Tornadoes · United States · Texas
Tornadoes in Tarrant County, Texas
113 tornadoes have crossed Tarrant County since 1950, 4th of the 254 counties in Texas with a tornado on record, an average of 1.5 a year. They have killed 3 people and injured 144. None was rated F4 or above. Before 1950, Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes has 4 more crossing the county, back to 1897.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
- 113
- Deaths
- 3
- Injuries
- 144
- F4 and above
- 0
- Worst on record
- F3, March 28, 2000
The deadliest in Tarrant County
The strongest
- F3, Tarrant and Dallas counties, TexasMarch 28, 2000
- F3, Tarrant County, TexasMay 4, 1960
- F3, Tarrant County, TexasMarch 28, 2000
- F3, Tarrant County, TexasApril 16, 2002
- F2, Tarrant County, TexasMay 11, 1973
- F2, Tarrant County, TexasSeptember 13, 1993
- EF2, Tarrant County, TexasApril 3, 2012
- EF2, Tarrant County, TexasNovember 24, 2020
- F2, Tarrant County, TexasApril 19, 1995
- F2, Tarrant County, TexasMay 6, 1973
Every year with a tornado
The 47 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Tarrant County. Each year links to every tornado in Texas that year.
| Year | Tornadoes | Deaths | Injuries | Strongest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 9 | 5 | EF1 | |
| 2020 | 1 | 5 | EF2 | |
| 2019 | 5 | EF1 | ||
| 2017 | 3 | EF0 | ||
| 2016 | 2 | EF0 | ||
| 2015 | 2 | EF0 | ||
| 2012 | 2 | 7 | EF2 | |
| 2011 | 2 | EF0 | ||
| 2010 | 2 | EF0 | ||
| 2009 | 1 | EF1 | ||
| 2008 | 1 | EF2 | ||
| 2007 | 4 | 1 | EF1 | |
| 2005 | 2 | F0 | ||
| 2004 | 3 | F0 | ||
| 2003 | 2 | F0 | ||
| 2002 | 4 | F3 | ||
| 2001 | 1 | 2 | F1 | |
| 2000 | 2 | 2 | 80 | F3 |
| 1997 | 1 | F0 | ||
| 1995 | 2 | 4 | F2 | |
| 1994 | 2 | F0 | ||
| 1993 | 3 | 5 | F2 | |
| 1990 | 1 | F2 | ||
| 1989 | 1 | F1 | ||
| 1984 | 1 | F0 | ||
| 1983 | 1 | F0 | ||
| 1982 | 1 | F1 | ||
| 1981 | 1 | 2 | F1 | |
| 1980 | 1 | F0 | ||
| 1979 | 4 | F1 | ||
| 1978 | 4 | F1 | ||
| 1976 | 5 | F2 | ||
| 1975 | 4 | 1 | F2 | |
| 1974 | 1 | F2 | ||
| 1973 | 4 | F2 | ||
| 1972 | 3 | 6 | F1 | |
| 1971 | 6 | 13 | F1 | |
| 1970 | 3 | F2 | ||
| 1969 | 1 | F2 | ||
| 1968 | 4 | F1 | ||
| 1967 | 1 | F1 | ||
| 1964 | 1 | F0 | ||
| 1963 | 1 | F2 | ||
| 1960 | 1 | 12 | F3 | |
| 1959 | 2 | F1 | ||
| 1957 | 3 | 2 | F2 | |
| 1956 | 2 | F1 |
Every tornado that crossed Tarrant County
113 tornadoes, newest first.
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 13, 2022 | 8:49 AM CST | EF1 | Tarrant | 0.8 | 100 | |||
| December 13, 2022 | 8:42 AM CST | EF1 | Tarrant | 3.1 | 150 | 5 | ||
| December 13, 2022 | 8:34 AM CST | EF1 | Tarrant | 1.9 | 40 | |||
| December 13, 2022 | 8:18 AM CST | EF0 | Tarrant | 0.3 | 25 | $1,000 | ||
| December 13, 2022 | 8:14 AM CST | EF1 | Tarrant | 0.2 | 40 | $1,000 | ||
| December 13, 2022 | 8:10 AM CST | EF0 | Tarrant | 0.8 | 25 | $50,000 | ||
| March 21, 2022 | 6:12 PM CDT | EF0 | Tarrant | 0.6 | 100 | $20,000 | ||
| March 21, 2022 | 5:37 PM CDT | EF0 | Tarrant | 1.3 | 50 | |||
| March 21, 2022 | 5:31 PM CDT | EF0 | Tarrant | 0.5 | 50 | |||
| November 24, 2020 | 8:51 PM CST | EF2 | Tarrant | 5.0 | 150 | 5 | ||
| June 16, 2019 | 3:25 PM CDT | EF1 | Tarrant | 0.2 | 100 | $200,000 | ||
| June 16, 2019 | 3:07 PM CDT | EF0 | Tarrant | 1.3 | 132 | $150,000 | ||
| June 16, 2019 | 2:58 PM CDT | Unrated | Tarrant | 0.0 | 10 | |||
| May 29, 2019 | 1:31 PM CDT | EF1 | Tarrant | 0.5 | 300 | $100,000 | ||
| May 29, 2019 | 1:19 PM CDT | EF0 | Tarrant | 3.9 | 200 | $5,000 | ||
| March 29, 2017 | 2:10 AM CDT | EF0 | Tarrant | 11.4 | 500 | $100,000 | ||
| March 29, 2017 | 2:08 AM CDT | EF0 | Tarrant | 6.5 | 200 | $300,000 | ||
| January 15, 2017 | 8:11 PM CST | EF0 | Johnson | 3.1 | 40 | $150,000 | ||
| March 23, 2016 | 9:08 PM CDT | EF0 | Tarrant | 0.6 | 40 | $90,000 | ||
| March 8, 2016 | 8:03 AM CST | EF0 | Tarrant | 1.9 | 70 | $330,000 | ||
| November 17, 2015 | 3:28 AM CST | EF0 | Tarrant | 0.9 | 30 | $210,000 | ||
| November 5, 2015 | 4:08 PM CST | EF0 | Tarrant | 3.9 | 40 | $120,000 | ||
| April 3, 2012 | 1:58 PM CDT | EF0 | Tarrant | 0.5 | 60 | $55,000 | ||
| April 3, 2012 | 1:21 PM CDT | EF2 | Tarrant | 6.4 | 150 | 7 | $200 million | |
| May 24, 2011 | 7:45 PM CDT | EF0 | Tarrant | 1.7 | 50 | $1,000 | ||
| May 11, 2011 | 1:55 PM CDT | EF0 | Tarrant | 0.5 | 50 | $30,000 | ||
| October 23, 2010 | 12:55 PM CDT | EF0 | Tarrant | 0.0 | 50 | $15,000 | ||
| September 7, 2010 | 2:56 PM CDT | EF0 | Tarrant | 0.1 | 10 | |||
| February 10, 2009 | 9:15 PM CST | EF1 | Tarrant | 0.5 | 100 | $750,000 | ||
| April 23, 2008 | 9:35 PM CDT | EF2 | Tarrant | 0.3 | 100 | $1.0 million | ||
| April 17, 2007 | 6:30 PM CDT | EF0 | Tarrant | 1.1 | 30 | $15,000 | ||
| April 13, 2007 | 6:09 PM CDT | EF1 | Tarrant | 6.0 | 125 | 1 | $2.0 million | |
| April 13, 2007 | 5:55 PM CDT | EF0 | Tarrant | 1.5 | 30 | $150,000 | ||
| April 3, 2007 | 8:20 PM CDT | EF0 | Tarrant | 1.0 | 20 | $100,000 | ||
| April 25, 2005 | 4:30 PM CDT | F0 | Tarrant | 0.1 | 15 | $1,000 | ||
| April 25, 2005 | 4:14 PM CDT | F0 | Tarrant | 0.1 | 15 | |||
| June 1, 2004 | 9:12 PM CDT | F0 | Tarrant | 0.1 | 50 | |||
| June 1, 2004 | 9:07 PM CDT | F0 | Tarrant | 0.1 | 50 | |||
| April 23, 2004 | 8:18 PM CDT | F0 | Tarrant | 0.1 | 20 | |||
| April 5, 2003 | 8:19 PM CST | F0 | Tarrant | 0.7 | 100 | $2,000 | ||
| April 5, 2003 | 8:05 PM CST | F0 | Tarrant | 0.5 | 100 | $20,000 | ||
| April 16, 2002 | 5:59 PM CDT | F3 | Tarrant | 2.1 | 80 | $250,000 | ||
| April 16, 2002 | 5:52 PM CDT | F0 | Tarrant | 0.8 | 70 | $10,000 | ||
| April 16, 2002 | 5:49 PM CDT | F0 | Tarrant | 0.6 | 50 | $2,000 | ||
| April 16, 2002 | 5:42 PM CDT | F0 | Tarrant | 1.6 | 100 | $10,000 | ||
| May 4, 2001 | 9:43 PM CDT | F1 | Tarrant | 8.0 | 150 | 2 | $5.0 million | |
| March 28, 2000 | 7:05 PM CST | F3 | Tarrant | 8.0 | 300 | |||
| March 28, 2000 | 6:18 PM CST | F3 | Tarrant | 4.0 | 250 | 2 | 80 | |
| February 20, 1997 | 12:00 PM CST | F0 | Tarrant | 1.0 | 33 | |||
| May 7, 1995 | 10:15 PM CDT | F1 | Tarrant | 10.0 | 300 | 4 | $500,000 to $5 million | |
| April 19, 1995 | 8:40 PM CDT | F2 | Tarrant | 5.0 | 50 | $500,000 to $5 million | ||
| November 20, 1994 | 6:00 AM CST | F0 | Tarrant | 1.2 | 200 | $50,000 to $500,000 | ||
| April 25, 1994 | 7:42 PM CDT | F0 | Tarrant | 0.1 | 10 | |||
| September 13, 1993 | 9:00 AM CDT | F1 | Tarrant | 6.0 | 80 | $50,000 to $500,000 | ||
| September 13, 1993 | 8:37 AM CDT | F2 | Tarrant | 2.0 | 100 | 5 | $500,000 to $5 million | |
| September 13, 1993 | 8:10 AM CDT | F2 | Tarrant | 8.0 | 100 | $500,000 to $5 million | ||
| April 5, 1990 | 9:33 PM CDT | F2 | Tarrant | 0.2 | 10 | $500,000 to $5 million | ||
| June 7, 1989 | 4:00 PM CDT | F1 | Tarrant | 0.2 | 10 | |||
| March 18, 1984 | 5:13 PM CST | F0 | Tarrant | 1.0 | 30 | $50 to $500 | ||
| June 3, 1983 | 6:47 PM CDT | F0 | Tarrant | 0.1 | 17 | under $50 | ||
| April 28, 1982 | 6:00 PM CDT | F1 | Tarrant | 0.1 | 10 | $50,000 to $500,000 | ||
| October 13, 1981 | 2:30 PM CDT | F1 | Tarrant | 1.0 | 100 | 2 | $5,000 to $50,000 | |
| April 2, 1980 | 5:30 PM CST | F0 | Tarrant | 0.1 | 10 | |||
| May 21, 1979 | 4:50 PM CDT | F1 | Tarrant | 0.1 | 20 | |||
| May 21, 1979 | 4:45 PM CDT | F1 | Tarrant | 0.1 | 20 | |||
| May 3, 1979 | 11:30 AM CDT | F1 | Tarrant | 0.1 | 50 | |||
| May 3, 1979 | 10:28 AM CDT | F0 | Tarrant | 0.1 | 10 | |||
| May 11, 1978 | 6:00 PM CDT | F0 | Tarrant | 0.1 | 10 | $500 to $5,000 | ||
| May 2, 1978 | 2:05 AM CDT | F0 | Tarrant | 0.1 | 10 | |||
| April 30, 1978 | 7:50 PM CDT | F1 | Johnson | 11.3 | 10 | $5,000 to $50,000 | ||
| April 22, 1978 | 4:30 PM CST | F1 | Parker | 8.2 | 10 | $5,000 to $50,000 | ||
| July 4, 1976 | 9:12 PM CDT | F0 | Tarrant | 0.1 | 10 | |||
| July 4, 1976 | 7:30 PM CDT | F0 | Tarrant | 0.1 | 10 | |||
| May 26, 1976 | 4:35 PM CDT | F0 | Tarrant | 0.1 | 13 | |||
| April 19, 1976 | 10:55 PM CST | F2 | Tarrant | 0.1 | 10 | |||
| April 19, 1976 | 1:20 PM CST | F1 | Tarrant | 1.2 | 50 | $5,000 to $50,000 | ||
| May 29, 1975 | 8:50 AM CDT | F1 | Tarrant | 0.1 | 10 | |||
| May 26, 1975 | 11:40 PM CDT | F0 | Tarrant | 0.1 | 10 | |||
| May 14, 1975 | 1:20 PM CDT | F2 | Tarrant | 0.5 | 100 | 1 | $5,000 to $50,000 | |
| May 13, 1975 | 9:20 PM CDT | F1 | Tarrant | 0.1 | 10 | $500 to $5,000 | ||
| May 14, 1974 | 7:40 PM CDT | F2 | Tarrant | 0.3 | 100 | $50 to $500 | ||
| June 19, 1973 | 7:30 PM CDT | F2 | Tarrant | 0.3 | 500 | $50,000 to $500,000 | ||
| May 11, 1973 | 8:29 PM CDT | F2 | Tarrant | 8.4 | 200 | $50,000 to $500,000 | ||
| May 6, 1973 | 9:20 PM CDT | F2 | Tarrant | 2.5 | 150 | $50,000 to $500,000 | ||
| March 6, 1973 | 6:25 AM CST | F2 | Tarrant | 1.5 | 30 | $5,000 to $50,000 | ||
| November 12, 1972 | 9:15 PM CST | F1 | Tarrant | 0.1 | 77 | 5 | $50,000 to $500,000 | |
| September 29, 1972 | 3:45 PM CDT | F1 | Tarrant | 0.1 | 13 | $5,000 to $50,000 | ||
| September 26, 1972 | 9:14 PM CDT | F1 | Tarrant | 0.5 | 440 | 1 | $50,000 to $500,000 | |
| December 14, 1971 | 5:40 PM CST | F1 | Tarrant | 1.0 | 17 | 2 | $50,000 to $500,000 | |
| December 14, 1971 | 5:30 PM CST | F1 | Tarrant | 0.2 | 20 | 2 | $5,000 to $50,000 | |
| December 14, 1971 | 5:30 PM CST | F1 | Tarrant | 0.1 | 17 | 4 | $500,000 to $5 million | |
| December 14, 1971 | 5:30 PM CST | F1 | Tarrant | 0.1 | 17 | 1 | $500,000 to $5 million | |
| December 12, 1971 | 5:40 PM CST | F1 | Tarrant | 0.1 | 17 | 2 | ||
| December 12, 1971 | 5:30 PM CST | F1 | Tarrant | 0.1 | 17 | 2 | ||
| August 31, 1970 | 11:00 PM CDT | F0 | Tarrant | 0.1 | 10 | |||
| April 25, 1970 | 2:48 PM CST | F1 | Tarrant | 0.5 | 27 | $500 to $5,000 | ||
| April 18, 1970 | 3:00 PM CST | F2 | Tarrant | 2.0 | 50 | $50,000 to $500,000 | ||
| April 27, 1969 | 6:00 AM GMT-5 | F2 | Tarrant | 0.1 | 100 | $50,000 to $500,000 | ||
| December 27, 1968 | 9:00 AM GMT-6 | F1 | Tarrant | 0.1 | 17 | |||
| October 21, 1968 | 7:30 PM GMT-5 | F1 | Tarrant | 1.0 | 17 | $500 to $5,000 | ||
| June 3, 1968 | 4:00 PM GMT-5 | F0 | Tarrant | 0.1 | 17 | under $50 | ||
| April 22, 1968 | 11:08 AM GMT-6 | F1 | Tarrant | 0.3 | 20 | |||
| April 20, 1967 | 8:40 PM GMT-6 | F1 | Tarrant | 0.5 | 33 | |||
| September 21, 1964 | 11:56 AM GMT-5 | F0 | Tarrant | 0.1 | 17 | |||
| September 7, 1963 | 2:30 PM GMT-5 | F2 | Tarrant | 0.4 | 50 | $5,000 to $50,000 | ||
| May 4, 1960 | 8:20 PM GMT-5 | F3 | Tarrant | 7.4 | 500 | 12 | $50,000 to $500,000 | |
| October 4, 1959 | 3:30 AM GMT-5 | F1 | Johnson | 13.0 | 50 | $50,000 to $500,000 | ||
| October 3, 1959 | 8:30 AM GMT-5 | F1 | Tarrant | 1.0 | 100 | $500 to $5,000 | ||
| November 17, 1957 | 4:45 PM GMT-6 | F2 | Tarrant | 2.0 | 50 | 2 | $500 to $5,000 | |
| April 3, 1957 | 10:45 AM GMT-6 | F0 | Tarrant | 0.1 | 10 | under $50 | ||
| April 2, 1957 | 3:50 PM GMT-6 | F0 | Tarrant | 0.3 | 67 | $500 to $5,000 | ||
| July 24, 1956 | 3:30 PM GMT-5 | F1 | Tarrant | 0.1 | 10 | $500 to $5,000 | ||
| July 24, 1956 | 3:30 PM GMT-5 | F1 | Tarrant | 0.5 | 17 | $500 to $5,000 |
Tarrant County before 1950
Before 1950 the record is Thomas P. Grazulis’s list of significant tornadoes: those rated F2 or stronger, and weaker ones that killed somebody. 4 of them crossed Tarrant County, killing 3. They are not in the figures above, which are SPC's from 1950.
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 20, 1928 | 11:00 PM CST | F2 | N Grapevine, TX | 35 | ||||
| April 13, 1927 | 6:15 AM CST | F2 | NE Joshua/W Watsonville, TX | 15.1 | 150 | 1 | 13 | |
| April 14, 1918 | 8:00 PM CST | F3 | SE Roanoke/NE Aubrey, TX | 30.2 | 200 | 2 | 40 | |
| June 2, 1897 | 7:00 PM CST | F2 | SW Fort Worth, TX |
About the record before 1950
- Significant tornadoes only
- Grazulis listed tornadoes rated F2 or stronger, and weaker ones that killed somebody. Most tornadoes are weaker than F2, so the list holds a fraction of the tornadoes that happened.
- The early years are thin
- A tornado is on record only where somebody saw it and wrote it down. The count rises through the 1800s with settlement and newspapers, not with the weather.
- Rated from accounts
- Grazulis rated each tornado decades later from newspaper reports, Weather Bureau records and local histories, not from a damage survey.
- The tracks are reconstructed
- Tornado Archive drew each path through the places Grazulis names, most often as a straight line from the first to the last. A track can miss a town it hit, and a tornado with one named place is a point. The counties are today’s.
- A separate record
- SPC’s database, from 1950, counts every confirmed tornado of any strength. The two are kept apart on every page and never added together.
Nearby
Warnings in force in Tarrant CountyThe forecast for Tarrant CountyThe live radar over Tarrant 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. Before 1950: Thomas P. Grazulis, Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991 and Significant Tornadoes 1880-1989, as digitized by Tornado Archive (Maas and others, 2024). Public domain. Counties assigned by this site from today’s NWS county lines.