NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Winona, 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
9 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Winona, Texas since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 143 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 9 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 9
- Tornadoes
- 143
- EF3 or stronger
- 9
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
4 deaths in all
What the records show for Winona
None of the 9 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Winona; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1891, a tropical storm with 58 mph winds when its centre passed 63 miles away. The record near Winona begins with an unnamed storm in 1871; the most recent system was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm directly overhead. The busiest decade was the 1940s, with 4 systems. Of the 9 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Of the 753 Texas cities on this site, 51% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Winona. The highest rating among the 143 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3, reached 9 times; the most recent, on April 1, 1988, came within 13 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on November 15, 1987, killed 4 people. Of the 143, 4 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 42 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 45. The most recent tornado was on October 28, 2025. Winona has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 76% of the 753 Texas cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 64 times since 1955, with stones up to 4.5 inches (grapefruit size). Of the 753 Texas cities, 59% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Winona.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Winona
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 13 | overhead | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2005 | RitaSep 24 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormOct 5 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1947 | Unnamed 1947 stormSep 20 | 9 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 24 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1940 | Unnamed 1940 stormAug 9 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1918 | Unnamed 1918 stormAug 7 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1891 | Unnamed 1891 stormJul 6 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1871 | Unnamed 1871 stormJun 5 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Winona: 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 Winona
By decade
- 2020s10
- 2010s25
- 2000s7
- 1990s16
- 1980s29(2 EF3+)
- 1970s26(3 EF3+)
- 1960s20(1 EF3+)
- 1950s10(3 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 15, 1987 | F3 | 12 mi | 33 mi | 4 / 81 |
| Apr 1, 1988 | F3 | 13 mi | 13 mi | 0 / 9 |
| Apr 1, 1979 | F3 | 21 mi | 5.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 23, 1979 | F3 | 23 mi | 10.3 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Mar 3, 1970 | F3 | 15 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 22, 1965 | F3 | 24 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 3, 1958 | F3 | 7 mi | 59.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 26, 1957 | F3 | 16 mi | 14.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 26, 1957 | F3 | 15 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 21, 2022 | EF2 | 15 mi | 39.97 mi | 0 / 8 |
| Apr 29, 2016 | EF2 | 12 mi | 25.94 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Apr 29, 2016 | EF2 | 16 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 143, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Winona
The Storm Prediction Center has 64 hail reports within 10 miles of Winona since 1955, made on 44 separate days. Of these, 41 were 1 inch across or larger, and 5 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4.5 inches (grapefruit size), fell on April 21, 1997. The most recent report is from June 13, 2023. April has the most reports, 23.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Winona
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Tyler, TX, 15 miles southwest of Winona at 550 feet. August is the warmest, with an average high of 94°F and low of 73°F; January is the coolest, at 58°F and 39°F. June is the wettest at 4.8 inches of precipitation on average and July the driest at 2.7 inches; the year adds up to 47.7 inches over 64 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 96 days a year, almost all from May to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 28 nights a year. That 47.7 inches is more than at 256 of the 312 Texas stations used on this site (82%). Hawkins, 11 miles northwest, has its own station (Gilmer 4 WNW, TX): 48.1 inches a year, 0.4 more than here, and an August average high of 92°F against 94°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 58 | 39 | 4.0 | 6 |
| Feb | 63 | 42 | 4.3 | 6 |
| Mar | 70 | 49 | 4.3 | 6 |
| Apr | 77 | 55 | 4.0 | 5 |
| May | 84 | 64 | 4.3 | 6 |
| Jun | 90 | 71 | 4.8 | 6 |
| Jul | 93 | 74 | 2.7 | 4 |
| Aug | 94 | 73 | 2.9 | 4 |
| Sep | 88 | 67 | 3.2 | 4 |
| Oct | 78 | 57 | 4.7 | 5 |
| Nov | 66 | 47 | 3.8 | 5 |
| Dec | 59 | 40 | 4.7 | 6 |
| Year | 77 | 56 | 47.7 | 64 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Tyler, TX (550 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 Winona
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 71 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Winona: 57 thunderstorm wind reports, 13 flash floods and 1 lightning strike. They killed 0 people and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $943,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 86 mph, on June 13, 1997. Of the 745 Texas cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 275 have had fewer than Winona.
July 14, 2011: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Winona — 1 injured, $10,000 damage.
NWS: “One person was injured after a tree fell on top of his pickup truck he was driving. The incident occurred on FM 2767 near Barber Road.”
June 4, 2018: lightning strike 7 miles from the centre of Winona — 1 injured.
NWS: “Lightning struck a tree at 10672 County Road 383 northeast of Tyler, with a tree limb falling on a car at the residence. A 61 year old female went outside to investigate the damage when lightning struck the nearby tree once again, throwing the female down to the ground.”
April 3, 2007: thunderstorm wind 3 miles from the centre of Winona — $500,000 damage.
NWS: “Numerous trees and power lines were downed. Trees were reported down on several homes and at least 1 vehicle.”
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
Smith County, which includes Winona, has been named in 33 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 20 of them major disasters (by incident: 8 hurricanes, 6 fires, 5 severe storms, 4 floods). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on May 17, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Smith County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind and lightning; Relatively Moderate for hail, inland flooding and heat waves; Relatively Low for hurricanes and tornadoes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $43.1 million a year, the 40th highest of 254 Texas counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $21.4 million (50%), 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 Winona
- Hawkins, TX11 mi
- Gladewater, TX12 mi
- Big Sandy, TX12 mi
- Tyler, TX14 mi
- Arp, TX16 mi
- Kilgore, TX16 mi
- White Oak, TX16 mi
- Lindale, TX17 mi
- Overton, TX18 mi
- Whitehouse, TX18 mi
- Gilmer, TX20 mi
- Longview, TX22 mi
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