Tornadoes · United States · Texas

Tornadoes in Lamar County, Texas

48 tornadoes have crossed Lamar County since 1950, 78th of the 254 counties in Texas with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.6 years. They have killed 12 people and injured 242. 3 were 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.

  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
48
Deaths
12
Injuries
242
F4 and above
3
Worst on record
F4, April 2, 1982

The deadliest in Lamar County

  1. F4, Lamar and Red River counties, TexasApril 2, 198210 killed, 170 injured
  2. F2, Lamar County, TexasApril 2, 19571 killed, 2 injured
  3. F3, Fannin and Lamar counties, TexasApril 2, 19821 killed, 1 injured

The strongest

  1. EF4, Lamar and Choctaw counties, Texas and OklahomaNovember 4, 2022EF4, 44.7 mi (72 km)
  2. F4, Lamar and Red River counties, TexasApril 2, 1982F4, 23.0 mi (37 km)
  3. F4, Lamar County, TexasMay 13, 1981F4, 8.8 mi (14 km)
  4. F3, Fannin and Lamar counties, TexasApril 2, 1982F3, 32.0 mi (51 km)
  5. F2, Lamar and Red River counties, TexasApril 25, 1982F2, 13.0 mi (21 km)
  6. EF2, Lamar and Red River counties, TexasApril 22, 2020EF2, 10.4 mi (17 km)
  7. EF2, Lamar County, TexasDecember 13, 2022EF2, 10.2 mi (16 km)
  8. F2, Lamar County, TexasOctober 13, 1981F2, 6.6 mi (11 km)
  9. F2, Lamar County, TexasApril 23, 1964F2, 6.6 mi (11 km)
  10. F2, Lamar County, TexasApril 2, 1957F2, 6.5 mi (10 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 22 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Lamar County. Each year links to every tornado in Texas that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20252EF0
20242EF0
2022211EF4
20202EF2
20111EF0
20101EF0
20053F1
19962F0
19951F0
19943F2
1990113F2
19871F0
198538F2
1982711171F4
1981330F4
19791F1
19782F1
197446F2
197311F2
19642F2
19631F0
1957312F2

Every tornado that crossed Lamar County

48 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
May 20, 20251:41 AM CDTEF0Lamar0.150
April 30, 202510:59 AM CDTEF0Lamar0.450
May 8, 20248:27 PM CDTEF0Lamar0.330$2,000
May 8, 20247:40 PM CDTEF0Lamar0.030
December 13, 202210:45 AM CSTEF2Lamar10.2200
November 4, 20224:16 PM CDTEF4Lamar to OK44.71,70011$5.9 million
April 22, 20206:51 PM CDTEF2Lamar10.4810$75,000
April 22, 20206:35 PM CDTEF1Lamar4.5510$5,000
March 8, 20114:10 PM CSTEF0Lamar4.060$20,000
September 8, 20105:20 PM CDTEF0Lamar1.9200$100,000
March 21, 20056:24 PM CSTF0Lamar0.125
March 21, 20056:20 PM CSTF0Lamar0.120
March 21, 20056:04 PM CSTF1Lamar3.030$10,000
September 20, 19966:40 PM CDTF0Lamar0.235$70,000
June 12, 19968:23 PM CDTF0Lamar0.125
April 19, 19955:35 PM CDTF0Lamar0.110$5,000 to $50,000
June 15, 19947:35 PM CDTF0Lamar0.110$500 to $5,000
April 26, 19947:25 PM CDTF0Lamar0.110
April 26, 19947:00 PM CDTF2Lamar6.0100$50,000 to $500,000
May 3, 19901:55 AM CDTF2Lamar2.010013
March 17, 19871:45 AM CSTF0Lamar0.210$50,000 to $500,000
May 20, 198511:16 PM CDTF0Lamar0.530
May 20, 19859:30 PM CDTF0Lamar0.530
May 13, 19851:30 PM CDTF2Lamar4.0778$500,000 to $5 million
May 24, 198210:00 PM CDTF0Lamar0.110under $50
May 24, 19829:50 PM CDTF0Lamar0.210under $50
May 24, 19828:15 PM CDTF0Lamar0.110under $50
April 25, 19827:10 PM CDTF2Lamar13.0100$50,000 to $500,000
April 2, 19824:05 PM CSTF1Lamar1.050$5,000 to $50,000
April 2, 19824:00 PM CSTF4Lamar23.025010170$5 million to $50 million
April 2, 19823:20 PM CSTF3Fannin32.015011$500,000 to $5 million
October 13, 19814:30 PM CDTF2Lamar6.650$5,000 to $50,000
October 13, 19814:00 PM CDTF1Lamar0.110$50 to $500
May 13, 19817:15 PM CDTF4Lamar8.840030$500,000 to $5 million
May 3, 19791:58 PM CDTF1Lamar0.110
June 7, 19784:30 PM CDTF0Lamar0.110
June 7, 19783:30 PM CDTF1Lamar0.110$5,000 to $50,000
May 25, 197410:15 PM CDTF2Lamar0.110$5,000 to $50,000
May 3, 19747:00 PM CDTF2Lamar0.110$5,000 to $50,000
April 21, 19746:15 PM CDTF2Lamar1.0106$5,000 to $50,000
April 21, 19745:45 PM CDTF2Lamar0.310$5,000 to $50,000
March 10, 19738:00 AM CSTF2Lamar1.51001$5,000 to $50,000
April 23, 19647:19 AM GMT-6F2Lamar6.6100$5,000 to $50,000
April 23, 19647:19 AM GMT-6F2Lamar2.023$5,000 to $50,000
May 27, 19638:00 PM GMT-5F0Lamar0.110
April 2, 19576:30 PM GMT-6F2Lamar0.110$5,000 to $50,000
April 2, 19576:00 PM GMT-6F2Lamar6.510012$5,000 to $50,000
March 31, 19578:00 PM GMT-6F1Lamar0.110$5,000 to $50,000

Nearby

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