Tornadoes · United States · Texas

Tornadoes in Cottle County, Texas

37 tornadoes have crossed Cottle County since 1950, 119th of the 254 counties in Texas with a tornado on record, an average of one every 2.1 years. They have killed 1 person and injured 14. 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
37
Deaths
1
Injuries
14
F4 and above
0
Worst on record
F3, June 1, 1954

The deadliest in Cottle County

  1. F3, Cottle County, TexasJune 1, 19541 killed, 14 injured

The strongest

  1. F3, Cottle County, TexasJune 1, 1954F3, 13.4 mi (22 km)
  2. EF3, Cottle County, TexasApril 22, 2010EF3, 12.3 mi (20 km)
  3. EF2, Motley and Cottle counties, TexasApril 22, 2010EF2, 9.0 mi (14 km)
  4. F2, Cottle County, TexasMay 31, 1971F2, 2.0 mi (3 km)
  5. F2, Cottle County, TexasApril 12, 1967F2, 2.0 mi (3 km)
  6. F2, Cottle County, TexasMay 21, 1966F2, 2.0 mi (3 km)
  7. F2, Cottle County, TexasMay 8, 1956F2, 1.0 mi (2 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 24 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Cottle County. Each year links to every tornado in Texas that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20212Unrated
20192EF0
20172Unrated
20125EF0
20103EF3
20081EF0
20051F0
20041F0
20011F0
20001F0
19961F0
19911F0
19861F0
19832F0
19812F0
19792F0
19781F0
19711F2
19671F2
19661F2
19622F1
19611F0
19561F2
19541114F3

Every tornado that crossed Cottle County

37 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
March 22, 20217:44 PM CDTUnratedCottle0.020
March 12, 20218:16 PM CSTUnratedCottle0.250
May 20, 20193:01 PM CDTEF0Cottle1.920
May 20, 20193:00 PM CDTUnratedCottle0.210
May 10, 20173:58 PM CDTUnratedCottle1.125
May 10, 20173:37 PM CDTUnratedCottle0.010
May 30, 20127:14 PM CDTEF0Cottle4.8200
May 30, 20126:13 PM CDTEF0Cottle0.630
May 30, 20126:00 PM CDTEF0Cottle0.320
May 30, 20125:59 PM CDTEF0Cottle0.430
May 30, 20125:55 PM CDTEF0Cottle0.730
April 22, 20109:05 PM CDTEF0Cottle5.0150
April 22, 20107:46 PM CDTEF3Cottle12.3975$300,000
April 22, 20107:20 PM CDTEF2Motley9.01,300$100,000
June 19, 20085:28 PM CDTEF0Cottle0.050
May 13, 20055:15 PM CDTF0Cottle0.140
June 2, 20047:04 PM CDTF0Cottle0.550
May 29, 20019:32 PM CDTF0Cottle0.130
April 30, 20003:07 PM CDTF0Cottle0.130
May 25, 199612:55 AM CDTF0Cottle0.110$20,000
June 1, 19913:48 PM CDTF0Cottle0.330
May 16, 19867:35 PM CDTF0Cottle0.150
May 20, 19838:55 PM CDTF0Cottle1.040under $50
May 12, 19837:20 PM CDTF0Cottle0.550under $50
June 1, 198110:40 PM CDTF0Cottle0.310under $50
May 26, 198110:40 PM CDTF0Cottle0.520
July 9, 197910:10 PM CDTF0Cottle1.040$500 to $5,000
July 9, 19799:50 PM CDTF0Cottle0.110$5,000 to $50,000
May 19, 19787:50 PM CDTF0Cottle8.950$5,000 to $50,000
May 31, 19716:30 PM CDTF2Cottle2.067$500 to $5,000
April 12, 19671:30 PM GMT-6F2Cottle2.050
May 21, 19667:20 PM GMT-5F2Cottle2.0880
June 4, 19624:00 PM GMT-5F0Cottle0.110
May 31, 19629:10 PM GMT-5F1Cottle2.033
May 4, 196111:00 PM GMT-5F0Cottle0.110
May 8, 19562:45 AM GMT-5F2Cottle1.067$500 to $5,000
June 1, 19548:30 PM GMT-5F3Cottle13.4267114$500,000 to $5 million

Nearby

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