Midland County

Every recorded tornado

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

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.

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. Apr 11, 2009Hail$161 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Numerous roofs throughout Midland, TX were damaged during this event. A local newspaper clipping with a quote from a major roofing company estimated 40 to 50 percent of the homes in Midland needed to be re-roofed. The average cost to replace a shingled roof is anywhere from $8-$10K. This resulted in an estimated $160 million in roof damage. In addition to homes being damaged, multiple vehicles also received damage from the hail. According to local dent repair shops and car dealers across the area, an estimated 800 vehicles had to be repaired resulting in $1.2 million in damage. A Midland woman was also struck in the stomach by a hail stone, after it broke through her dining room…

2. Apr 13, 1999Hail$8.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   This convection developed along the dryline near the Ector/Crane County Line and slowly evolved at first, but suddenly intensified as it approached the city of Midland. The storm's updraft passed south of Midland, so the city only received hail on the extreme south side of town. The storm then spun up rotation while south of the city and became a classic supercell.As the storm approached State Highway 349 damaging winds and hail combined with battering effects. A two mile wide area of wind-driven hail pounded residences and farm equipment for about a 5 mile stretch at least as far as State Highway 158. Hail grew up to about golfball size and winds peaked at approximately 80 mph.…

3. Apr 13, 1999Thunderstorm Wind$3.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   This convection developed along the dryline near the Ector/Crane County Line and slowly evolved at first, but suddenly intensified as it approached the city of Midland. The storm's updraft passed south of Midland, so the city only received hail on the extreme south side of town. The storm then spun up rotation while south of the city and became a classic supercell.As the storm approached State Highway 349 damaging winds and hail combined with battering effects. A two mile wide area of wind-driven hail pounded residences and farm equipment for about a 5 mile stretch at least as far as State Highway 158. Hail grew up to about golfball size and winds peaked at approximately 80 mph.…

4. Apr 9, 2011Wildfire, Midland$2.7 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A fire, known as the Hickman Fire, started in Midland County and burned 16,500 acres. Thirty-four homes and 5 outbuildings were destroyed. Five hundred people were evacuated.

5. Sep 28, 2012Flash Flood$1.5 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Heavy rain developed and moved over Midland County and produced widespread flooding in the City of Midland. There were numerous reports of stalled vehicles and about 120 water rescues among Midland and Odessa. Some vehicles were reported to be fully submerged. The cost of damage for the flooding in Midland is estimated to be around one and a half million dollars which is a very rough estimate. There were no injuries reported.

6. Jun 5, 2013Thunderstorm Wind$1.5 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A thunderstorm moved over Midland County and produced wind damage at Midland International Airport. The winds damaged three new airport hangars by blowing off metal roof panels and unhinging hangar doors. The cost of damage is a very rough estimate.

7. Jun 5, 2009Thunderstorm Wind$450,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Damage was done to a 24 story building near downtown Midland, TX. Large wood panels, each weighing between 200 to 300 pounds 4'x4'x1', were torn off the outside of the structure near the 6th and 7th floors. This has required the building to be re-engineered, with the removal of an additional 150 panels from the structure. The time of this report was estimated.

8. Jul 28, 2002Thunderstorm Wind$250,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A survey of the damage area southeast of Midland indicated that a microburst caused this event. Based on damage patterns, it is evident that the impact point from the microburst was west of Farm to Market Road 1213, north of County Road 150, east of County Road 1160, and south of County Road 144. The worst of the damaged appeared to be south of County Road 144 and also along County Road 150. Estimated wind speeds of 80-100 mph occurred with the microburst.Three mobile homes in the Valley View area were destroyed, while other homes sustained roof and window damage. One horse was also killed by flying debris. A center pivot irrigation system was destroyed as it was blown out of a…

9. May 20, 2019Tornado$250,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A thunderstorm moved across Midland County and produced a tornado 21 miles southeast of the City of Midland. This tornado was first viewed from near the intersection of Farm to Market Road 1787 and State Highway 349, looking southeastward. Primary indications are that the tornado developed 21 miles southeast of the City of Midland, in open fields south of County Road 300 and east of State Highway 349. The tornado moved northeastward, snapping power poles along County Road 300, and produced significant damage along County Road 1160 and Farm to Market Road 1379. The snapped power poles, the damage to two RVs along County Road 1160, and the damage to manufactured trailers along FM…

10. May 30, 2024Hail$250,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    Numerous reports of damage were received in the Legends Park Subdivision. Cars had broken windows and heavy dents. Solar panels were damaged. Roofs and windows of homes were also damaged. This was caused by a combination of large hail and damaging winds. Time is estimated from radar. Hail size is approximate, and property damage cost is estimated.

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

116°FJun 27, 1994

All-time low

−11°F2 times, most recently Feb 2, 1985

Warmest night

85°FJul 14, 2020

Coldest day

12°FFeb 1, 1985

Wettest day

5.32 inAug 24, 1934

Snowiest day

10.6 inJan 9, 2012

Hottest year

2025mean 67.6°F

Coldest year

1932mean 61.0°F

Wettest year

198632.13 in

Driest year

19514.60 in

Snowiest season

19.5 in2011-12

Station Midland Odessa (USW00023023), 2,962 ft elevation, 6.4 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1930 to October 26, 2026; 100.0% 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 USW00023023.
• 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.