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NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database

Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit White Oak, 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

10 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of White Oak, Texas since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 129 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 10 of them rated EF3 or stronger.

Hurricanes
0

within 75 mi, since 1851

Tropical storms
10

below hurricane strength

Tornadoes
129

within 25 mi, since 1950

EF3 or stronger
10

4 deaths in all

What the records show for White Oak

None of the 10 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed White Oak; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1879, a tropical storm with 58 mph winds when its centre passed 64 miles away. The record near White Oak begins with an unnamed storm in 1871; the most recent system was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm 15 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1940s, with 4 systems. Of the 10 systems, 2 have come since 2000. White Oak has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 49% of the 753 Texas cities on this site. The highest rating among the 129 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3, reached 10 times; the most recent, on April 6, 2003, came within 22 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on November 15, 1987, killed 4 people. Of the 129, 8 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 47 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 37. The most recent tornado was on October 28, 2025. White Oak has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 68% of the 753 Texas cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 184 times since 1968, with stones up to 4.5 inches (grapefruit size). White Oak has more hail reports within 10 miles than 83% of the 753 Texas cities.

Compare White Oak's storm record with another city →

Tropical storms and hurricanes near White Oak

Tropical systems that passed within 75 miles of White Oak, Texas, newest first
YearStormClosestStrength when closestPeak
2008IkeSep 1315 miTropical storm (49 mph)Category 4
2005RitaSep 2449 miTropical storm (43 mph)Category 5
1949Unnamed 1949 stormOct 565 miTropical storm (40 mph)Category 2
1947Unnamed 1947 stormSep 204 miTropical storm (41 mph)Category 4
1941Unnamed 1941 stormSep 2440 miTropical storm (44 mph)Category 3
1940Unnamed 1940 stormAug 955 miTropical storm (40 mph)Category 2
1918Unnamed 1918 stormAug 710 miTropical storm (49 mph)Category 3
1891Unnamed 1891 stormJul 652 miTropical storm (55 mph)Category 1
1879Unnamed 1879 stormAug 2364 miTropical storm (58 mph)Category 2
1871Unnamed 1871 stormJun 563 miTropical storm (39 mph)Tropical storm

Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in White Oak: 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 White Oak

By decade

  • 2020s9
  • 2010s25
  • 2000s13(1 EF3+)
  • 1990s14
  • 1980s23(2 EF3+)
  • 1970s24(2 EF3+)
  • 1960s12(1 EF3+)
  • 1950s9(4 EF3+)
Strongest tornadoes near White Oak, Texas
DateRatingDistancePathKilled / injured
Nov 15, 1987F323 mi33 mi4 / 81
Apr 6, 2003F322 mi38.2 mi0 / 0
Apr 1, 1988F34 mi13 mi0 / 9
Apr 1, 1979F35 mi5.6 mi0 / 0
Mar 3, 1970F318 mi0.5 mi0 / 0
Sep 22, 1965F38 mi0.1 mi0 / 0
May 3, 1958F37 mi59.2 mi0 / 0
Apr 26, 1957F38 mi14.2 mi0 / 0
Apr 26, 1957F311 mi1 mi0 / 0
Jul 18, 1954F325 mi0.8 mi0 / 0
May 5, 2022EF225 mi8.62 mi0 / 1
Mar 21, 2022EF210 mi39.97 mi0 / 8

The strongest 12 of 129, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.

Hail in White Oak

The Storm Prediction Center has 184 hail reports within 10 miles of White Oak since 1968, made on 112 separate days. Of these, 123 were 1 inch across or larger, and 19 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4.5 inches (grapefruit size), fell on January 6, 1998. The most recent report is from April 30, 2025. April has the most reports, 64.

Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.

Weather by month in White Oak

The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Longview #2, TX, 8 miles east of White Oak at 504 feet. August is the warmest, with an average high of 96°F and low of 74°F; January is the coolest, at 58°F and 36°F. December is the wettest at 5.3 inches of precipitation on average and August the driest at 2.9 inches; the year adds up to 50.6 inches over 60 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 44% of the year's precipitation (22.1 of 50.6 inches); the other six months are wetter. September has brought the most of the 10 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (4); a normal September there has highs of 90°F and 3.9 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 112 days a year, almost all from April to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 38 nights a year. Snowfall averages 0.9 inches a year, most of it in February. That 50.6 inches is more than at 277 of the 312 Texas stations used on this site (89%). Kilgore, 10 miles south, has its own station (Longview E Tx Regional Airport, TX): 45.4 inches a year, 5.2 less than here, and an August average high of 95°F against 96°F.

Monthly climate normals 1991–2020 at Longview #2, TX
MonthHigh °FLow °FPrecip. inDays ≥ 0.1"Snow in
Jan58364.250.1
Feb62404.360.7
Mar71475.060.0
Apr78545.050.0
May85634.760.0
Jun92714.060.0
Jul95743.350.0
Aug96742.940.0
Sep90673.940.0
Oct80564.650.0
Nov68453.440.0
Dec60385.360.1
Year785550.6600.9

Averages for 1991–2020 at Longview #2, TX (504 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.

Texas weather by month, station by station →

Floods, thunderstorm wind and lightning near White Oak

Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 256 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of White Oak: 167 thunderstorm wind reports, 73 flash floods, 9 lightning strikes and 7 floods. They killed 4 people and injured 3, and the NWS estimated $4.0 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 96 mph, on April 12, 2022. April has had the most flash floods, 17 of 73. Of the 745 Texas cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 715 have had fewer than White Oak.

  • April 16, 2015: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of White Oak — 1 killed, 1 injured, $20,000 damage.

  • March 11, 2018: thunderstorm wind 3 miles from the centre of White Oak — 1 killed, $50,000 damage.

    NWS: “A large oak tree was uprooted and fell on a mobile home at the Flamingo Mobile Home Park in Northwest Longview. The tree crushed much of the mobile home, killing a 41 year old male inside.”

  • September 27, 2007: lightning strike 9 miles from the centre of White Oak — 1 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

Gregg County, which includes White Oak, has been named in 23 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1966, 14 of them major disasters (by incident: 7 hurricanes, 4 fires, 3 floods, 3 ice storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Hurricane Beryl, on July 9, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Gregg County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for tornadoes, hail and strong wind; Relatively Moderate for inland flooding, lightning and heat waves; Relatively Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $54.6 million a year, the 28th highest of 254 Texas counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $19.9 million (37%), is from tornadoes.

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.

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