Hale County tornado history

132 tornadoes touched Hale County, Texas between 1950 and 2025 — about 1.7 a year. The strongest was rated F4 (Apr 17, 1970). Tornadoes here killed 11 and injured 156 people.

132tornadoes since 1950

F4strongest rating

11killed · 156 injured

96.6 milongest path · 1970

(E)F0(E)F1(E)F2(E)F3(E)F4(E)F5· dots = start point only

By rating

(E)F068

(E)F140

(E)F214

(E)F32

(E)F42

(E)F50

unrated6

By month

JFMAMJJASOND

Peak month: May.

By decade

’50’60’70’80’90’00’10’20

Strongest tornadoes

Date	Rating	Path	Width	Injured	Killed
Apr 17, 1970	F4	96.6 mi	880 yd	51	5
Jun 2, 1965	F4	39.3 mi	200 yd	76	4
Apr 15, 1973	F3	7.6 mi	200 yd	26	2
Jun 9, 2005	F3	15 mi	900 yd	0	0
Oct 17, 1971	F2	31 mi	100 yd	0	0
Apr 21, 1957	F2	30.6 mi	100 yd	0	0
Apr 21, 1957	F2	30.6 mi	10 yd	0	0
Apr 21, 2007	EF2	28.8 mi	1,230 yd	1	0
May 22, 1955	F2	20.7 mi	400 yd	0	0
May 31, 1968	F2	5 mi	3,000 yd	0	0
Jun 6, 1989	F2	2.5 mi	200 yd	0	0
May 15, 1957	F2	2 mi	17 yd	0	0

Most recent tornadoes

Date	Rating	Path	Width
May 3, 2024	unrated	—	30 yd
May 26, 2021	unrated	1 mi	30 yd
Mar 13, 2021	unrated	—	20 yd
Mar 13, 2021	unrated	0.1 mi	20 yd
May 25, 2019	EF2	1.7 mi	100 yd
May 25, 2019	unrated	4.6 mi	100 yd
May 7, 2019	unrated	—	30 yd
Aug 14, 2013	EF0	0.1 mi	25 yd
Oct 12, 2012	EF0	1.8 mi	200 yd
Oct 12, 2012	EF0	0.1 mi	20 yd
Mar 19, 2011	EF0	0.1 mi	75 yd
May 24, 2009	EF0	0.2 mi	25 yd

Deadliest: Apr 17, 1970, F4, 5 killed.

Nearby counties

Floyd County, TX61 Lamb County, TX91 Lubbock County, TX99 Swisher County, TX78 Castro County, TX80 Crosby County, TX58 Hockley County, TX80 Briscoe County, TX51

Questions

How many tornadoes has Hale County, Texas had?

132 tornadoes touched Hale County, Texas between 1950 and 2025 in the NOAA Storm Prediction Center database — about 1.7 per year.

What was the strongest tornado in Hale County?

The strongest rating recorded was F4 on Apr 17, 1970, with a 96.6-mile path and 5 deaths.

When is tornado season in Hale County?

Most of its tornadoes happened in May (47 of 132). Tornadoes can occur in any month, so keep alerts on year-round.

Right now: live tornado warnings map · alerts for your location. Dates link to that day’s full storm reports where available (2004 onward).