Knox County

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Knox County: 5.
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.

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. Jun 12, 2004Thunderstorm Wind$750,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Strong wind gusts caused damage across the town of Munday with the worst damage occurring at the Munday High School. The entire roof of the field house was taken off and dropped about a half a block away. A sign on the building was destroyed. A 20 year plus old tree was downed along with many large tree limbs. Several business and the local newspaper office, The Munday Courier, sustained heavy roof damage. The newspaper building also lost a large garage door that hit another part of the building causing some structural damage. Many homes also sustained roof and tree damage.

2. Apr 29, 2025Tornado$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   This tornado started just southwest of Vera and initially moved southeast for about a mile before turning east. A number of trees were damaged, a crane was toppled and a blade of a wind turbine was broken south of Vera. As the tornado moved east approaching US Highway 82, at least two metal buildings were significantly damaged, and one outbuilding was destroyed with pieces of the building blown onto the highway. One home near the county line also suffered roof damage. The tornado then crossed into Baylor County along and north of US-82.

3. Apr 29, 2025Thunderstorm Wind$250,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Numerous confirmations of significant thunderstorm wind damage in and around the community of Munday. Damage included a large radio tower collapsed, large trees uprooted, power poles snapped and/or broken, light roof damage to multiple structures, damage to a large grain bin, and multiple windows broken. Event time is estimated from radar observations.

4. Apr 27, 2024Tornado$100,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   This tornado developed just southwest of Knox City and initially moved eastward across the south side of town, then turned northeast moving through the east side of town. A few houses suffered roof damage, and some sheds, outbuildings and trees were significantly damaged in Knox City. As the tornado continued to move northeast through rural Knox County, a few more farm houses had roof damage, barns were significantly damaged. A number of power poles along FM-2534 were broken. The tornado finally dissipated about 2 miles west of Rhineland.

5. Aug 16, 2005Flash Flood$75,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   At 5:50 am CST, a local law enforcement official reported that water was running into houses in downtown Munday due to localized flash flooding. Emergency management personnel in Munday assisted stranded motorists during the flash flooding, and helped rescue dogs from a local veterinarian clinic that were stranded in floodwaters up to 1.5 feet high.

6. Apr 27, 2021Tornado$70,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   This tornado formed approximately six miles west of Truscott and initially moved just north of due east with occasional damage to mesquite trees. As it approached County Road 2610 and FM 1756 a semi truck was knocked over, and a 4000 pound cattle feeder was blown about 850 feet to the north-northeast. Two structures on the southeast side of Truscott-Brine Lake received roof and window damage. Utility poles were broken from the area just southeast of Truscott-Brine Lake to State Highway 6, including steel utility poles that were bent. The tornado weakened and then dissipated after crossing Highway 6.

7. Aug 16, 2006Thunderstorm Wind$50,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Two trailer homes were damaged. Numerous power poles were also snapped in half. Damage occurred along and near Highway 277 between Munday and Goree.

8. Jun 8, 2025Thunderstorm Wind$50,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Several power poles were blown down and a semi-trailer was blown over along U.S. Highway 277. The location is approximate, and the event time is estimated from radar observations.

9. Sep 14, 2005Thunderstorm Wind$25,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A grain elevator and carport were blown over.

10. Aug 16, 2005Flash Flood$25,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    At 5:50 am CST, a local law enforcement official reported that water had run into some homes in Knox City during this period.

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

115°F6 times, most recently Jun 27, 1994

All-time low

−6°F2 times, most recently Dec 23, 1989

Warmest night

94°F2 times, most recently Jun 28, 1893

Coldest day

10°F3 times, most recently Feb 15, 2021

Wettest day

14.29 inAug 4, 1978

Snowiest day

12.0 in2 times, most recently Jan 19, 1925

Hottest year

1933mean 67.9°F

Coldest year

1906mean 60.4°F

Wettest year

194148.07 in

Driest year

19109.46 in

Snowiest season

20.6 in1924-25

Station Haskell (USC00413992), 1,590 ft elevation, 20.5 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1893 to June 30, 2026; 91.1% 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 USC00413992.
• 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.