NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Whitney, 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
7 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Whitney, Texas since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Alicia in 1983. Since 1950, 134 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 10 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 7
- Tornadoes
- 134
- EF3 or stronger
- 10
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
9 deaths in all
What the records show for Whitney
None of the 7 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Whitney; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 61 mph winds when its centre passed 6 miles away. The record near Whitney begins with an unnamed storm in 1871; the most recent system was Alicia in 1983, a tropical storm 51 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1900s, with 2 systems. None of the 7 systems has come since 2000. Of the 753 Texas cities on this site, 57% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Whitney. The strongest of the 134 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F5 on May 6, 1973; its path came within 17 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on March 31, 1959, killed 6 people. Of the 134, 6 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 51 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 42. The most recent tornado was on June 11, 2025. Whitney has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 70% of the 753 Texas cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 113 times since 1959, with stones up to 3.5 inches. Whitney has more hail reports within 10 miles than 68% of the 753 Texas cities.
Compare Whitney's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Whitney
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | AliciaAug 19 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1961 | CarlaSep 12 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 18 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 27 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 9 | 6 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1897 | Unnamed 1897 stormSep 13 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1871 | Unnamed 1871 stormJun 5 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Whitney: 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 Whitney
By decade
- 2020s12
- 2010s23(1 EF3+)
- 2000s16(1 EF3+)
- 1990s21
- 1980s12(1 EF3+)
- 1970s29(5 EF3+)
- 1960s11
- 1950s10(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 6, 1973 | F5 | 17 mi | 10.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 31, 1959 | F4 | 11 mi | 10.4 mi | 6 / 31 |
| May 26, 1976 | F4 | 21 mi | 18.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 12, 2000 | F3 | 5 mi | 7 mi | 2 / 0 |
| May 23, 1971 | F3 | 4 mi | 7.1 mi | 1 / 49 |
| May 15, 2013 | EF3 | 21 mi | 7.79 mi | 0 / 7 |
| May 9, 1981 | F3 | 20 mi | 5.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 11, 1978 | F3 | 13 mi | 7.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 25, 1976 | F3 | 13 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 22, 1957 | F3 | 23 mi | 4.1 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Apr 26, 2024 | EF2 | 23 mi | 5.68 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 3, 2021 | EF2 | 13 mi | 3.36 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 134, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Whitney
The Storm Prediction Center has 113 hail reports within 10 miles of Whitney since 1959, made on 78 separate days. Of these, 87 were 1 inch across or larger, and 11 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3.5 inches, fell on May 23, 1971. The most recent report is from October 25, 2025. May has the most reports, 33.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Whitney
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Whitney Dam, TX, 8 miles south of Whitney at 574 feet. August is the warmest, with an average high of 96°F and low of 72°F; January is the coolest, at 57°F and 34°F. May is the wettest at 4.6 inches of precipitation on average and July the driest at 1.7 inches; the year adds up to 37.7 inches over 49 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 114 days a year, almost all from April to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 43 nights a year. That 37.7 inches is more than at 189 of the 312 Texas stations used on this site (61%). Hillsboro, 14 miles east, has its own station (Hillsboro, TX): 38.9 inches a year, 1.2 more than here, and an August average high of 97°F against 96°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 57 | 34 | 2.5 | 4 |
| Feb | 61 | 38 | 2.4 | 4 |
| Mar | 68 | 46 | 3.5 | 5 |
| Apr | 76 | 53 | 3.6 | 5 |
| May | 84 | 63 | 4.6 | 6 |
| Jun | 91 | 70 | 3.9 | 5 |
| Jul | 95 | 72 | 1.7 | 3 |
| Aug | 96 | 72 | 2.0 | 3 |
| Sep | 89 | 66 | 3.8 | 3 |
| Oct | 79 | 55 | 4.4 | 5 |
| Nov | 68 | 44 | 2.6 | 4 |
| Dec | 59 | 37 | 2.7 | 4 |
| Year | 77 | 54 | 37.7 | 49 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Whitney Dam, TX (574 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 Whitney
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 40 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Whitney: 29 thunderstorm wind reports, 10 flash floods and 1 flood. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $565,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 92 mph, on February 10, 2009. Of the 745 Texas cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 201 have had fewer than Whitney.
February 10, 2009: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Whitney — $100,000 damage.
June 11, 2023: thunderstorm wind 3 miles from the centre of Whitney — $100,000 damage.
NWS: “Amateur radio reported that a tree was blown down onto a house in Whitney.”
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 Whitney's ZIP code 76692 have filed 17 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1981, and were paid $147,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 12% 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, 58 have fewer than Whitney.
Hill County, which includes Whitney, has been named in 25 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1968, 16 of them major disasters (by incident: 7 severe storms, 5 fires, 4 floods, 4 hurricanes). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on May 17, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Hill County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, hail, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Low for hurricanes, inland flooding and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $24.7 million a year, the 76th highest of 254 Texas counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $5.5 million (22%), 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.
Cities near Whitney
- Hillsboro, TX14 mi
- Clifton, TX16 mi
- Rio Vista, TX17 mi
- Itasca, TX17 mi
- Meridian, TX20 mi
- West, TX21 mi
- China Spring, TX21 mi
- Grandview, TX23 mi
- Valley Mills, TX23 mi
- Elm Mott, TX25 mi
- Cleburne, TX26 mi
- Keene, TX29 mi
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