Tornadoes · United States · Texas

1966 tornadoes in Texas

77 tornadoes touched down in Texas in 1966, 39 percent below the average of the record for the state. None of them killed anybody.

1965 1967 The whole country in 1966

The rating scale

Tracks are drawn in the color of the rating. The Fujita scale rates the damage rather than measuring the wind: the speeds are what that damage is taken to imply.

  1. F040 to 72 mph

    Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.

  2. F173 to 112 mph

    Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.

  3. F2113 to 157 mph

    Considerable damage. Roofs torn off well-built houses, frame homes shifted on their foundations, mobile homes destroyed, large trees snapped or uprooted, cars lifted off the ground.

  4. F3158 to 206 mph

    Severe damage. Whole stories of well-built houses destroyed, large buildings badly damaged, trains overturned, trees debarked, heavy cars lifted and thrown.

  5. F4207 to 260 mph

    Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.

  6. F5261 to 318 mph

    Incredible damage. Strong frame houses swept off their foundations, car-sized missiles thrown more than 100 meters, steel-reinforced concrete badly damaged, high-rise buildings deformed.

  7. Unrated

    The survey recorded a tornado but could not put a number on it, most often because it crossed open country and damaged nothing a rating can be read from.

Every tornado in Texas in 1966

February 8 2 tornadoes

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
February 86:55 PM GMT-6F1Uvalde0.5300$500 to $5,000
February 89:00 PM GMT-6F0Cooke0.823

February 9 1 tornado

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
February 910:55 PM GMT-6F3Jackson2.033$5,000 to $50,000

February 10 1 tornado

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
February 102:15 AM GMT-6F1Orange2.050

March 28 1 tornado

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
March 282:30 AM GMT-6F3Colorado9.31,760$5,000 to $50,000

April 10 3 tornadoes

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
April 105:00 PM GMT-6F1Archer2.027
April 105:00 PM GMT-6F1Young1.020
April 105:00 PM GMT-6F2Young1.0133

April 14 2 tornadoes

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
April 144:00 AM GMT-6F2Wharton1.033
April 147:30 PM GMT-6F0Austin0.523

April 17 3 tornadoes

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
April 175:15 PM GMT-6F1McCulloch7.71,760
April 175:30 PM GMT-6F1Maverick17.51,000$50,000 to $500,000
April 176:45 PM GMT-6F0Bexar0.123

April 18 1 tornado

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
April 1812:53 AM GMT-6F3Brazoria2.050

April 19 2 tornadoes

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
April 194:00 PM GMT-6F2Bosque2.0880$500 to $5,000
April 194:30 PM GMT-6F1Bosque0.127

April 23 4 tornadoes

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
April 231:05 AM GMT-6F2Henderson0.1880$50,000 to $500,000
April 237:00 AM GMT-6F0Hunt0.110
April 233:05 PM GMT-6F1Wilbarger1.027
April 239:00 PM GMT-6F2Wood0.123$5,000 to $50,000

April 25 4 tornadoes

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
April 251:15 AM GMT-5F3Karnes0.11003$50,000 to $500,000
April 255:30 PM GMT-5F1Harrison8.333$500 to $5,000
April 256:30 PM GMT-5F1Wood2.027$500 to $5,000
April 259:05 PM GMT-5F1Marion0.123

April 29 1 tornado

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
April 294:00 PM GMT-5F1Eastland2.033

April 30 1 tornado

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
April 3011:30 AM GMT-5F0Howard2.027

May 10 3 tornadoes

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
May 105:00 PM GMT-5F2Lamb2.0502
May 105:00 PM GMT-5F2Hale0.133
May 105:00 PM GMT-5F1Hale0.127

May 18 4 tornadoes

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
May 184:30 PM GMT-5F1Williamson7.150$500 to $5,000
May 184:30 PM GMT-5F1Williamson1.927
May 184:30 PM GMT-5F2Williamson0.127
May 184:30 PM GMT-5F1Williamson1.933

May 21 1 tornado

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
May 217:20 PM GMT-5F2Cottle2.0880

May 23 12 tornadoes

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
May 233:30 PM GMT-5F2Dallas0.1333$5,000 to $50,000
May 235:00 PM GMT-5F1Fannin0.113
May 235:00 PM GMT-5F1Fannin0.123
May 235:00 PM GMT-5F1Fannin1.513
May 235:00 PM GMT-5F1Fannin0.513
May 235:00 PM GMT-5F0Fannin1.513
May 235:00 PM GMT-5F0Fannin0.413
May 236:10 PM GMT-5F3Hunt2.01005$5,000 to $50,000
May 236:10 PM GMT-5F1Hunt2.050
May 236:10 PM GMT-5F0Hunt2.060
May 237:00 PM GMT-5F2Wood3.033
May 2310:40 PM GMT-5F2Zavala16.0133

May 28 2 tornadoes

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
May 285:00 PM GMT-5F1Hale0.827$50 to $500
May 286:00 PM GMT-5F2Castro1.567$500 to $5,000

June 10 3 tornadoes

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
June 108:30 PM GMT-5F2Swisher36.9100
June 108:30 PM GMT-5F1Swisher2.033
June 108:30 PM GMT-5F0Swisher2.033

June 12 1 tornado

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
June 127:45 PM GMT-5F3Denton3.6133

June 14 2 tornadoes

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
June 145:00 PM GMT-5F1Moore1.017
June 1410:40 PM GMT-5F2Gray1.027

June 16 1 tornado

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
June 168:50 PM GMT-5F0Hale1.030

June 17 5 tornadoes

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
June 175:10 PM GMT-5F0Hutchinson1.023
June 179:45 PM GMT-5F0Hale2.023
June 1711:00 PM GMT-5F0Terry0.823
June 1711:00 PM GMT-5F0Lamb1.017
June 1712:41 AM GMT-5F0Hockley1.017

June 18 1 tornado

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
June 181:20 PM GMT-5F2Harris4.927

June 20 1 tornado

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
June 2011:33 PM GMT-5F0Dallam1.020

June 25 1 tornado

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
June 256:32 PM GMT-5F0Dallam2.033

July 10 1 tornado

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
July 103:00 PM GMT-5F0Floyd1.023

July 19 2 tornadoes

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
July 192:56 PM GMT-5F0Lipscomb1.010
July 192:56 PM GMT-5F0Lipscomb1.517

August 6 1 tornado

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
August 68:45 PM GMT-5F0Hale1.033

August 9 2 tornadoes

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
August 98:45 PM GMT-5F0Hutchinson2.727
August 910:30 PM GMT-5F0Hartley1.033

August 12 1 tornado

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
August 1211:15 AM GMT-5F2Sabine2.050

August 13 1 tornado

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
August 133:00 PM GMT-5F1Hunt1.023$5,000 to $50,000

August 18 2 tornadoes

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
August 185:00 PM GMT-5F1Collingsworth2.033
August 185:00 PM GMT-5F0Collingsworth1.023

August 30 1 tornado

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
August 309:00 PM GMT-5F1Palo Pinto0.8331

September 2 1 tornado

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
September 23:39 PM GMT-5F1Orange1.027$50 to $500

September 14 1 tornado

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
September 147:00 PM GMT-5F1Hood2.033

September 17 1 tornado

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
September 171:45 PM GMT-5F1Potter1.013

Nearby

Every tornado in Texas since 1950Warnings in force in TexasThe live radar over Texas

What this means

Ratings are the survey's, read off the damage rather than measured; the rating scale is above. Tornado counts rise through the record as reporting improved, so a year in the 1950s is not comparable with one today except for the strongest tornadoes, which were always noticed.

Sources

NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database, 1950-2025, the official record kept by NOAA's Storm Prediction Center.