NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Wichita Falls, 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
1 tropical system has passed within 75 miles of Wichita Falls, Texas since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was an unnamed storm in 1900. Since 1950, 120 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 12 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 1
- Tornadoes
- 120
- EF3 or stronger
- 12
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
54 deaths in all
What the records show for Wichita Falls
None of the 1 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Wichita Falls; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 49 mph winds when its centre passed 41 miles away. Of the 753 Texas cities on this site, 87% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Wichita Falls. The strongest of the 120 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F5 on April 3, 1964; its path came within 2 miles, and it killed 7 people. The deadliest, an F4 on April 10, 1979, killed 42 people. Of the 120, 15 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 36 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 48. The most recent tornado was on August 28, 2025. Wichita Falls has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 61% of the 753 Texas cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 431 times since 1955, with stones up to 4 inches (softball size). Wichita Falls has more hail reports within 10 miles than 97% of the 753 Texas cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Wichita Falls
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 10 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 4 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Wichita Falls: 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 Wichita Falls
By decade
- 2020s12
- 2010s12
- 2000s12
- 1990s28
- 1980s9(1 EF3+)
- 1970s14(1 EF3+)
- 1960s15(4 EF3+)
- 1950s18(6 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3, 1964 | F5 | 2 mi | 4.7 mi | 7 / 111 |
| Apr 10, 1979 | F4 | in town | 46.9 mi | 42 / 1740 |
| May 26, 1962 | F4 | 19 mi | 10.1 mi | 0 / 1 |
| May 1, 1954 | F3 | 24 mi | 12.3 mi | 3 / 3 |
| Apr 2, 1958 | F3 | 2 mi | 16.4 mi | 1 / 14 |
| Jun 1, 1954 | F3 | 5 mi | 5.9 mi | 1 / 4 |
| May 14, 1986 | F3 | 24 mi | 20 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Apr 26, 1962 | F3 | 7 mi | 3.3 mi | 0 / 13 |
| Apr 8, 1961 | F3 | 21 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Aug 30, 1959 | F3 | 22 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jun 1, 1954 | F3 | 15 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 3 |
| May 1, 1954 | F3 | 25 mi | 8 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 120, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Wichita Falls
The Storm Prediction Center has 431 hail reports within 10 miles of Wichita Falls since 1955, made on 188 separate days. Of these, 277 were 1 inch across or larger, and 25 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4 inches (softball size), fell on April 17, 1963. The most recent report is from November 23, 2025. May has the most reports, 161.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Wichita Falls
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Wichita Falls Municipal Airport, TX, 7 miles north of Wichita Falls at 1,017 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 97°F and low of 72°F; January is the coolest, at 55°F and 30°F. May is the wettest at 3.8 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 1.2 inches; the year adds up to 27.9 inches over 44 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 105 days a year, almost all from April to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 59 nights a year. Snowfall averages 3.1 inches a year, most of it in February. That 27.9 inches is more than at 96 of the 312 Texas stations used on this site (31%). Holliday, 14 miles southwest, has its own station (Archer City 2W, TX): 32.5 inches a year, 4.6 more than here, and the same July average high, 97°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 55 | 30 | 1.2 | 3 | 0.7 |
| Feb | 59 | 34 | 1.4 | 3 | 1.1 |
| Mar | 68 | 42 | 2.0 | 4 | 0.2 |
| Apr | 76 | 50 | 2.5 | 4 | 0.0 |
| May | 84 | 60 | 3.8 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 92 | 68 | 3.4 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 97 | 72 | 2.0 | 3 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 97 | 72 | 2.5 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 88 | 64 | 3.0 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 77 | 52 | 2.9 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 65 | 40 | 1.6 | 3 | 0.3 |
| Dec | 56 | 32 | 1.6 | 3 | 0.8 |
| Year | 76 | 51 | 27.9 | 44 | 3.1 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Wichita Falls Municipal Airport, TX (1,017 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 Wichita Falls
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 239 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Wichita Falls: 217 thunderstorm wind reports, 13 flash floods, 6 floods and 3 lightning strikes. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $2.8 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 105 mph, on August 10, 2023. May has had the most flash floods, 7 of 13. Of the 745 Texas cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 275 have had fewer than Wichita Falls.
April 26, 2025: lightning strike 6 miles from the centre of Wichita Falls — $800,000 damage.
NWS: “Relayed social media images show a house fire caused by a suspected lightning strike. Event time is estimated.”
March 4, 2004: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Wichita Falls — $750,000 damage.
NWS: “Roof and structural damage was reported on the west side of the city, with three homes destroyed. Many power poles and lines were downed.”
June 2, 2004: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Wichita Falls — $250,000 damage.
NWS: “A damage path about 60 yards wide was reported in the area of the Kickapoo Airpark on the south side of the city. Six hangars were destroyed at the airport.”
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 Wichita Falls's 7 ZIP codes have filed 1,274 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1979, and were paid $19.5 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Flooding in 1987: 131 claims (10% of all) and $494,000, then Thunderstorms in 2007 with 86 and Early summer storms in 2015 with 35. The year with the most claims was 1982, with 189. 20% 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, 384 have fewer than Wichita Falls.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Flooding1987 | 131 | $494,000 |
| Thunderstorms2007 | 86 | $3.9 million |
| Early summer storms2015 | 35 | $1.4 million |
Wichita County, which includes Wichita Falls, has been named in 24 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1979, 12 of them major disasters (by incident: 9 fires, 5 severe storms, 3 hurricanes, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storms, on February 19, 2021. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Wichita County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for tornadoes and hail; Relatively Moderate for 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 $39.7 million a year, the 44th highest of 254 Texas counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $17.5 million (44%), 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 Wichita Falls
- Sheppard Afb, TX6 mi
- Iowa Park, TX11 mi
- Burkburnett, TX14 mi
- Holliday, TX14 mi
- Henrietta, TX21 mi
- Electra, TX26 mi
- Walters, OK34 mi
- Waurika, OK35 mi
- Olney, TX38 mi
- Bowie, TX44 mi
- Frederick, OK44 mi
- Comanche, OK46 mi
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