Tornado events in Galveston County, Texas The tornado events on record, by date and by year

This page is a county record of past events and claims. It does not show the flood zone or the risk of an address. For the flood map of an address, use FEMA's address search (opens in a new tab).

NCEI has 126 tornado events on record for Galveston County, Texas, from 1950 through 30 Jun 2026.

The newest tornado event on record is on 28 Dec 2024.

From 2016 through 2025, NCEI has 11 tornado events on record for the county.

The NWS collects event reports from a variety of sources, which include (but are not limited to): county, state, and federal emergency management officials, local law enforcement officials, SKYWARN spotters, NWS damage surveys, newspaper clipping services, the insurance industry, and the general public, among others.
The National Weather Service reports property and crop damage estimates using available data at the time of event reporting. These values should therefore be considered broad estimates. Damage amounts are not adjusted for inflation.
The words of the agency. Source: NOAA NCEI, Storm Events Database, page "Frequently Asked Questions", copied on 2 Oct 2026.

Date of the data: NCEI storm events through 30 Jun 2026. Event types on this page: Tornado.

Newest tornado events on record

Dec 28 2024

TornadoEF1

1 mile SSW of DICKINSON

Mar 14 2022

TornadoEF0

2 miles N of ARCADIA. Damage estimate: $15 thousand

Aug 2 2021

TornadoEF0

3 miles WNW of CAPLEN

Jan 6 2021

TornadoEF1

1 mile NNE of NADEAU HGTS. Damage estimate: $500 thousand

May 4 2019

TornadoEF0

2 miles SE of ARCADIA. Damage estimate: $10 thousand

Oct 20 2017

TornadoEF0

1 mile WNW of DICKINSON. Damage estimate: $50 thousand

Aug 27 2017

TornadoEF0

2 miles SSE of KEMAH. Damage estimate: $200 thousand

Aug 25 2017

TornadoEF0

3 miles ENE of GALVESTON. Damage estimate: $500

May 22 2017

TornadoEF0

4 miles SW of (GLS)SCHOLES FLD GAL. Damage estimate: $20 thousand

Jul 17 2016

TornadoEF0

1 mile E of (GLS)SCHOLES FLD GAL

Apr 24 2016

TornadoEF0

2 miles ESE of LEAGUE CITY S S ARPT. Damage estimate: $100 thousand

Oct 31 2015

TornadoEF2

7 miles NW of LEAGUE CITY S S ARPT. Damage estimate: $1.0 million

Jul 21 2014

TornadoEF0

1 mile E of NADEAU HGTS. Damage estimate: $15 thousand

Jun 26 2014

TornadoEF0

1 mile NNE of HIGHLAND BAYOU

Jan 9 2012

TornadoEF0

3 miles NNW of HITCHCOCK VOLK ARPT. Damage estimate: $50 thousand

Nov 8 2011

TornadoEF0

2 miles NW of TEXAS CITY GULF ARPT. Damage estimate: $50 thousand

Aug 30 2009

TornadoEF1

2 miles ESE of GALVESTON. Damage estimate: $500 thousand

Apr 18 2009

TornadoEF0

2 miles SSW of HIGHLAND BAYOU. Damage estimate: $50 thousand

Feb 16 2008

TornadoEF0

1 mile W of LA MARQUE

Jul 6 2007

TornadoEF0

At SANTA FE. Damage estimate: $15 thousand

Jul 5 2007

TornadoEF0

3 miles SSW of VIRGINIA PT. Damage estimate: $30 thousand

Oct 16 2006

TornadoF0

4 miles NW of (GLS)SCHOLES FLD GAL. Damage estimate: $4 thousand

TornadoF0

At CRYSTAL BEACH. Damage estimate: $5 thousand

TornadoF0

At HITCHCOCK. Damage estimate: $22 thousand

May 22 2006

TornadoF0

At SANTA FE. Damage estimate: $7 thousand

A place is the text of the NCEI record: a distance and a direction from a reference place. The site does not show a place text that names a private property or reads as a person. A tornado before February 2007 has a rating on the Fujita scale (F). A later tornado has a rating on the Enhanced Fujita scale (EF).

Tornado events by year

Tornado events on record for Galveston County by year, 1950 to 2026
Decade	Year that ends in 0	Year that ends in 1	Year that ends in 2	Year that ends in 3	Year that ends in 4	Year that ends in 5	Year that ends in 6	Year that ends in 7	Year that ends in 8	Year that ends in 9	All
1950s	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	6	0	1	7
1960s	0	4	2	1	0	0	0	3	2	3	15
1970s	3	4	4	0	1	4	4	1	2	1	24
1980s	2	5	3	7	2	1	0	1	0	5	26
1990s	0	1	3	0	2	2	2	1	4	4	19
2000s	0	0	2	6	2	0	4	2	1	2	19
2010s	0	1	1	0	2	1	2	4	0	1	12
2020s	0	2	1	0	1	0	0 (part of the year)				4

A darker cell has a larger count. The number is in each cell.

Tornado events are on record from 1950. The year 2026 has the events through 30 Jun 2026 only.

By month, all years

Jan7 events
Feb7 events
Mar7 events
Apr3 events
May17 events
Jun13 events
Jul12 events
Aug19 events
Sep11 events
Oct16 events
Nov10 events
Dec4 events

Magnitudes on record

Tornado events on record for Galveston County by rating
Rating	Wind estimate of the scale	Events
EF0 or F0	65 to 85 mph (EF0)	73
EF1 or F1	86 to 110 mph (EF1)	35
EF2 or F2	111 to 135 mph (EF2)	10
EF3 or F3	136 to 165 mph (EF3)	5
EF4 or F4	166 to 200 mph (EF4)	1
EF5 or F5	more than 200 mph (EF5)	0
Unrated	no rating on record	2

Tornadoes may contain multiple segments. A tornado that crosses a county line or state line is considered a separate segment.

The words of the agency. Source: NOAA NCEI, Storm Events Database, page "Frequently Asked Questions", copied on 2 Oct 2026.

The Enhanced F-scale still is a set of wind estimates (not measurements) based on damage.

The words of the agency. Source: NOAA NWS Storm Prediction Center, Enhanced Fujita Tornado Damage Scale, copied on 2 Oct 2026.

The wind estimates are those of the Enhanced Fujita scale.

Beside the other counties

Tornado events on record: Galveston County beside the total of the counties of Texas and of the United States
Measure	Galveston	All counties of Texas	All counties of the United States
Tornado events, 1950 to 2026	126	10,090	81,254
Events for each 100 square miles	33.2	3.9	2.3
Events for each 10,000 residents	3.5	3.4	2.4

The columns for the state and the United States total the counties. They count the events of each county in the same way as the county column. A forecast zone with another name than a county counts for the state only.

More tornado events on record

Tornado events on record for Galveston County, newest first, without the 25 newest events above
Date	Event type	Magnitude	Damage estimate	Deaths	Injuries	On record for
4 Oct 2004	Tornado	F0	$40 thousand	0	0	County
28 Aug 2004	Tornado	F0	none	0	0	County
17 Nov 2003	Tornado	F0	$30 thousand	0	0	County
17 Nov 2003	Tornado	F0	$5 thousand	0	0	County
17 Nov 2003	Tornado	F1	$200 thousand	0	0	County
17 Nov 2003	Tornado	F1	$275 thousand	0	0	County
17 Nov 2003	Tornado	F0	$100 thousand	0	0	County
17 Jun 2003	Tornado	F0	none	0	0	County
30 Dec 2002	Tornado	F1	$75 thousand	0	0	County
8 Oct 2002	Tornado	F0	$100 thousand	0	0	County
12 Jul 1999	Tornado	F1	$100 thousand	0	0	County
7 Jun 1999	Tornado	F0	$25 thousand	0	0	County
2 Jan 1999	Tornado	F1	$35 thousand	0	0	County
2 Jan 1999	Tornado	F0	$25 thousand	0	0	County
10 Sep 1998	Tornado	F0	$10 thousand	0	0	County
22 Aug 1998	Tornado	F0	$20 thousand	0	0	County
16 Feb 1998	Tornado	F0	none	0	0	County
10 Feb 1998	Tornado	F1	$100 thousand	0	4	County
12 Feb 1997	Tornado	F0	$120 thousand	0	0	County
27 Sep 1996	Tornado	F0	$25 thousand	0	0	County
1 Sep 1996	Tornado	F0	none	0	0	County
17 Dec 1995	Tornado	F0	$20 thousand	0	0	County
30 Jul 1995	Tornado	F0	$10 thousand	0	0	County
16 May 1994	Tornado	F0	$50 thousand	0	0	County
13 May 1994	Tornado	F0	$50 thousand	0	0	County
21 Nov 1992	Tornado	F0	$250 thousand	0	0	County
4 May 1992	Tornado	F0	none	0	0	County
22 Feb 1992	Tornado	F1	$25 thousand	0	0	County
14 Jan 1991	Tornado	F1	$25 thousand	0	0	County
15 Oct 1989	Tornado	F0	none	0	0	County
15 Oct 1989	Tornado	F0	none	0	0	County
15 Oct 1989	Tornado	F0	none	0	0	County
1 Aug 1989	Tornado	F0	none	0	0	County
26 Jun 1989	Tornado	F0	none	0	1	County
16 Nov 1987	Tornado	F1	$2.5 million	0	4	County
18 May 1985	Tornado	F0	none	0	0	County
21 Sep 1984	Tornado	F0	$30	0	0	County
12 Feb 1984	Tornado	F0	$30	0	0	County
13 Dec 1983	Tornado	F0	$25 thousand	0	0	County
30 Nov 1983	Tornado	F0	$30	0	0	County
30 Nov 1983	Tornado	F0	$30	0	0	County
17 Aug 1983	Tornado	F0	$30	0	0	County
17 Aug 1983	Tornado	F0	$30	0	0	County
17 Aug 1983	Tornado	F0	$30	0	0	County
17 Aug 1983	Tornado	F0	$30	0	0	County
13 May 1982	Tornado	F1	$250 thousand	0	0	County
13 May 1982	Tornado	F1	$250 thousand	0	0	County
6 May 1982	Tornado	F1	$30	0	0	County
7 Oct 1981	Tornado	F0	none	0	0	County
31 Aug 1981	Tornado	F1	$25 million	0	2	County
5 Jun 1981	Tornado	F2	$2.5 million	0	2	County
5 Jun 1981	Tornado	F1	$3 thousand	0	0	County
9 May 1981	Tornado	F2	$250 thousand	0	1	County
6 Sep 1980	Tornado	F1	$3 thousand	0	0	County
28 Aug 1980	Tornado	F1	$250 thousand	0	0	County
11 Aug 1979	Tornado	F0	none	0	0	County
5 Oct 1978	Tornado	F1	$25 thousand	0	0	County
27 Jul 1978	Tornado	F1	$25 thousand	0	0	County
14 Jul 1977	Tornado	F0	none	0	0	County
4 Sep 1976	Tornado	F1	none	0	0	County
25 Jun 1976	Tornado	F0	$3 thousand	0	0	County
10 May 1976	Tornado	F1	$25 thousand	0	0	County
8 Mar 1976	Tornado	F3	$25 thousand	0	0	County
4 Jul 1975	Tornado	F0	none	0	0	County
24 Jun 1975	Tornado	F0	none	0	0	County
29 May 1975	Tornado	F1	none	0	0	County
10 Jan 1975	Tornado	F1	$25 thousand	0	0	County
18 Aug 1974	Tornado	F1	$3 thousand	0	0	County
14 Aug 1972	Tornado	F0	none	0	0	County
22 Jul 1972	Tornado	F0	none	0	0	County
12 May 1972	Tornado	F1	$25 thousand	0	2	County
1 Jan 1972	Tornado	F1	$25 thousand	0	0	County
10 Sep 1971	Tornado	F0	$25 thousand	0	0	County
10 Sep 1971	Tornado	F0	none	0	0	County
25 Jun 1971	Tornado	F0	$250	0	0	County
16 Jun 1971	Tornado	F0	none	0	0	County
11 Oct 1970	Tornado	F2	$250 thousand	0	1	County
4 Aug 1970	Tornado	F2	$3 thousand	0	0	County
21 Jul 1970	Tornado	not recorded	$25 thousand	0	0	County
30 Oct 1969	Tornado	F1	$25 thousand	0	1	County
30 Oct 1969	Tornado	F1	$25 thousand	0	0	County
14 Feb 1969	Tornado	F1	$3 thousand	0	0	County
12 May 1968	Tornado	F0	$250	0	0	County
11 May 1968	Tornado	F0	none	0	0	County
29 Oct 1967	Tornado	F2	$3 thousand	0	0	County
20 Sep 1967	Tornado	not recorded	none	0	0	County
18 Aug 1967	Tornado	F3	none	0	0	County
30 Aug 1963	Tornado	F1	$25 thousand	0	0	County
1 Jun 1962	Tornado	F0	none	0	0	County
27 Apr 1962	Tornado	F1	none	0	0	County
12 Sep 1961	Tornado	F4	none	8	200	County
12 Sep 1961	Tornado	F3	none	0	0	County
4 Jul 1961	Tornado	F1	none	0	0	County
18 Jun 1961	Tornado	F3	$250 thousand	0	5	County
21 May 1959	Tornado	F3	$25 thousand	0	0	County
2 Jun 1957	Tornado	F1	none	0	0	County
17 Mar 1957	Tornado	F2	none	0	4	County
17 Mar 1957	Tornado	F2	none	0	0	County
17 Mar 1957	Tornado	F2	none	1	7	County
17 Mar 1957	Tornado	F2	none	0	4	County
17 Mar 1957	Tornado	F0	none	0	0	County

The table has all other events on record. A damage figure is an estimate in the NCEI record.

Official channels

NCEI Storm Events Database (opens in a new tab)Search the full NCEI record by state, county and date.
National Weather Service: Houston/Galveston, TX (opens in a new tab)The forecast office that issues the weather warnings for the county.
FEMA Flood Map Service Center: Search By Address (opens in a new tab)Search an address to see its flood map. This site has no flood-zone data.

These links open the pages of the agencies. The site checked the links on 2 Oct 2026.

Cite this page

County Hazards. "Tornado events on record for Galveston County, Texas". https://countyhazards.com/county/tx/galveston/tornado/. Data: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database through 30 Jun 2026. Page made on 2 Oct 2026.

Questions

Which month has the most tornado events on record for Galveston County?: August has 19 of the 126 tornado events on record from 1950 through 30 Jun 2026.
How many tornado events are on record for Texas?: NCEI has 10,090 tornado events on record for Texas from 1950 through 30 Jun 2026. That count has every forecast zone of the state.
How does Galveston County compare with the other counties of Texas?: The counties of Texas have 3.9 tornado events for each 100 square miles. Galveston County has 33.2.
Which tornado ratings are on record for Galveston County?: 108 tornado events have a rating of EF0, F0, EF1 or F1. 16 events have a higher rating. 2 events have no rating.