NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Tuscola, 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 Tuscola, Texas since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was an unnamed storm in 1886. Since 1950, 118 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 7 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 1
- Tornadoes
- 118
- EF3 or stronger
- 7
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
1 deaths in all
What the records show for Tuscola
None of the 1 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Tuscola; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1886, a tropical storm with 44 mph winds when its centre passed 45 miles away. Of the 753 Texas cities on this site, 87% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Tuscola. The highest rating among the 118 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3 or EF3, reached 7 times; the most recent, on May 2, 2024, came within 25 miles. The deadliest, an F2 on April 28, 1985, killed 1 person. Of the 118, 5 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 37 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 45. The most recent tornado was on May 18, 2025. Tuscola has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 60% of the 753 Texas cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 112 times since 1965, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Tuscola has more hail reports within 10 miles than 68% of the 753 Texas cities.
Compare Tuscola's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Tuscola
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormAug 21 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 4 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Tuscola: 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 Tuscola
By decade
- 2020s5(1 EF3+)
- 2010s9(1 EF3+)
- 2000s23
- 1990s13
- 1980s18(1 EF3+)
- 1970s24(2 EF3+)
- 1960s15(2 EF3+)
- 1950s11
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2, 2024 | EF3 | 25 mi | 3.29 mi | 0 / 4 |
| May 18, 2019 | EF3 | 24 mi | 5.79 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 14, 1982 | F3 | 15 mi | 40.5 mi | 0 / 14 |
| May 26, 1976 | F3 | 25 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 15, 1976 | F3 | 18 mi | 9.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 15, 1965 | F3 | 18 mi | 9.3 mi | 0 / 2 |
| May 31, 1962 | F3 | 21 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Apr 28, 1985 | F2 | 13 mi | 4 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Mar 19, 2020 | EF2 | 25 mi | 5.38 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 19, 2020 | EF2 | 14 mi | 10.86 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 18, 2019 | EF2 | 14 mi | 5.04 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 4, 2004 | F2 | 5 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 2 |
The strongest 12 of 118, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Tuscola
The Storm Prediction Center has 112 hail reports within 10 miles of Tuscola since 1965, made on 82 separate days. Of these, 86 were 1 inch across or larger, and 15 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 3 inches (tea cup size), was reported on 3 days, most recently April 25, 2023. The most recent report is from June 8, 2025. May has the most reports, 43.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Tuscola
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Wingate, TX, 18 miles southwest of Tuscola at 2,012 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 95°F and low of 68°F; January is the coolest, at 58°F and 27°F. June is the wettest at 3.2 inches of precipitation on average and January and December the driest at 1.1 inches; the year adds up to 25.0 inches over 39 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 103 days a year, almost all from April to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 60 nights a year. Snowfall averages 1.4 inches a year, most of it in February and November. That 25.0 inches is more than at 76 of the 312 Texas stations used on this site (24%). Dyess Afb, 14 miles north, has its own station (Abilene Regional Airport, TX): 25.2 inches a year, 0.2 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 | 58 | 27 | 1.1 | 2 | 0.2 |
| Feb | 62 | 32 | 1.4 | 3 | 0.4 |
| Mar | 70 | 40 | 1.9 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Apr | 78 | 48 | 1.8 | 3 | 0.1 |
| May | 85 | 58 | 3.1 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 92 | 66 | 3.2 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 95 | 68 | 1.8 | 3 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 95 | 68 | 2.1 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 88 | 61 | 3.0 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 78 | 50 | 3.1 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 67 | 38 | 1.4 | 3 | 0.4 |
| Dec | 58 | 29 | 1.1 | 2 | 0.3 |
| Year | 77 | 49 | 25.0 | 39 | 1.4 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Wingate, TX (2,012 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 Tuscola
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 55 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Tuscola: 38 thunderstorm wind reports, 16 flash floods and 1 flood. They killed 1 person and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $848,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on June 14, 1997. August has had the most flash floods, 7 of 16. Of the 745 Texas cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 363 have had fewer than Tuscola.
August 18, 2007: flash flood 4 miles from the centre of Tuscola — 1 killed, $30,000 damage.
NWS: “S. Highway 277 and Farm Road 89 as she attempted to escape her vehicle which had become stranded in flood waters.”
September 18, 2001: flash flood 6 miles from the centre of Tuscola — 1 injured.
NWS: “A man caught in his vehicle in high water suffered minor injuries before he could be rescued. The man hung onto a guide wire for 20 minutes before police and fire personnel could finally wade out to reach him.”
August 18, 2007: flash flood 9 miles from the centre of Tuscola — $500,000 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 Tuscola's ZIP code 79562 have filed 11 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 2002, and were paid $257,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 73% 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, 13 have fewer than Tuscola.
Taylor County, which includes Tuscola, has been named in 22 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1981, 11 of them major disasters (by incident: 7 fires, 5 severe storms, 3 hurricanes, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storms, on February 19, 2021. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Taylor County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Very High for hail; Relatively High for lightning; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, inland flooding, strong wind and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $53.7 million a year, the 30th highest of 254 Texas counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $22.9 million (43%), 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 Tuscola
- Dyess Afb, TX14 mi
- Abilene, TX16 mi
- Merkel, TX18 mi
- Winters, TX18 mi
- Clyde, TX24 mi
- Hawley, TX27 mi
- Baird, TX33 mi
- Ballinger, TX33 mi
- Sweetwater, TX33 mi
- Anson, TX36 mi
- Coleman, TX37 mi
- Hamlin, TX47 mi
All Texas cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare Tuscola with another place →