NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Sweetwater, 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
1 tropical system has passed within 75 miles of Sweetwater, Texas since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was an unnamed storm in 1886. Since 1950, 123 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 4 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 1
- Tornadoes
- 123
- EF3 or stronger
- 4
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
1 deaths in all
What the records show for Sweetwater
None of the 1 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Sweetwater; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1886, a tropical storm with 40 mph winds when its centre passed 37 miles away. Of the 753 Texas cities on this site, 87% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Sweetwater. The highest rating among the 123 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3, reached 4 times; the most recent, on April 19, 1986, passed within a mile of the city centre. Of the 123, 7 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 49 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 52. The most recent tornado was on May 1, 2022. Sweetwater has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 63% of the 753 Texas cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 159 times since 1955, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Sweetwater has more hail reports within 10 miles than 80% of the 753 Texas cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Sweetwater
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormAug 21 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Sweetwater: 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 Sweetwater
By decade
- 2020s3
- 2010s11
- 2000s35
- 1990s19
- 1980s22(1 EF3+)
- 1970s10
- 1960s17(3 EF3+)
- 1950s6
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 19, 1986 | F3 | in town | 4.5 mi | 1 / 100 |
| May 24, 1968 | F3 | 20 mi | 2.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 24, 1968 | F3 | 16 mi | 4.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 24, 1968 | F3 | 24 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 1, 2022 | EF2 | 25 mi | 0.35 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 19, 2020 | EF2 | 15 mi | 10.86 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 11, 2004 | F2 | 22 mi | 10.3 mi | 0 / 3 |
| May 12, 1994 | F2 | 25 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 28, 1985 | F2 | 24 mi | 3.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 27, 1982 | F2 | 7 mi | 23 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 23, 1973 | F2 | in town | 3.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 12, 1967 | F2 | 20 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 123, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Sweetwater
The Storm Prediction Center has 159 hail reports within 10 miles of Sweetwater since 1955, made on 100 separate days. Of these, 125 were 1 inch across or larger, and 20 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on May 31, 1995. The most recent report is from November 3, 2024. May has the most reports, 64.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Sweetwater
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Roscoe, TX, 8 miles west of Sweetwater at 2,380 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 95°F and low of 71°F; January is the coolest, at 56°F and 31°F. Highs reach 90°F on about 97 days a year, almost all from April to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 57 nights a year. Snowfall averages 2.3 inches a year, most of it in November. That 21.3 inches is more than at 51 of the 312 Texas stations used on this site (16%). Merkel, 22 miles east, has its own station (Abilene Regional Airport, TX): 25.2 inches a year, 3.9 more than here, and a July average high of 96°F against 95°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 56 | 31 | 1.0 | 2 | 0.3 |
| Feb | 60 | 34 | 1.0 | 2 | 0.5 |
| Mar | 69 | 42 | 1.4 | 3 | 0.0 |
| Apr | 78 | 50 | 1.5 | 2 | 0.0 |
| May | 85 | 60 | 2.8 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 91 | 68 | 3.1 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 95 | 71 | 1.8 | 3 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 94 | 71 | 2.2 | 3 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 86 | 63 | 2.1 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 77 | 53 | 2.2 | 3 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 65 | 41 | 1.2 | 2 | 0.8 |
| Dec | 57 | 33 | 1.0 | 2 | 0.7 |
| Year | 76 | 51 | 21.3 | 34 | 2.3 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Roscoe, TX (2,380 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 Sweetwater
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 86 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Sweetwater: 71 thunderstorm wind reports, 9 flash floods, 4 floods, 1 heavy rain event and 1 lightning strike. They killed 1 person and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $2.0 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 85 mph, on June 21, 2023. Of the 745 Texas cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 176 have had fewer than Sweetwater.
August 29, 2022: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Sweetwater — 1 killed.
NWS: “The Nolan County Sheriff confirmed 6 accidents on I-20 near Roscoe, with 1 fatality caused by a tanker truck rolling over. Also, several jack-knifed 18-wheelers.”
May 7, 2012: lightning strike 9 miles from the centre of Sweetwater — 1 injured.
May 27, 2004: thunderstorm wind 1 mile from the centre of Sweetwater — $1.5 million damage.
NWS: “Significant damage was noted in the southern portions of Sweetwater due to 80 mph winds and golf ball size hail.”
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
Nolan County, which includes Sweetwater, has been named in 20 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1980, 11 of them major disasters (by incident: 7 fires, 3 hurricanes, 2 biological emergencies, 2 floods). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storms, on February 19, 2021. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Nolan County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for hail and strong wind; Relatively Low for tornadoes, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes and inland flooding. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $7.3 million a year, the 170th highest of 254 Texas counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $2.1 million (29%), 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 Sweetwater
- Merkel, TX22 mi
- Colorado City, TX32 mi
- Hamlin, TX32 mi
- Tuscola, TX33 mi
- Dyess Afb, TX34 mi
- Hawley, TX35 mi
- Anson, TX35 mi
- Abilene, TX38 mi
- Snyder, TX38 mi
- Winters, TX44 mi
- Stamford, TX47 mi
- Clyde, TX52 mi
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