Tornadoes and Damaging Wind in Texas, September 12, 1961

Name: Tornadoes and Damaging Wind in Texas, September 12, 1961
Start: 1961-09-12T03:15
End: 1961-09-12T15:45
Location: Texas

September 12, 1961 · 5 events in 4 counties and zones

4 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

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The toll

Deaths: 8
Injuries: 200
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 5

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

Tornado, Galveston

When: September 12, 3:15 AM CST
Where: Galveston County
Rating: F4
Path length: 1 mi
Path width: 100 yd
Deaths: 8 direct, 0 indirect
Injuries: 200 direct, 0 indirect
Coordinates: 29.320, -94.780

Tornado, Galveston

When: September 12, 6:00 AM CST
Where: Galveston County
Rating: F3
Path length: 2 mi
Path width: 33 yd
Coordinates: 29.270, -94.870

Tornado, Liberty

When: September 12, 7:30 AM CST
Where: Liberty County
Rating: F3
Path length: 0.5 mi
Path width: 17 yd
Coordinates: 30.150, -94.730

Thunderstorm Wind, Angelina

When: September 12, 9:30 AM CST
Where: Angelina County
Coordinates: 31.400, -94.900

Tornado, Red River

When: September 12, 3:45 PM CST
Where: Red River County
Rating: F3
Path length: 0.5 mi
Path width: 300 yd
Coordinates: 33.570, -95.270

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.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Texas in 1961 Every state in 1961 This day in weather history The tornado archive for Texas, 1961

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: 10120340, 10120341, 10120342, 10120343, 10120344.