Tornadoes · United States · Texas

Tornadoes in Panola County, Texas

54 tornadoes have crossed Panola County since 1950, 67th of the 254 counties in Texas with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.4 years. They have killed 2 people and injured 129. 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
54
Deaths
2
Injuries
129
F4 and above
0
Worst on record
F3, November 15, 1987

The deadliest in Panola County

  1. F3, Shelby, Panola, De Soto and Caddo counties, Texas and LouisianaNovember 15, 19871 killed, 116 injured
  2. EF2, Panola County, TexasMarch 27, 20211 killed, 3 injured

The strongest

  1. F3, Shelby, Panola, De Soto and Caddo counties, Texas and LouisianaNovember 15, 1987F3, 48.0 mi (77 km)
  2. F3, Panola County, TexasJune 7, 1989F3, 6.0 mi (10 km)
  3. EF2, Panola, De Soto, Caddo and Bossier counties, Texas and LouisianaApril 26, 2011EF2, 42.4 mi (68 km)
  4. F2, Nacogdoches, Shelby, Rusk and Panola counties, TexasFebruary 11, 1965F2, 31.3 mi (50 km)
  5. F2, Panola County, TexasFebruary 11, 1965F2, 27.8 mi (45 km)
  6. EF2, Rusk and Panola counties, TexasMarch 27, 2021EF2, 22.3 mi (36 km)
  7. EF2, Panola County, TexasMarch 27, 2021EF2, 15.8 mi (25 km)
  8. EF2, Rusk and Panola counties, TexasMarch 21, 2022EF2, 11.9 mi (19 km)
  9. EF2, Shelby and Panola counties, TexasDecember 23, 2009EF2, 10.1 mi (16 km)
  10. EF2, Panola and Harrison counties, TexasDecember 13, 2022EF2, 9.2 mi (15 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 33 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Panola County. Each year links to every tornado in Texas that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
202431EF1
20231EF1
202231EF2
2021214EF2
20202EF1
20192EF1
20181EF0
20171EF1
20151EF1
20134EF0
20121EF0
201122EF2
20092EF2
20081EF1
20011F1
20001F1
19992F1
19911F2
19903F2
19892F3
19881F1
198711116F3
19851F0
19844F0
19821F1
19811F1
19771F0
19732F1
19652F2
196112F2
19571F1
195611F1
195312F2

Every tornado that crossed Panola County

54 tornadoes, newest first. 1 of them touched down in a neighboring state and ran in, so the record files it under that state rather than Texas.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
July 8, 20243:41 PM CDTEF1Shelby5.1600
July 8, 20242:19 PM CDTEF1Harrison9.8215$85,000
July 8, 20241:47 PM CDTEF1De Soto Parish to TX27.58501$1.1 million
June 16, 20231:15 AM CDTEF1Panola to LA7.7844$100,000
December 13, 20223:38 PM CSTEF2Panola9.2460$85,000
May 5, 20222:04 PM CDTEF1Rusk8.3500
March 21, 202212:08 AM CDTEF2Rusk11.95001$550,000
March 27, 20217:38 PM CDTEF2Panola15.81,60013$1.5 million
March 27, 20216:58 PM CDTEF2Rusk22.33001$260,000
November 25, 20201:51 AM CSTEF1Panola0.475
January 11, 202012:18 AM CSTEF1Panola0.5150$30,000
October 20, 20197:36 PM CDTEF0Panola0.8150$5,000
May 8, 20193:19 PM CDTEF1Caddo Parish to LA2.6200$60,000
October 13, 20185:19 PM CDTEF0Panola1.340
May 3, 20174:14 PM CDTEF1Panola8.41,500$500,000
May 25, 20157:18 PM CDTEF1Panola21.61,251$600,000
February 18, 20136:19 PM CSTEF0Panola0.020
February 18, 20136:13 PM CSTEF0Panola0.010
February 18, 20136:05 PM CSTEF0Panola0.830
February 18, 20135:57 PM CSTEF0Panola1.250
January 25, 201210:47 AM CSTEF0Rusk6.5100
April 26, 20117:46 PM CDTEF2Panola to LA42.48502$10 million
April 26, 20116:35 PM CDTEF1Rusk13.9100$10,000
December 23, 200911:26 PM CSTEF2Shelby10.1200$250,000
October 29, 20094:44 PM CDTEF0Panola4.0100
May 2, 200811:55 AM CDTEF1Panola3.8200$400,000
March 12, 20013:36 AM CSTF1Rusk15.8300$305 million
April 23, 20005:51 PM CDTF1Panola7.050
April 26, 19991:30 PM CDTF1Panola3.0100$30,000
January 1, 19999:58 PM CSTF1Panola5.350$10,000
February 18, 19911:30 PM CSTF2Panola4.0300$50,000 to $500,000
May 30, 19908:20 PM CDTF2Panola0.210
May 30, 19907:50 PM CDTF2Panola0.210
May 12, 19902:30 AM CDTF1Panola1.5150
June 7, 19895:55 PM CDTF3Panola6.0447$5,000 to $50,000
June 7, 19895:47 PM CDTF1Panola4.0220
November 26, 19885:50 AM CSTF1Panola0.210
November 15, 19876:30 PM CSTF3Shelby to LA48.05001116$5 million to $50 million
April 28, 198510:50 AM CDTF0Panola0.530
May 2, 19847:20 PM CDTF0Panola0.110
April 29, 19846:30 PM CDTF0Panola0.530under $50
April 10, 19844:42 PM CSTF0Panola0.510under $50
April 10, 19844:20 PM CSTF0Panola0.510under $50
April 19, 19825:39 PM CSTF1Panola0.110under $50
May 9, 19813:50 PM CDTF1Panola0.110
July 27, 19774:00 PM CDTF0Panola0.110under $50
January 20, 19732:15 PM CSTF1Shelby17.3200$50,000 to $500,000
January 20, 19732:10 PM CSTF1Shelby14.5200$50,000 to $500,000
February 11, 196510:30 AM GMT-6F2Nacogdoches31.310$50,000 to $500,000
February 11, 196510:30 AM GMT-6F2Panola27.8117$5,000 to $50,000
September 13, 19616:05 PM GMT-5F2Panola0.1102$500 to $5,000
April 22, 19574:00 PM GMT-6F1Panola11.110$50 to $500
July 24, 19567:30 PM GMT-5F1Panola0.1101$5,000 to $50,000
March 12, 19534:30 PM GMT-6F2Panola2.0802$5,000 to $50,000

Nearby

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