NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Universal City, 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
15 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Universal City, Texas since 1851, 3 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Harvey in 2017. Since 1950, 101 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 5 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 3
- Tropical storms
- 12
- Tornadoes
- 101
- EF3 or stronger
- 5
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
4 deaths in all
What the records show for Universal City
The strongest storm to pass near Universal City was an unnamed storm in 1886, a Category 1 hurricane with 85 mph winds when its centre passed 11 miles away. The record near Universal City begins with an unnamed storm in 1851; the most recent system was Harvey in 2017, a tropical storm 45 miles away. Of the 15 systems, 3 have come since 2000. Universal City has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 69% of the 753 Texas cities on this site. The strongest of the 101 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on April 28, 1953; its path came within 24 miles, and it killed 2 people. Of the 101, 5 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 36 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 24. The most recent tornado was on October 26, 2023. Of the 753 Texas cities, 53% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Universal City. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 100 times since 1957, with stones up to 4 inches (softball size). Universal City has more hail reports within 10 miles than 62% of the 753 Texas cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Universal City
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | HarveyAug 27 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2010 | HermineSep 7 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2003 | ClaudetteJul 16 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1973 | DeliaSep 6 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1968 | CandyJun 24 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1961 | CarlaSep 12 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (72 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1942 | Unnamed 1942 stormAug 30 | 17 mi | Category 1 (77 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1936 | Unnamed 1936 stormJun 28 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1929 | Unnamed 1929 stormJun 29 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 27 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormSep 24 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormAug 20 | 11 mi | Category 1 (85 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1875 | Unnamed 1875 stormSep 17 | 74 mi | Category 1 (75 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1866 | Unnamed 1866 stormJul 16 | 75 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1851 | Unnamed 1851 stormJun 26 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Universal City: 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 Universal City
By decade
- 2020s8
- 2010s14
- 2000s14
- 1990s8
- 1980s13
- 1970s14
- 1960s20(2 EF3+)
- 1950s10(3 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 28, 1953 | F4 | 24 mi | 1 mi | 2 / 15 |
| Apr 28, 1953 | F3 | 10 mi | 4.9 mi | 1 / 5 |
| Sep 20, 1967 | F3 | 13 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 22, 1961 | F3 | 18 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 1, 1953 | F3 | 22 mi | 5.1 mi | 0 / 10 |
| Feb 19, 2017 | EF2 | 8 mi | 4.64 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 30, 2015 | EF2 | 20 mi | 8.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 21, 2007 | EF2 | 21 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 17, 1988 | F2 | 18 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Aug 10, 1980 | F2 | 12 mi | 12.2 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Sep 13, 1970 | F2 | 24 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 18, 1970 | F2 | 24 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 101, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Universal City
The Storm Prediction Center has 100 hail reports within 10 miles of Universal City since 1957, made on 57 separate days. Of these, 72 were 1 inch across or larger, and 11 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 4 inches (softball size), was reported on 2 days, most recently April 12, 2016. The most recent report is from May 2, 2025. April has the most reports, 35.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Universal City
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is San Antonio International Airport, TX, 11 miles west of Universal City at 789 feet. August is the warmest, with an average high of 96°F and low of 75°F; January is the coolest, at 63°F and 41°F. May is the wettest at 4.4 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 1.7 inches; the year adds up to 32.5 inches over 46 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 54% of the year's precipitation (17.7 of 32.5 inches); the other six months are drier. Highs reach 90°F on about 122 days a year, almost all from April to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 14 nights a year. That 32.5 inches is more than at 136 of the 312 Texas stations used on this site (44%). Schertz, 2 miles northeast, has its own station (New Braunfels, TX): 33.7 inches a year, 1.2 more than here, and an August average high of 95°F against 96°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 63 | 41 | 2.0 | 4 |
| Feb | 68 | 45 | 1.7 | 3 |
| Mar | 74 | 52 | 2.3 | 4 |
| Apr | 80 | 58 | 2.4 | 4 |
| May | 87 | 66 | 4.4 | 5 |
| Jun | 92 | 73 | 3.3 | 5 |
| Jul | 95 | 75 | 2.4 | 3 |
| Aug | 96 | 75 | 2.2 | 3 |
| Sep | 90 | 70 | 3.9 | 5 |
| Oct | 82 | 60 | 3.8 | 4 |
| Nov | 72 | 50 | 2.1 | 3 |
| Dec | 65 | 42 | 2.0 | 3 |
| Year | 80 | 59 | 32.5 | 46 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at San Antonio International Airport, TX (789 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 Universal City
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 156 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Universal City: 102 flash floods, 51 thunderstorm wind reports, 2 lightning strikes and 1 flood. They killed 16 people and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $25.1 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 92 mph, on July 15, 2007. June has had the most flash floods, 25 of 102. Of the 745 Texas cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 732 have had fewer than Universal City.
June 12, 2025: flash flood 7 miles from the centre of Universal City — 11 killed, $23.0 million damage.
May 25, 2013: flash flood 1 mile from the centre of Universal City — 2 killed.
NWS: “Thunderstorms produced heavy rain that caused flash flooding in and around San Antonio and Bexar County. 87 inches of rain (2nd highest 24 hr total on record) and CoCoRAHS observers reporting over 11 inches.”
October 14, 2021: flash flood 8 miles from the centre of Universal City — 2 killed.
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
Bexar County, which includes Universal City, has been named in 31 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1988, 12 of them major disasters (by incident: 12 hurricanes, 8 fires, 4 floods, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storms, on February 19, 2021. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Bexar County a Relatively High rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Very High for tornadoes, hail and inland flooding; Relatively High for strong wind, lightning and heat waves; Relatively Moderate for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $619.4 million a year, the 4th highest of 254 Texas counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $364.8 million (59%), 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 Universal City
- Schertz, TX2 mi
- Converse, TX3 mi
- Live Oak, TX4 mi
- Cibolo, TX4 mi
- Garden Ridge, TX6 mi
- Marion, TX9 mi
- Saint Hedwig, TX10 mi
- Fort Sam Houston, TX11 mi
- New Braunfels, TX15 mi
- San Antonio, TX16 mi
- Mc Queeney, TX16 mi
- Adkins, TX16 mi
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