Tornadoes · United States · Texas

Tornadoes in Jim Wells County, Texas

47 tornadoes have crossed Jim Wells County since 1950, 83rd of the 254 counties in Texas with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.6 years. They have killed 0 people and injured 2. 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
47
Deaths
0
Injuries
2
F4 and above
0
Worst on record
F2, August 10, 1980

The strongest

  1. F2, Gonzales and Jim Wells counties, TexasOctober 11, 1973F2, 8.2 mi (13 km)
  2. F2, Jim Wells County, TexasAugust 10, 1980F2, 2.0 mi (3 km)
  3. F2, Jim Wells County, TexasSeptember 22, 1967F2, 2.0 mi (3 km)
  4. F2, Jim Wells County, TexasJune 1, 1962F2, 1.0 mi (2 km)
  5. F2, Jim Wells County, TexasMay 7, 1976F2, 0.1 mi (0 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 26 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Jim Wells County. Each year links to every tornado in Texas that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20231EF0
20152EF0
20142EF1
20112EF1
20091EF1
20081EF0
20071EF0
20053F1
20022F0
19991F0
19972F0
19962F1
19941F1
19921F1
19861F0
198011F2
19761F2
19741F0
197311F2
19711F1
19678F2
19641F1
19626F2
19591F0
19571F0
19562F0

Every tornado that crossed Jim Wells County

47 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
August 22, 202311:57 AM CDTEF0Jim Wells0.230$1,000
September 26, 20153:48 PM CDTEF0Jim Wells0.450
June 17, 20155:20 PM CDTEF0Jim Wells0.220$10,000
May 27, 20147:45 PM CDTEF1Jim Wells5.3650$250,000
May 27, 20146:30 PM CDTEF1Jim Wells2.3550$1.6 million
September 17, 20115:09 PM CDTEF1Jim Wells1.9100$20,000
January 9, 20113:25 AM CSTEF1Jim Wells23.3200$5.0 million
May 24, 20094:45 PM CDTEF1Jim Wells0.250$50,000
July 23, 20082:59 PM CDTEF0Jim Wells0.450
August 27, 200712:05 PM CDTEF0Jim Wells0.125$10,000
July 20, 200511:30 AM CDTF1Jim Wells12.0100$100,000
July 20, 200510:35 AM CDTF0Jim Wells3.0100
July 20, 20059:31 AM CDTF0Jim Wells7.0100
September 8, 200210:46 PM CDTF0Jim Wells0.6600
September 8, 200210:15 PM CDTF0Jim Wells0.5500
August 22, 19997:20 PM CDTF0Jim Wells0.110
May 9, 199712:23 PM CDTF0Jim Wells0.130
March 30, 199710:10 AM CSTF0Jim Wells0.110
November 24, 19965:50 AM CSTF0Jim Wells0.110
September 20, 199612:35 PM CDTF1Jim Wells1.025
May 13, 19945:40 PM CDTF1Jim Wells0.570
August 30, 19927:15 PM CDTF1Jim Wells0.250$50,000 to $500,000
November 9, 198612:40 PM CSTF0Jim Wells2.010
August 10, 198010:00 AM CDTF2Jim Wells2.0401$50,000 to $500,000
May 7, 197610:40 AM CDTF2Jim Wells0.110$50 to $500
July 13, 19741:56 PM CDTF0Jim Wells0.110
October 11, 19739:15 AM CDTF2Gonzales8.2501$5,000 to $50,000
September 12, 197111:00 AM CDTF1Jim Wells0.317$500 to $5,000
September 22, 19672:30 PM GMT-5F0Jim Wells0.110
September 22, 19671:08 PM GMT-5F0Jim Wells0.517
September 22, 19679:39 AM GMT-5F0Jim Wells0.127$50 to $500
September 22, 19679:23 AM GMT-5F2Jim Wells2.033
September 21, 196711:00 AM GMT-5F1Jim Wells0.110$50 to $500
September 21, 196711:00 AM GMT-5F1Jim Wells0.110$50 to $500
August 11, 19675:00 PM GMT-5F1Jim Wells0.333$500 to $5,000
August 11, 19674:20 PM GMT-5F0Jim Wells0.117
September 16, 19642:50 PM GMT-5F1Jim Wells0.233$500 to $5,000
July 1, 19625:20 PM GMT-5F0Jim Wells2.027
June 30, 19624:00 PM GMT-5F0Jim Wells0.110
June 26, 196212:00 PM GMT-5F1Jim Wells6.950
June 1, 19628:30 AM GMT-5F2Jim Wells1.050$5,000 to $50,000
June 1, 19628:30 AM GMT-5F1Jim Wells0.817$5,000 to $50,000
June 1, 19628:30 AM GMT-5F0Jim Wells1.033$5,000 to $50,000
May 24, 19591:20 AM GMT-5F0Jim Wells0.110
May 15, 195712:00 PM GMT-5F0Jim Wells2.010under $50
June 18, 19569:00 AM GMT-5F0Jim Wells0.113
March 21, 19563:00 PM GMT-6F0Jim Wells0.110

Nearby

Warnings in force in Jim Wells CountyThe forecast for Jim Wells CountyThe live radar over Jim Wells 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.