Tornadoes · United States · Texas

Tornadoes in Henderson County, Texas

38 tornadoes have crossed Henderson County since 1950, 115th of the 254 counties in Texas with a tornado on record, an average of one every 2.0 years. They have killed 2 people and injured 52. 1 was 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.

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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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: 38
Deaths: 2
Injuries: 52
F4 and above: 1
Worst on record: EF4, April 29, 2017

The deadliest in Henderson County

EF4, Henderson and Van Zandt counties, TexasApril 29, 20172 killed, 25 injured

The strongest

Every year with a tornado

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

Year	Tornadoes	Deaths	Injuries	Strongest
2024	2		6	EF1
2022	1			EF2
2020	1			EF0
2017	2	2	35	EF4
2016	1			EF0
2015	1			EF0
2010	2			EF2
2006	1			F1
2000	1			F0
1999	1			F0
1996	1			F0
1994	3		1	F1
1989	1			F1
1981	5			F3
1979	2		1	F3
1978	1			F1
1977	2			F1
1972	2		1	F2
1971	1			F1
1968	1			F0
1966	1			F2
1959	1		3	F3
1957	1			F1
1954	1		4	F3
1952	2		1	F1

Every tornado that crossed Henderson County

38 tornadoes, newest first.

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
June 3, 2024	7:14 PM CDT	Unrated	Henderson	0.5	30
May 23, 2024	7:06 PM CDT	EF1	Henderson	4.3	480		6	$300,000
November 4, 2022	5:35 PM CDT	EF2	Henderson	15.1	150			$3.0 million
May 16, 2020	12:36 PM CDT	EF0	Henderson	1.0	150			$50,000
April 29, 2017	5:51 PM CDT	EF2	Henderson	11.7	100		10	$600,000
April 29, 2017	5:29 PM CDT	EF4	Henderson	21.4	1,760	2	25	$1.2 million
March 8, 2016	12:37 PM CST	EF0	Henderson	5.3	80			$200,000
December 26, 2015	2:44 PM CST	EF0	Henderson	0.9	40
January 20, 2010	6:23 PM CST	EF1	Henderson	3.0	100			$75,000
January 20, 2010	6:20 PM CST	EF2	Henderson	0.9	200			$30,000
December 29, 2006	6:34 PM CST	F1	Henderson	3.0	100			$2.0 million
March 28, 2000	8:30 PM CST	F0	Henderson	0.5	20
May 4, 1999	5:20 PM CDT	F0	Henderson	0.2	10
April 28, 1996	7:10 PM CDT	F0	Henderson	0.1	20
November 4, 1994	10:00 PM CST	F1	Henderson	2.0	30		1	$5,000 to $50,000
May 27, 1994	9:38 PM CDT	F0	Henderson	0.1	10
May 27, 1994	9:25 PM CDT	F0	Henderson	0.1	10
May 17, 1989	10:05 AM CDT	F1	Henderson	0.2	10
October 13, 1981	10:00 AM CDT	F1	Henderson	6.2	50			$5,000 to $50,000
June 10, 1981	5:30 PM CDT	F1	Henderson	0.1	10			$5,000 to $50,000
May 13, 1981	10:20 PM CDT	F1	Henderson	0.1	10
May 9, 1981	3:10 PM CDT	F3	Anderson	15.0	100			$50,000 to $500,000
May 9, 1981	2:10 PM CDT	F1	Henderson	0.1	10
April 11, 1979	10:10 AM CST	F2	Henderson	13.3	150			$5,000 to $50,000
February 23, 1979	9:35 AM CST	F3	Henderson	10.3	33		1
May 11, 1978	7:30 PM CDT	F1	Henderson	0.1	10			$5,000 to $50,000
September 26, 1977	6:10 AM CDT	F0	Henderson	0.1	10			$5,000 to $50,000
March 3, 1977	4:30 AM CST	F1	Henderson	0.1	10			$5,000 to $50,000
October 21, 1972	12:22 AM CDT	F2	Henderson	1.3	440			$50 to $500
October 21, 1972	12:22 AM CDT	F2	Henderson	1.3	440		1	$50,000 to $500,000
April 28, 1971	8:30 PM CDT	F1	Henderson	1.0	100			$5,000 to $50,000
December 27, 1968	11:20 AM GMT-6	F0	Henderson	0.2	100			$500 to $5,000
April 23, 1966	1:05 AM GMT-6	F2	Henderson	0.1	880			$50,000 to $500,000
November 4, 1959	1:00 AM GMT-6	F3	Henderson	25.1	67		3	$50,000 to $500,000
April 19, 1957	11:15 PM GMT-6	F1	Henderson	0.1	200			$500 to $5,000
May 2, 1954	4:00 PM GMT-5	F3	Henderson	0.1	10		4
May 23, 1952	12:40 PM GMT-5	F0	Henderson	0.5	33		1	$500 to $5,000
April 18, 1952	2:15 PM GMT-6	F1	Henderson	0.8	200			$500 to $5,000

Nearby

Warnings in force in Henderson County The forecast for Henderson County The live radar over Henderson County Every 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.