Kaufman

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 Kaufman County, the county that contains Kaufman.

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 Kaufman County, the county that contains Kaufman.

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.

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

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.

Every earthquake of magnitude 4 or more within 50 miles

1. Earthquakes of magnitude 2.5 or more in the USGS Comprehensive Catalog since 1900. Within 50 miles means the epicentre lies within 50 miles of the city centre.
2. Small earthquakes were under-recorded before the modern seismic networks of the 1970s and are still missed in remote areas, so early decades read low. Magnitudes are as the catalogue reports them and mix scales (moment, local and body-wave).

USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog, 1900 to present, retrieved October 30, 2026.

More event types since 1996

Costliest events since 1996

1. Apr 3, 2012Tornado$100 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   An EF-3 tornado did extensive damage as it wound its way through the town of Forney. The tornado began near the intersection of Broad St and N Bois D'arc Street just southwest of Highway 80. As it moved to the northeast, the first significant damage was noted near Aimee St and N Bois D'arc St. There was substantial tree damage with some large trees uprooted near this intersection. Also, shingle damage, roof damage to a fire station nearby, blown out windows at a few homes and an outbuilding was destroyed, all near this intersection. A street sign at the intersection was also completely bent flat near the base. The tornado moved northeast and crossed Hwy 80 near the Forney Cleaners…

2. Feb 14, 2021Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Kaufman$2.7 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Extreme cold gripped the county for several days. Overnight lows were near or below 20 degrees Fahrenheit almost all week. The period of February 15-16th was the coldest with low temperatures in the single digits and slightly below zero degrees Fahrenheit. The maximum temperature on the 15th was only in the low teens. Wind chill values during the 14th-16th were between 0 to -10 degrees Fahrenheit most of the time. The cold temperatures resulted in an extreme amount of damage to pipes, infrastructure, and power. The State listed 1 fatality in Kaufman County due to the winter storm but no additional information could be obtained.

3. Mar 2, 1997Thunderstorm Wind$1.5 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The severe windstorm produced widespread damage across the extreme southeastern corner of Kaufman County. In Mabank, many homes and businesses received minor damage, and trees, power lines and signs were blown down. Twenty-five power poles were also blown down. In all, an estimated 8 mobile homes were destroyed, 20 homes had major damage and 220 other homes received minor damage and 1 person was injured.

4. Jun 10, 2010Flash Flood$1.5 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Significant flash flooding occurred in the southern parts of Kaufman County, especially in the city of Mabank. Numerous roads were flooded and water flowed over several bridges. Over 10 inches of rain fell in Mabank and this led to numerous homes threatened with flood water and at least four homes were inundated with water. One home had to be evacuated. Numerous vehicles suffered damage as the water rose and flooded the insides. The flooding was directly responsible for power outages throughout the area and led to a boil water notice.

5. Apr 3, 2012Hail$1.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Tea cup sized and slightly larger hail pelted homes in the Travis Ranch Subdivision in north Forney. The hailstones penetrated 1/2-inch thick plywood and roof decks.

6. Apr 26, 2024Flash Flood$1.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Emergency management reported 8 inches of water into 4 homes in Kaufman.

7. Feb 11, 2010Heavy Snow, Kaufman$1.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   An average of 9-13 of snow fell across the county. In Terrell, 12 of snow was reported by an amateur radio operator, and the COOP Observer southeast of Kaufman reported 9 of total snow. The local newspaper in Forney reported 10-13 of snow. Also in Forney, a fatal two-vehicle accident was reported on FM 548, six miles north of US 80. One person died in the accident. In Kemp, the metal roof of a workshop collapsed, damaging the interior contents.

8. May 29, 2019Tornado$1.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A tornado began in southern Kaufman County on the northwest side of Cedar Creek Reservoir, near FM 4042 and Valentine Rd. Notable tree damage was observed at the start of the track. The tornado crossed the reservoir and struck the peninsula where Cedar Creek Golf Course is located. Significant tree damage occurred along the track in the form of uprooted and snapped large hardwood trees. Some trees were snapped near the base, but most were snapped about half way up the trunk. The tornado appeared to strengthen to EF-2 winds as it crossed the golf course. On the east side of the peninsula, the tornado significantly damaged a house, lifting the roof off over an attached indoor…

9. May 28, 2024Thunderstorm Wind$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Damage was reported in and around Forney. Tree limbs and fences were knocked down, sheds were damaged, the roof of the O'Reilly Auto Parts was damaged, and major damage was reported to the North Forney High School.

10. Oct 1, 2006Drought, Kaufman$500,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    Persistent drought conditions continued across portions of north Texas. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, much of the region was still experiencing extreme (D3) drought conditions. The areas which were rated exceptional drought (D4) last month had received enough rainfall to be downgraded into the D3 category this month.|Even though drought conditions were lessened by a few rain events this month, serious hydrological problems remained. For instance, as much water was used from Lake Bridgeport in one month alone as was saved through conservation efforts by north Texas over the summer. Almost every north Texas lake remained well below conservation levels. The rain events this…

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

115°FAug 18, 1909

All-time low

−3°F2 times, most recently Feb 17, 2021

Warmest night

84°FAug 23, 1912

Coldest day

13°FFeb 16, 2021

Wettest day

7.08 inJun 12, 1945

Snowiest day

10.8 inFeb 12, 2010

Hottest year

1911mean 68.2°F

Coldest year

1997mean 61.9°F

Wettest year

201572.87 in

Driest year

197223.22 in

Station Wills Point (USC00419800), 520 ft elevation, 19.4 miles from the city centre. Daily records from 1905 to June 30, 2026; 97.7% 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 Kaufman 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 USC00419800.
• River crests NOAA National Weather Service, National Water Prediction Service river gauges, 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.