County Hazards

Storm events on record through

Palo Pinto County, Texas Storm events, disaster declarations and flood insurance claims on record

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 907 storm events on record for Palo Pinto County, Texas, from 1950 through 30 Jun 2026.

The newest event on record is a thunderstorm wind event on 19 Jun 2026.

FEMA has 27 disaster declarations on record for the county from 1964 through 1 Oct 2026. The newest is FM-5675 of 25 Aug 2026.

OpenFEMA has 97 NFIP claims on record for the county from 1978 through 8 Sep 2026. The NFIP paid $1.4 million on these claims.

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.

Zone (NWS Forecast Zone): A zone is a geographic area defined by the NWS for issuing forecasts, watches, and warnings. While zones often align with counties, they can also represent smaller or subdivided areas within a county to account for differences in weather conditions, such as elevation or proximity to water. Larger-scale events—such as heat, cold, drought, and winter storms—are typically recorded by zone.

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

This is raw, unedited data from FEMA's National Emergency Management Information System (NEMIS) and as such is subject to a small percentage of human error.

The words of the agency. Source: FEMA, OpenFEMA Dataset "Disaster Declarations Summaries - v2", copied on . The page gives: last data refresh 2026-10-01.

It is derived from the National Flood Insurance Program system of record, staged in the program's reporting platform and redacted to protect policy holder personally identifiable information.

The words of the agency. Source: FEMA, OpenFEMA Dataset "NFIP Redacted Claims - v3", copied on . The page gives: last data refresh 2026-09-09.

Dates of the data: NCEI storm events through . OpenFEMA disaster declarations through . NFIP claims through .

Since the last update: no change is on record for Palo Pinto County. The site compares the agency data at each update. Updates of the data

The five hazards

Storm events on record for Palo Pinto County by hazard and period (NCEI, through 30 Jun 2026)
Hazard1950 to 20262000 to 20092010 to 20192020 to 2026Newest event
Hail3911006237
Tornado48698
Flood6126232
Wind196602128
Winter3616107
Other event types175Heat, cold, drought, wildfire, lightning, fog, tropical and other types
All storm events907238193149

A hazard name opens the page of that hazard for the county. A hazard has a page from 10 events. The year 2026 has the events through 30 Jun 2026 only.

Forecast zones with the name of the county give 209 of the 907 events. A county count has the events that NCEI gives to the county. It also has the events of a forecast zone that has the name of the county. A zone with another name counts for the state only.

Rates of Palo Pinto County beside the total of the counties of Texas and of the United States
MeasurePalo PintoAll counties of TexasAll counties of the United States
Storm events for each 100 square miles, 1950 to 202695.261.449.3
Storm events for each 10,000 residents, 1950 to 2026316.254.452.5
NFIP claims for each 1,000 policies in force, 2016 to 2025283.5273.1185.3

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. The site gives a rate for each 10,000 residents only from 10,000 residents. Residents and area: Census Bureau, 2021.

Newest storm events on record

Thunderstorm Wind64 mph (56 knots, measured gust)

4 miles WSW of POSSUM KINGDOM LAKE

Thunderstorm Wind63 mph (55 knots, estimated gust)

5 miles NW of MINERAL WELLS. Damage estimate: $5 thousand

Thunderstorm Wind63 mph (55 knots, estimated gust)

6 miles SSE of GRAFORD

Thunderstorm Wind75 mph (65 knots, estimated gust)

5 miles SW of POSSUM KINGDOM LAKE. Damage estimate: $500 thousand

Heat

On record for the forecast zone

TornadoEF3

3 miles NE of MINERAL WELLS. Damage estimate: $300 thousand

Hail1.50 in, ping-pong ball size

4 miles SW of (MWL)MINERAL WELLS A

Hail2.50 in, tennis ball size

3 miles SW of (MWL)MINERAL WELLS A. Damage estimate: $20 thousand

Hail1.25 in, half dollar size

3 miles WNW of MINERAL WELLS

Hail1.00 in, quarter size

8 miles WNW of GRAFORD

Hail2.00 in, hen egg size

1 mile NE of MINERAL WELLS. Damage estimate: $7 thousand

Hail2.00 in, hen egg size

1 mile NE of MINERAL WELLS. Damage estimate: $7 thousand

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill

On record for the forecast zone

Winter Storm

On record for the forecast zone

Thunderstorm Wind64 mph (56 knots, estimated gust)

1 mile N of MINGUS. Damage estimate: $20 thousand

Heat

On record for the forecast zone

Heat

On record for the forecast zone

Heat

On record for the forecast zone

Flash Flood

4 miles SW of SANTO. Damage estimate: $1 thousand

Thunderstorm Wind64 mph (56 knots, estimated gust)

2 miles NNE of LAKE PALO PINTO. Damage estimate: $5 thousand

Thunderstorm Wind69 mph (60 knots, estimated gust)

3 miles NE of GORDON. Damage estimate: $5 thousand

Thunderstorm Wind75 mph (65 knots, estimated gust)

At GORDON. Damage estimate: $10 thousand

Thunderstorm Wind70 mph (61 knots, estimated gust)

2 miles WNW of GORDON. Damage estimate: $10 thousand

Thunderstorm Wind70 mph (61 knots, estimated gust)

At STRAWN

Thunderstorm Wind75 mph (65 knots, estimated gust)

2 miles W of MINERAL WELLS. Damage estimate: $10 thousand

The 25 events above are the newest in the NCEI record. A place is the text of the NCEI record: a distance and a direction from a reference place. Wind speed is in miles per hour, with the knots that NCEI gives. The site does not show a place text that names a private property or reads as a person. Download these events (CSV)

Storm events on record for Palo Pinto County by year, 1950 to 2026
DecadeYear that ends in 0Year that ends in 1Year that ends in 2Year that ends in 3Year that ends in 4Year that ends in 5Year that ends in 6Year that ends in 7Year that ends in 8Year that ends in 9All
1950s00101120207
1960s210113234320
1970s1812121016638
1980s77868214972290
1990s15111010291523153014172
2000s30311424231719222632238
2010s543192417341911615193
2020s992734233314 (part of the year)149

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

NCEI recorded tornado events from 1950, and hail and thunderstorm wind events from 1955. It recorded all event types from 1996. A count before 1996 has fewer event types.

FEMA disaster declarations

FEMA has 27 disaster declarations on record for Palo Pinto County from 1964 through 1 Oct 2026. The newest is FM-5675: ROSS FIRE.

Disaster declarations that name Palo Pinto County (OpenFEMA, through 1 Oct 2026)
DeclaredNumberTypeIncident typeTitle in the FEMA recordAssistance
FM-5675Fire management assistanceFireROSS FIREPublic
DR-4586Major disasterSevere Ice StormSEVERE WINTER STORMSIndividual, Public
EM-3554EmergencySevere Ice StormSEVERE WINTER STORMPublic
DR-4485Major disasterBiologicalCOVID-19 PANDEMICIndividual, Public
EM-3458EmergencyBiologicalCOVID-19Public
DR-4272Major disasterFloodSEVERE STORMS AND FLOODINGIndividual, Public
DR-4223Major disasterSevere StormSEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS AND FLOODINGPublic
FM-2952Fire management assistanceFire101 RANCH FIREPublic
DR-1999Major disasterFireWILDFIRESPublic
FM-2895Fire management assistanceFirePK EAST FIREPublic
FM-2893Fire management assistanceFireHOHERTZ FIREPublic
FM-2888Fire management assistanceFirePK WEST FIREPublic
FM-2814Fire management assistanceFire1148 FIREPublic
EM-3284EmergencyFireWILDFIRESPublic
FM-2667Fire management assistanceFireCADDO II FIRE COMPLEXPublic
DR-1624Major disasterFireEXTREME WILDFIRE THREATIndividual, Public
DR-1606Major disasterHurricaneHURRICANE RITAPublic
EM-3261EmergencyHurricaneHURRICANE RITAPublic
EM-3216EmergencyHurricaneHURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATIONPublic
EM-3142EmergencyFireEXTREME FIRE HAZARDSPublic
DR-1239Major disasterSevere StormTROPICAL STORM CHARLEYNone on record
EM-3117EmergencyFireEXTREME FIRE HAZARDPublic
EM-3113EmergencyDroughtEXTREME FIRE HAZARDPublic
DR-930Major disasterFloodSEVERE THUNDERSTORMSIndividual
DR-863Major disasterSevere StormSEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES & FLOODINGIndividual, Public
DR-828Major disasterSevere StormSEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES & FLOODINGIndividual, Public
DR-648Major disasterFloodSEVERE STORMS & FLOODINGIndividual, Public

DR is a major disaster declaration. EM is an emergency declaration. FM is a fire management assistance declaration. A declaration for the whole state is on the Texas page. What a disaster declaration is

The dataset includes declared recovery programs and geographic areas (county not available before 1964; Fire Management records are considered partial due to historical nature of the dataset).

The words of the agency. Source: FEMA, OpenFEMA Dataset "Disaster Declarations Summaries - v2", copied on . The page gives: last data refresh 2026-10-01.

Flood insurance claims (NFIP)

OpenFEMA has 97 NFIP claims on record for Palo Pinto County from 1978 through 8 Sep 2026.

The NFIP paid $1,394,490 on 77 claims.

The county has 283.5 NFIP claims for each 1,000 policies in force. The rate uses 36 claims with a year of loss from 2016 to 2025. FEMA counts 127 residential policies in force on 3 Aug 2026. The claims have every type of building. FEMA counts residential policies only.

NFIP claims in Palo Pinto County by year of loss, 1978 to 2026
DecadeYear that ends in 0Year that ends in 1Year that ends in 2Year that ends in 3Year that ends in 4Year that ends in 5Year that ends in 6Year that ends in 7Year that ends in 8Year that ends in 9All
1970s000
1980s024013000111
1990s342111110014
2000s3000300140020
2010s40110102211343
2020s2400210 (part of the year)9

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

NFIP claims by year of loss with the amount paid: 28 years
NFIP claims in Palo Pinto County by year of loss, with the amount paid (OpenFEMA, through 8 Sep 2026)
Year of lossClaimsClaims with a paymentAmount paid
20251not shownnot shown
20242not shownnot shown
20214not shownnot shown
20202not shownnot shown
20193not shownnot shown
20181not shownnot shown
20171not shownnot shown
20162220$748,923
2015107$120,355
20131not shownnot shown
20121not shownnot shown
20104not shownnot shown
20071412$135,670
20043not shownnot shown
20003not shownnot shown
19971not shownnot shown
19961not shownnot shown
19951not shownnot shown
19941not shownnot shown
19931not shownnot shown
19922not shownnot shown
19914not shownnot shown
19903not shownnot shown
19891not shownnot shown
19853not shownnot shown
19841not shownnot shown
19824not shownnot shown
19812not shownnot shown

A year with fewer than 5 claims shows the count of claims and no amount. A year with 1 to 4 claims with a payment shows no amount either. Such an amount could point to one property. The amount is the sum of the building, contents and increased cost of compliance payments. FEMA counts 15 multiple-loss properties in the county (2 Aug 2026). How FEMA redacts NFIP claims

This dataset is not intended to be an official federal report, and should not be considered an official federal report.

Note, the County Code field may not reflect the individual county the property is located as projects can be associated with more than one county

The words of the agency. Source: FEMA, OpenFEMA Dataset "NFIP Redacted Claims - v3", copied on . The page gives: last data refresh 2026-09-09.

FEMA cannot verify the quality and/or timeliness of any data or any analysis derived therefrom after the data has been retrieved from FEMA.gov.

The words of the agency. Source: FEMA, OpenFEMA Terms and Conditions, copied on . The page gives: last updated 2025-01-22.

National Risk Index

Risk Index rating
Relatively Low
Risk Index score
55.2 of 100
Expected Annual Loss rating
Relatively Low
Expected Annual Loss
$15 million
Social Vulnerability rating
Relatively High
Community Resilience rating
Relatively High
National Risk Index of Palo Pinto County by hazard type (FEMA, December 2025 release)
Hazard typeRisk Index ratingExpected Annual Loss
Cold waveRelatively Moderate$1,415,710
DroughtRelatively Low$208,543
EarthquakeVery Low$44,467
HailRelatively Moderate$1,469,333
Heat waveRelatively Low$536,420
HurricaneVery Low$32,168
Ice stormRelatively Low$40,227
Inland floodingRelatively Low$7,178,533
LandslideRelatively Low$7,171
LightningRelatively Low$159,221
Strong windRelatively Moderate$885,566
TornadoRelatively Low$1,518,694
WildfireRelatively Moderate$1,147,837
Winter weatherRelatively Low$64,060

The National Risk Index dataset leverages available source data for natural hazard and community risk factors to develop a baseline relative risk measurement for each United States county and Census tract.

The rating is a qualitative categorization that describes the community in comparison to all other communities at the same level, ranging from “Very Low” to “Very High.”

The National Risk Index data are meant for planning purposes only.

The words of the agency. Source: FEMA, National Risk Index Data: Frequently Asked Questions (December 2025, v1.20), copied on .

The labels and the ratings are those of FEMA. Expected Annual Loss is a figure for a whole county. It is not a figure for a property. How to read the National Risk Index

Tropical storm and hurricane tracks

The HURDAT2 record of the National Hurricane Center has 3 tracks within 100 miles of the centre point of the county, through the 2025 season. 0 of them were within 50 miles at hurricane strength.

Storm names, years and distances: 3 tracks
Tropical storm and hurricane tracks within 100 miles of the centre point of Palo Pinto County (NHC HURDAT2)
Storm nameYearNearest point of the trackHighest wind within 100 miles
Carla196154 miles46 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm1902100 miles40 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm190054 miles58 mph

A name is the storm name that the National Hurricane Center gave. The distance is from the centre line of the track. It does not show how far the wind, the rain or the surge of a storm went.

ZIP Codes, cities and towns of Palo Pinto County

Each ZIP Code below has a page with its NFIP claims by year. 3 more ZIP Codes have fewer than 5 claims and no page.

A city or town has no page of its own. This page is the record for the whole county, which has these places:

  • Brazos
  • Gordon
  • Graford
  • Mineral Wells
  • Mingus
  • Palo Pinto
  • Santo
  • Strawn

Official channels

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

Cite this page

County Hazards. "Palo Pinto County, Texas: storm events, disaster declarations and flood insurance claims on record". https://countyhazards.com/county/tx/palo-pinto/. Data: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database through 30 Jun 2026; FEMA OpenFEMA disaster declarations through 1 Oct 2026; FEMA OpenFEMA NFIP claims through 8 Sep 2026. Page made on .

Where the data comes from

  • Storm events: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, yearly details files through 30 Jun 2026.
  • Disaster declarations: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries, read on 1 Oct 2026.
  • NFIP claims: OpenFEMA NFIP Claims, as of 8 Sep 2026. Multiple-loss properties: 2 Aug 2026. Policies in force: 3 Aug 2026.
  • National Risk Index: FEMA, December 2025 release. Storm tracks: NHC HURDAT2 through the 2025 season.
  • Residents, area, places and adjacent counties: US Census Bureau, 2021 vintage.

How the counts are made · Corrections · Hazards in all states: hail, tornado, flood, wind, winter

Questions

How many tornado events are on record for Palo Pinto County?
NCEI has 48 tornado events on record for Palo Pinto County from 1950 through 30 Jun 2026. 4 events have a rating of EF2 or F2, or a higher rating.
How large is the hail on record for Palo Pinto County?
NCEI has 391 hail events on record from 1955 through 30 Jun 2026. 158 events have a hail size of 1.75 inches or more. NCEI names 1.75 inches a golf ball.
Which month has the most storm events on record for Palo Pinto County?
May has 206 of the 907 storm events on record from 1950 through 30 Jun 2026.
How many NFIP claims are there for each 1,000 policies in force in Palo Pinto County?
The county has 283.5 NFIP claims for each 1,000 policies in force. The rate uses 36 claims with a year of loss from 2016 to 2025. FEMA counts 127 residential policies in force on 3 Aug 2026. The claims have every type of building. FEMA counts residential policies only.