NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Sonora, 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
4 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Sonora, Texas since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was an unnamed storm in 1942. Since 1950, 5 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 4
- Tornadoes
- 5
- EF3 or stronger
- 0
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
no recorded deaths
What the records show for Sonora
None of the 4 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Sonora; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1929, a tropical storm with 59 mph winds when its centre passed 37 miles away. The record near Sonora begins with an unnamed storm in 1851; the most recent system was an unnamed storm in 1942, a tropical storm 4 miles away. None of the 4 systems has come since 2000. Of the 753 Texas cities on this site, 67% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Sonora. The strongest of the 5 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F1 on May 2, 1991; its path came within 15 miles. Of the 5, none had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 3 have come since 2000. The most recent tornado was on May 9, 2007. Of the 753 Texas cities, 99% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Sonora. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 30 times since 1978, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Of the 753 Texas cities, 85% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Sonora.
Compare Sonora's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Sonora
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1942 | Unnamed 1942 stormAug 31 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1929 | Unnamed 1929 stormJun 29 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormAug 21 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1851 | Unnamed 1851 stormJun 27 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Sonora: 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 Sonora
By decade
- 2000s3
- 1990s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2, 1991 | F1 | 15 mi | 0.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 9, 2007 | EF0 | 18 mi | 1.19 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 28, 2000 | F0 | 12 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 28, 2000 | F0 | 11 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 17, 1999 | F0 | 16 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 5 of 5, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Sonora
The Storm Prediction Center has 30 hail reports within 10 miles of Sonora since 1978, made on 24 separate days. Of these, 19 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2 inches (hen egg size), fell on June 2, 1978. The most recent report is from April 6, 2019. April and May have the most reports, 11 each.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Sonora
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Sonora, TX, 10 miles northwest of Sonora at 2,138 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 96°F and low of 72°F; January is the coolest, at 61°F and 31°F. September is the wettest at 3.2 inches of precipitation on average and December the driest at 0.7 inches; the year adds up to 22.7 inches over 35 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 111 days a year, almost all from April to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 69 nights a year. That 22.7 inches is more than at 63 of the 312 Texas stations used on this site (20%). Eldorado, 28 miles north, has its own station (Eldorado, TX): 21.9 inches a year, 0.8 less than here, and a July average high of 93°F against 96°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 61 | 31 | 1.0 | 2 |
| Feb | 66 | 35 | 1.2 | 2 |
| Mar | 73 | 43 | 1.6 | 3 |
| Apr | 81 | 51 | 1.7 | 3 |
| May | 88 | 62 | 2.4 | 4 |
| Jun | 94 | 69 | 2.6 | 4 |
| Jul | 96 | 72 | 2.3 | 3 |
| Aug | 96 | 71 | 2.6 | 4 |
| Sep | 89 | 64 | 3.2 | 3 |
| Oct | 81 | 52 | 2.2 | 4 |
| Nov | 70 | 41 | 1.2 | 3 |
| Dec | 62 | 32 | 0.7 | 2 |
| Year | 80 | 52 | 22.7 | 35 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Sonora, TX (2,138 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 Sonora
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 23 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Sonora: 13 flash floods, 8 thunderstorm wind reports, 1 flood and 1 heavy rain event. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $51,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 85 mph, on August 19, 2025. Of the 745 Texas cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 275 have had fewer than Sonora.
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 Sonora's ZIP code 76950 have filed 30 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1990, and were paid $894,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The year with the most claims was 2018, with 21. 7% 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, 117 have fewer than Sonora.
Sutton County, which includes Sonora, has been named in 18 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1993, 10 of them major disasters (by incident: 5 fires, 4 floods, 3 hurricanes, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on September 1, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Sutton County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for lightning; Very Low for hurricanes, tornadoes, hail, inland flooding, strong wind and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $2.5 million a year, the 231st highest of 254 Texas counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $1.5 million (61%), 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 Sonora
- Eldorado, TX28 mi
- Ozona, TX42 mi
- Junction, TX47 mi
- San Angelo, TX68 mi
- Del Rio, TX75 mi
- Harper, TX76 mi
- Brackettville, TX79 mi
- Ingram, TX81 mi
- Big Lake, TX81 mi
- Miles, TX82 mi
- Mason, TX82 mi
- Brady, TX86 mi
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