NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Tulia, 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
No tropical storm or hurricane has passed within 75 miles of Tulia, Texas since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 176 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 9 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 176
- EF3 or stronger
- 9
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
55 deaths in all
What the records show for Tulia
The highest rating among the 176 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 5 times; the most recent, on April 18, 1970, came within 14 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on May 15, 1957, killed 21 people. Of the 176, 18 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 57 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 60. The most recent tornado was on September 21, 2024. Tulia has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 87% of the 753 Texas cities on this site. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 107 times since 1962, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Tulia has more hail reports within 10 miles than 66% of the 753 Texas cities.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Tulia
By decade
- 2020s11
- 2010s9
- 2000s37
- 1990s28
- 1980s18(2 EF3+)
- 1970s29(4 EF3+)
- 1960s31(1 EF3+)
- 1950s13(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 15, 1957 | F4 | 25 mi | 17 mi | 21 / 80 |
| Apr 18, 1970 | F4 | 14 mi | 65 mi | 16 / 42 |
| Apr 17, 1970 | F4 | 20 mi | 96.6 mi | 5 / 51 |
| Jun 2, 1965 | F4 | 24 mi | 39.3 mi | 4 / 76 |
| Apr 17, 1970 | F4 | 24 mi | 130 mi | 1 / 13 |
| Apr 15, 1973 | F3 | 22 mi | 7.6 mi | 2 / 26 |
| May 28, 1980 | F3 | 2 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 28, 1980 | F3 | 6 mi | 6.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 15, 1957 | F3 | 15 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 5, 2002 | F2 | 15 mi | 5 mi | 2 / 4 |
| Mar 13, 2021 | EF2 | 19 mi | 21.25 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 25, 2019 | EF2 | 22 mi | 1.69 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 176, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Tulia
The Storm Prediction Center has 107 hail reports within 10 miles of Tulia since 1962, made on 76 separate days. Of these, 82 were 1 inch across or larger, and 10 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on April 21, 2007. The most recent report is from June 4, 2025. June has the most reports, 42.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Tulia
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Tulia, TX, 2 miles west of Tulia at 3,480 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 91°F and low of 65°F; January is the coolest, at 51°F and 23°F. June is the wettest at 2.9 inches of precipitation on average and January and February the driest at 0.7 inches; the year adds up to 20.7 inches over 37 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 74 days a year, almost all from May to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 119 nights a year. Snowfall averages 11.1 inches a year, most of it in December. That 20.7 inches is more than at 44 of the 312 Texas stations used on this site (14%). Plainview, 24 miles south, has its own station (Plainview Wtr Productn, TX): 18.5 inches a year, 2.2 less than here, and the same July average high, 91°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 51 | 23 | 0.7 | 1 | 2.5 |
| Feb | 55 | 26 | 0.7 | 2 | 2.4 |
| Mar | 63 | 33 | 1.4 | 3 | 1.3 |
| Apr | 71 | 40 | 1.5 | 3 | 0.1 |
| May | 80 | 51 | 2.7 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 88 | 61 | 2.9 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 91 | 65 | 2.4 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 90 | 64 | 2.7 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 82 | 56 | 2.0 | 3 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 72 | 44 | 1.9 | 3 | 0.3 |
| Nov | 60 | 32 | 1.0 | 2 | 1.9 |
| Dec | 51 | 24 | 0.8 | 2 | 2.6 |
| Year | 71 | 43 | 20.7 | 37 | 11.1 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Tulia, TX (3,480 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 Tulia
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 60 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Tulia: 49 thunderstorm wind reports, 8 flash floods, 2 floods and 1 heavy rain event. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $10.8 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on April 1, 2013. May has had the most flash floods, 4 of 8. Of the 745 Texas cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 138 have had fewer than Tulia.
June 7, 2014: thunderstorm wind in Tulia — $10.3 million damage.
NWS: “A large downburst damaged several power poles across northern Swisher County and blew over a semi-trailer on Interstate 27 near Tulia. It was not known if the driver was injured or not.”
June 16, 2006: thunderstorm wind in Tulia — $150,000 damage.
NWS: “A severe thunderstorm resulted in a swath of damaging winds from just northeast of Tulia to Vigo Park. The West Texas Mesonet Site near Tulia initially measured a 63 MPH wind gust at 14:05 CST.”
July 12, 2011: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Tulia — $150,000 damage.
NWS: “The Tulia police department reported that power poles were blown down west of Tulia, causing a power outage in the city of Tulia. The strong winds were accompanied by 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
Swisher County, which includes Tulia, has been named in 15 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1970, 9 of them major disasters (by incident: 4 fires, 3 hurricanes, 3 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storms, on February 19, 2021. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Swisher County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for hail; Relatively Moderate for strong wind; Relatively Low for tornadoes; Very Low for hurricanes, inland flooding, lightning and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $9.1 million a year, the 151st highest of 254 Texas counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $2.2 million (24%), is from hail.
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 Tulia
- Plainview, TX24 mi
- Lockney, TX31 mi
- Canyon, TX32 mi
- Olton, TX34 mi
- Hale Center, TX36 mi
- Dimmitt, TX37 mi
- Hereford, TX45 mi
- Amarillo, TX45 mi
- Abernathy, TX48 mi
- Floydada, TX48 mi
- Clarendon, TX55 mi
- Littlefield, TX56 mi
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