Harlingen

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond this area.
2. Weak tornadoes were under-recorded before Doppler radar coverage became national in the early 1990s, so earlier decades read low. Ratings use the Fujita scale before February 2007 and the Enhanced Fujita scale after.

Storm Prediction Center severe weather database, 1950 to 2025.

Every storm within 100 miles

1. Tropical storms and hurricanes (34 kt or more, still tropical) at closest approach. Post-tropical remnants with gale-force winds are listed but not counted. Direct: track within 50 miles; near: within 100 miles. Distance is measured to the county boundary for counties and to the city centre for cities, using positions interpolated hourly between HURDAT2 fixes.

National Hurricane Center HURDAT2, 1851 to 2025.

Smoke overhead

1. A smoke day is a date on which a smoke plume traced by NOAA Hazard Mapping System analysts from satellite imagery covered this place's point (the county's population centre or the city centre). Counts here are of medium or heavy smoke. Since 2018 analysts have often drawn light smoke as one area over most of the continent, so light-smoke counts are not comparable from year to year. The plumes show smoke anywhere in the air above, not air quality at the ground, and smoke hidden by cloud is missed.

NOAA Hazard Mapping System smoke analysis, 2011 to 2026, retrieved October 30, 2026.

Flood insurance figures are for Cameron County, the county that contains Harlingen.

Claims by ZIP code

This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).

OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims v3, refreshed August 4, 2026. NOAA Storm Events through 2026.

River crests

River gauges in Cameron County, the county that contains Harlingen.

River gauges

1. Crests are the highest and the recent crests the National Weather Service lists for each river gauge in the county that has a flood stage, not every flood. Flood categories use each gauge's current flood stages; crests from before levees, dams or channel changes may not be comparable. Crests measured on an old datum are left out of the rankings.

NOAA National Water Prediction Service gauge records, retrieved October 30, 2026.

High tide flooding

Tide gauges in Cameron County.

1. High tide flooding days are days on which a NOAA tide gauge recorded water at or above NOAA's minor flood threshold, set from the gauge's tide range, counted by meteorological year (May to April). These are the counts in NOAA's annual high tide flooding reports; they are not National Weather Service flood stages. Years with less than 80 percent of data are left out.

NOAA CO-OPS high tide flooding counts, through April 2026, retrieved October 30, 2026.

The drought index is for Cameron County, the county that contains Harlingen.

1. The Palmer Drought Severity Index is computed by NOAA each month from the county's average temperature and precipitation, relative to the county's own climate. Zero is normal; -3 or lower is severe drought and -4 or lower extreme drought. It describes the long-term balance of moisture, not water supply or crop losses.

NOAA NCEI nClimDiv county Palmer Drought Severity Index, 1895 to September 2026, issued October 6, 2026.

More event types since 1996

Costliest events since 1996

1. Jul 23, 2008Tropical Storm, Cameron$420 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The approach of Hurricane Dolly to the barrier shoreline of South Padre Island early on the morning of July 23rd brought sustained tropical storm force winds inland to the east side of Brownsville, including the Port, just before 730 AM on the 23rd. Prior rainbands had produced frequent gusts to 40 mph, but the arrival of sustained tropical storm winds was soon followed by wind damage and power outages, particularly during the afternoon. Prior to Dolly's landfall along the Cameron/Willacy County line, the western and southern eyewall intensified. The core of the eyewall traversed northern Cameron County, where impacts were more substantial than in southern Cameron…

2. Jul 23, 2008Hurricane (Typhoon), Coastal Cameron$368 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   After edging northward just off the Cameron County coastline during the early to mid morning, the inner western eyewall reached South Padre Island at around 11 AM CDT, further intensifying between 11 AM and 1 PM while edging across Laguna Madre into Port Isabel, Bayview, Laguna Heights, and Laguna Vista. Sustained winds at 7.2 feet above ground level in completely exposed areas peaked at 78 mph at 1:20 PM CDT on South Padre Island, measured by a sensor just north of the northernmost beach access point. ||As the western eyewall continued to intensify and begin moving inland, it is assumed that at similarly exposed locations near the coast, periods of sustained one minute winds just…

3. Mar 27, 2025Flash Flood$105 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Some of the heaviest rainfall associated with the historic rainfall of March 26-28 fell in Harlingen. In total, nearly 19 inches was measured by trusted sources, with radar estimates up to 20.5 inches. During the peak of the multiple bands from early evening through just after midnight on the 28th, estimated rainfall rates were at least 3 per hour for at least 3 hours, including at Harlingen/Valley International Airport, where 5 fell in just 90 minutes before the power went out due to lightning strikes.||Hundreds, if not a thousand, structures had flood damage ranging from affected to destroyed. Damage details will be available for this part of Cameron County, which stretches from…

4. Jul 25, 2020Tropical Storm, Cameron$102 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Tropical Storm-force winds ravaged northern Cameron County from mid afternoon on July 25th until just after midnight on July 26th. Strongest winds occurred during the evening of July 25th, when the southern and eastern eyewall clipped the region along and north of Interstate 2 between Harlingen/Rio Hondo and La Feria north to the Willacy County line. Measured and estimated wind gusts in these areas were near hurricane force (65 mph) with sustained winds peaking between 40 and 50 mph. Harlingen/Rio Grande Valley International Airport reported a peak gust to 63 mph before taking a power loss. ||The slow movement of the inner core of Hanna allowed minor wind damage to occur in this…

5. Apr 8, 2003Hail$50.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   One of the most destructive hail events in recorded history for the City of Brownsville occurred this day. A severe thunderstorm emerged into Cameron County from northern Mexico and dropped large amounts of wind-driven hail upon the city. The hail destroyed roofs of homes and businesses, broke countless windows of automobiles and homes, and damaged vegetation. Approximately 10,000 insurance claims have been filed in association with this storm. Most of the large hail reports occurred between 925 and 950 CDT.The Brownsville Police Department reported that 12 cruisers had windshields shattered by hail, and Hanna High School in central Brownsville reported 285 automobiles with wndows…

6. Jun 20, 2018Flash Flood$35.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Multiple cells and clusters of thunderstorms during the pre-dawn hours into the morning commute on June 20th dropped measured and estimated rainfall between 5 and more than 8 inches in western Cameron County, which caused widespread flooding between La Feria, Harlingen, San Benito, and other locations. The flooding produced locally 2 to 4 feet of water depth, with Santa Rosa through La Feria particularly hard hit. Interstate 2 frontage road was closed from Harlingen to McAllen due to the intense rainfall, which fell at an estimated rate of 2 to 3 inches per hour in a few spots for 2 to 3 hours - and on top of prior rainfall earlier in the week.||Detailed damage for this particular…

7. Jun 24, 2019Flash Flood$30.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Measured and estimated rainfall between 8 and 15.2 inches that fell predominantly from early evening June 24th through a bit after midnight on June 25th produced widespread flash flooding across northwestern Cameron County. Hardest hit locations were the west side of Harlingen through La Feria, north to Santa Rosa, and back east to near Combes. ||In the tri-county area (western Willacy, northwestern Cameron, and southeastern Hidalgo), 1188 homes were considered destroyed or with major damage, with an additional 182 homes with minor damage. Hundreds of streets flooded, including 30 Texas-managed highways. This included the frontage roads of Interstate 2 and Interstate 69E (with up…

8. Jun 20, 2018Flash Flood$20.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   One day after 3 to more than 5 inches fell between Brownsville and Los Fresnos during the afternoon and early evening hours, a repeat event occurred, fed by deep tropical moisture and multiple boundaries left behind from devastating morning flooding across western Cameron and eastern Hidalgo County. A persistent line of torrential rainfall dominated through the early evening commute, with another 3 to 6 inches having fallen for a two-day total of 6 to 11+ inches. The second day rainfall produced more widespread flooding across locations in and east of Brownsville and Los Fresnos, with farm and subdivisions under 2 to 3+ feet of water when all was said and done. ||The additional…

9. Jul 25, 2020Flash Flood$13.3 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Afternoon and early evening rains of 2 to 3 inches fell across the IH-2 corridor of Cameron County, from La Feria to east of Harlingen, and saturated soils ahead of the torrential rains that were to come later in the evening as the southern and eastern eyewall pulled copious tropical moisture into northern Cameron County after sunset. Estimated rainfall of 4 to 6+ inches by mid evening began to produce known flash flooding in La Feria and Harlingen, with two water rescues conducted in La Feria just after 10 PM CST. Despite lighter rains, flash flooding would continue due to poor drainage situations, especially in the La Feria/Santa Rosa area. A broad south to north feeder band…

10. Sep 6, 2010Tropical Storm, Cameron$10.0 million
    National Weather Service narrative

    Hermine arrived in fits and starts, with frequent gusty feeder band showers followed by relatively calm conditions through the day and early evening of September 6th. Between 830 and 9 PM CST, the action got underway as the central core of Hermine brought a rapid increase in sustained winds and gusts, along with increasingly heavy rainfall. Between 10 PM and 11 PM CST, the northern doughnut crossed the Rio Grande over lower populated southwest Cameron County. Meanwhile, intense feeder bands east of the center, where some of the strongest winds were sampled, pounded Brownsville with sustained winds of 40 to 55 mph and gusts as high as 69 mph at the Brownsville/SPI International…

1. Storm Events records before 1996 cover only tornadoes, thunderstorm wind and hail. Damage figures are as reported by the National Weather Service at the time, not adjusted for inflation.

NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, 1950 to 2026, issued October 26, 2026.

All-time high

107°F3 times, most recently May 9, 2024

All-time low

17°FJan 12, 1962

Warmest night

84°F2 times, most recently Sep 1, 2020

Coldest day

29°FJan 10, 1962

Wettest day

13.79 inMar 27, 2025

Snowiest day

1.0 inDec 8, 2017

Hottest year

2012mean 77.2°F

Coldest year

1960mean 72.2°F

Wettest year

202139.03 in

Driest year

20118.05 in

Snowiest season

1.0 in2017-18

Station Harlingen Rio Grande Vly International (USW00012904), 31 ft elevation, 3.7 miles from the city centre. Daily records from 1952 to October 12, 2026; 98.5% of days in the last 30 years are complete. Records at a single station can differ from a city’s official threaded record, which may combine several stations.

NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network Daily.

Declarations for Cameron County.

This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).

OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries, retrieved October 30, 2026. Statewide declarations are not listed.

• Tornadoes NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather database, through 2025.
• Tropical cyclones NOAA National Hurricane Center HURDAT2 (Atlantic; Northeast and Central Pacific), through 2025.
• Wildfire USGS/USFS Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity, through 2026.
• Storm events NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, through 2026.
• Flood insurance OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims v3, refreshed August 4, 2026.
• Declarations OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Weather records NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network Daily, station USW00012904.
• River crests NOAA National Weather Service, National Water Prediction Service river gauges, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Tide gauges NOAA CO-OPS high tide flooding counts, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Drought NOAA NCEI nClimDiv county Palmer Drought Severity Index, through September 2026.
• Smoke NOAA NESDIS Hazard Mapping System smoke analysis, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Earthquakes USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog (ComCat), retrieved October 30, 2026.

Joins, thresholds and known limits are set out in the methodology. Found an error? Report it. Page built October 30, 2026.