Tornadoes · United States · Texas

Tornadoes in Potter County, Texas

43 tornadoes have crossed Potter County since 1950, 98th of the 254 counties in Texas with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.8 years. They have killed 0 people and injured 6. 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
43
Deaths
0
Injuries
6
F4 and above
0
Worst on record
F3, May 9, 1982

The strongest

  1. F3, Randall and Potter counties, TexasMay 9, 1982F3, 8.2 mi (13 km)
  2. F2, Parmer, Randall, Potter and Delta counties, TexasMay 24, 1957F2, 70.1 mi (113 km)
  3. EF2, Potter and Carson counties, TexasJune 13, 2016EF2, 5.0 mi (8 km)
  4. F2, Potter County, TexasJune 21, 1972F2, 4.1 mi (7 km)
  5. F2, Potter County, TexasMarch 23, 1973F2, 2.0 mi (3 km)
  6. F2, Potter County, TexasJune 24, 1962F2, 1.5 mi (2 km)
  7. F2, Potter County, TexasMay 4, 1965F2, 1.0 mi (2 km)
  8. F2, Potter County, TexasMay 2, 1969F2, 0.1 mi (0 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 28 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Potter County. Each year links to every tornado in Texas that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20231EF0
20191EF0
20171EF0
20161EF2
20152EF0
20101EF0
20042F0
20011F0
20001F0
19991F0
19931F0
19911F0
19894F1
19873F1
198221F3
19791F0
19741F1
19732F2
197225F2
19691F2
19681F0
19661F1
19651F2
19624F2
19602F1
19572F2
19551F0
19511F1

Every tornado that crossed Potter County

43 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
June 3, 20237:50 PM CDTEF0Potter0.210
May 27, 20191:10 AM CDTEF0Potter1.650
August 13, 20178:00 PM CDTEF0Potter0.120
June 13, 20168:25 PM CDTEF2Potter5.0100
November 16, 20157:58 PM CSTEF0Potter0.450
April 11, 20156:36 PM CDTEF0Potter2.830
April 20, 20107:04 PM CDTEF0Potter1.150
June 21, 20047:16 PM CDTF0Potter0.125
June 21, 20047:11 PM CDTF0Potter0.125
September 19, 20016:55 PM CDTF0Potter0.125
October 23, 20002:10 PM CDTF0Randall0.450$10,000
June 24, 19997:00 PM CDTF0Potter0.250
April 28, 19936:51 PM CDTF0Potter1.573
May 29, 19916:51 PM CDTF0Potter2.860
May 16, 19896:23 PM CDTF1Potter0.2110$5,000 to $50,000
May 16, 19896:02 PM CDTF0Potter0.140
May 16, 19895:55 PM CDTF0Potter3.050
April 30, 19897:28 PM CDTF0Potter0.220
June 2, 19878:20 PM CDTF0Potter0.140
June 2, 19877:40 PM CDTF1Potter3.0100
May 25, 198710:30 PM CDTF0Potter0.140
May 9, 19829:00 PM CDTF1Potter0.110$5,000 to $50,000
May 9, 19828:11 PM CDTF3Randall8.2401$500,000 to $5 million
July 7, 197910:10 PM CDTF0Potter0.110
June 7, 19747:50 PM CDTF1Potter4.7200under $50
April 13, 19735:58 PM CSTF1Potter1.017
March 23, 19734:00 PM CSTF2Potter2.050$5,000 to $50,000
August 8, 19723:15 PM CDTF0Potter2.050
June 21, 197210:15 PM CDTF2Potter4.11005$500,000 to $5 million
May 2, 19695:00 PM GMT-5F2Potter0.150$500 to $5,000
August 14, 19685:40 PM GMT-5F0Potter0.217
September 17, 19661:45 PM GMT-5F1Potter1.013
May 4, 19657:40 PM GMT-5F2Potter1.020$500 to $5,000
June 24, 19621:05 AM GMT-5F2Potter1.527$500 to $5,000
June 14, 196210:00 PM GMT-5F1Potter0.533
June 14, 19629:11 PM GMT-5F0Randall2.010
June 14, 19628:40 PM GMT-5F1Randall4.713
June 10, 19608:46 PM GMT-5F0Potter0.110
June 9, 19608:35 PM GMT-5F1Potter1.033$50,000 to $500,000
May 24, 19572:50 PM GMT-5F0Potter0.350$5,000 to $50,000
May 24, 195711:45 AM GMT-5F2Parmer70.133$500 to $5,000
June 16, 19554:30 PM GMT-5F0Potter0.367
June 6, 19517:20 PM GMT-5F1Potter0.110$5,000 to $50,000

Nearby

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