Texas, 1959

Tornadoes and Hail in Texas, March 20, 1959

March 20, 1959 · 8 events in 6 counties and zones

4 tornado, 3 hail, 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

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$50,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
8

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

4 tornado, 3 hail, 1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Tornado, Fannin

When
March 20, 12:45 PM CST
Where
Fannin County
Rating
F2
Path length
10.7 mi
Path width
67 yd
Property damage
$25,000
Coordinates
33.430, -96.350

Tornado, Fannin

When
March 20, 12:45 PM CST
Where
Fannin County
Rating
F2
Path length
10.7 mi
Path width
67 yd
Property damage
$25,000
Coordinates
33.430, -96.350

Hail, Cherokee

When
March 20, 1:45 PM CST
Where
Cherokee County
Measured
1 in hail
Coordinates
32.080, -95.000

Tornado, Shelby

When
March 20, 4:50 PM CST
Where
Shelby County
Rating
F2
Path length
5.4 mi
Path width
880 yd
Property damage
$250
Coordinates
31.900, -94.230

Thunderstorm Wind, Harrison

When
March 20, 5:30 PM CST
Where
Harrison County
Coordinates
32.580, -94.180

Hail, Harrison

When
March 20, 6:00 PM CST
Where
Harrison County
Measured
0.75 in hail
Coordinates
32.700, -94.680

Hail, Angelina

When
March 20, 6:24 PM CST
Where
Angelina County
Measured
2 in hail
Coordinates
31.100, -94.400

Tornado, Sabine

When
March 20, 9:00 PM CST
Where
Sabine County
Rating
F0
Path width
200 yd
Coordinates
31.120, -93.680

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.
Hail
Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
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.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Texas in 1959Every state in 1959This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Texas, 1959

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: 10122114, 10122115, 10122116, 10122117, 10122118, 10122119, 10122120, 10122121.