Texas, 1957

Tornadoes and Damaging Wind in Texas, March 17, 1957

March 17, 1957 · 9 events in 4 counties and zones

8 tornado, 1 thunderstorm wind, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths
1
Injuries
15
Property damage
$253,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
9

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

Event by event

8 tornado, 1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Tornado, Galveston

When
March 17, 1:30 PM CST
Where
Galveston County
Rating
F2
Path length
11.6 mi
Path width
67 yd
Injuries
4 direct, 0 indirect
Coordinates
29.380, -95.130

Tornado, Galveston

When
March 17, 1:30 PM CST
Where
Galveston County
Rating
F2
Path width
33 yd
Coordinates
29.480, -94.930

Tornado, Galveston

When
March 17, 1:55 PM CST
Where
Galveston County
Rating
F2
Path width
33 yd
Deaths
1 direct, 0 indirect
Injuries
7 direct, 0 indirect
Coordinates
29.400, -94.920

Tornado, Brazoria

When
March 17, 3:18 PM CST
Where
Brazoria County
Rating
F1
Path length
6.4 mi
Path width
40 yd
Property damage
$250,000
Coordinates
29.420, -95.270

Tornado, Galveston

When
March 17, 4:30 PM CST
Where
Galveston County
Rating
F2
Path length
7.1 mi
Path width
67 yd
Injuries
4 direct, 0 indirect
Coordinates
29.420, -94.820

Tornado, Galveston

When
March 17, 4:45 PM CST
Where
Galveston County
Rating
F0
Path length
7.1 mi
Path width
67 yd
Coordinates
29.520, -94.480

Tornado, Brazoria

When
March 17, 5:00 PM CST
Where
Brazoria County
Path width
33 yd
Coordinates
29.430, -95.270

Tornado, Jefferson

When
March 17, 5:50 PM CST
Where
Jefferson County
Rating
F2
Path length
0.9 mi
Path width
100 yd
Property damage
$3,000
Coordinates
29.950, -93.950

Thunderstorm Wind,

When
March 17, 6:00 PM CST
Where
County
Measured
78 kt (90 mph)
Coordinates
29.280, -94.780

The people who died

As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.

EventDateAgeSexWhereKind
Tornado, Galveston1957-03-17Direct

What these are

Tornado
A violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground and extending from a thunderstorm, filed with its path, width and Fujita or Enhanced Fujita rating from the damage survey.
Thunderstorm Wind
Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

More

Every storm in Texas in 1957Every state in 1957This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Texas, 1957

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 10121983, 10121984, 10121985, 10121986, 10121987, 10121988, 10121989, 10121990, 10121991.