New Braunfels

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.

Every large fire

1. Large fires mapped by the Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity program since 1984: 1,000 acres or more in the West, 500 or more in the East. Prescribed burns are excluded. Acres here are the part of each perimeter inside this place.

Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity (USGS and U.S. Forest Service), 1984 to 2026.

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 Comal County, the county that contains New Braunfels.

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 Comal County, the county that contains New Braunfels.

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 Comal County, the county that contains New Braunfels.

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. Oct 17, 1998Flood, Comal$200 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Flooding along the Guadalupe RiverThe Guadalupe River at New Braunfels crested at 35.1 feet, with flood stage at 7 feet. This was over three feet higher than the disastrous flood of May 12, 1972. Homes were destroyed, moved downstream, or severely damaged from just below Sattler, near the Bear Creek confluence, across the remainder of the county. Homes along the entire reach were flooded well away from the channel, in areas that never flooded before. Along River Road, numerous autos, RVs, and homes were strewn along the flood plain. Recreational camps and outfitters headquarters buildings were destroyed. Homes near Common Street in New Braunfels had slabs as low as 12.5 feet.…

2. Oct 17, 1998Flash Flood$50.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The Great October FloodIn advance of a very slow-moving upper level trough of low pressure over West Texas, a cold front drifted slowly southeastward into West Central Texas during the evening of Friday, October 16th. Deep moisture was in place across South Central Texas as the two systems approached, being fed at the mid and upper levels by two nearly stationary hurricanes, Madeline near the tip of Baja Mexico, and Lester, anchored just off Acapulco, Mexico, and in the low levels by a strong flow from the Gulf of Mexico. A very moisture-rich environment was in place across South Central Texas as the event developed. Near 3 am CST, with the cold front still west of San Angelo,…

3. Jun 9, 2010Flash Flood$10.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A storm survey along the Guadalupe River from River Road down into the city of New Braunfels showed devastation along the banks of the river. The river rose some 20+ feet in less than 2 hours sweeping campers, cars, trailers, tubes, and other debris down the river toward New Braunfels and Seguin. Campsites downstream of the 3rd River Road crossing where demolished and swept clean due to the power of water. The campsites along the stretch of River Road near Camp Hueco Springs were especially hit hard as Elm creek flooded and brought tremendous water into the Guadalupe. A death occurred at this location as a man was swept downstream. Other campers were rescued down in New Braunfels…

4. Oct 17, 1998Flood, Comal$8.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Flooding along the Comal RiverAt New Braunfels, the Comal River reached well above the flood stage of 15 feet, causing widespread flooding of homes in New Braunfels along Dry Comal Creek. Water rose to the roofs of some of the lowest homes.

5. Jun 22, 1997Flash Flood$2.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The heavy rain Friday night into Saturday afternoon had left South Central Texas soils saturated. The situation worsened Saturday evening into Sunday as heavy rain associated with the upper low pressure system redeveloped over the western Texas Hill Country. Very heavy rains over the Texas Hill Country Saturday night and Sunday morning caused widespread flooding as well as flash flooding across numerous counties. The heavy rains moved into San Antonio Sunday morning and into the Austin area later in the morning. By Sunday afternoon and evening, areas of showers and thunderstorms had diminished over South Central Texas as the upper low moved into North Texas. Late Sunday evening,…

6. Aug 26, 2017Tropical Storm, Comal$1.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Hurricane Harvey moved onshore as a Category 4 hurricane over San Jose Island east of Rockport during the late evening of August 25th. Harvey moved inland entering southern DeWitt County during the morning of August 26th as a Category 1 hurricane. It continued to weaken as it moved farther inland eventually reaching south central Gonzales County as a tropical storm during the late evening of August 26th. The center of the storm made a loop through Gonzales, Karnes, and DeWitt Counties before exiting our County Warning Area during the afternoon of August 27th moving into Victoria County. ||Winds frequently gusted over 50 mph across the county, The maximum recorded wind gusts were…

7. Feb 1, 2023Winter Storm, Comal$565,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Freezing rain was first reported in Bulverde at 7:26 PM on January 30. The freezing rain continued off and on through February 2. By the morning of January 31 0.15��� of ice had accumulated in Fischer. By the end of the event 0.75��� of ice was measured in Fischer. The ice brought down tree branches and trees in Fischer, Canyon Lake, and Bulverde. The cost of damage was estimated at $565,000. The Pedernales Electric Cooperative, headquarters in Johnson City, provides electricity to most of Blanco and Burnet Counties and parts of Edwards, Real, Kerr, Williamson, Travis, Hays, Comal, and Kendall Counties, reported $13 million in damage. This damage is likely included in…

8. Jul 4, 2006Flash Flood$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Thunderstorms that had formed in the late afternoon over Comal County spread over the area from New Braunfels to Gruene and remained stationary for several hours. Up to 4 inches of rain had fallen in Gruene by 1800CST with as much as 8 inches of rain just west of New Braunfels. Widespread street flooding was reported along with flash flooding that closed East Common Street and River Road through the early evening and most roads in and near New Braunfels toward the end of the event. A short section of IH-35 was even closed due to the high water. For the first time since 1979, the rain caused flooding at the Holiday Inn in New Braunfels, where more than 50 rooms were damaged. A half…

9. Oct 15, 2019Thunderstorm Wind$300,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   The roof of a truck stop near I-35 was heavily damaged due to strong winds.

10. Jun 9, 2004Flash Flood$250,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    Rainfall of between 1 and 2 across the county, with up to 4 inches in the southern half caused flash flooding that closed SH46 in several places. The flooding washed away 4 recreational vehicles and damaged 5 homes. The recreational vehicles had been parked at a campground under IH35. Damage to the homes was estimated at $250,000.

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

112°FSep 5, 2000

All-time low

11°FFeb 15, 2021

Warmest night

84°F2 times, most recently Jul 9, 2024

Coldest day

15°FFeb 15, 2021

Wettest day

8.09 inJul 20, 2007

Hottest year

2024mean 73.2°F

Coldest year

1997mean 66.9°F

Wettest year

200456.99 in

Driest year

200811.90 in

Station Austin San Antonio (USW00012971), 767 ft elevation, 5.2 miles from the city centre. Daily records from 1996 to October 27, 2026; 99.2% 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 Comal 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 USW00012971.
• 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.