NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Zapata, TX
Every tropical system within 75 miles since 1851 and every tornado within 25 miles since 1950.
19 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Zapata, Texas since 1851, 2 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Harold in 2023. Since 1950, 6 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 2
- Tropical storms
- 17
- Tornadoes
- 6
- EF3 or stronger
- 0
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
no recorded deaths
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Zapata
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | HaroldAug 22 | 40 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2020 | HannaJul 26 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2008 | DollyJul 24 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1999 | BretAug 23 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1980 | AllenAug 10 | 30 mi | Category 1 (82 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1971 | FernSep 12 | 6 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1967 | BeulahSep 21 | 30 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1954 | AliceJun 26 | overhead | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1936 | Unnamed 1936 stormSep 13 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1925 | Unnamed 1925 stormSep 7 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1919 | Unnamed 1919 stormSep 15 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (71 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormAug 19 | 66 mi | Category 1 (85 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1913 | Unnamed 1913 stormJun 28 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1910 | Unnamed 1910 stormSep 15 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1909 | Unnamed 1909 stormJun 30 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1880 | Unnamed 1880 stormAug 13 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (72 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1874 | Unnamed 1874 stormSep 5 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1857 | Unnamed 1857 stormSep 30 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1854 | Unnamed 1854 stormJun 26 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Zapata: 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 Zapata
By decade
- 2010s1
- 2000s2
- 1970s2
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 23, 1970 | F2 | in town | 4.5 mi | 0 / 20 |
| May 23, 1970 | F2 | in town | 4.5 mi | 0 / 20 |
| Sep 7, 1956 | F2 | 4 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 10, 2012 | EF0 | 24 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 20, 2005 | F0 | 24 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 17, 2002 | F0 | in town | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 6 of 6, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
How to read this page
A storm is listed when the centre of its track passed within 75 miles of Zapata while it was at least a tropical storm, which is the reach of damaging wind and rain for a typical hurricane. Being on the list does not mean the city took a direct hit; the "closest" column says how near the centre came. Tornadoes are counted when any part of the path came within 25 miles.
Tornado records before the 1990s are thinner, because weak tornadoes in open country often went unreported before Doppler radar and mobile phones. A rise in the decade counts is mostly better reporting, not a change in the weather.
Tracks come from the National Hurricane Center's HURDAT2 database, tornadoes from the Storm Prediction Center's database. Both are the official federal records and both are revised as old storms are re-analysed.