Texas, 1999

Tornadoes and Hail in Texas, January 1, 1999

January 1, 1999 · NWS HGX · 12 events in 5 counties and zones

7 tornado, 3 hail, 2 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
0
Injuries
8
Property damage
$1.3 million
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
12

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.

The radar

The Houston radar (KHGX), 149 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 19:00 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

7 tornado, 3 hail, 2 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Tornado, Walker

When
January 1, 1:00 PM CST to 1:10 PM CST
Where
Walker County, Huntsville to 3 mi NE of Huntsville
Rating
F1
Path length
2.5 mi
Path width
75 yd
Injuries
7 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$125,000
Reported by
NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates
30.750, -95.530

Tornado touchdown in the Acres Hills subdivision just NE of Huntsville. One mobile home completely destroyed. Three people inside escaped with fairly minor injuries (cuts and abrasions, separated shoulder). A large oak tree bisected another trailer down the road pinning the resident who was later Life Flighted to Houston and had a broken leg and ankle, and a collapsed lung. Three other residents sustained minor injuries (lacerations, etc). Numerous trees and roof damage was noted throughout the remainder of the subdivision.

Thunderstorm Wind, Walker

When
January 1, 1:05 PM CST
Where
Walker County, 5 mi SE of Huntsville
Property damage
$74,000
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
30.670, -95.500

Medium sized oak tree uprooted and fell on mobile home. Uncompleted home framework collapsed.

Tornado, Walker

When
January 1, 1:23 PM CST to 1:24 PM CST
Where
Walker County, Riverside
Rating
F0
Path length
0.3 mi
Path width
25 yd
Injuries
1 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$10,000
Reported by
GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates
30.850, -95.420

Brief tornado touchdown in the Hickory Hills subdivision caused barn damage and one unconfirmed injury.

Tornado, Trinity

When
January 1, 1:41 PM CST to 1:47 PM CST
Where
Trinity County, Trinity to 7 mi S of Trinity
Rating
F2
Path length
5 mi
Path width
500 yd
Property damage
$750,000
Reported by
NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates
30.830, -95.380

Funnel reported over the Trinity River bridge. Storm abruptly took a right turn along the eastern shore of Lake Livingston. Tornado touched down 7 miles south of Trinity. Effected Timber Bay, Whiterock Estates, Azteck Cove and Timber Cove subdivisions. Major damage caused by trees falling on residences/vehicles. Strongest damage (and not necessarly caused by falling trees) occurred at Whiterock Estates. Resident in Timber Bay (where the first touchdown occurred) had anemometer that clocked 110 mph winds before it was blown away. Mostly F1 damage with F2 damage in Whiterock Estates.

Tornado, Walker

When
January 1, 1:53 PM CST to 1:54 PM CST
Where
Walker County, 12 mi E of Huntsville
Rating
F0
Path length
0.3 mi
Path width
25 yd
Property damage
$15,000
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
30.720, -95.370

Brief tornado touchdown with trees reported down.

Tornado, Trinity

When
January 1, 2:08 PM CST to 2:10 PM CST
Where
Trinity County, Groveton
Rating
F0
Path length
0.5 mi
Path width
50 yd
Property damage
$40,000
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
31.070, -95.150

DPS & sheriff reported around 20 homes and 30 mobile homes damaged from falling trees in Groveton.

Hail, Trinity

When
January 1, 2:08 PM CST
Where
Trinity County, Groveton
Measured
0.75 in hail
Property damage
$5,000
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
31.070, -95.150

Tornado, Montgomery

When
January 1, 10:33 PM CST to 10:55 PM CST
Where
Montgomery County, Porter to Splendora
Rating
F1
Path length
8 mi
Path width
75 yd
Property damage
$75,000
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
30.100, -95.230

Tornado touched down from Live Oak Estates (Porter area) to near Splendora. Moderate house damage and trees down throughout the area.

Hail, Harris

When
January 1, 10:49 PM CST
Where
Harris County, Webster
Measured
0.75 in hail
Property damage
$3,000
Reported by
NWS EMPLOYEE(OFF DUTY)
Coordinates
29.530, -95.120

Thunderstorm Wind, Harris

When
January 1, 11:24 PM CST
Where
Harris County, Houston
Measured
52 kt (60 mph)
Property damage
$5,000
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
29.730, -95.370

60 mph gusts in downtown Houston.

Hail, Harris

When
January 1, 11:24 PM CST to 11:34 PM CST
Where
Harris County, Houston
Measured
0.75 in hail
Property damage
$5,000
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
29.730, -95.370

Hail for 10 minutes in downtown Houston.

Tornado, Liberty

When
January 1, 11:40 PM CST to 11:45 PM CST
Where
Liberty County, Devers to 12 mi E of Devers
Rating
F2
Path length
4 mi
Path width
100 yd
Property damage
$175,000
Reported by
NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates
29.970, -94.420

The tornado appeared to have formed just on the other side of a canal in the Dunning's Farm area. At this point three large houses were completely destroyed with widespread tree damage. The tornado moved NE and dragged heavy farm tractors (approximately 50000 lbs) over 10 to 15 feet. The tornado moved across a wide open field and crossed into Jefferson county.

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

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Texas in 1999Every state in 1999This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Texas, 1999Warnings in Texas, January 1999

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: 5685577, 5685578, 5685579, 5685636, 5685833, 5685637, 5685638, 5685639, 5685742, 5685743, 5685744, 5685832.