NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Somerset, 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
14 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Somerset, Texas since 1851, 3 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Harvey in 2017. Since 1950, 89 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 2 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 3
- Tropical storms
- 11
- Tornadoes
- 89
- EF3 or stronger
- 2
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
4 deaths in all
What the records show for Somerset
The strongest storm to pass near Somerset was an unnamed storm in 1886, a Category 1 hurricane with 86 mph winds when its centre passed 21 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was an unnamed storm in 1942, whose centre came within 14 miles. The record near Somerset begins with an unnamed storm in 1851; the most recent system was Harvey in 2017, a tropical storm 65 miles away. Of the 14 systems, 3 have come since 2000. Somerset has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 69% of the 753 Texas cities on this site. The highest rating among the 89 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3, reached 2 times; the most recent, on April 29, 1975, came within 25 miles. Of the 89, 4 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 32 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 20. The most recent tornado was on October 26, 2023. Of the 753 Texas cities, 62% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Somerset. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 38 times since 1959, with stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball size). Of the 753 Texas cities, 77% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Somerset.
Compare Somerset's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Somerset
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | HarveyAug 27 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2010 | HermineSep 7 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2003 | ClaudetteJul 16 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1970 | CeliaAug 4 | 52 mi | Category 1 (82 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1968 | CandyJun 24 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1942 | Unnamed 1942 stormAug 30 | 14 mi | Category 1 (75 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1936 | Unnamed 1936 stormJun 28 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJul 26 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1929 | Unnamed 1929 stormJun 29 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (64 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1913 | Unnamed 1913 stormJun 28 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormAug 20 | 21 mi | Category 1 (86 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1869 | Unnamed 1869 stormAug 17 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1866 | Unnamed 1866 stormJul 16 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1851 | Unnamed 1851 stormJun 26 | 40 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 Somerset: 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 Somerset
By decade
- 2020s4
- 2010s7
- 2000s21
- 1990s7
- 1980s19
- 1970s11(1 EF3+)
- 1960s15(1 EF3+)
- 1950s5
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 29, 1975 | F3 | 25 mi | 8.3 mi | 3 / 5 |
| Nov 22, 1961 | F3 | 15 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 19, 2017 | EF2 | 23 mi | 4.64 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 19, 2012 | EF2 | 6 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Mar 19, 2012 | EF2 | 17 mi | 3.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 19, 2002 | F2 | 4 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 30 |
| Sep 17, 1988 | F2 | 14 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Aug 10, 1980 | F2 | 16 mi | 12.2 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Sep 13, 1970 | F2 | 15 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 16, 1969 | F2 | 18 mi | 4.3 mi | 0 / 3 |
| May 3, 1969 | F2 | 20 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 18, 1965 | F2 | 21 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 89, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Somerset
The Storm Prediction Center has 38 hail reports within 10 miles of Somerset since 1959, made on 27 separate days. Of these, 26 were 1 inch across or larger, and 6 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2.5 inches (tennis ball size), was reported on 2 days, most recently April 25, 2016. The most recent report is from January 24, 2024. April has the most reports, 17.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Somerset
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Lytle 3W, TX, 11 miles west of Somerset at 722 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 96°F and low of 73°F; January is the coolest, at 66°F and 42°F. September is the wettest at 4.1 inches of precipitation on average and December the driest at 1.6 inches; the year adds up to 29.7 inches over 46 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 56% of the year's precipitation (16.6 of 29.7 inches); the other six months are drier. Highs reach 90°F on about 120 days a year, almost all from March to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 17 nights a year. That 29.7 inches is more than at 111 of the 312 Texas stations used on this site (36%). Von Ormy, 4 miles northeast, has its own station (San Antonio Stinson Airport, TX): 29.8 inches a year, 0.1 more than here, and the same July average high, 96°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 66 | 42 | 1.7 | 4 |
| Feb | 70 | 45 | 1.9 | 3 |
| Mar | 77 | 52 | 2.2 | 4 |
| Apr | 83 | 59 | 2.3 | 3 |
| May | 87 | 67 | 3.4 | 5 |
| Jun | 94 | 72 | 3.0 | 5 |
| Jul | 96 | 73 | 2.1 | 3 |
| Aug | 96 | 73 | 2.1 | 3 |
| Sep | 91 | 69 | 4.1 | 5 |
| Oct | 84 | 60 | 3.4 | 5 |
| Nov | 74 | 51 | 1.9 | 3 |
| Dec | 67 | 43 | 1.6 | 3 |
| Year | 82 | 59 | 29.7 | 46 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Lytle 3W, TX (722 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 Somerset
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 38 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Somerset: 23 thunderstorm wind reports and 15 flash floods. They killed 1 person and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $976,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on April 4, 2004. Of the 745 Texas cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 332 have had fewer than Somerset.
May 3, 2007: flash flood 9 miles from the centre of Somerset — 1 killed.
March 19, 2002: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Somerset — $600,000 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
Atascosa County, which includes Somerset, has been named in 21 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1967, 12 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 hurricanes, 4 severe storms, 3 fires, 3 floods). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storms, on February 19, 2021. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Atascosa County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, hail, lightning and heat waves; Relatively Low for hurricanes, inland flooding and strong wind. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $13.9 million a year, the 120th highest of 254 Texas counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $6.0 million (43%), 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.