NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Stephenville, 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
3 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Stephenville, Texas since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Carla in 1961. Since 1950, 80 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 1 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 3
- Tornadoes
- 80
- EF3 or stronger
- 1
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
no recorded deaths
What the records show for Stephenville
None of the 3 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Stephenville; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 58 mph winds when its centre passed 35 miles away. The record near Stephenville begins with an unnamed storm in 1900; the most recent system was Carla in 1961, a tropical storm 41 miles away. Of the 753 Texas cities on this site, 73% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Stephenville. The strongest of the 80 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F3 on May 12, 1982; its path came within 16 miles. Of the 80, 8 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 33 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 25. The most recent tornado was on May 18, 2025. Of the 753 Texas cities, 69% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Stephenville. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 161 times since 1961, with stones up to 4.5 inches (grapefruit size). Stephenville has more hail reports within 10 miles than 80% of the 753 Texas cities.
Compare Stephenville's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Stephenville
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | CarlaSep 12 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 27 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 9 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Stephenville: 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 Stephenville
By decade
- 2020s8
- 2010s12
- 2000s13
- 1990s14
- 1980s18(1 EF3+)
- 1970s8
- 1960s4
- 1950s3
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 12, 1982 | F3 | 16 mi | 9 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Apr 19, 2025 | EF2 | 14 mi | 13.61 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 13, 2022 | EF2 | 19 mi | 11.13 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 26, 1994 | F2 | 23 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Apr 25, 1990 | F2 | 15 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 12, 1982 | F2 | 24 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 10, 1979 | F2 | 20 mi | 24 mi | 0 / 3 |
| May 31, 1976 | F2 | 8 mi | 4.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 19, 1976 | F2 | 15 mi | 11.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 28, 1971 | F2 | 2 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 4, 1960 | F2 | 16 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 18, 2025 | EF1 | 22 mi | 2.11 mi | 0 / 4 |
The strongest 12 of 80, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Stephenville
The Storm Prediction Center has 161 hail reports within 10 miles of Stephenville since 1961, made on 95 separate days. Of these, 99 were 1 inch across or larger, and 14 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4.5 inches (grapefruit size), fell on April 26, 1994. The most recent report is from June 8, 2025. April has the most reports, 58.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Stephenville
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Stephenville, TX, 2 miles southwest of Stephenville at 1,290 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 97°F and low of 71°F; January is the coolest, at 59°F and 31°F. May is the wettest at 5.0 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 1.8 inches; the year adds up to 34.1 inches over 47 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 98 days a year, almost all from April to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 54 nights a year. Snowfall averages 0.7 inches a year, most of it in January. That 34.1 inches is more than at 146 of the 312 Texas stations used on this site (47%). Dublin, 14 miles southwest, has its own station (Dublin 2SE, TX): 38.1 inches a year, 4.0 more than here, and a July average high of 94°F against 97°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 59 | 31 | 1.8 | 3 | 0.4 |
| Feb | 63 | 35 | 2.2 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Mar | 70 | 42 | 2.8 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Apr | 79 | 50 | 2.9 | 4 | 0.0 |
| May | 86 | 60 | 5.0 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 93 | 68 | 3.3 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 97 | 71 | 2.0 | 3 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 98 | 70 | 3.0 | 3 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 90 | 63 | 3.3 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 81 | 52 | 3.3 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 69 | 41 | 2.3 | 3 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 61 | 33 | 2.2 | 4 | 0.3 |
| Year | 79 | 51 | 34.1 | 47 | 0.7 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Stephenville, TX (1,290 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 Stephenville
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 63 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Stephenville: 50 thunderstorm wind reports, 11 flash floods and 2 floods. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $1.3 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 85 mph, on March 8, 2025. May has had the most flash floods, 3 of 11. Of the 745 Texas cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 227 have had fewer than Stephenville.
July 8, 2007: flash flood 4 miles from the centre of Stephenville — $500,000 damage.
NWS: “Several roads were flooded along the southern county border, and a high water rescue was needed on FM 914 six miles south of Alexander. Also in Alexander, CR 284 had about four feet of water over it's bridge.”
October 20, 2019: thunderstorm wind 3 miles from the centre of Stephenville — $100,000 damage.
NWS: “A line of severe thunderstorms moved across Erath County, producing a pattern of downburst straight-line wind damage within the City of Stephenville. Minor tree damage, consistent with 50 mph winds, was first observed approximately 3 blocks west of the Tarleton State University campus.”
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 Stephenville's ZIP code 76401 have filed 19 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1990, and were paid $645,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 37% 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, 74 have fewer than Stephenville.
Erath County, which includes Stephenville, has been named in 18 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1990, 11 of them major disasters (by incident: 4 fires, 4 severe storms, 3 hurricanes, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storms, on February 19, 2021. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Erath County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Low for hail, inland flooding and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $33.9 million a year, the 51st highest of 254 Texas counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $14.2 million (42%), 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 Stephenville
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- Hico, TX23 mi
- Glen Rose, TX26 mi
- Granbury, TX30 mi
- Ranger, TX32 mi
- Comanche, TX33 mi
- Millsap, TX35 mi
- Eastland, TX36 mi
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