Tornadoes · United States · Texas

Tornadoes in Wood County, Texas

45 tornadoes have crossed Wood County since 1950, 88th of the 254 counties in Texas with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.7 years. They have killed 0 people and injured 20. 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
45
Deaths
0
Injuries
20
F4 and above
0
Worst on record
F3, May 3, 1979

The strongest

  1. F3, Wood County, TexasMay 3, 1979F3, 7.2 mi (12 km)
  2. F3, Wood County, TexasMarch 24, 1962F3, 0.5 mi (1 km)
  3. F2, Wood, Upshur, Harrison and Marion counties, TexasMay 6, 2003F2, 54.4 mi (88 km)
  4. EF2, Smith, Wood and Upshur counties, TexasApril 29, 2016EF2, 25.9 mi (42 km)
  5. F2, Rains and Wood counties, TexasApril 29, 1994F2, 12.0 mi (19 km)
  6. F2, Wood County, TexasOctober 18, 1993F2, 10.0 mi (16 km)
  7. EF2, Wood and Franklin counties, TexasMay 29, 2019EF2, 9.1 mi (15 km)
  8. F2, Wood County, TexasMay 13, 1981F2, 6.5 mi (10 km)
  9. F2, Van Zandt and Wood counties, TexasMay 13, 1981F2, 5.4 mi (9 km)
  10. F2, Wood County, TexasMarch 28, 1961F2, 4.7 mi (8 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 30 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Wood County. Each year links to every tornado in Texas that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
202511EF1
20192EF2
20171EF1
201612EF2
20131EF0
20112EF0
201033EF0
20091EF1
20071EF1
200315F2
19961F0
19941F2
19932F2
19871F1
19851F0
19842F0
198221F2
19812F2
19792F3
19781F1
19752F2
19711F1
19681F0
19663F2
19641F2
19632F1
196238F3
19611F2
19571F0
19541F1

Every tornado that crossed Wood County

45 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
April 4, 20254:24 PM CDTEF1Smith25.51,4201$325,000
May 29, 20194:50 PM CDTEF2Wood9.1850$300,000
May 29, 20193:36 PM CDTEF0Wood3.4100$1,000
April 29, 20178:48 PM CDTEF1Wood0.3190$30,000
April 29, 20165:55 PM CDTEF2Smith25.93,2212$375,000
January 29, 20136:15 PM CSTEF0Wood0.2325$5,000
April 30, 20117:06 PM CDTEF0Wood1.875
April 26, 20117:00 PM CDTEF0Wood3.450
October 24, 20106:54 PM CDTEF0Wood1.775
April 24, 20102:45 AM CDTEF0Wood1.670$10,000
April 24, 20102:31 AM CDTEF0Wood4.21003$75,000
February 10, 200911:16 PM CSTEF1Wood7.1300$400,000
September 5, 200711:40 AM CDTEF1Wood1.050$5,000
May 6, 200311:45 PM CDTF2Wood54.48805$390,000
March 5, 19966:12 PM CSTF0Wood0.525
April 29, 199410:17 PM CDTF2Rains12.0100$500,000 to $5 million
October 18, 19936:43 PM CDTF1Wood5.0100$5,000 to $50,000
October 18, 19936:40 PM CDTF2Wood10.0100$50,000 to $500,000
March 16, 19879:15 PM CSTF1Smith6.0100$50,000 to $500,000
April 22, 19856:33 PM CSTF0Wood0.530
May 2, 19844:40 PM CDTF0Wood0.110
May 2, 19844:30 PM CDTF0Wood0.110
April 15, 19825:15 PM CSTF0Wood0.110under $50
April 2, 19826:10 PM CSTF2Wood2.01501$5,000 to $50,000
May 13, 198110:10 PM CDTF2Wood6.550$5,000 to $50,000
May 13, 19819:15 PM CDTF2Van Zandt5.4200$50,000 to $500,000
May 3, 19796:00 PM CDTF3Wood7.2400$500,000 to $5 million
April 11, 197911:02 AM CSTF1Wood0.110
June 30, 19786:45 PM CDTF1Wood2.050$5,000 to $50,000
November 19, 19755:18 PM CSTF2Wood0.110
April 29, 19758:40 PM CDTF2Wood0.110$5,000 to $50,000
December 14, 19717:30 PM CSTF1Wood0.117$5,000 to $50,000
December 27, 196811:00 AM GMT-6F0Wood0.3100$500 to $5,000
May 23, 19667:00 PM GMT-5F2Wood3.033
April 25, 19666:30 PM GMT-5F1Wood2.027$500 to $5,000
April 23, 19669:00 PM GMT-6F2Wood0.123$5,000 to $50,000
April 5, 19643:00 AM GMT-6F2Wood2.71,760$50,000 to $500,000
October 31, 19634:00 PM GMT-6F1Wood1.0440$5,000 to $50,000
July 1, 19637:50 PM GMT-5F1Wood0.3100$500 to $5,000
April 30, 19627:00 PM GMT-5F0Wood0.110
March 24, 19625:00 PM GMT-6F1Wood2.0100$5,000 to $50,000
March 24, 19623:30 PM GMT-6F3Wood0.51008$500,000 to $5 million
March 28, 19616:10 PM GMT-6F2Wood4.7280$5,000 to $50,000
April 19, 195711:55 PM GMT-6F0Wood0.110$500 to $5,000
February 19, 19549:30 AM GMT-6F1Wood2.717$500 to $5,000

Nearby

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