Tornadoes · United States · Texas

Tornadoes in Denton County, Texas

59 tornadoes have crossed Denton County since 1950, 52nd of the 254 counties in Texas with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.3 years. They have killed 7 people and injured 86. 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
59
Deaths
7
Injuries
86
F4 and above
0
Worst on record
EF3, May 25, 2024

The deadliest in Denton County

  1. EF3 Valley View tornado, TexasMay 25, 20247 killed, 80 injured

The strongest

  1. EF3 Valley View tornado, TexasMay 25, 2024EF3, 47.3 mi (76 km)
  2. F3, Denton County, TexasJune 12, 1966F3, 3.6 mi (6 km)
  3. F2, Denton and Grayson counties, TexasApril 6, 1955F2, 37.9 mi (61 km)
  4. F2, Denton County, TexasMay 17, 1981F2, 4.9 mi (8 km)
  5. EF2, Denton County, TexasMay 24, 2011EF2, 1.5 mi (2 km)
  6. F2, Denton County, TexasNovember 3, 1959F2, 1.2 mi (2 km)
  7. F2, Denton County, TexasJune 29, 1967F2, 1.0 mi (2 km)
  8. F2, Denton County, TexasApril 28, 1991F2, 0.5 mi (1 km)
  9. F2, Denton County, TexasJuly 26, 1971F2, 0.5 mi (1 km)
  10. F2, Denton County, TexasMay 15, 1969F2, 0.2 mi (0 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 37 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Denton County. Each year links to every tornado in Texas that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20252EF0
20242780EF3
20221EF0
20193EF1
20171EF1
20161EF1
20154EF1
20131EF0
20121EF0
20111EF2
20094EF1
20072EF1
20061F0
20043F0
20021F0
20011F1
19971F0
199331F1
19911F2
19841F0
198221F1
19811F2
19791F0
19762F1
19751F1
19731F2
197121F2
19691F2
19681F1
19672F2
19661F3
19621F1
196022F2
19591F2
19573F1
195511F2
19501F1

Every tornado that crossed Denton County

59 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
August 28, 20254:25 PM CDTUnratedDenton0.020
April 30, 20259:36 AM CDTEF0Collin0.125
May 25, 202410:46 PM CDTEF1Denton1.4800$1.0 million
May 25, 20249:39 PM CDTEF3Valley View tornado47.31,400780$19 million
March 21, 20226:31 PM CDTEF0Denton1.950$20,000
May 29, 20191:22 PM CDTEF0Denton3.7250$1,000
April 30, 20196:52 PM CDTEF1Denton2.9250$200,000
April 30, 20196:25 PM CDTEF1Denton1.5150$50,000
March 29, 20172:31 AM CDTEF1Denton1.6130$600,000
March 8, 20168:53 AM CSTEF1Denton0.140$90,000
November 17, 20153:44 AM CSTEF1Denton3.150$500,000
May 10, 20152:39 PM CDTEF0Denton2.975$40,000
May 10, 20152:16 PM CDTEF1Denton5.2100$3.5 million
May 7, 20157:45 PM CDTEF1Denton12.7500$200,000
October 12, 20132:35 PM CDTEF0Denton0.020
April 3, 20122:40 PM CDTEF0Denton0.250
May 24, 20117:51 PM CDTEF2Denton1.5220$750,000
June 10, 20097:05 PM CDTEF0Denton0.650
June 10, 20096:53 PM CDTEF1Denton0.250$200,000
June 10, 20096:50 PM CDTEF0Denton0.150
June 10, 20096:40 PM CDTEF0Denton2.350$5,000
April 24, 20077:19 PM CDTEF1Denton2.550$100,000
April 24, 20072:20 PM CDTEF0Denton1.050$40,000
April 28, 200611:05 PM CDTF0Denton0.210
June 6, 20049:00 PM CDTF0Denton0.150$1,000
June 6, 20048:23 PM CDTF0Denton0.150
March 4, 20042:40 PM CSTF0Denton0.150
December 30, 200212:30 PM CSTF0Denton0.330$70,000
October 12, 20019:20 PM CDTF1Denton0.150$10,000
April 4, 19974:50 PM CSTF0Denton0.130$10,000
September 13, 199311:00 AM CDTF1Denton0.51001$50,000 to $500,000
September 13, 199310:45 AM CDTF0Denton0.110
September 13, 19939:23 AM CDTF1Denton13.0100$50,000 to $500,000
April 28, 19911:33 PM CDTF2Denton0.577$50,000 to $500,000
March 18, 19844:03 PM CSTF0Denton1.030$50 to $500
May 11, 19829:15 PM CDTF1Denton3.0501$50,000 to $500,000
April 16, 19824:37 PM CSTF0Denton1.077$5,000 to $50,000
May 17, 19816:53 PM CDTF2Denton4.9123$500 to $5,000
October 30, 19798:58 AM CSTF0Denton0.110$500 to $5,000
May 26, 19762:32 PM CDTF1Denton0.110
May 26, 19762:25 PM CDTF1Denton0.110
May 29, 19758:50 AM CDTF1Tarrant0.110
December 3, 19731:10 PM CSTF2Denton0.110$500 to $5,000
December 14, 19716:10 PM CSTF2Denton0.117$5,000 to $50,000
July 26, 19714:40 PM CDTF2Denton0.5171$5,000 to $50,000
May 15, 19695:30 PM GMT-5F2Denton0.233$5,000 to $50,000
April 22, 19686:40 AM GMT-6F1Denton1.520$500 to $5,000
June 29, 19676:30 PM GMT-5F2Denton1.033$500 to $5,000
May 30, 19676:50 PM GMT-5F0Denton0.620
June 12, 19667:45 PM GMT-5F3Denton3.6133
August 24, 19624:00 PM GMT-5F1Denton1.027
August 21, 19604:15 PM GMT-5F2Denton0.2402$5,000 to $50,000
May 4, 196011:00 PM GMT-5F1Denton2.067$5,000 to $50,000
November 3, 19598:30 PM GMT-6F2Denton1.2300$5,000 to $50,000
April 3, 195710:30 AM GMT-6F0Denton0.110under $50
April 2, 19576:30 PM GMT-6F1Denton1.567$5,000 to $50,000
April 2, 19573:00 AM GMT-6F0Denton0.110
April 6, 19554:30 AM GMT-6F2Denton37.9101$5,000 to $50,000
May 29, 19506:00 PM GMT-5F1Denton3.4267

Nearby

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