NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Sulphur Springs, 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 Sulphur Springs, Texas since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 92 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 5 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 4
- Tornadoes
- 92
- EF3 or stronger
- 5
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
4 deaths in all
What the records show for Sulphur Springs
None of the 4 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Sulphur Springs; the strongest was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm with 45 mph winds when its centre passed 35 miles away. The record near Sulphur Springs begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Ike in 2008. Of the 4 systems, one has come since 2000. Of the 753 Texas cities on this site, 67% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Sulphur Springs. The highest rating among the 92 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3 or EF3, reached 5 times; the most recent, on April 29, 2017, came within 14 miles. Of the 92, 15 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 32 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 26. The most recent tornado was on March 4, 2025. Of the 753 Texas cities, 60% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Sulphur Springs. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 107 times since 1958, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Sulphur Springs has more hail reports within 10 miles than 66% of the 753 Texas cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Sulphur Springs
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 13 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1947 | Unnamed 1947 stormSep 20 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1918 | Unnamed 1918 stormAug 7 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 28 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Sulphur Springs: 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 Sulphur Springs
By decade
- 2020s8
- 2010s17(1 EF3+)
- 2000s7
- 1990s15
- 1980s12
- 1970s16(1 EF3+)
- 1960s14(3 EF3+)
- 1950s3
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 29, 2017 | EF3 | 14 mi | 39.71 mi | 2 / 24 |
| Dec 3, 1973 | F3 | 24 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 14, 1969 | F3 | 10 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 22, 1964 | F3 | 24 mi | 5.9 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Mar 26, 1961 | F3 | 22 mi | 13 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Oct 18, 1993 | F2 | 22 mi | 2 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Jun 2, 1954 | F2 | 19 mi | 5.9 mi | 1 / 8 |
| Nov 4, 2022 | EF2 | 9 mi | 2.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 19, 1996 | F2 | 18 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 29, 1994 | F2 | 19 mi | 12 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 18, 1993 | F2 | 19 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 11, 1992 | F2 | 2 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 92, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Sulphur Springs
The Storm Prediction Center has 107 hail reports within 10 miles of Sulphur Springs since 1958, made on 68 separate days. Of these, 77 were 1 inch across or larger, and 14 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on May 22, 2024. The most recent report is from April 3, 2025. April has the most reports, 41.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Sulphur Springs
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Sulphur Springs, TX, 2 miles west of Sulphur Springs at 495 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 94°F and low of 74°F; January is the coolest, at 55°F and 34°F. October is the wettest at 4.9 inches of precipitation on average and August the driest at 2.9 inches; the year adds up to 46.5 inches over 63 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 94 days a year, almost all from May to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 48 nights a year. That 46.5 inches is more than at 246 of the 312 Texas stations used on this site (79%). Yantis, 17 miles south, has its own station (Lake Fk Rsvr, TX): 45.2 inches a year, 1.3 less than here, and a July average high of 93°F against 94°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 55 | 34 | 3.3 | 5 |
| Feb | 60 | 38 | 3.6 | 6 |
| Mar | 67 | 45 | 4.4 | 6 |
| Apr | 75 | 52 | 4.3 | 6 |
| May | 82 | 62 | 4.3 | 6 |
| Jun | 90 | 71 | 4.3 | 6 |
| Jul | 94 | 74 | 3.0 | 4 |
| Aug | 95 | 73 | 2.9 | 4 |
| Sep | 89 | 66 | 3.0 | 4 |
| Oct | 78 | 54 | 4.9 | 5 |
| Nov | 66 | 44 | 4.0 | 5 |
| Dec | 57 | 36 | 4.5 | 6 |
| Year | 76 | 54 | 46.5 | 63 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Sulphur Springs, TX (495 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 Sulphur Springs
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 103 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Sulphur Springs: 79 thunderstorm wind reports, 19 flash floods, 2 floods, 2 heavy rain events and 1 lightning strike. They killed 0 people and injured 7, and the NWS estimated $30.9 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 96 mph, on June 15, 2023. June has had the most flash floods, 5 of 19. Of the 745 Texas cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 414 have had fewer than Sulphur Springs.
November 23, 2014: heavy rain event 2 miles from the centre of Sulphur Springs — 4 injured, $100,000 damage.
NWS: “A tour bus, carrying seven people, lost control and hit a bridge pillar on Interstate 30 during rainy conditions. Four people on the bus were injured.”
May 2, 2009: heavy rain event 3 miles from the centre of Sulphur Springs — 2 injured, $7,000 damage.
NWS: “A car overturned onto its top on SH 19 near the Pilot Travel Center. Two people were taken to the hospital including one child.”
October 11, 2010: lightning strike 3 miles from the centre of Sulphur Springs — 1 injured, $250,000 damage.
NWS: “A lightning strike started a house fire at CR 2310 and FM 1870 east-southeast of Sulphur Springs. The upper story was engulfed in flames at one point and the home was heavily damaged.”
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 Sulphur Springs's ZIP code 75482 have filed 34 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1980, and were paid $280,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The year with the most claims was 2000, with 11. 3% 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, 129 have fewer than Sulphur Springs.
Hopkins County, which includes Sulphur Springs, has been named in 21 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1974, 13 of them major disasters (by incident: 4 fires, 4 hurricanes, 4 severe storms, 3 floods). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on May 17, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Hopkins County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for tornadoes and strong wind; Relatively Moderate for hail; Relatively Low for inland flooding, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $27.9 million a year, the 68th highest of 254 Texas counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $7.9 million (28%), 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 Sulphur Springs
- Cumby, TX13 mi
- Yantis, TX17 mi
- Cooper, TX17 mi
- Commerce, TX20 mi
- Campbell, TX20 mi
- Emory, TX20 mi
- Mount Vernon, TX22 mi
- Point, TX23 mi
- Winnsboro, TX24 mi
- Lone Oak, TX24 mi
- Alba, TX24 mi
- Quitman, TX25 mi
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