NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Van Alstyne, 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
3 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Van Alstyne, Texas since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Carla in 1961. Since 1950, 137 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 14 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 3
- Tornadoes
- 137
- EF3 or stronger
- 14
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
16 deaths in all
What the records show for Van Alstyne
None of the 3 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Van Alstyne; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 52 mph winds when its centre passed 71 miles away. The record near Van Alstyne begins with an unnamed storm in 1900; the most recent system was Carla in 1961, a tropical storm 38 miles away. Of the 753 Texas cities on this site, 73% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Van Alstyne. The highest rating among the 137 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3 or EF3, reached 14 times; the most recent, on May 25, 2024, came within 23 miles. Of the 137, 11 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 42 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 40. The most recent tornado was on June 8, 2025. Van Alstyne has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 73% of the 753 Texas cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 129 times since 1962, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Van Alstyne has more hail reports within 10 miles than 73% of the 753 Texas cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Van Alstyne
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | CarlaSep 13 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 28 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 9 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 4 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Van Alstyne: 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 Van Alstyne
By decade
- 2020s13(2 EF3+)
- 2010s15
- 2000s14(1 EF3+)
- 1990s19
- 1980s16(1 EF3+)
- 1970s27(4 EF3+)
- 1960s16(2 EF3+)
- 1950s17(4 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 25, 2024 | EF3 | 23 mi | 47.27 mi | 7 / 80 |
| May 9, 2006 | F3 | 5 mi | 9.3 mi | 3 / 10 |
| Apr 2, 1982 | F3 | 22 mi | 32 mi | 1 / 1 |
| Apr 6, 1955 | F3 | 14 mi | 30.2 mi | 1 / 27 |
| May 25, 2024 | EF3 | 12 mi | 0.71 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 14, 1974 | F3 | 18 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 12, 1971 | F3 | 6 mi | 5.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 12, 1971 | F3 | 6 mi | 5.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 12, 1971 | F3 | 12 mi | 5.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 12, 1969 | F3 | 15 mi | 45.9 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Jun 12, 1966 | F3 | 24 mi | 3.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 4, 1959 | F3 | 22 mi | 27.6 mi | 0 / 5 |
The strongest 12 of 137, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Van Alstyne
The Storm Prediction Center has 129 hail reports within 10 miles of Van Alstyne since 1962, made on 77 separate days. Of these, 91 were 1 inch across or larger, and 9 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on June 9, 1997. The most recent report is from September 21, 2025. April has the most reports, 35.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Van Alstyne
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Mckinney Municipal Airport, TX, 17 miles south of Van Alstyne at 580 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 95°F and low of 74°F; January is the coolest, at 56°F and 34°F. May is the wettest at 4.8 inches of precipitation on average and August the driest at 1.7 inches; the year adds up to 38.4 inches over 54 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 97 days a year, almost all from May to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 48 nights a year. That 38.4 inches is more than at 198 of the 312 Texas stations used on this site (63%). Howe, 8 miles northwest, has its own station (Sherman, TX): 44.3 inches a year, 5.9 more than here, and a July average high of 93°F against 95°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 56 | 34 | 2.7 | 4 |
| Feb | 60 | 38 | 2.6 | 4 |
| Mar | 68 | 46 | 3.5 | 5 |
| Apr | 75 | 53 | 3.6 | 5 |
| May | 83 | 62 | 4.8 | 6 |
| Jun | 91 | 70 | 3.6 | 5 |
| Jul | 95 | 74 | 2.0 | 3 |
| Aug | 96 | 73 | 1.7 | 3 |
| Sep | 88 | 66 | 2.8 | 4 |
| Oct | 78 | 54 | 4.4 | 5 |
| Nov | 66 | 44 | 3.2 | 4 |
| Dec | 57 | 36 | 3.5 | 4 |
| Year | 76 | 54 | 38.4 | 54 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Mckinney Municipal Airport, TX (580 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 Van Alstyne
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 78 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Van Alstyne: 61 thunderstorm wind reports, 13 flash floods, 3 lightning strikes and 1 flood. They killed 3 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $789,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 96 mph, on February 10, 2013. May has had the most flash floods, 5 of 13. Of the 745 Texas cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 275 have had fewer than Van Alstyne.
August 23, 2013: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Van Alstyne — 2 killed, $10,000 damage.
June 8, 2025: lightning strike 8 miles from the centre of Van Alstyne — 1 killed, 1 injured.
February 10, 2013: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Van Alstyne — $150,000 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
Grayson County, which includes Van Alstyne, has been named in 21 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1981, 12 of them major disasters (by incident: 5 severe storms, 4 fires, 4 hurricanes, 3 ice storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storms, on February 19, 2021. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Grayson County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for tornadoes; Relatively Moderate for hail, inland flooding, strong wind and heat waves; Relatively Low for lightning; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $42.6 million a year, the 42nd highest of 254 Texas counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $19.0 million (45%), 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 Van Alstyne
- Anna, TX6 mi
- Howe, TX8 mi
- Gunter, TX10 mi
- Melissa, TX10 mi
- Whitewright, TX11 mi
- Blue Ridge, TX12 mi
- Celina, TX13 mi
- Trenton, TX13 mi
- Sherman, TX15 mi
- Mckinney, TX15 mi
- Bells, TX15 mi
- Savoy, TX18 mi
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