Castro County

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Castro County: 3.
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 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.

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

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.

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 county boundary (or inside the county).
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. Dec 26, 2015Blizzard, Castro$4.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Following a mild Christmas, a strong cold front arrived early on the morning of the 26th ahead of temperatures falling to freezing territory throughout the course of the afternoon all in advance of a slow-moving upper low in the Desert Southwest and far north-central Mexico. Northerly winds increased in intensity during the day and by early evening were frequently gusting between 50 and 60 mph over the entire South Plains. These winds created several power outages, minor roof damage, downed tree limbs, and even toppled some trees completely. By mid-evening on the 26th, exceptionally rich moisture from the Gulf of Mexico deepened over the shallow dome of cold air and resulted in…

2. May 21, 2014Thunderstorm Wind$2.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Local fire department and emergency management officials reported wind damage in and around Hart associated with a severe thunderstorm downburst. A freestanding grain dryer was blown over against a grain tank at the intersection of Highway 194 and Farm to Market Road 168. A couple of center pivot irrigation systems were also blown over as the Texas Tech University West Texas Mesonet site in town recorded a 64 mph wind gust. Additionally, hail of up to penny size was observed.

3. Apr 24, 1997Cold/Wind Chill, Castro$1.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A prolonged wet and unseasonably cold/windy period killed at least several hundred head of cattle in Castro and Parmer Counties. The same area suffered damage to its wheat crop.

4. Apr 14, 2017Tornado$1.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   An exceptionally large and significant tornado affected areas west of Dimmitt in Castro County. Along with video provided by storm spotters, a NWS storm survey team determined this tornado began just south of Highway 86 about 4 miles southwest of Dimmitt, before quickly assuming a very large wedge formation while moving slowly northeast. This tornado then turned north and northwest, before ending around the intersection of County Roads 511 and 511A. A satellite tornado reportedly accompanied this large tornado, however multiple video sources revealed this was only a satellite funnel. The most significant damage observed by the NWS survey team was found near the intersection of…

5. Aug 11, 2011Thunderstorm Wind$200,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A Texas Tech University West Texas mesonet station near Dimmitt measured a wind gust to 95 mph. The mesonet station sustained significant damage during the thunderstorm. The mesonet station's radiation shields were damaged, and a pole and guy wires were pulled out of the ground. Additionally, three-quarter inch hail dents were observed on the mesonet equipment. A center pivot irrigation system was also damaged in vicinity of the mesonet station. Southwest of Dimmitt, seven power poles were downed around the intersection of FM 1055 and County Road 621. In Dimmitt, a feed lot office was heavily damaged.

6. Apr 21, 2007Tornado$200,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A large and long-tracked tornado cut a path of damage twenty-nine miles in length and at times nearly three-quarters of a mile wide across portions of Lamb, Hale, Castro and Swisher Counties between 17:57 and 18:36 CST on the 21st. Total damages from the tornado were estimated to exceed $1.2 million, and one person was injured.|The large tornado caused damage to center pivot irrigation systems and utility lines as it tracked over southeastern Castro County between 18:18 and 18:33 CST. Local newspapers reported that numerous irrigation systems were destroyed, and utility poles were downed along Texas Highway 194 and Farm to Market Road 145 southeast and east of Hart.|Damage caused…

7. Oct 10, 2007Thunderstorm Wind$180,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   The Texas Tech University West Texas Mesonet site north of Hart recorded a 70 mph thunderstorm wind gust at 18:35 CST. The winds, accompanied by large hail, caused moderate damage and one minor injury. A number of telephone poles were blown down, and several center pivot irrigation systems were destroyed. A tractor trailer was blown off of Texas Highway 194 near Hart, and the driver was treated for minor injuries. Reports additionally indicated that a cotton trailer was blown into and damaged another tractor trailer.

8. Apr 6, 2001Thunderstorm Wind$150,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Several center point irrigation systems were destroyed by thunderstorm wind across the southern portion of the county.

9. Apr 6, 2001Thunderstorm Wind$150,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Several center pivot irrigation systems were destroyed by thunderstorm wind in the western portion of the county.

10. Jan 12, 2006Wildfire, Castro$150,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    A large wildfire ignited near U.S. Highway 385 just north of Dimmitt on the afternoon of the 12th. A frontal passage caused a westerly to northerly wind shift that rapidly changed the fire's direction of growth and spread. The fire destroyed three abandoned structures on the northwest side of the city. Resources from surrounding counties as well as the Texas Forest Service were utilized to battle the blaze. Two forest service air tankers provided airdrops and managed to contain the fire before it spread into the city. This undoubtedly averted extensive damage to homes and businesses.A second large wildfire was reported to be burning out of control just west of Matador around 15:00…

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

111°FJul 4, 1983

All-time low

−12°F2 times, most recently Feb 16, 2021

Warmest night

76°FJul 14, 2020

Coldest day

4°FFeb 15, 2021

Wettest day

4.38 inOct 31, 1998

Snowiest day

16.0 inJan 21, 1983

Hottest year

2024mean 60.5°F

Coldest year

1979mean 54.4°F

Wettest year

201740.26 in

Driest year

20207.88 in

Snowiest season

29.3 in1960-61

Station Dimmitt (USC00412464), 3,870 ft elevation, 2.1 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1962 to October 23, 2026; 99.6% 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.

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.

Neighbouring counties

• 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 USC00412464.
• 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.