Texas, 1987
The year's recorded storm events, federal disaster declarations and flood insurance claims.
NCEI notes that Storm Data is compiled from a variety of sources including the National Weather Service, other federal, state and local agencies, the media and the public; that property and crop damage figures are estimates; and that some events are recorded by NWS forecast zone rather than by county. FEMA notes that NFIP claim records are redacted and aggregated to protect the privacy of policyholders.
Events by hazard
Includes events recorded by forecast zone. The state's yearly total for 1987 was 892 against 1,018 in 1986.
Counties with the most recorded events
Notable events
| Date | County | Event type | Magnitude | Property damage | Deaths | Injuries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 May 1987 | Reeves | Tornado | F4 | $2,500,000 | 30 | 121 |
| 15 Nov 1987 | Madison | Tornado | F2 | $2,500,000 | 3 | 2 |
| 2 Jul 1987 | San Jacinto | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 mph | — | 3 | — |
| 15 Nov 1987 | Cherokee | Tornado | F3 | $25,000,000 | 2 | 75 |
| 15 Nov 1987 | Burleson | Tornado | F2 | $2,500,000 | 2 | 12 |
| 15 Nov 1987 | Smith | Tornado | F3 | $25,000,000 | 2 | 6 |
| 15 Sep 1987 | Somervell | Thunderstorm Wind | 64 mph | — | 2 | 8 |
| 25 Nov 1987 | Matagorda | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 mph | — | 2 | 2 |
| 15 Nov 1987 | Anderson | Tornado | F3 | $25,000,000 | 1 | 59 |
| 11 Jun 1987 | Ochiltree | Tornado | F1 | $25,000 | 1 | 4 |
| 17 Mar 1987 | Anderson | Tornado | F1 | $25,000 | 1 | 3 |
| 16 Nov 1987 | Matagorda | Thunderstorm Wind | 109 mph | — | 1 | — |
| 14 Feb 1987 | Bexar | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 mph | — | 1 | — |
| 15 Nov 1987 | Shelby | Tornado | F3 | $2,500,000 | — | 15 |
| 14 Jul 1987 | Gray | Tornado | F2 | $2,500,000 | — | 10 |
| 7 Sep 1987 | Bexar | Thunderstorm Wind | 81 mph | — | — | 10 |
| 15 Nov 1987 | Upshur | Tornado | F2 | $2,500,000 | — | 9 |
| 15 Nov 1987 | Lee | Tornado | F2 | $2,500,000 | — | 8 |
| 15 Nov 1987 | Panola | Tornado | F3 | $2,500,000 | — | 5 |
| 16 Nov 1987 | Galveston | Tornado | F1 | $2,500,000 | — | 4 |
| 16 Nov 1987 | Galveston | Thunderstorm Wind | 102 mph | — | — | 4 |
| 19 Dec 1987 | Hill | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 mph | — | — | 4 |
| 27 May 1987 | Hamilton | Tornado | F0 | — | — | 4 |
| 16 Nov 1987 | Jefferson | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 mph | — | — | 4 |
| 29 May 1987 | Lubbock | Tornado | F2 | $250,000 | — | 3 |
| 13 Sep 1987 | El Paso | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 mph | — | — | 3 |
| 9 Sep 1987 | Jefferson | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 mph | — | — | 3 |
| 16 Mar 1987 | Val Verde | Hail | 4.50 in | — | — | 3 |
| 1 Jul 1987 | Carson | Tornado | F2 | $25,000 | — | 2 |
| 16 Nov 1987 | Walker | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 mph | — | — | 2 |
| 16 Nov 1987 | Brazoria | Thunderstorm Wind | 59 mph | — | — | 2 |
| 17 Mar 1987 | Walker | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 mph | — | — | 2 |
| 25 Jun 1987 | Travis | Thunderstorm Wind | 70 mph | — | — | 2 |
| 13 Apr 1987 | Coryell | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 mph | — | — | 1 |
| 15 Nov 1987 | Williamson | Thunderstorm Wind | 75 mph | — | — | 1 |
| 16 Nov 1987 | Brazoria | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 mph | — | — | 1 |
| 14 Feb 1987 | Denton | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 mph | — | — | 1 |
| 13 Aug 1987 | Brown | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 mph | — | — | 1 |
| 20 May 1987 | Comal | Hail | 1.75 in | — | — | 1 |
| 6 Dec 1987 | Polk | Tornado | F2 | $2,500,000 | — | — |
Up to 40 events with deaths, injuries, damage of $50,000 or more, or a tornado rating, ranked by deaths, injuries and damage.
Federal disaster declarations in 1987
| Declared | Number | Type | Incident | Title | Counties |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 Nov 1987 | DR-802 | Major disaster | Tornado | Severe Storms & Tornadoes | 10 |
| 26 May 1987 | DR-793 | Major disaster | Tornado | Severe Storms & Tornadoes | 2 |
Flood insurance claims with a 1987 date of loss
1,821 NFIP claims, 1,291 of them paid, for $9,937,936.
Sources: NOAA NCEI Storm Events through 30 Jun 2026; OpenFEMA DisasterDeclarationsSummaries v2 (29 Sep 2026); OpenFEMA NfipClaims v3 (8 Sep 2026). Built 30 Sep 2026.