast, has its own station (Welder Wildlife Foundation, TX): 36.3 inches a year, 3.2 more than here, and an August average high of 94°F against 95°F.
Water temperature at the NOAA tide station Viola Turning Basin, TX, 14 miles south, averaged 88°F in August and 62°F in February over 2021–2025. It averaged 80°F or warmer from May to October. Sea level at the Rockport tide gauge, 29 miles from Sinton, has risen 2.38 ± 0.09 inches per decade from 1937 to 2025, NOAA's linear trend; at that pace it is 23.8 inches in a hundred years. That is faster than at 132 of the 144 U.S. gauges with a NOAA trend.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Water °F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 66 | 45 | 1.7 | 3 | 62 |
| Feb | 70 | 49 | 1.9 | 3 | 62 |
| Mar | 75 | 56 | 2.4 | 4 | 68 |
| Apr | 81 | 62 | 1.8 | 3 | 75 |
| May | 86 | 69 | 3.3 | 4 | 81 |
| Jun | 91 | 74 | 3.4 | 4 | 87 |
| Jul | 93 | 76 | 2.8 | 4 | 88 |
| Aug | 95 | 76 | 2.5 | 3 | 88 |
| Sep | 90 | 71 | 5.3 | 6 | 87 |
| Oct | 85 | 63 | 3.9 | 4 | 82 |
| Nov | 75 | 54 | 2.4 | 4 | 74 |
| Dec | 68 | 47 | 1.7 | 3 | 67 |
| Year | 81 | 62 | 33.1 | 44 | 77 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Sinton, TX (48 ft), from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals; water temperature: average of hourly readings 2021–2025 at the NOAA tide station Viola Turning Basin, TX, from NOAA Tides & Currents. 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 Sinton
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 55 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Sinton: 31 flash floods, 20 thunderstorm wind reports, 2 floods and 2 heavy rain events. They killed 2 people and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $5.9 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 70 mph, on May 23, 2017. May has had the most flash floods, 11 of 31. Of the 745 Texas cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 571 have had fewer than Sinton.
July 2, 2010: flood 8 miles from the centre of Sinton — 2 killed.
NWS: “Between 5 and 8 inches of rain from Hurricane Alex left several flooded County and Farm to Market roadways across San Patricio county for a few days after the event. An elderly couple's vehicle stalled in flood waters near CR 696 & CR 1441.”
September 19, 2010: flash flood 3 miles from the centre of Sinton — $3.0 million damage.
NWS: “Flooding across the entire county caused damage to roads and infrastructure. Flooding also damaged a hotel in Aransas Pass with 23 rooms receiving damage.”
March 17, 2024: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Sinton — $1.3 million damage.
NWS: “Reports of trees and utility poles down in Sinton between Hugh and Short Streets near business 77. Time estimated from radar.”
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 Sinton's ZIP code 78387 have filed 430 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1980, and were paid $3.7 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Flooding in 1984: 206 claims (48% of all) and $2.0 million. 53% 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, 328 have fewer than Sinton.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Flooding1984 | 206 | $2.0 million |
San Patricio County, which includes Sinton, has been named in 34 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1967, 22 of them major disasters (by incident: 18 hurricanes, 5 floods, 3 fires, 3 severe storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Hurricane Beryl, on July 9, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives San Patricio County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for hurricanes; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, inland flooding, lightning and heat waves; Relatively Low for hail, coastal flooding and strong wind. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $39.5 million a year, the 45th highest of 254 Texas counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $15.8 million (40%), is from hurricanes.
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).
Sinton in the notable storm records: Hurricane Harvey (2017)
What counts as a pass, the distances and the sources: how this storm history is built.
Cities near Sinton
- Odem, TX8 mi
- Taft, TX10 mi
- Gregory, TX16 mi
- Portland, TX17 mi
- Skidmore, TX17 mi
- Mathis, TX20 mi
- Robstown, TX22 mi
- Ingleside, TX23 mi
- Corpus Christi, TX24 mi
- Aransas Pass, TX24 mi
- Refugio, TX25 mi
- Sandia, TX25 mi
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