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Tornado History

Galveston Tornado History

This county-level tornado history page focuses on Galveston, Texas. The records below identify 104 tornadoes from 1957 through 2024, including a highest listed rating of F4 (Devastating damage). NOAA damage estimates in this group total at least $35.4M, with 9 deaths and 239 injuries recorded across the listed events.

Key Tornado Statistics

Total Tornadoes104
Total Deaths9
Total Injuries239
Property Damage$35.4M
Avg Length1.4 mi
Avg Width49 yd

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Key Tornado Facts for Galveston, Texas

Top local patterns from the historical tornado records in this group.

Average 1.5 tornadoes per year (1.1/yr in last decade)
August is the peak tornado month with 17 recorded events
Deadliest tornado: F4 in Galveston, Texas with 8 deaths
1983 was the most active year with 7 tornadoes
The 1980s had the most tornado activity (26 events)
Longest tornado: 15.4 miles in Galveston, Texas
Widest tornado: 850.0 yards in Galveston, Texas
Most tornadoes in one day: 5 on Mar 17, 1957

Monthly Distribution

Shows tornado frequency across months of the year, highlighting seasonal patterns and peak tornado periods.

January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December

Summary: In Galveston, Texas, August is the most active month with 17 tornadoes.

Annual Tornado Trend

Shows year-by-year tornado counts, making active years and quiet stretches easier to spot.

7530

Summary: 1983 was the most active year with 7 recorded tornadoes.

Tornado Intensity Distribution

Shows the breakdown of tornadoes by EF/F rating.

F0
EF0
F1
EF1
F2
EF2
F3
F4

Summary: F0 tornadoes are the most common in this group, with 44 recorded events.

Property Damage Trends

Visualizes reported property damage over time. Bars use a log-like scale so very large damage years do not flatten the rest of the chart.

$27.8M$2.8M$278K$0

Summary: The highest reported property damage year in this group is 1981 with at least $27.8M in NOAA-listed property damage.

Historical Track Sketch

F4 September 12, 19611961F3 June 18, 19611961F3 May 21, 19591959F3 March 8, 19761976F3 September 12, 19611961F3 August 18, 19671967F2 June 5, 19811981EF2 October 31, 20152015F2 May 9, 19811981F2 October 29, 19671967F2 March 17, 19571957F2 March 17, 19571957F2 March 17, 19571957F2 March 17, 19571957F1 August 31, 1981F1 November 16, 1987EF1 August 30, 2009EF1 January 6, 2021F1 November 17, 2003F1 August 28, 1980F1 May 13, 1982F1 May 13, 1982F1 November 17, 2003F1 February 10, 1998F1 December 30, 2002F1 January 2, 1999F1 August 30, 1963F1 January 10, 1975F1 May 10, 1976F1 October 5, 1978F1 July 27, 1978F1 January 14, 1991F1 February 22, 1992F1 August 18, 1974F1 September 6, 1980F1 June 5, 1981F1 May 6, 1982F1 June 2, 1957F1 July 4, 1961F1 April 27, 1962F1 May 29, 1975F1 September 4, 1976EF1 December 28, 2024F0 November 21, 1992EF0 August 27, 2017F0 October 8, 2002EF0 April 24, 2016F0 May 16, 1994EF0 April 18, 2009EF0 November 8, 2011EF0 January 9, 2012EF0 October 20, 2017F0 October 4, 2004F0 November 17, 2003EF0 July 5, 2007F0 December 13, 1983F0 September 27, 1996F0 January 2, 1999F0 October 16, 2006F0 December 17, 1995F0 August 22, 1998EF0 May 22, 2017EF0 July 6, 2007EF0 July 21, 2014EF0 March 14, 2022F0 July 30, 1995F0 September 10, 1998EF0 May 4, 2019F0 May 22, 2006F0 November 17, 2003F0 October 16, 2006F0 October 16, 2006F0 June 25, 1976EF0 August 25, 2017F0 August 17, 1983F0 August 17, 1983F0 August 17, 1983F0 August 17, 1983F0 November 30, 1983F0 November 30, 1983© OpenStreetMap contributors

Notable Tornado Records

The table highlights the strongest and most damaging records in this page's local dataset. Damage totals are NOAA-reported minimum estimates where available.

DateRatingAreaLengthWidthDeathsInjuriesMin. property damage
September 12, 1961F4Galveston, Texas1 mi100 yd8200N/A
June 18, 1961F3Galveston, Texas2.5 mi50 yd05$250K
May 21, 1959F3Galveston, Texas4.3 mi67 yd00$25K
March 8, 1976F3Galveston, Texas9.3 mi200 yd00$25K
September 12, 1961F3Galveston, Texas2 mi33 yd00N/A
August 18, 1967F3Galveston, Texas0.5 mi50 yd00N/A
June 5, 1981F2Galveston, Texas2.7 mi100 yd02$2.5M
October 31, 2015EF2Galveston, Texas1.68 mi50 yd00$1.0M
May 9, 1981F2Galveston, Texas1.5 mi50 yd01$250K
October 29, 1967F2Galveston, Texas0.1 mi33 yd00$2K
March 17, 1957F2Galveston, Texas0 mi33 yd17N/A
March 17, 1957F2Galveston, Texas11.6 mi67 yd04N/A

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Source And Limits

Data source: NOAA/NCEI. TornadoTrace summarizes historical records for screening and research. Coordinates, damage estimates, narratives, and event details can be approximate, incomplete, revised, or missing. Do not use this page as legal, insurance, engineering, real estate, emergency management, or safety advice.