Tornadoes · United States · Texas

Tornadoes in Anderson County, Texas

36 tornadoes have crossed Anderson County since 1950, 122nd of the 254 counties in Texas with a tornado on record, an average of one every 2.1 years. They have killed 2 people and injured 88. None was rated F4 or above.

The rating scale

Tracks are drawn in the color of the rating. The United States rated tornadoes on Ted Fujita’s F scale until 31 January 2007 and on the Enhanced Fujita scale after it. Both run from 0 to 5, and both rate the damage rather than measure the wind: the speeds are what that damage is taken to imply.

  1. F0 / EF040 to 72 mph on the F scale, 65 to 85 mph on the EF scale

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

  2. F1 / EF173 to 112 mph on the F scale, 86 to 110 mph on the EF scale

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

  3. F2 / EF2113 to 157 mph on the F scale, 111 to 135 mph on the EF scale

    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. F3 / EF3158 to 206 mph on the F scale, 136 to 165 mph on the EF scale

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

  5. F4 / EF4207 to 260 mph on the F scale, 166 to 200 mph on the EF scale

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

  6. F5 / EF5261 to 318 mph on the F scale, over 200 mph on the EF scale

    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.

Now

Tornadoes
36
Deaths
2
Injuries
88
F4 and above
0
Worst on record
F3, November 15, 1987

The deadliest in Anderson County

  1. F3, Anderson County, TexasNovember 15, 19871 killed, 59 injured
  2. F1, Anderson County, TexasMarch 17, 19871 killed, 3 injured

The strongest

  1. F3, Anderson and Henderson counties, TexasMay 9, 1981F3, 15.0 mi (24 km)
  2. F3, Anderson County, TexasNovember 15, 1987F3, 10.5 mi (17 km)
  3. F3, Anderson County, TexasApril 12, 1955F3, 5.6 mi (9 km)
  4. F3, Anderson County, TexasOctober 31, 1974F3, 2.0 mi (3 km)
  5. F2, Anderson County, TexasMay 9, 1981F2, 9.9 mi (16 km)
  6. F2, Anderson County, TexasNovember 19, 1953F2, 5.6 mi (9 km)
  7. F2, Anderson County, TexasOctober 16, 1980F2, 2.0 mi (3 km)
  8. F2, Anderson County, TexasFebruary 11, 1984F2, 1.0 mi (2 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 25 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Anderson County. Each year links to every tornado in Texas that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
202511EF0
20081EF0
20063F1
20021F0
199945F1
199714F1
19961F0
19941F1
19932F1
19911F1
19901F1
19891F1
198811F1
19873262F3
198423F2
19812F3
198011F2
19791F1
19781F1
197424F3
19731F1
19641F1
195517F3
19541F1
19531F2

Every tornado that crossed Anderson County

36 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
May 6, 20251:26 PM CDTEF0Anderson4.83001$50,000
October 6, 20088:29 PM CDTEF0Anderson7.050$55,000
December 29, 20067:30 PM CSTF1Anderson11.3100$30,000
December 29, 20065:50 PM CSTF1Anderson4.050$200,000
December 29, 20064:55 PM CSTF0Anderson6.750$10,000
March 30, 20024:24 PM CSTF0Anderson0.130
May 4, 19997:14 PM CDTF0Anderson0.210
May 4, 19996:38 PM CDTF1Anderson1.01504$300,000
April 26, 19999:40 AM CDTF0Anderson0.10$10,000
April 26, 19999:35 AM CDTF0Anderson1.001$30,000
January 23, 19975:23 PM CSTF1Anderson1.0304$50,000
April 28, 19968:22 PM CDTF0Anderson0.120
November 4, 19945:50 PM CSTF1Anderson1.530$50,000 to $500,000
October 20, 19933:25 AM CDTF1Anderson7.0100$50,000 to $500,000
May 9, 19936:02 PM CDTF1Anderson2.0100$50,000 to $500,000
November 19, 199111:30 AM CSTF1Anderson0.110$5,000 to $50,000
April 27, 19906:30 PM CDTF1Anderson0.210
May 17, 19898:30 AM CDTF1Anderson0.210
April 1, 19884:35 PM CSTF1Anderson4.01001$50,000 to $500,000
December 6, 19871:36 PM CSTF1Anderson11.5150$50,000 to $500,000
November 15, 19873:03 PM CSTF3Anderson10.5250159$5 million to $50 million
March 17, 19875:20 AM CSTF1Anderson0.21013$5,000 to $50,000
May 2, 19844:30 PM CDTF0Anderson0.110
February 11, 19847:20 PM CSTF2Anderson1.01003$500,000 to $5 million
May 9, 19813:30 PM CDTF2Anderson9.973$5,000 to $50,000
May 9, 19813:10 PM CDTF3Anderson15.0100$50,000 to $500,000
October 16, 19809:00 AM CDTF2Anderson2.0501$5,000 to $50,000
June 6, 197911:05 AM CDTF1Anderson6.273$5,000 to $50,000
May 11, 19788:51 PM CDTF1Anderson0.110$500 to $5,000
October 31, 197410:30 AM CSTF1Anderson0.110$5,000 to $50,000
October 31, 19748:50 AM CSTF3Anderson2.05004
June 3, 19737:30 PM CDTF1Anderson0.110$50,000 to $500,000
August 24, 19644:45 PM GMT-5F1Anderson3.6880$5,000 to $50,000
April 12, 195511:30 AM GMT-6F3Anderson5.63007$50,000 to $500,000
August 31, 19542:45 PM GMT-5F1Anderson0.5300$5,000 to $50,000
November 19, 195312:50 PM GMT-6F2Anderson5.650$5,000 to $50,000

Nearby

Warnings in force in Anderson CountyThe forecast for Anderson CountyThe live radar over Anderson CountyEvery county in 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.