Hamilton County

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Hamilton County: 0.
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.

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

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.

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.

Costliest events since 1996

1. Feb 20, 1997Flash Flood$2.3 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Pecan Creek was out of its banks and all low-lying areas throughout the county remained flooded. Two bridges, one over the Lampasas River and the other over Cowhouse Creek, were washed out. One home sustained severe damage from flooding and several others received minor damage. Numerous livestock were lost to the flood waters. A cooperative observer measured 9.66 inches of rain in Hamilton since early on the 19th.

2. Jun 26, 2007Flash Flood$2.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   FM 1602 between Highway 281 and Highway 22 was flooded northeast of Hamilton, and Highway 218 was flooded between Hamilton and Pottsville. County Commissioners estimated road damage around $2 million.

3. Jun 26, 2007Flash Flood$2.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   High water was reported on FM 219 west of Highway 281, at FM 1602 three miles east of Highway 281, and on 5th Street in Hico. The water was several feet deep. County Commissioners estimated road damage at $2 million.

4. Jun 27, 2007Flash Flood$600,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Flooding occurred on city streets and low water crossings. County Commissioners estimated damage at $0.6 million.

5. Jul 8, 2007Flash Flood$600,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Water was reported over CR 219 near Carlton. Flooding was widespread in Hico, with FM 1602 washed out and Highway 281 north of town impassable. Flooding was worst at the intersection of Highways 6 and 220. Three high water rescues were required, two for motorists and one at a house. Hico First National Bank, Jersey Lilly's restaurant, and the Koffee Kup restaurant sustained flood damage.

6. Dec 5, 2013Winter Storm, Hamilton$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Up to 2 of ice and sleet accumulated in Hamilton County. Most of the accumulations were due to sleet. Amateur radio reported 2 of ice and sleet throughout the county.

7. Apr 10, 2011Thunderstorm Wind$300,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Severe thunderstorm winds damaged barns, outbuildings, and trees across Hamilton County. Some trees were fully uprooted. The combination of severe winds and large hail damaged oat and wheat fields that were already suffering from the ongoing drought.

8. Apr 10, 2011Hail$250,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Golfball size hail pelted the city of Hamilton damaging roofs, siding, automobiles, and windows. The hail left holes in the siding of many homes. The windows at City Hall and the post office were broken by the hail.

9. Apr 28, 2023Hail$250,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Fire and rescue reported 3-inch diameter hail near the intersection of County Road 2005 and County Road 221 southwest of Hamilton.

10. Apr 10, 2011Thunderstorm Wind$200,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    The automated weather station at the Hamilton Municipal Airport (KMNZ) measured a 64 mph wind gust. In the city of Hamilton, trees were uprooted and limbs were knocked down.

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 27, 1925

All-time low

−8°FDec 23, 1989

Warmest night

86°FAug 13, 1946

Coldest day

13°F2 times, most recently Dec 22, 1990

Wettest day

9.71 inMay 1, 1956

Snowiest day

6.0 in3 times, most recently Dec 11, 1986

Hottest year

2023mean 68.2°F

Coldest year

1961mean 60.4°F

Wettest year

199146.27 in

Driest year

20228.83 in

Snowiest season

7.4 in1986-87

Station Stephenville Clark Field (USW00003969), 1,321 ft elevation, 31.6 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1921 to October 26, 2026; 95.4% 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 USW00003969.
• 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.