High Wind in Texas
Every high wind event the National Weather Service has filed in Texas, year by year, with the most significant episodes. Sustained non-thunderstorm winds of 40 mph or more for an hour, or gusts of 58 mph or more.
The most significant on the map
The most significant high wind episodes in Texas.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The record
- Events
- 5,942
- Deaths
- 7
- Injuries
- 39
- Damage
- $61 million
Every year
The most significant
Ranked by deaths, injuries, damage and size together.
- Tornadoes and Flash Flood in Texas, May 25 to 26, 2024Another round of dryline-induced convection took place the night of May 25 as a shortwave trough moved overhead. Thunderstorms were more isolated in nature, but one ambitious supercell produced multiple tornadoes the evening of May 25th.
- High Wind in Texas, January 17, 1996High winds did widespread but mostly minor damage across west Texas and Southern New Mexico. The most serious incident was a roof partially ripped off a supermarket in Anthony, TX killing three people.
- Wildfire and High Wind in Texas, February 26 to 29, 2024A good growing season through spring/summer 2023 led to decent fuel loading, compared to the previous couple of years, before vegetation went into winter dormancy.
- Dust Storm and High Wind in Texas, December 19, 2012A historic dust storm engulfed much of the South Plains this afternoon resulting in dust storm conditions (visibilities at or below 1/2 mile in blowing dust) at the Lubbock International Airport for the longest duration since December 16, 1977.
- Dust Storm and High Wind in Texas, June 9, 2020A vigorous upper-level low pressure center moved east from southern Colorado across south central Kansas through the late afternoon on Tuesday, June 9, 2020.
- Damaging Winds and High Wind in Texas, April 17, 2026A severe weather episode, with widespread reports of large to very large hail and a tornado, impacted portions of northern Oklahoma during the afternoon and evening of the 17th.
- Tornadoes and Flood in Texas, March 4, 2025A deep upper trough moving east through the Plains was accompanied by a Pacific cold front, along which a line of strong to severe thunderstorms developed early in the morning of March 4.
- High Wind and Winter Weather in Texas, December 7 to 8, 2009A very dynamic storm system resulted in a variety of weather hazards and significant public impacts on the west Texas South Plains during the late hours of the 7th and through the daytime hours of the 8th.
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Texas, May 28 to 29, 2024A dryline, in combination with a westward moving outflow boundary, served as a focus for thunderstorm development on the afternoon of the 28th.
- High Wind in Texas, March 20, 2006Strong to occasionally severe gradient winds were associated with the passage of a strong storm system over the Texas Panhandle on the 20th. Westerly winds were generally sustained in the 30 MPH range with gusts approaching 55 MPH over a large part of the South Plains region.
- High Wind in Texas, April 10, 2001Strong gradient winds behind a cold front produced blowing dust, and visibilities near zero. This caused numerous accidents on area interstates and state highways during the evening hours of 4/10/01. One fatality and three injuries were reported.
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Texas, April 26 to 28, 2024A shortwave trough, dryline, and Pacific front all worked together to produce multiple rounds of thunderstorms Friday April 26 through Sunday April 28. All modes of severe weather took place across the region, along with multiple instances of flash flooding.
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Texas, April 23 to 24, 2008North Texas was impacted with a linear mesoscale convective system as well as discrete supercell thunderstorms during the afternoon and evening hours. An EF-2 tornado destroyed several homes in the town of Crowley and several other brief tornadoes were reported as well.
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Texas, June 5, 2013An area of thunderstorms developed as a result of upslope flow across the higher terrain of New Mexico during the mid to late afternoon hours, before morphing into a well-organized mesoscale convective complex into the late afternoon and evening.
- High Wind in Texas, January 1, 2006A deepening low pressure system over the central Plains states resulted in a tight pressure gradient across the Texas panhandle during the late morning into the afternoon hours. Sixty to sixty-five mile an hour gusts were measured at Vega...Amarillo...and Claude.
- High Wind and Winter Weather in Texas, December 8, 2009A winter storm moved across the southern Texas Panhandle during the morning which produced some freezing rain or freezing drizzle. The icy roads in the south central Texas Panhandle were the cause of a fatality during the early morning hours.
- Wildfire and High Wind in Texas, February 24, 2007A strong low pressure system in Kansas caused winds behind a dryline to blow between 20 and 40 MPH sustained, with gusts into the 50 to 60 MPH range, bringing with them a huge cloud of dust. Operations were suspended at area airports due to the strength of the wind.
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Texas, June 23, 2023Strong daytime heating and good moisture levels proved sufficient for scattered thunderstorm development up and down much of the High Plains on the afternoon and evening of the 23rd.
- Wildfire and Dust Storm in Texas, October 17, 2011A storm system moving out of the Rockies sent a powerful cold front through the southern Texas panhandle, South Plains, and Rolling Plains during the early evening hours of the 17th. The cold front surged at 55 mph as it moved across the South Plains.
- High Wind in Texas, April 10, 2019A strong cyclone moving across the central Rockies into the central Plains created widespread high winds on the afternoon of the 10th. Areas across the South Plains and extreme southern Texas Panhandle saw sustained winds between 40 and 45 mph with gusts generally in the 60s.
- Wildfire and Dust Storm in Texas, February 27 to 28, 2011Strong mid level winds at the base of a passing upper trough resulted in widespread windy conditions across the region, in addition to near 0 mile visibilities in blowing dust.
- Tornado and Hail in Texas, April 6, 2001Severe thunderstorms producing large hail and damaging winds developed and spread across most of the Texas panhandle during the afternoon and evening hours. A tornado ocurred over the extreme northeastern Texas panhandle near Perryton during the evening hours.
- High Wind and Strong Wind in Texas, October 28, 2021A strong gradient wind event behind a departing surface low pressure area over Northern Arkansas and Southern Missouri resulted in strong northwesterly surface winds across much of East Texas and Western Louisiana during the day on October 28th.
- High Wind and Strong Wind in Texas, March 15, 2026Strong north winds affected North and Central Texas the day of March 15 following the passage of a cold front. Wind gusts at times exceeded 55 mph. Unfortunately a fatality occurred on an area lake due to the strong winds.
- Wildfire and High Wind in Texas, January 28 to 29, 2008Westerly winds brought very dry conditions to much of the western South Plains and the extreme southwestern Texas Panhandle during the afternoon hours of the 28th.
More
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.