Tornadoes · United States · Texas

Tornadoes in Walker County, Texas

20 tornadoes have crossed Walker County since 1950, 190th of the 254 counties in Texas with a tornado on record, an average of one every 3.8 years. They have killed 1 person and injured 22. 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
20
Deaths
1
Injuries
22
F4 and above
0
Worst on record
F2, February 10, 1981

The deadliest in Walker County

The strongest

Every year with a tornado

The 15 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Walker County. Each year links to every tornado in Texas that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20211EF0
20171EF0
20122EF0
20081EF0
199948F1
19981F1
19971F1
19941F0
19832F1
1981118F2
19731F2
19711F0
19631F0
195712F2
195214F2

Every tornado that crossed Walker County

20 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
May 10, 20216:24 PM CDTEF0Walker0.650$30,000
April 2, 201712:25 PM CDTEF0Walker0.530$15,000
January 25, 20129:09 AM CSTEF0Walker0.225$30,000
January 25, 20129:06 AM CSTEF0Walker0.450$50,000
June 20, 20083:21 PM CDTEF0Walker0.020
April 3, 19993:42 PM CSTF0Walker0.30$30,000
January 1, 19991:53 PM CSTF0Walker0.30$10,000
January 1, 19991:23 PM CSTF0Walker0.301$10,000
January 1, 19991:00 PM CSTF1Walker2.507$120,000
January 21, 19985:49 PM CSTF1Walker3.0200$200,000
October 23, 19973:22 PM CDTF1Walker2.050$150,000
May 13, 19946:20 PM CDTF0Walker0.110
February 9, 19832:15 PM CSTF0Walker0.520$50,000 to $500,000
February 9, 198312:30 PM CSTF1Walker2.040$50,000 to $500,000
February 10, 19813:25 AM CSTF2Walker19.910018$50,000 to $500,000
June 4, 19734:01 AM CDTF2Walker26.440$50,000 to $500,000
October 16, 19716:15 PM CDTF0Walker1.0440$500 to $5,000
July 24, 196310:15 PM GMT-5F0Walker0.110
March 31, 195712:30 PM GMT-6F2Walker2.01002$5,000 to $50,000
December 3, 19526:15 PM GMT-6F2Trinity13.31004$5,000 to $50,000

Nearby

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