Milam County

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Milam County: 2.
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.

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. May 13, 2004Flash Flood$2.6 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Significant flooding was occurring in Cameron and surrounding towns. There were reports of numerous cars in ditches. Up to 11 inches of rain fell across the county, damaging over 250 homes and businesses.

2. Jul 14, 2007Flash Flood$800,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Highway 77 between Burlington and Cameron, FM 485 at CR 255 near Maysfield, and Highway 190 in Cameron were all flooded by about eight inches of water. FM 485 was partially washed out. Numerous roads were closed in the Buckholtz/Cameron area including FM 1915 at Big Elm Creek, South Elm Creek, and Little River, FM 486 at Little River, and FM 1600 at Bear Creek. A dozen homes sustained water damge in Cameron, and four homes were flooded in the Thorndale-Thrall area. Four people were rescued from high water on the FM 2095 Snapdragon Bridge west of Hanover. One man refused help and elected to stay with the flooded vehicle.

3. May 25, 2015Tornado$700,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A National Weather Service damage survey team found evidence of a tornado which produced EF-2 damage. The tornado first occurred near the community of Pettibone, and moved northeast across central Milam County. The tornado damaged or destroyed approximately 12 homes, mobile homes, and farm buildings. Several locations suffered tree damage as well. The tornado was strongest as it approached US 190, between Milam County roads 201 and 206. In this area, the tornado was at its widest, and affected the most buildings.

4. Sep 4, 2011Wildfire, Milam$139,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   An animal on a power line sparked a grass fire that spread and destroyed one home, four vehicles, and five sheds.

5. Jul 12, 2007Flood$100,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Ham Branch breached its banks in central Rockdale, neccesitating water rescues and evacuations. A few houses were threatened by flood waters.

6. Oct 31, 2013Flash Flood$100,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Several county roads across the northern part of the county were impassable due to flash flooding. Heavy thunderstorms produced 3-7 of rain across the northern half of the county resulting in flash flooding. FM 2269 at Elm Creek was impassable for a few days. FM 485 at Elm Creek was closed for several weeks due to damage caused by flooding from the swollen creek. At least 3 people were rescued out of Elm Creek near FM 485. In addition, parts of FM 487 and 437 near Davilla were flooded. Damage was reported on FM 437. CR 116 was also closed because the asphalt was washed away.

7. Sep 17, 2006Lightning$100,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Lightning struck a tree, bounced off of a propane tank and struck a house on Highway 77. The kitchen, hallway, and attic suffered the most damage from the fire. The house was considered a total loss.

8. May 26, 2007Flash Flood$100,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   FM 437 at Cypress Creek was closed due to flooding in Buckholts, and a flooded house was evacuated in Cameron. The house and some of its contents were considered a total loss.

9. Sep 28, 2013Flash Flood$100,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Water was reported up to the hood of cars approximately 2 miles west of Rockdale on US 79. Multiple streets in Rockdale were flooded, and the local newspaper reported extensive flooding at the intersections of US 79 and Childress, Meadow, and Calhoun streets. The worst flooding was at US 79 and Meadow Rd where four inches of water entered a restaurant and moved a large outside cooler about 40 yards. A trash dumpster near the restaurant was also moved. FM 908 & 487 were briefly closed during the event. In addition, a portion of Cypress Trail Loop on the western side of Rockdale was washed out.

10. Apr 17, 2016Flash Flood$100,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    Up to 8 inches of rain resulted in flash flooding in Milam County; especially in the western portions of the county along many creeks, streams and rivers. A local newspaper specifically listed road closures at the following locations: FM 1915 at Big Elm Creek and also Little River, FM 1600 at Little River, FM 2269 at Big Elm Creek, FM 285 at North Elm Creek, FM 437 at Little River and also Donahue Creek, FM 487 at San Gabriel River, FM 908 at Brushy Creek, FM 486 at Little River and also Alligator Creek. The newspaper also listed pavement damage at the following locations: FM 1915 at Lipan Creek, FM 1600 at Bear/Little Bear Creek, FM 485 at North Elm Creek. At FM 486 at Alligator…

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

112°F3 times, most recently Aug 27, 2023

All-time low

2°FDec 23, 1989

Warmest night

84°F2 times, most recently Aug 22, 2023

Coldest day

19°FJan 10, 1962

Wettest day

13.39 inOct 16, 1994

Snowiest day

3.0 inJan 10, 1973

Hottest year

2023mean 73.0°F

Coldest year

1979mean 65.3°F

Wettest year

196861.04 in

Driest year

198817.80 in

Snowiest season

8.0 in1972-73

Station College Station Easterwood Field (USW00003904), 315 ft elevation, 39.8 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1951 to October 25, 2026; 99.8% 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 USW00003904.
• 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.