Hill County

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Hill County: 13.
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.

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

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.

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. Mar 25, 2000Hail$1.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Hail and high wind did extensive damage over northern Hill county from Blum to Hillsboro. This is the same storm that struck Somervell county. The wind unroofed barns, uprooted trees, and damaged homes and buildings. Large hail broke windows and dented vehicles. Three 18-wheelers were blown over while trying to wait out the storm on the side of I-35 just north of Hillsboro. Wind driven hail broke or cracked over 200 windows in Hillsboro, some in the recently reconstructed historic court house. Water subsequently damage carpet and floors. Some hail stones in Hillsboro were as large as baseballs. Approximately 17,000 acres of wheat were ruined. The newspaper quoted this as the worst…

2. Sep 8, 2010Flash Flood$1.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Several county roads and Farm-to-Market roads were impassible or closed due to high water. Swift water rescues were conducted in Whitney after two apartment complexes were flooded. There were at least 17 high water rescues conducted across the county. At least 40 homes suffered damage due to flood waters, and county roads across the county experienced significant damage.

3. Sep 8, 2011Wildfire, Hill$975,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   The Dam Fire on the south edge of Lake Whitney burned 580 acres near the Hill/Bosque County line. Nine homes and 25 outbuildings were lost in the fire. This fire began on the roadside next to SH 22 but the cause was unknown. One firefighter was treated for smoke inhalation.

4. Apr 3, 2012Hail$700,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Tennis ball sized hail fell in Itasca. The local newspaper reported that cars, houses, and buildings were damaged from the large hail. The hail that fell across the county also damaged the wheat crop.

5. Feb 15, 2021Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Hill$575,000
   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 degrees Fahrenheit. The maximum temperature on the 15th was only around 15 degrees Fahrenheit. Wind chill values during the 14th-16th were between 10 to -15 degrees Fahrenheit most of the time. The cold temperatures resulted in an extreme amount of damage to pipes, infrastructure, and power. The State listed 2 fatalities in Hill County due to the winter storm but no additional information could be obtained.

6. Jun 11, 2003Lightning$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A lightning started fire destroyed a church.

7. Dec 29, 2006Tornado$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   The National Weather Service in Fort Worth conducted a damage survey and found that a tornado developed west of FM 933 and south of CR 1145. Tree damage was noted as the tornado crossed FM 933 and FM 67 one mile southeast of Blum. The tornado apparently increased in size and intensity after crossing FM 67. A large grain silo was toppled over on CR 1137, roughly 1.5 miles northeast of Blum. Extensive tree and power pole damage was also noted. The path width was over a quarter of a mile at this time. As the tornado crossed County Roads 1136 and 1133, widespread tree damage was noted, as was structural damage to roofs and windows. The tornado then moved across FM 2488 just south of…

8. Oct 1, 2006Drought, Hill$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…

9. Jun 10, 2010Flash Flood$400,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Numerous reports of flash flooding were reported in the southeastern portions of the county. A vehicle was overtaken with water on Farm-to-Market Road 308 near the town of Bynum. Additional water was reported over Farm-to-Market Road 308 between the towns of Penelope and Birome and near Malone. There was also water over County Road 2114 west of Penelope and a bridge was washed out, stranding four motorists along NW 3150 Road, northeast of Dawson. Water was reported in homes between Hillsboro and Brandon.

10. May 3, 2021Tornado$350,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    The tornado formed in extreme northern Hill County, NW of the Blum community, near the intersection of Texas Highway 174 and Hill County Road 1106. The tornado traveled across open country for approximately 3.4 miles. Scattered tree and powerline damage of EF-0 intensity was noted along the length of this path. Near the end of the tornado's lifespan, it struck a brick-clad frame home, removing most of the roof and part of the walls of the structure. The tornado's peak intensity of EF-2, with estimated wind speeds of 130 mph, was inferred from the damage to this structure. Some other trees and outbuildings sustained EF-0 to EF-1 damage near this home. The tornado dissipated several…

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

113°FJul 10, 1917

All-time low

−6°FDec 23, 1989

Warmest night

88°FAug 24, 1989

Coldest day

17°F2 times, most recently Dec 22, 1990

Wettest day

11.30 inSep 27, 1936

Snowiest day

16.0 inDec 21, 1929

Hottest year

1933mean 69.8°F

Coldest year

1975mean 62.0°F

Wettest year

201560.97 in

Driest year

196318.14 in

Station Hillsboro (USC00414182), 550 ft elevation, 4.2 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1903 to October 23, 2026; 92.7% 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.

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 USC00414182.
• 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.