Tornadoes · United States · Texas

Tornadoes in Wheeler County, Texas

60 tornadoes have crossed Wheeler County since 1950, 1 of them surveyed so far this year and still preliminary, 49th of the 254 counties in Texas with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.3 years. They have killed 3 people and injured 39. 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
60
Deaths
3
Injuries
39
F4 and above
3
Worst on record
F4, May 25, 1955

The deadliest in Wheeler County

  1. F4, Collingsworth, Wheeler and Roger Mills counties, Texas and OklahomaMay 25, 19552 killed, 18 injured
  2. F3, Wheeler County, TexasJune 4, 19651 killed, 1 injured

The strongest

  1. F4, Collingsworth, Wheeler and Roger Mills counties, Texas and OklahomaMay 25, 1955F4, 45.1 mi (73 km)
  2. F4, Gray and Wheeler counties, TexasJune 8, 1995F4, 29.0 mi (47 km)
  3. F4, Wheeler and Hemphill counties, TexasJune 8, 1995F4, 15.0 mi (24 km)
  4. F3, Collingsworth and Wheeler counties, TexasMay 15, 1991F3, 15.0 mi (24 km)
  5. F3, Collingsworth and Wheeler counties, TexasMay 16, 1977F3, 12.1 mi (19 km)
  6. F3, Wheeler County, TexasJune 11, 1997F3, 9.0 mi (14 km)
  7. F3, Wheeler County, TexasApril 18, 1955F3, 8.9 mi (14 km)
  8. F3, Wheeler County, TexasJune 4, 1965F3, 6.8 mi (11 km)
  9. F3, Wheeler County, TexasJuly 3, 1967F3, 2.3 mi (4 km)
  10. F3, Wheeler County, TexasMay 25, 1959F3, 0.1 mi (0 km)

Every year with a tornado

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

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20261EF1
20251Unrated
20241EF1
20232EF1
20182EF0
20173EF2
20153EF0
20071EF1
20035F2
20011F2
1997513F3
19964F0
19955F4
19931F1
19911F3
199061F2
19842F0
198016F2
19781F0
19772F3
19731F2
19693F0
19681F0
19671F3
1965211F3
19591F3
19571F2
19552218F4

Every tornado that crossed Wheeler County

60 tornadoes, newest first. The 1 at the top is this year's, from the surveying office rather than SPC's published database, and its rating is marked as preliminary.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
June 25, 20266:59 PM CDTEF1Wheeler2.450
June 6, 202511:20 PM CDTUnratedWheeler0.925
March 24, 20243:17 PM CDTEF1Wheeler0.225$75,000
February 26, 20236:41 PM CSTEF1Wheeler1.950
February 26, 20236:29 PM CSTEF0Wheeler0.225
June 22, 201810:21 PM CDTEF0Wheeler0.550
May 29, 20186:09 PM CDTEF0Wheeler0.150
May 16, 20175:25 PM CDTEF2Wheeler9.21,250
May 16, 20175:16 PM CDTEF1Wheeler0.125
May 16, 20174:53 PM CDTEF0Wheeler0.125
May 16, 20153:14 PM CDTEF0Wheeler5.530
April 16, 20156:22 PM CDTEF0Wheeler4.970
April 16, 20156:20 PM CDTEF0Wheeler14.150
May 5, 20077:27 PM CDTEF1Collingsworth7.0200
May 15, 200311:21 PM CDTF0Wheeler0.150
May 15, 200310:53 PM CDTF2Wheeler to OK15.51,760$270,000
May 15, 200310:30 PM CDTF0Wheeler0.550
May 15, 20039:43 PM CDTF1Wheeler18.0100$150,000
April 15, 20035:05 PM CDTF0Wheeler5.0200
April 10, 200112:17 AM CDTF2Wheeler6.0200$150,000
June 12, 19978:13 PM CDTF0Wheeler0.123
June 11, 19976:46 PM CDTF3Wheeler9.060013$1.7 million
June 11, 19976:39 PM CDTF0Wheeler0.123
June 11, 19976:20 PM CDTF1Wheeler2.0100
May 7, 19979:05 PM CDTF0Wheeler0.123
August 10, 19966:23 PM CDTF0Wheeler0.550
May 9, 19967:31 PM CDTF0Wheeler0.675
May 9, 19967:22 PM CDTF0Wheeler0.120
May 9, 19966:59 PM CDTF0Wheeler5.0100
June 8, 19957:45 PM CDTF4Wheeler15.02,200$500,000 to $5 million
June 8, 19956:35 PM CDTF4Gray29.0600$50,000 to $500,000
May 22, 19959:01 PM CDTF0Wheeler1.073
May 22, 19958:35 PM CDTF0Wheeler0.323
May 22, 19957:18 PM CDTF0Wheeler1.050
May 17, 19937:34 PM CDTF1Wheeler2.5150$500 to $5,000
May 15, 19919:17 PM CDTF3Collingsworth15.0450$50,000 to $500,000
June 8, 19909:50 PM CDTF2Wheeler1.6200$5,000 to $50,000
June 8, 19908:55 PM CDTF1Wheeler2.2110$5,000 to $50,000
May 31, 199012:49 AM CDTF0Wheeler0.667
May 31, 199012:23 AM CDTF0Wheeler0.880$50 to $500
April 24, 199012:17 AM CDTF1Wheeler4.0250$5,000 to $50,000
April 24, 199011:30 PM CDTF1Wheeler3.51401$500 to $5,000
June 27, 19845:02 PM CDTF0Wheeler0.110
June 10, 19843:47 PM CDTF0Wheeler0.110
May 28, 19809:30 PM CDTF2Wheeler8.0506$50 to $500
May 20, 197812:11 AM CDTF0Wheeler2.030
May 20, 19776:14 PM CDTF0Wheeler1.020
May 16, 19775:05 PM CDTF3Collingsworth12.1500$500 to $5,000
April 23, 19739:45 PM CSTF2Wheeler0.3100$50,000 to $500,000
May 13, 19697:45 PM GMT-5F0Wheeler0.110
May 12, 196912:20 AM GMT-5F0Wheeler0.110
May 12, 19698:00 PM GMT-5F0Wheeler0.110
July 17, 19689:35 PM GMT-5F0Wheeler0.110
July 3, 196710:30 PM GMT-5F3Wheeler2.333
June 4, 196510:00 PM GMT-5F3Wheeler6.85011$5,000 to $50,000
May 7, 19657:50 PM GMT-5F0Wheeler0.817$5,000 to $50,000
May 25, 19597:00 PM GMT-5F3Wheeler0.110$50 to $500
April 2, 19576:05 PM GMT-6F2Wheeler0.333$5,000 to $50,000
May 25, 19554:17 PM GMT-5F4Collingsworth to OK45.11,100218$50,000 to $500,000
April 18, 19556:45 PM GMT-6F3Wheeler8.9100$5,000 to $50,000

Nearby

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