Hartley County

Every recorded tornado

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

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 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. Feb 24, 2013Blizzard, Hartley$660,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Blizzard conditions reported the public in Channing and estimated 4.0 inches storm total snow.

2. May 11, 2004Thunderstorm Wind$180,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A rear flank downdraft or very strong downburst winds derailed fifteen train cars and approximately six power poles were snapped. The derailed trains cars blocked traffic on U.S. Highway 385. An official damage survey was made on this event.

3. Jun 18, 2008Thunderstorm Wind$85,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Law enforcement officials reported that a mobile home was destroyed by the thunderstorm wind gusts and also that four people were injured. An irrigation sprinkler was twisted and two foot diameter trees were uprooted.

4. Dec 2, 2003Strong Wind, Hartley$60,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A strong gust of wind lifted a pickup truck and travel trailer off of the highway and into the path of another vehicle. The fatal accident occurred five and a half miles southwest of Dalhart on U.S. Highway 54.

5. May 15, 2003Thunderstorm Wind$60,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   High winds destroyed a barn...blew down a sign...and knocked down tree branches near Farm to Market Road 281.

6. Apr 13, 1996High Wind, Hartley$50,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A strong low pressure system moved slowly across the nothern Texas panhandle. There was slight lull in the winds from shortly after sunset the 13th until about 3 AM the 14th. Peak winds were during the afternoon period of both days. Sustained winds were generally 35 to 45 mph with gusts recorded from 57 to 82 mph. Reported damage from these high winds seemed to be confined to outbuilding in the northwestern Texas panhandle.

7. Dec 19, 2006Ice Storm, Hartley$21,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   One half of an inch of ice was reported in Channing which accumulated on trees and vehicles.

8. Aug 28, 2005Drought, Hartley$18,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A severe drought caused damage to crops and livestock across the Texas panhandle and lasted for nearly a year.

9. Aug 4, 2010Thunderstorm Wind$15,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Local law enforcement officials reported numerous power lines down due to thunderstorm winds from Channing to five miles north of Channing. No injuries were reported.

10. Jun 18, 2008Thunderstorm Wind$12,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    The thunderstorm wind gusts blew over a semi-trailer on U.S. Highway 87 and two people were injured.

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

110°FJun 26, 2011

All-time low

−21°FJan 4, 1959

Warmest night

79°FJul 3, 1957

Coldest day

2°FJan 3, 1959

Wettest day

4.52 inAug 2, 1985

Snowiest day

12.5 inJan 21, 1983

Hottest year

2024mean 58.9°F

Coldest year

1961mean 53.9°F

Wettest year

198528.03 in

Driest year

20116.04 in

Snowiest season

47.1 in1982-83

Station Dalhart FAA Airport (USW00093042), 3,988 ft elevation, 3.4 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1948 to October 26, 2026; 99.9% 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 USW00093042.
• 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.