Tornadoes · United States · Texas
1988 tornadoes in Texas
89 tornadoes touched down in Texas in 1988, 30 percent below the average of the record for the state. They killed 1 people and injured 22.
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.
F040 to 72 mph
Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.
F173 to 112 mph
Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.
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.
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.
F4207 to 260 mph
Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.
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.
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 1988
April 1 4 tornadoes
April 5 1 tornado
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 5 | 5:25 PM CDT | F0 | Fannin | 0.2 | 10 |
April 16 3 tornadoes
April 24 1 tornado
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 24 | 8:45 PM CDT | F1 | Coleman | 0.5 | 50 | $5,000 to $50,000 |
April 29 2 tornadoes
May 19 1 tornado
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 19 | 6:05 PM CDT | F0 | Andrews | 6.0 | 80 |
May 20 1 tornado
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 20 | 6:14 PM CDT | F0 | Howard | 2.0 | 60 |
May 28 1 tornado
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 28 | 9:40 PM CDT | F0 | Hale | 4.0 | 90 | $500 to $5,000 |
May 30 4 tornadoes
June 1 2 tornadoes
June 2 2 tornadoes
June 14 1 tornado
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 14 | 1:50 PM MDT | F0 | El Paso | 0.2 | 30 |
June 29 1 tornado
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 29 | 9:03 PM CDT | F0 | Crane | 0.5 | 60 |
June 30 1 tornado
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 30 | 5:00 PM CDT | F1 | Pecos | 0.4 | 50 | $5,000 to $50,000 |
July 3 2 tornadoes
July 24 3 tornadoes
July 26 1 tornado
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 26 | 6:14 PM CDT | F0 | Lubbock | 0.5 | 40 |
August 12 1 tornado
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 12 | 1:50 PM CDT | F1 | Fannin | 0.2 | 10 |
August 17 1 tornado
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 17 | 4:53 PM CDT | F0 | Carson | 0.1 | 30 |
September 14 1 tornado
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 14 | 10:00 PM CDT | F2 | Randall | 0.7 | 173 | $50,000 to $500,000 |
September 16 14 tornadoes
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 16 | 9:45 AM CDT | F0 | Hidalgo | 0.3 | 50 | $50,000 to $500,000 | ||
| September 16 | 10:00 AM CDT | F0 | Hidalgo | 0.2 | 50 | $5,000 to $50,000 | ||
| September 16 | 10:45 AM CDT | F0 | Hidalgo | 0.5 | 50 | 1 | $50,000 to $500,000 | |
| September 16 | 11:15 AM CDT | F0 | Hidalgo | 0.2 | 50 | $50,000 to $500,000 | ||
| September 16 | 11:18 AM CDT | F0 | Hidalgo | 0.2 | 50 | |||
| September 16 | 12:01 PM CDT | F0 | Hidalgo | 3.0 | 50 | $50,000 to $500,000 | ||
| September 16 | 12:30 PM CDT | F0 | Hidalgo | 0.2 | 350 | $50,000 to $500,000 | ||
| September 16 | 1:30 PM CDT | F0 | Cameron | 1.0 | 50 | $50,000 to $500,000 | ||
| September 16 | 2:00 PM CDT | F0 | Cameron | 0.2 | 50 | $50,000 to $500,000 | ||
| September 16 | 3:00 PM CDT | F1 | Cameron | 0.5 | 50 | $500,000 to $5 million | ||
| September 16 | 5:04 PM CDT | F0 | Goliad | 0.2 | 10 | |||
| September 16 | 5:30 PM CDT | F0 | Nueces | 0.2 | 10 | |||
| September 16 | 9:00 PM CDT | F1 | Nueces | 0.5 | 23 | $50,000 to $500,000 | ||
| September 16 | 10:00 PM CDT | F1 | Bee | 0.8 | 23 | $50,000 to $500,000 |
September 17 26 tornadoes
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 17 | 5:10 AM CDT | F0 | Karnes | 0.2 | 10 | $5,000 to $50,000 | ||
| September 17 | 5:45 AM CDT | F1 | Bexar | 4.0 | 30 | 1 | 1 | $500,000 to $5 million |
| September 17 | 6:49 AM CDT | F2 | Bexar | 5.0 | 50 | 3 | $5 million to $50 million | |
| September 17 | 7:30 AM CDT | F1 | Bexar | 6.0 | 50 | 3 | $5 million to $50 million | |
| September 17 | 7:44 AM CDT | F0 | Fayette | 0.2 | 10 | $5,000 to $50,000 | ||
| September 17 | 9:00 AM CDT | F0 | Comal | 0.2 | 10 | $50,000 to $500,000 | ||
| September 17 | 9:40 AM CDT | F0 | Atascosa | 0.2 | 10 | |||
| September 17 | 10:30 AM CDT | F0 | Caldwell | 0.2 | 10 | $5,000 to $50,000 | ||
| September 17 | 10:50 AM CDT | F0 | Edwards | 0.2 | 10 | |||
| September 17 | 12:13 PM CDT | F0 | Maverick | 0.2 | 10 | |||
| September 17 | 12:43 PM CDT | F0 | McCulloch | 0.2 | 10 | |||
| September 17 | 12:43 PM CDT | F1 | McCulloch | 0.2 | 10 | $500 to $5,000 | ||
| September 17 | 1:45 PM CDT | F0 | Dimmit | 0.2 | 10 | $5,000 to $50,000 | ||
| September 17 | 2:20 PM CDT | F0 | Val Verde | 0.2 | 10 | |||
| September 17 | 2:56 PM CDT | F0 | Runnels | 4.0 | 60 | |||
| September 17 | 3:15 PM CDT | F0 | Bosque | 0.2 | 10 | |||
| September 17 | 4:09 PM CDT | F0 | Concho | 3.5 | 80 | $500 to $5,000 | ||
| September 17 | 4:50 PM CDT | F0 | Concho | 1.0 | 30 | |||
| September 17 | 4:50 PM CDT | F0 | Concho | 0.5 | 30 | |||
| September 17 | 4:58 PM CDT | F0 | Concho | 2.0 | 50 | |||
| September 17 | 5:10 PM CDT | F0 | Concho | 1.0 | 40 | |||
| September 17 | 5:10 PM CDT | F0 | Concho | 1.5 | 40 | |||
| September 17 | 5:45 PM CDT | F2 | Val Verde | 11.0 | 63 | 2 | $500,000 to $5 million | |
| September 17 | 6:25 PM CDT | F1 | Runnels | 3.0 | 60 | $5,000 to $50,000 | ||
| September 17 | 6:39 PM CDT | F0 | Val Verde | 0.2 | 10 | |||
| September 17 | 6:52 PM CDT | F0 | Val Verde | 0.2 | 10 | $5,000 to $50,000 |
September 29 1 tornado
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 29 | 1:50 AM CDT | F1 | Erath | 0.5 | 50 |
October 1 4 tornadoes
November 15 2 tornadoes
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 15 | 5:14 PM CST | F1 | Rains | 0.2 | 10 | |||
| November 15 | 5:19 PM CST | F1 | Rains | 0.2 | 10 |
November 19 4 tornadoes
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 19 | 12:50 PM CST | F1 | Smith | 0.2 | 10 | |||
| November 19 | 1:28 PM CST | F1 | Marion | 0.2 | 10 | |||
| November 19 | 1:40 PM CST | F1 | Cass | 0.2 | 10 | |||
| November 19 | 1:51 PM CST | F1 | Angelina | 0.2 | 10 |
November 25 3 tornadoes
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 25 | 7:15 PM CST | F1 | Van Zandt | 3.0 | 300 | 2 | ||
| November 25 | 10:20 PM CST | F1 | Upshur | 0.3 | 50 | |||
| November 25 | 11:00 PM CST | F1 | Cass | 0.3 | 73 |
November 26 1 tornado
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 26 | 5:50 AM CST | F1 | Panola | 0.2 | 10 |
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.