NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Sunset, 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
2 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Sunset, Texas since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Carla in 1961. Since 1950, 106 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 6 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 2
- Tornadoes
- 106
- EF3 or stronger
- 6
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
11 deaths in all
What the records show for Sunset
None of the 2 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Sunset; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 52 mph winds when its centre passed 2 miles away. The record near Sunset begins with an unnamed storm in 1900; the most recent system was Carla in 1961, a tropical storm 30 miles away. Of the 753 Texas cities on this site, 84% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Sunset. The highest rating among the 106 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3 or EF3, reached 6 times; the most recent, on May 25, 2024, came within 6 miles. Of the 106, 2 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 41 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 41. The most recent tornado was on May 19, 2025. Sunset has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 50% of the 753 Texas cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 187 times since 1955, with stones up to 4 inches (softball size). Sunset has more hail reports within 10 miles than 84% of the 753 Texas cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Sunset
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | CarlaSep 13 | 30 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 10 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 4 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Sunset: 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 Sunset
By decade
- 2020s20(2 EF3+)
- 2010s10
- 2000s11
- 1990s29(1 EF3+)
- 1980s4
- 1970s16(1 EF3+)
- 1960s8
- 1950s8(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 25, 2024 | EF3 | 6 mi | 47.27 mi | 7 / 80 |
| May 7, 1995 | F3 | 15 mi | 26 mi | 2 / 11 |
| Mar 21, 2022 | EF3 | 11 mi | 34.5 mi | 0 / 9 |
| Apr 19, 1976 | F3 | 24 mi | 10.4 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Apr 2, 1958 | F3 | 16 mi | 18.2 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Apr 6, 1955 | F3 | 15 mi | 21.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 13, 2022 | EF2 | 21 mi | 9.71 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Oct 12, 2001 | F2 | 17 mi | 9 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Oct 12, 2001 | F2 | 22 mi | 2.5 mi | 0 / 1 |
| May 25, 1997 | F2 | 23 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 25, 1990 | F2 | 16 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 30, 1979 | F2 | 25 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 106, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Sunset
The Storm Prediction Center has 187 hail reports within 10 miles of Sunset since 1955, made on 92 separate days. Of these, 134 were 1 inch across or larger, and 18 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4 inches (softball size), fell on March 22, 1991. The most recent report is from September 23, 2025. April has the most reports, 72.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Sunset
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Alvord 3 N, TX, 5 miles southeast of Sunset at 1,010 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 95°F and low of 72°F; January is the coolest, at 56°F and 29°F. May is the wettest at 4.6 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 1.5 inches; the year adds up to 35.3 inches over 51 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 94 days a year, almost all from April to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 72 nights a year. That 35.3 inches is more than at 155 of the 312 Texas stations used on this site (50%). Bowie, 9 miles northwest, has its own station (Bowie, TX): 35.2 inches a year, 0.1 less than here, and a July average high of 93°F against 95°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 56 | 29 | 1.5 | 3 |
| Feb | 60 | 34 | 2.4 | 4 |
| Mar | 68 | 42 | 3.1 | 5 |
| Apr | 76 | 51 | 3.3 | 4 |
| May | 82 | 61 | 4.6 | 6 |
| Jun | 91 | 69 | 4.2 | 5 |
| Jul | 95 | 72 | 2.3 | 4 |
| Aug | 95 | 71 | 2.8 | 4 |
| Sep | 88 | 63 | 3.2 | 4 |
| Oct | 78 | 51 | 3.3 | 4 |
| Nov | 66 | 40 | 2.2 | 4 |
| Dec | 57 | 32 | 2.4 | 3 |
| Year | 76 | 51 | 35.3 | 51 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Alvord 3 N, TX (1,010 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 Sunset
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 83 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Sunset: 60 thunderstorm wind reports, 17 flash floods, 4 lightning strikes, 1 flood and 1 heavy rain event. They killed 1 person and injured 3, and the NWS estimated $2.3 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on May 22, 2020. May has had the most flash floods, 8 of 17. Of the 745 Texas cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 375 have had fewer than Sunset.
October 14, 2013: heavy rain event 4 miles from the centre of Sunset — 1 killed, $40,000 damage.
NWS: “A 43 year old male was killed when a semi jackknifed on a wet road and hit the oncoming car the male was driving. The accident occurred near the intersection of TX 101 and FM 1786.”
March 29, 2007: lightning strike 10 miles from the centre of Sunset — 1 injured, $20,000 damage.
July 30, 2008: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Sunset — 1 injured, $12,000 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
Montague County, which includes Sunset, has been named in 22 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1981, 14 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 fires, 5 severe storms, 3 hurricanes, 3 ice storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on May 17, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Montague County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes and strong wind; Relatively Low for hail and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes, inland flooding and lightning. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $15.6 million a year, the 105th highest of 254 Texas counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $3.1 million (20%), 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 Sunset
- Alvord, TX8 mi
- Bowie, TX9 mi
- Chico, TX12 mi
- Bridgeport, TX17 mi
- Decatur, TX18 mi
- Paradise, TX23 mi
- Nocona, TX26 mi
- Muenster, TX27 mi
- Jacksboro, TX28 mi
- Boyd, TX28 mi
- Rhome, TX31 mi
- Poolville, TX31 mi
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