NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Terrell, 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
6 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Terrell, Texas since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 109 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 9 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 6
- Tornadoes
- 109
- EF3 or stronger
- 9
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
19 deaths in all
What the records show for Terrell
None of the 6 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Terrell; the strongest was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm with 49 mph winds when its centre passed 68 miles away. The record near Terrell begins with an unnamed storm in 1871; the most recent system was Ike in 2008. Of the 6 systems, one has come since 2000. Of the 753 Texas cities on this site, 59% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Terrell. The highest rating among the 109 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 3 times; the most recent, on April 29, 2017, came within 24 miles. The deadliest, an EF4 on December 26, 2015, killed 10 people. Of the 109, 5 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 35 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 32. The most recent tornado was on March 30, 2022. Terrell has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 52% of the 753 Texas cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 56 times since 1961, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 753 Texas cities, 64% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Terrell.
Compare Terrell's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Terrell
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 13 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1961 | CarlaSep 13 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1947 | Unnamed 1947 stormSep 20 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 18 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 28 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1871 | Unnamed 1871 stormJun 5 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Tropical storm |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Terrell: 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 Terrell
By decade
- 2020s2
- 2010s29(4 EF3+)
- 2000s4
- 1990s33(1 EF3+)
- 1980s8(1 EF3+)
- 1970s18(1 EF3+)
- 1960s7(1 EF3+)
- 1950s8(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 26, 2015 | EF4 | 19 mi | 13.04 mi | 10 / 468 |
| Apr 25, 1994 | F4 | 24 mi | 6 mi | 3 / 48 |
| Apr 29, 2017 | EF4 | 24 mi | 21.42 mi | 2 / 25 |
| Apr 3, 2012 | EF3 | 10 mi | 3.34 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Apr 3, 2012 | EF3 | 6 mi | 7.73 mi | 0 / 7 |
| Dec 13, 1984 | F3 | 21 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 28 |
| May 5, 1978 | F3 | 10 mi | 29.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 11, 1963 | F3 | 11 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 4, 1959 | F3 | 18 mi | 27.6 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Dec 26, 2015 | EF2 | 24 mi | 5.29 mi | 2 / 119 |
| May 9, 1993 | F2 | 24 mi | 12 mi | 1 / 63 |
| Apr 25, 1970 | F2 | 6 mi | 0.1 mi | 1 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 109, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Terrell
The Storm Prediction Center has 56 hail reports within 10 miles of Terrell since 1961, made on 37 separate days. Of these, 37 were 1 inch across or larger, and 5 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on June 8, 1961. The most recent report is from May 16, 2025. March and April have the most reports, 14 each.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Terrell
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Terrell Municipal Airport, TX, 2 miles south of Terrell at 475 feet. August is the warmest, with an average high of 96°F and low of 74°F; January is the coolest, at 57°F and 36°F. May is the wettest at 4.7 inches of precipitation on average and July the driest at 2.0 inches; the year adds up to 38.4 inches over 53 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 103 days a year, almost all from May to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 35 nights a year. That 38.4 inches is more than at 197 of the 312 Texas stations used on this site (63%). Rockwall, 15 miles northwest, has its own station (Lavon Dam, TX): 39.8 inches a year, 1.4 more than here, and an August average high of 93°F against 96°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 57 | 36 | 2.6 | 4 |
| Feb | 62 | 40 | 2.7 | 5 |
| Mar | 69 | 47 | 3.7 | 5 |
| Apr | 76 | 54 | 3.1 | 5 |
| May | 84 | 63 | 4.7 | 6 |
| Jun | 92 | 71 | 3.4 | 5 |
| Jul | 96 | 74 | 2.0 | 3 |
| Aug | 96 | 74 | 2.3 | 3 |
| Sep | 90 | 67 | 2.7 | 4 |
| Oct | 79 | 56 | 4.5 | 5 |
| Nov | 68 | 45 | 3.1 | 4 |
| Dec | 59 | 38 | 3.6 | 4 |
| Year | 77 | 55 | 38.4 | 53 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Terrell Municipal Airport, TX (475 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 Terrell
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 99 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Terrell: 70 thunderstorm wind reports, 23 flash floods, 4 floods and 2 lightning strikes. They killed 1 person and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $1.3 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on May 2, 2007. June has had the most flash floods, 9 of 23. Of the 745 Texas cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 481 have had fewer than Terrell.
January 25, 2012: flood 7 miles from the centre of Terrell — 1 killed, $3,000 damage.
NWS: “Nearly 20 hours of continuous rain resulted in nuisance and low-lying flooding across Hunt County. The county received between 2 to 5 inches of rainfall.”
May 11, 2016: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Terrell — 1 injured, $10,000 damage.
May 28, 2024: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Terrell — $200,000 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
Flood insurance policyholders in Terrell's 2 ZIP codes have filed 24 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1985, and were paid $185,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 21% 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, 98 have fewer than Terrell.
Kaufman County, which includes Terrell, has been named in 20 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1989, 11 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 severe storms, 4 hurricanes, 3 fires, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on May 17, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Kaufman County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for hail; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, inland flooding and heat waves; Relatively Low for strong wind and lightning; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $42.7 million a year, the 41st highest of 254 Texas counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $20.4 million (48%), 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 Terrell
- Forney, TX11 mi
- Kaufman, TX12 mi
- Crandall, TX13 mi
- Rockwall, TX15 mi
- Royse City, TX15 mi
- Wills Point, TX15 mi
- Quinlan, TX16 mi
- Seagoville, TX18 mi
- Sunnyvale, TX18 mi
- Rowlett, TX20 mi
- Mesquite, TX20 mi
- Scurry, TX20 mi
All Texas cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare Terrell with another place →