Tornadoes · United States · Texas

Tornadoes in Carson County, Texas

96 tornadoes have crossed Carson County since 1950, 13th of the 254 counties in Texas with a tornado on record, an average of 1.3 a year. They have killed 1 person and injured 39. 2 were rated F4 or EF4 and 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
96
Deaths
1
Injuries
39
F4 and above
2
Worst on record
F4, April 17, 1970

The deadliest in Carson County

  1. F4, Parmer, Randall, Armstrong and Carson counties, TexasApril 17, 19701 killed, 13 injured

The strongest

  1. F4, Parmer, Randall, Armstrong and Carson counties, TexasApril 17, 1970F4, 130.0 mi (209 km)
  2. F4, Moore, Hutchinson and Carson counties, TexasJune 27, 1992F4, 20.0 mi (32 km)
  3. F3, Carson County, TexasJune 6, 1951F3, 10.4 mi (17 km)
  4. F3, Carson County, TexasMay 29, 2001F3, 10.0 mi (16 km)
  5. F3, Carson County, TexasOctober 17, 1971F3, 2.3 mi (4 km)
  6. F2, Carson, Armstrong, Gray and Roberts counties, TexasApril 13, 1973F2, 90.1 mi (145 km)
  7. F2, Carson County, TexasMay 5, 1967F2, 16.2 mi (26 km)
  8. EF2, Carson County, TexasApril 21, 2007EF2, 12.4 mi (20 km)
  9. EF2, Carson and Gray counties, TexasNovember 16, 2015EF2, 10.4 mi (17 km)
  10. F2, Carson and Armstrong counties, TexasJuly 1, 1987F2, 9.0 mi (14 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 41 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Carson County. Each year links to every tornado in Texas that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20251Unrated
20231EF0
20203EF0
20191Unrated
20181EF0
20161EF2
20153EF2
20121EF0
20093EF1
20071EF2
20061F0
20051F0
20031F0
20019F3
20002F0
19994F0
19974F0
19963F0
19953F0
19932F1
199227F4
19912F0
199010F2
19891F1
19881F0
198722F2
19825F1
19811F0
19791F0
19772F1
19751F0
19742F1
197323F2
197132F3
19702113F4
19684F2
19673F2
19611F2
19601F0
19552F1
1951212F3

Every tornado that crossed Carson County

96 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
May 26, 20256:33 PM CDTUnratedCarson0.025
May 18, 202310:02 PM CDTEF0Carson0.125$20,000
June 19, 20205:42 PM CDTEF0Carson0.450
June 19, 20205:40 PM CDTEF0Carson0.750
March 30, 20205:22 PM CDTUnratedCarson3.550
April 17, 20195:05 PM CDTUnratedCarson2.020
June 12, 20186:46 PM CDTEF0Carson0.110
June 13, 20168:25 PM CDTEF2Potter5.0100
November 16, 20156:42 PM CSTEF2Carson10.4175
November 16, 20156:09 PM CSTEF0Carson0.250
April 16, 20153:58 PM CDTEF0Carson2.350
December 14, 20124:17 PM CSTEF0Carson3.0200
June 5, 20099:39 PM CDTEF0Carson1.325
April 29, 20096:36 PM CDTEF0Carson0.125$8,000
April 29, 20096:30 PM CDTEF1Carson0.925$15,000
April 21, 20079:37 PM CDTEF2Carson12.4440$72,000
August 27, 20068:42 PM CDTF0Hutchinson1.525
June 9, 20057:02 PM CDTF0Carson0.125
May 15, 20039:44 PM CDTF0Carson0.120
September 19, 20016:56 PM CDTF0Carson0.125
May 29, 20017:24 PM CDTF0Carson0.120
May 29, 20017:15 PM CDTF3Carson10.0440$250,000
May 29, 20017:07 PM CDTF0Carson0.120
May 29, 20017:05 PM CDTF0Carson0.125
May 29, 20017:02 PM CDTF0Carson0.125
May 29, 20016:55 PM CDTF0Carson0.225
April 30, 20018:42 PM CDTF0Carson0.110
April 10, 200110:22 PM CDTF1Carson1.5100$70,000
June 25, 20005:23 PM CDTF0Carson0.120
June 25, 20004:53 PM CDTF0Carson1.520
June 29, 19998:15 PM CDTF0Carson0.10
June 29, 19998:13 PM CDTF0Carson0.30
June 29, 19997:58 PM CDTF0Carson0.850
June 29, 19997:42 PM CDTF0Carson0.10
June 14, 19977:10 PM CDTF0Carson0.150
June 9, 19973:25 PM CDTF0Carson0.123
May 29, 199710:04 PM CDTF0Carson0.350
May 7, 19977:52 PM CDTF0Carson0.523
June 2, 19965:32 PM CDTF0Carson0.550
June 2, 19965:07 PM CDTF0Carson0.550
May 24, 19965:33 PM CDTF0Carson0.650
July 2, 19959:15 PM CDTF0Carson0.573
July 2, 19958:44 PM CDTF0Carson0.350
May 22, 19954:15 PM CDTF0Carson0.523
July 7, 19938:00 PM CDTF0Carson0.550
April 28, 19937:47 PM CDTF1Carson2.5100
June 27, 19927:31 PM CDTF4Moore20.01,5837$5 million to $50 million
April 16, 19926:10 PM CDTF0Carson0.510
May 29, 19919:05 PM CDTF0Carson0.230
May 29, 19918:30 PM CDTF0Carson0.120
July 15, 19905:34 PM CDTF0Carson1.9100
July 15, 19904:30 PM CDTF0Carson1.573
July 15, 19904:12 PM CDTF0Carson1.260
June 8, 19909:05 PM CDTF0Carson1.260
June 8, 19908:46 PM CDTF0Carson1.280
June 8, 19908:23 PM CDTF0Carson1.060
June 8, 19908:04 PM CDTF2Carson2.6300$50 to $500
June 8, 19907:49 PM CDTF0Carson0.960
June 8, 19907:47 PM CDTF0Carson1.170
June 8, 19907:30 PM CDTF0Carson0.870
June 11, 198910:55 PM CDTF1Carson4.0150
August 17, 19884:53 PM CDTF0Carson0.130
July 1, 19879:57 PM CDTF2Carson9.01502$5,000 to $50,000
July 1, 19878:30 PM CDTF2Carson4.5200
June 23, 19828:30 PM CDTF0Carson0.110under $50
June 14, 19828:15 PM CDTF0Carson0.110under $50
May 19, 19825:58 PM CDTF0Carson0.550under $50
May 18, 19828:59 PM CDTF0Carson0.110under $50
May 12, 19823:40 PM CDTF1Carson0.630$50,000 to $500,000
June 11, 198110:30 PM CDTF0Carson0.530under $50
March 18, 19792:30 AM CSTF0Carson0.530under $50
May 17, 19778:50 PM CDTF1Carson1.020under $50
May 14, 19773:25 PM CDTF1Carson1.020under $50
May 12, 197512:30 AM CDTF0Carson1.030
August 7, 197410:20 PM CDTF0Carson0.317
April 19, 19744:35 PM CDTF1Carson1.920
April 30, 19736:40 PM CDTF2Carson0.51003$50,000 to $500,000
April 13, 19735:30 PM CSTF2Carson90.1150$5,000 to $50,000
October 17, 197110:30 PM CDTF3Carson2.31002
October 17, 19716:00 PM CDTF1Carson0.350$5,000 to $50,000
August 6, 19715:30 PM CDTF1Carson2.050
May 31, 19703:07 PM CDTF0Carson5.133
April 17, 197010:30 PM CSTF4Parmer130.0880113$500,000 to $5 million
July 17, 19689:02 PM GMT-5F0Carson4.533
July 17, 19689:02 PM GMT-5F0Gray3.833
July 17, 19686:30 PM GMT-5F0Carson0.5100
April 2, 19685:20 PM GMT-6F2Carson2.033$50,000 to $500,000
May 5, 19675:35 PM GMT-5F2Carson16.2100$5,000 to $50,000
May 5, 19675:35 PM GMT-5F0Carson0.110$50 to $500
May 5, 19674:45 PM GMT-5F0Carson0.517
May 16, 19615:45 PM GMT-5F2Carson0.533$500 to $5,000
June 8, 19602:00 AM GMT-5F0Carson0.533
June 16, 19555:07 PM GMT-5F0Carson0.310
June 16, 19554:30 PM GMT-5F1Carson1.017under $50
June 6, 19519:06 PM GMT-5F3Carson10.410012$50,000 to $500,000
June 6, 19517:50 PM GMT-5F0Carson0.110under $50

Nearby

Warnings in force in Carson CountyThe forecast for Carson CountyThe live radar over Carson 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.