NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Watauga, 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 Watauga, Texas since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Carla in 1961. Since 1950, 195 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 8 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 3
- Tornadoes
- 195
- EF3 or stronger
- 8
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
13 deaths in all
What the records show for Watauga
None of the 3 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Watauga; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 54 mph winds when its centre passed 26 miles away. The record near Watauga begins with an unnamed storm in 1900; the most recent system was Carla in 1961, a tropical storm 9 miles away. Of the 753 Texas cities on this site, 73% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Watauga. The highest rating among the 195 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3 or EF3, reached 8 times; the most recent, on October 20, 2019, came within 20 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on April 2, 1957, killed 10 people. Of the 195, 16 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 83 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 54. The most recent tornado was on March 4, 2025. Watauga has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 90% of the 753 Texas cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 482 times since 1956, with stones up to 4.5 inches (grapefruit size). Watauga has more hail reports within 10 miles than 98% of the 753 Texas cities.
Compare Watauga's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Watauga
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | CarlaSep 12 | 9 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 27 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 9 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 4 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Watauga: 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 Watauga
By decade
- 2020s15
- 2010s39(1 EF3+)
- 2000s29(3 EF3+)
- 1990s15
- 1980s13
- 1970s48(1 EF3+)
- 1960s23(1 EF3+)
- 1950s13(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 2, 1957 | F3 | 24 mi | 17.2 mi | 10 / 200 |
| Mar 28, 2000 | F3 | 10 mi | 4 mi | 2 / 80 |
| Oct 20, 2019 | EF3 | 20 mi | 15.76 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 16, 2002 | F3 | 10 mi | 2.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 28, 2000 | F3 | 12 mi | 8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 26, 1976 | F3 | 23 mi | 4.5 mi | 0 / 1 |
| May 4, 1960 | F3 | 5 mi | 7.4 mi | 0 / 12 |
| Apr 2, 1957 | F3 | 21 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Nov 24, 2020 | EF2 | 14 mi | 5.05 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Apr 3, 2012 | EF2 | 12 mi | 6.4 mi | 0 / 7 |
| May 24, 2011 | EF2 | 19 mi | 1.52 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 8, 2010 | EF2 | 22 mi | 2.69 mi | 0 / 1 |
The strongest 12 of 195, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Watauga
The Storm Prediction Center has 482 hail reports within 10 miles of Watauga since 1956, made on 192 separate days. Of these, 351 were 1 inch across or larger, and 63 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 4.5 inches (grapefruit size), was reported on 2 days, most recently April 28, 1989. The most recent report is from August 3, 2025. April has the most reports, 157.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Watauga
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Fort Worth Wsfo, TX, 4 miles southwest of Watauga at 644 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 94°F and low of 75°F; January is the coolest, at 56°F and 36°F. October is the wettest at 4.6 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 2.2 inches; the year adds up to 38.2 inches over 52 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 32 nights a year. Snowfall averages 2.0 inches a year, most of it in February. That 38.2 inches is more than at 196 of the 312 Texas stations used on this site (63%). Keller, 4 miles north, has its own station (Fort Worth Alliance Airport, TX): 36.7 inches a year, 1.5 less than here, and a July average high of 97°F against 94°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 56 | 36 | 2.2 | 4 | 0.1 |
| Feb | 59 | 39 | 2.6 | 4 | 1.3 |
| Mar | 67 | 47 | 3.3 | 5 | 0.3 |
| Apr | 75 | 54 | 3.3 | 5 | 0.0 |
| May | 82 | 64 | 4.3 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 90 | 71 | 4.3 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 94 | 75 | 2.8 | 3 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 94 | 75 | 2.6 | 3 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 87 | 68 | 2.7 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 77 | 56 | 4.6 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 65 | 45 | 2.6 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 57 | 37 | 2.9 | 4 | 0.3 |
| Year | 75 | 56 | 38.2 | 52 | 2.0 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Fort Worth Wsfo, TX (644 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 Watauga
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 407 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Watauga: 282 thunderstorm wind reports, 82 flash floods, 31 lightning strikes, 10 floods and 2 heavy rain events. They killed 11 people and injured 10, and the NWS estimated $50.3 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 105 mph, on March 4, 2025. June has had the most flash floods, 18 of 82. Of the 745 Texas cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 722 have had fewer than Watauga.
May 23, 2015: heavy rain event 5 miles from the centre of Watauga — 3 killed.
April 25, 2026: lightning strike 7 miles from the centre of Watauga — 2 killed, 1 injured, $750,000 damage.
March 29, 2017: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Watauga — 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
Flood insurance policyholders in Watauga's ZIP code 76148 have filed 93 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1981, and were paid $707,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Flooding in 1990: 53 claims (57% of all) and $373,000. 62% 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, 219 have fewer than Watauga.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Flooding1990 | 53 | $373,000 |
Tarrant County, which includes Watauga, has been named in 28 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1966, 14 of them major disasters (by incident: 8 hurricanes, 5 fires, 5 severe storms, 3 floods). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storms, on February 19, 2021. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Tarrant County a Relatively High rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Very High for tornadoes and hail; Relatively High for inland flooding, lightning and heat waves; Relatively Moderate for strong wind; Relatively Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $608.1 million a year, the 5th highest of 254 Texas counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $258.1 million (42%), 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.