Tornadoes · United States · Texas

Tornadoes in Howard County, Texas

52 tornadoes have crossed Howard County since 1950, 71st of the 254 counties in Texas with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.5 years. They have killed 0 people and injured 3. 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
52
Deaths
0
Injuries
3
F4 and above
0
Worst on record
EF3, May 22, 2016

The strongest

  1. EF3, Howard County, TexasMay 22, 2016EF3, 4.0 mi (6 km)
  2. EF2, Howard County, TexasApril 16, 2009EF2, 11.3 mi (18 km)
  3. F2, Howard County, TexasJune 5, 2005F2, 4.0 mi (6 km)
  4. EF2, Howard County, TexasMay 26, 2014EF2, 1.0 mi (2 km)
  5. F2, Howard County, TexasJune 20, 1964F2, 0.8 mi (1 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 27 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Howard County. Each year links to every tornado in Texas that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20181EF0
20163EF3
20151EF1
20141EF2
20091EF2
20081EF0
20052F2
19913F1
19896F1
19881F0
19871F1
19863F0
19856F0
19831F0
19823F1
19811F1
19771F1
19751F0
19741F1
19691F1
19661F0
19642F2
19622F1
19581F0
195613F1
19554F1
19542F1

Every tornado that crossed Howard County

52 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
August 11, 20187:38 PM CDTEF0Howard0.4100
May 22, 20167:17 PM CDTEF0Howard2.3100
May 22, 20166:51 PM CDTEF0Howard1.5100
May 22, 20166:13 PM CDTEF3Howard4.0500$75,000
May 5, 20153:23 PM CDTEF1Howard8.1150$5,000
May 26, 20145:38 PM CDTEF2Howard1.0400$45,000
April 16, 20099:53 PM CDTEF2Howard11.3450$83,000
April 23, 20086:55 PM CDTEF0Howard0.425
June 5, 20058:44 PM CDTF0Howard0.275
June 5, 20057:20 PM CDTF2Howard4.0300$30,000
June 21, 19917:40 PM CDTF1Howard0.540$500 to $5,000
June 2, 199110:58 AM CDTF0Howard0.230
May 7, 19917:20 PM CDTF0Howard0.340
June 10, 19897:02 PM CDTF0Howard2.090
June 2, 19897:23 PM CDTF0Howard3.0100
June 2, 19897:00 PM CDTF0Howard1.080
June 1, 198912:00 AM CDTF1Howard2.5100$5,000 to $50,000
June 1, 19898:18 PM CDTF0Howard1.570
June 1, 19897:48 PM CDTF0Howard1.060
May 20, 19886:14 PM CDTF0Howard2.060
May 28, 19871:05 PM CDTF1Howard3.070
June 18, 198612:45 PM CDTF0Howard0.250
June 18, 198612:33 PM CDTF0Martin17.060
May 24, 19867:23 PM CDTF0Howard0.210
April 28, 19855:45 PM CDTF0Howard0.130
April 28, 19855:35 PM CDTF0Howard0.130
April 28, 19855:35 PM CDTF0Howard0.130
April 28, 19855:31 PM CDTF0Howard0.250
April 28, 19855:30 PM CDTF0Howard0.250
April 28, 19854:20 PM CDTF0Howard0.230
July 4, 19838:38 PM CDTF0Howard0.250under $50
June 18, 198211:45 PM CDTF0Howard0.610$500 to $5,000
June 18, 198211:37 PM CDTF0Howard1.317$50 to $500
May 12, 19829:45 PM CDTF1Howard0.420$50 to $500
August 17, 198112:00 PM CDTF1Howard0.167under $50
May 20, 19773:52 PM CDTF1Howard0.520under $50
May 22, 197510:00 PM CDTF0Howard1.030
April 18, 19747:00 PM CDTF1Howard0.310
May 6, 19697:00 AM GMT-5F1Howard0.517$500 to $5,000
April 30, 196611:30 AM GMT-5F0Howard2.027
June 20, 19647:45 PM GMT-5F2Howard0.823$500 to $5,000
May 7, 19646:30 PM GMT-5F1Howard0.720$500 to $5,000
July 10, 196212:00 AM GMT-5F0Howard0.110
June 8, 19626:50 PM GMT-5F1Howard2.033
November 13, 19589:20 PM GMT-6F0Howard2.017under $50
June 22, 19567:45 PM GMT-5F1Howard0.4333under $50
May 22, 19558:00 PM GMT-5F1Howard0.133$500 to $5,000
May 10, 19555:30 PM GMT-5F0Howard0.110
May 10, 19555:30 PM GMT-5F0Howard0.110
May 10, 19555:30 PM GMT-5F0Howard0.110
June 14, 19543:00 PM GMT-5F0Howard0.110$50,000 to $500,000
April 27, 19543:00 PM GMT-5F1Howard2.017

Nearby

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