NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Tatum, 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
13 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Tatum, Texas since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Barry in 2019. Since 1950, 156 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 11 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 13
- Tornadoes
- 156
- EF3 or stronger
- 11
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
1 deaths in all
What the records show for Tatum
None of the 13 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Tatum; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1879, a tropical storm with 60 mph winds when its centre passed 42 miles away. The record near Tatum begins with an unnamed storm in 1865; the most recent system was Barry in 2019, a tropical storm 55 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1940s, with 4 systems. Of the 13 systems, 4 have come since 2000. Tatum has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 59% of the 753 Texas cities on this site. The highest rating among the 156 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3 or EF3, reached 11 times; the most recent, on January 20, 2010, came within 25 miles. The deadliest, an EF2 on March 27, 2021, killed 1 person. Of the 156, 8 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 70 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 40. The most recent tornado was on October 28, 2025. Tatum has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 82% of the 753 Texas cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 79 times since 1957, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 753 Texas cities, 50% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Tatum.
Compare Tatum's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Tatum
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | BarryJul 14 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2017 | CindyJun 22 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2008 | IkeSep 13 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2005 | RitaSep 24 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormOct 5 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1947 | Unnamed 1947 stormSep 20 | 5 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 24 | 16 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1940 | Unnamed 1940 stormAug 9 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1918 | Unnamed 1918 stormAug 7 | 5 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1891 | Unnamed 1891 stormJul 6 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormOct 13 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1879 | Unnamed 1879 stormAug 23 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1865 | Unnamed 1865 stormSep 14 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 2 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Tatum: 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 Tatum
By decade
- 2020s18
- 2010s34(1 EF3+)
- 2000s18(1 EF3+)
- 1990s18
- 1980s17(1 EF3+)
- 1970s21(2 EF3+)
- 1960s15(1 EF3+)
- 1950s15(5 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 20, 2010 | EF3 | 25 mi | 15.56 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 6, 2003 | F3 | 9 mi | 38.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 7, 1989 | F3 | 21 mi | 6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 1, 1979 | F3 | 24 mi | 5.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 22, 1972 | F3 | 19 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Sep 22, 1965 | F3 | 23 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 4, 1959 | F3 | 10 mi | 15.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 3, 1958 | F3 | 13 mi | 59.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 26, 1957 | F3 | 16 mi | 14.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 26, 1957 | F3 | 22 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 18, 1954 | F3 | 1 mi | 0.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 27, 2021 | EF2 | 20 mi | 15.84 mi | 1 / 3 |
The strongest 12 of 156, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Tatum
The Storm Prediction Center has 79 hail reports within 10 miles of Tatum since 1957, made on 62 separate days. Of these, 58 were 1 inch across or larger, and 5 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2.75 inches (baseball size), was reported on 3 days, most recently March 31, 2005. The most recent report is from April 2, 2023. April has the most reports, 27.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Tatum
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Longview WSMO, TX, 7 miles west of Tatum at 407 feet. August is the warmest, with an average high of 94°F and low of 72°F; January is the coolest, at 57°F and 36°F. December is the wettest at 5.0 inches of precipitation on average and July the driest at 2.9 inches; the year adds up to 50.3 inches over 67 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 46% of the year's precipitation (23.1 of 50.3 inches); the other six months are wetter. September has brought the most of the 13 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (5); a normal September there has highs of 88°F and 3.5 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 89 days a year, almost all from May to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 29 nights a year. That 50.3 inches is more than at 273 of the 312 Texas stations used on this site (88%). Beckville, 7 miles southeast, has its own station (Carthage, TX): 52.1 inches a year, 1.8 more than here, and an August average high of 93°F against 94°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 57 | 36 | 4.3 | 6 |
| Feb | 61 | 40 | 4.2 | 7 |
| Mar | 69 | 47 | 4.7 | 7 |
| Apr | 76 | 54 | 4.6 | 5 |
| May | 83 | 62 | 4.4 | 6 |
| Jun | 89 | 69 | 4.9 | 6 |
| Jul | 93 | 72 | 2.9 | 4 |
| Aug | 94 | 72 | 3.1 | 4 |
| Sep | 88 | 66 | 3.5 | 4 |
| Oct | 78 | 55 | 4.5 | 5 |
| Nov | 67 | 45 | 4.2 | 5 |
| Dec | 59 | 38 | 5.0 | 7 |
| Year | 76 | 55 | 50.3 | 67 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Longview WSMO, TX (407 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 Tatum
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 56 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Tatum: 48 thunderstorm wind reports and 8 flash floods. They killed 0 people and injured 3, and the NWS estimated $730,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on March 31, 2005. December has had the most flash floods, 3 of 8. Of the 745 Texas cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 138 have had fewer than Tatum.
March 31, 2005: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Tatum — 3 injured, $700,000 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
Rusk County, which includes Tatum, has been named in 27 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 18 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 fires, 6 hurricanes, 4 floods, 3 ice storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Hurricane Beryl, on July 9, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Rusk County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, lightning and heat waves; Relatively Low for hurricanes, hail and inland flooding. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $14.9 million a year, the 111th highest of 254 Texas counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $4.9 million (33%), 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 Tatum
- Beckville, TX7 mi
- Hallsville, TX14 mi
- Carthage, TX17 mi
- Longview, TX19 mi
- Marshall, TX19 mi
- Henderson, TX19 mi
- Kilgore, TX20 mi
- De Berry, TX21 mi
- Gary, TX22 mi
- Overton, TX24 mi
- White Oak, TX24 mi
- Harleton, TX26 mi
All Texas cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare Tatum with another place →