Kenedy County

Population 319 (2025) 1,459 sq mi

40 tropical storms and hurricanes have passed within 50 miles of Kenedy County since 1851, 19 of them at hurricane strength; the strongest was Celia in 1970 (Category 4).

Hazard fingerprint for Kenedy County Tornado: 9th percentile. Tropical: 88th percentile. Wildfire: 68th percentile. Flood: 3th percentile. Hail & wind: 3th percentile. Heat: 91th percentile. Cold: 98th percentile. Winter: 2th percentile. TORTROPFIREFLOODSEVEREHEATCOLDWINTER

Hazard fingerprint Each spoke is this county’s percentile among U.S. counties where that hazard occurs. How it is computed

2026
  • Tornado damage paths since 19506
  • Tropical cyclone tracks within 100 miles since 1851, wider where stronger64
  • Wildfire burn scars since 198417

At a glance

The record for Kenedy County in eight numbers. Each links to its section below.

Tropical cyclones within 50 mi

40

11th of 254 in Texas

19 at hurricane strength since 1851

Details

Acres burned since 1984

61,571

47th of 254 in Texas

17 large fires; the largest was Hayfield South, 2022

Details

Tornadoes since 1950

6

240th of 254 in Texas

Fewer than the typical Texas county, which has had 35

Details

Flood insurance claims

1

200th of 254 in Texas

$59,000 paid since 2020

Details

Strongest tornado

F3

June 5, 1965, 1.0 mile path

Strongest tropical cyclone

Cat. 4

Hurricane Celia, 1970, 39.1 miles away

Federal disaster declarations

21

Most recent: Hurricane Beryl, 2024

Details

Record high

111°F

Reached 2 times, most recently September 6, 2000

Details

Tornadoes

About one every 13 years since 1950, one of them rated F3/EF3 or stronger.

Strongest

June 5, 1965

F3, 1.0 mile path

100 yards wide.

Most recent

Monday, April 16, 2012

EF0, 0.8 mile path

14 years ago.

Tornadoes by decade Doppler radar era² 1950s: 0 1960s: 1 1 1970s: 1 1 1980s: 1 1 1990s: 0 2000s: 2 2 2010s: 1 1 2020s: 0 1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
Recorded tornadoes per decade. The 2020s are incomplete.
Tornadoes by month J: 0 F: 0 M: 1 A: 1 M: 1 J: 2 2 J: 0 A: 1 S: 0 O: 0 N: 0 D: 0 JFMAMJJASOND
By month of occurrence, all years.

Every recorded tornado

Tornadoes in Kenedy County since 1950
Apr 16, 2012EF00.82500
May 10, 2006F00.12000
Mar 14, 2000F00.12000
Aug 9, 1980F02.53000
Jun 26, 1973F00.11000
Jun 5, 1965F31.010000
  1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Kenedy 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.

Hurricanes and tropical storms

40 passed within 50 miles since 1851; 19 at hurricane strength, 7 as major hurricanes.

Strongest within 50 miles

August 3, 1970

Celia, Category 4

39.1 miles at closest approach, winds near 138 mph.

Most recent

July 8, 2024

Beryl, Tropical storm

97.9 miles at closest approach.

Tropical cyclones within 50 miles by decade 50s: 2 60s: 2 70s: 2 80s: 3 90s: 0 00s: 2 10s: 5 5 20s: 0 30s: 4 40s: 2 50s: 3 60s: 3 70s: 3 80s: 1 90s: 2 00s: 1 10s: 2 20s: 3 50s60s70s80s90s00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s00s10s20s
Storms within 50 miles, by decade. Records before about 1900 miss storms that never reached land or ships.

Every storm within 100 miles

Tropical cyclones within 100 miles
Beryl202497.9Tropical storm72Category 5
Harold20230.0Tropical storm54Tropical storm
Nicholas202140.6Tropical storm61Category 1
Beta202095.3Tropical storm52Tropical storm
Hanna20200.0Category 186Category 1
Harvey201747.8Category 4130Category 4
Bill201575.0Tropical storm58Tropical storm
Hermine20100.0Tropical storm60Tropical storm
Dolly20083.6Tropical storm71Category 2
Erika200384.9Tropical storm72Category 1
Claudette200386.0Tropical storm61Category 1
Bret19990.0Category 3112Category 4
Frances199862.8Tropical storm55Tropical storm
Charley199839.1Tropical storm46Tropical storm
Barry198379.8Tropical storm63Category 1
Allen19802.4Category 2101Category 5
Amelia19780.0Tropical storm49Tropical storm
Edith197172.2Category 181Category 4
Fern19711.5Tropical storm52Category 1
Celia197039.1Category 4138Category 4
Candy196825.7Tropical storm66Tropical storm
Beulah19670.0Category 296Category 5
Carla196183.3Category 4144Category 4
Unnamed19600.0Tropical storm55Tropical storm
Ella195815.0Tropical storm40Category 2
Alma195847.5Tropical storm44Tropical storm
Alice195449.9Tropical storm69Category 2
Unnamed194742.9Tropical storm44Tropical storm
Unnamed194525.7Category 3115Category 3
Unnamed194283.0Category 3115Category 3
Unnamed19360.0Tropical storm44Tropical storm
Unnamed193644.5Category 181Category 1
Unnamed193458.4Category 183Category 1
Unnamed193334.7Category 3115Category 5
Unnamed193356.5Category 192Category 1
Unnamed19310.0Tropical storm40Tropical storm
Unnamed192988.3Category 192Category 1
Unnamed192550.1Tropical storm45Tropical storm
Unnamed192197.2Category 192Category 1
Unnamed19192.7Category 2106Category 4
Unnamed19160.0Category 3117Category 4
Unnamed19130.0Tropical storm70Category 1
Unnamed19122.0Category 298Category 2
Unnamed19100.0Category 190Category 2
Unnamed191054.1Tropical storm46Tropical storm
Unnamed190934.6Category 298Category 2
Unnamed190214.5Tropical storm69Category 1
Unnamed189569.1Tropical storm40Tropical storm
Unnamed188734.6Category 186Category 2
Unnamed18860.0Category 189Category 2
Unnamed188665.9Category 4150Category 4
Unnamed188686.5Tropical storm55Category 2
Unnamed188579.4Tropical storm58Category 1
Unnamed188153.6Tropical storm46Tropical storm
Unnamed188021.7Category 296Category 4
Unnamed187526.3Category 3115Category 3
Unnamed18746.2Tropical storm46Tropical storm
Unnamed186961.1Category 183Category 2
Unnamed186726.7Category 2104Category 2
Unnamed186691.1Tropical storm46Category 2
Unnamed186541.6Tropical storm58Tropical storm
Unnamed185719.7Tropical storm54Category 2
Unnamed185419.5Tropical storm66Category 1
Unnamed185166.6Category 178Category 1
  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.

Wildfire and smoke

61,571 acres burned in 17 large fires since 1984, equal to 6.6% of the land.

Largest

March 24, 2022

Hayfield South Fire, 11,034 acres

11,037 acres inside Kenedy County.

Most recent

April 19, 2024

Mile Marker 32 Fire

1,429 acres in total.

Acres burned since 1984, cumulative 1986: 5942007: 912009: 9,7692011: 3,0762014: 3,7192017: 10,4622018: 9,4722020: 1,4662021: 3,2222022: 18,2712024: 1,428 61,571 acres 198519901995200020052010201520202025
Running total of acres burned inside the county (line) and each year’s acres (bars).

Every large fire

Large wildfires since 1984
Mile Marker 3220241,4281,429
Deer20221,6591,656
Hayfield South202211,03711,034
Polo20225,5735,575
Baffin20213,2213,222
20 Mile20201,4651,470
Lightning1420182,8234,243
Trust20186,6486,644
Cane20178,8008,803
Baffin 220171,6621,663
28 Mile20143,7193,722
King Ranch20113,0753,071
Turtle20095,4545,469
San Carlos20092,8482,846
Stillman20091,4651,467
Cameron2007911,122
Pan Am19865941,515
  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

Smokiest year

2023: 42 days

Heavy smoke on 1 day in 2022, the most of any year.

Last 10 years

14.5 days a year

Medium or heavy smoke, 2016 to 2025.

2025

7 days

Medium or heavy smoke. 15 so far in 2026.

Days with medium or heavy smoke overhead, by year 2011: 19 2012: 5 2013: 1 2014: 0 2015: 1 2016: 2 2017: 1 2018: 1 2019: 6 2020: 6 2021: 17 2022: 40 2023: 42 42 2024: 23 2025: 7 201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025
Days each year on which a satellite-traced plume of medium or heavy smoke covered the county’s population centre, 2011 to 2025.
  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.

Floods and flood insurance

1 federal flood insurance claims since 2020, with $59,000 paid.

Federal flood insurance claims by year
Claims per year since 2020. Years with fewer than five claims are not shown.

Flood events since 1996

  • Heavy Rain3
  • Coastal Flood1

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.

Drought

In severe drought or worse for 240 of 1,581 months since 1895 (15%); the longest spell lasted 31 months.

240

Months in severe drought or worse since 1895

75

Months in extreme drought

15%

Share of all months, severe or worse

214

Drought reports to the Weather Service since 1996

Lowest reading

March 2013

−5.58, extreme drought

Longest severe spell

31 months

May 2011 to November 2013.

Latest month

September 2026

−3.44, severe drought

Months in severe drought or worse, by year 1895: 0 1896: 0 1897: 6 1898: 12 12 1899: 12 1900: 1 1901: 12 1902: 9 1903: 0 1904: 2 1905: 1 1906: 0 1907: 0 1908: 0 1909: 0 1910: 0 1911: 2 1912: 0 1913: 0 1914: 0 1915: 0 1916: 3 1917: 5 1918: 9 1919: 0 1920: 0 1921: 1 1922: 0 1923: 0 1924: 0 1925: 0 1926: 0 1927: 0 1928: 0 1929: 0 1930: 0 1931: 0 1932: 0 1933: 0 1934: 0 1935: 0 1936: 0 1937: 0 1938: 0 1939: 0 1940: 1 1941: 0 1942: 0 1943: 0 1944: 0 1945: 0 1946: 0 1947: 0 1948: 0 1949: 0 1950: 6 1951: 8 1952: 6 1953: 7 1954: 3 1955: 6 1956: 0 1957: 1 1958: 0 1959: 0 1960: 0 1961: 0 1962: 1 1963: 7 1964: 4 1965: 3 1966: 0 1967: 0 1968: 0 1969: 0 1970: 0 1971: 0 1972: 0 1973: 0 1974: 0 1975: 0 1976: 0 1977: 0 1978: 0 1979: 0 1980: 0 1981: 0 1982: 0 1983: 0 1984: 0 1985: 0 1986: 0 1987: 0 1988: 0 1989: 9 1990: 8 1991: 3 1992: 0 1993: 0 1994: 0 1995: 0 1996: 0 1997: 0 1998: 0 1999: 0 2000: 7 2001: 9 2002: 6 2003: 0 2004: 0 2005: 0 2006: 4 2007: 0 2008: 2 2009: 5 2010: 0 2011: 8 2012: 12 2013: 11 2014: 0 2015: 0 2016: 0 2017: 5 2018: 5 2019: 0 2020: 3 2021: 2 2022: 2 2023: 7 2024: 0 2025: 0 18951905191519251935194519551965197519851995200520152025
Months each year with a Palmer index of −3 or lower, 1895 to 2025. Twelve means the whole year.
  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.

Earthquakes

2 earthquakes of magnitude 2.5 or more within 50 miles since 1997; none reached magnitude 4.

0

Magnitude 2.5+ inside the county since 1973

2

Magnitude 3+ within 50 miles since 1973

0

Magnitude 4+ within 50 miles since 1900

0

Magnitude 5+ within 50 miles since 1900

Largest within 50 miles

April 24, 2010

Magnitude 3.9

10 km WNW of Driscoll, Texas; 29.5 miles away, 3.1 miles deep.

Most recent, magnitude 3 or more

April 24, 2010

Magnitude 3.9

10 km WNW of Driscoll, Texas; 29.5 miles away.

  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.

Severe weather and other events

488 events in the National Weather Service record, 479 of them since 1996.

17

Hail reports, 1 inch or larger

1

Hail, 2 inches or larger

12

Damaging gusts, 58 mph+

3

Winter weather events since 1996

81

Heat events since 1996

106

Cold events since 1996

Largest hail

May 10, 1999

2.75 inches

Strongest measured or estimated gust

August 10, 1980

104 mph

More event types since 1996

Other Storm Events types since 1996
High surf and sneaker waves100Jul 14, 2003
Storm surge and tide1000Jun 19, 2024

Costliest events since 1996

  1. Jul 25, 2020Storm Surge/Tide, Coastal Kenedy County$12,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    Storm surge generated by Hurricane Hanna pushed tide levels above ground in excess of 3 feet along coastal Kenedy County beginning by mid afternoon of July 25th and likely continuing through landfall at approximately 4 PM local standard time on the mid-Kenedy County coast along the Padre Island National Seashore (PINS). Though high water marks had not been specifically provided on PINS at the time of this writing, ground and aerial surveys suggested water levels above ground may have exceeded 4 feet above normally dry ground on portions of PINS in Kenedy County. Levels up to 5.48 feet above normally dry ground at the shoreline (Mean Higher High Water) were noted along the Coastal…

  2. May 10, 1999Thunderstorm Wind$3,000
  3. May 26, 1999Thunderstorm Wind$2,000
  4. Mar 27, 1999Thunderstorm Wind$1,000
  5. Sep 23, 1997Thunderstorm Wind$500
  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.

Weather records

From Kingsville, 29.7 miles from the county’s population centre, with records from 1902.

All-time high
111°F2 times, most recently Sep 6, 2000
All-time low
10°FDec 24, 1989
Warmest night
92°FJul 27, 1984
Coldest day
26°FDec 24, 1983
Wettest day
10.95 inMay 19, 2021
Snowiest day
2.0 inDec 8, 2017
Hottest year
2023mean 75.8°F
Coldest year
1976mean 70.1°F
Wettest year
195852.66 in
Driest year
191111.98 in
Snowiest season
2.0 in2017-18
Average monthly high and low temperature and precipitation, last 30 years, Kingsville 32°F 69° 46° 1.5 Jan 73° 51° 1.1 Feb 79° 57° 1.6 Mar 85° 64° 1.6 Apr 90° 71° 3.9 May 94° 75° 3.0 Jun 96° 76° 2.4 Jul 97° 76° 2.8 Aug 92° 73° 5.8 Sep 87° 64° 2.3 Oct 78° 56° 2.1 Nov 71° 49° 1.2 Dec Precipitation, inches
Average daily high and low by month, and average monthly precipitation, over the last 30 years.
Days reaching 95°F per year 1976: 25 1977: 74 1978: 57 1980: 73 1981: 42 1982: 94 1983: 53 1984: 74 1986: 92 1988: 91 1990: 128 128 1991: 86 2000: 103 2001: 94 2002: 81 2003: 83 2004: 50 2005: 100 2007: 8 2008: 44 2009: 95 2010: 40 2011: 108 2012: 92 2013: 79 2014: 76 2015: 56 2016: 85 2017: 79 2018: 83 2019: 84 2020: 82 2021: 61 2022: 99 2023: 113 2024: 83 2025: 85 1976199020092019
Days reaching 95°F each complete year, last 50 years. Thirty-year average: 78.5.
Snowfall by winter 1976: 0.0 in 1977: 0.0 in 1978: 0.0 in 1979: 0.0 in 1980: 0.0 in 1981: 0.0 in 1982: 0.0 in 1983: 0.0 in 1985: 0.0 in 1986: 0.0 in 1987: 0.0 in 1989: 0.0 in 1990: 0.0 in 1991: 0.0 in 1996: 0.0 in 1997: 0.0 in 1998: 0.0 in 1999: 0.0 in 2000: 0.0 in 2001: 0.0 in 2003: 0.0 in 2004: 0.0 in 2006: 0.0 in 2007: 0.0 in 2008: 0.0 in 2009: 0.0 in 2010: 0.0 in 2011: 0.0 in 2012: 0.0 in 2013: 0.0 in 2014: 0.0 in 2015: 0.0 in 2016: 0.0 in 2017: 2.0 in 2.0 2018: 0.0 in 2019: 0.0 in 2020: 0.0 in 2021: 0.0 in 2022: 0.0 in 2023: 0.0 in 2024: 0.0 in 2025: 0.0 in 19761987200320142024
Total snowfall each winter (July to June), last 50 winters.

80 of 84 winters had no measurable snow.

Station Kingsville (USC00414810), 57 ft elevation, 29.7 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1902 to October 23, 2026; 96.7% 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.

Federal disaster declarations

21 since 1953. The most recent: Hurricane Beryl, July 9, 2024.

Federal disaster declarations
Jul 9, 2024HurricaneHurricane BerylMajor disasterDR-4798-TX
Feb 19, 2021Severe Ice StormSevere Winter StormsMajor disasterDR-4586-TX
Feb 14, 2021Severe Ice StormSevere Winter StormEmergencyEM-3554-TX
Aug 24, 2020HurricaneTropical Storms Marco and LauraEmergencyEM-3540-TX
Jul 26, 2020HurricaneHurricane HannaEmergencyEM-3530-TX
Mar 25, 2020BiologicalCovid-19 PandemicMajor disasterDR-4485-TX
Mar 13, 2020BiologicalCovid-19EmergencyEM-3458-TX
Jun 29, 2010HurricaneTropical Storm AlexEmergencyEM-3313-TX
Sep 10, 2008HurricaneHurricane IkeEmergencyEM-3294-TX
Aug 29, 2008HurricaneHurricane GustavEmergencyEM-3290-TX
Jul 24, 2008HurricaneHurricane DollyMajor disasterDR-1780-TX
Mar 14, 2008FireWildfiresEmergencyEM-3284-TX
Aug 18, 2007HurricaneHurricane DeanEmergencyEM-3277-TX
Jan 11, 2006FireExtreme Wildfire ThreatMajor disasterDR-1624-TX
Sep 24, 2005HurricaneHurricane RitaMajor disasterDR-1606-TX
Sep 21, 2005HurricaneHurricane RitaEmergencyEM-3261-TX
Sep 2, 2005HurricaneHurricane Katrina EvacuationEmergencyEM-3216-TX
Aug 22, 1999HurricaneHurricane BretMajor disasterDR-1287-TX
Aug 26, 1998Severe StormTropical Storm CharleyMajor disasterDR-1239-TX
Aug 11, 1980HurricaneHurricane AllenMajor disasterDR-627-TX
Sep 28, 1967HurricaneHurricane BeulahMajor disasterDR-232-TX

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.

How this compares

Where Kenedy County stands among 254 counties in Texas and 3,143 in the United States.

Ranks
Tornadoes since 19506240 / 2542,542 / 3,143
Tornadoes rated F3/EF3 or stronger1128 / 2541,281 / 3,143
Tropical cyclones within 50 mi4011 / 254241 / 3,143
Hurricane-strength passes within 50 mi198 / 25494 / 3,143
Wildfire acres since 198461,57147 / 254412 / 3,143
Flood insurance claims1200 / 2542,799 / 3,143
Flood insurance paid$59,000175 / 2542,466 / 3,143
Disaster declarations21103 / 2541,345 / 3,143
Flood events since 19964252 / 2543,058 / 3,143
Hail and wind events since 199633254 / 2543,053 / 3,143
Winter storm events since 19963251 / 2543,007 / 3,143
Reported damage since 1996$18,000254 / 2543,116 / 3,143
River crests at major flood stage0——
High tide flooding days a year, last 10 years0.0——
Months in severe drought since 189524037 / 254129 / 3,143
Medium or heavy smoke days a year, last 10 years14.517 / 2541,684 / 3,143
Earthquakes M4+ within 50 mi since 19000——
Earthquakes M2.5+ in the county since 19730——

Neighbouring counties

Neighbouring counties
Brooks County52374,890185
Hidalgo County413350,6754,405
Kleberg County3032120,516279
Willacy County21390522

Sources and vintage

Every number on this page comes from these public records.

  • 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 USC00414810.
  • 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.