Terry County

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Terry 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. Jun 22, 2006Dust Storm, Terry$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A severe dust storm affected much of the southwestern South Plains of west Texas during the afternoon and early evening of the 22nd. The dust storm was a classic haboob, characterized by a visually dramatic and densely whirling wall of dust. The haboob was associated with a strong outflow boundary that propagated southwestward from a complex of severe storms over the central portions of the South Plains. Winds associated with the outflow were generally sustained in the 30 MPH range, with a peak wind gust measured by the West Texas Mesonet of 54 MPH. Dust storm conditions were reported over the five county area of Lubbock, Hockley, Terry, Yoakum, and Lynn Counties, however, radar…

2. Jul 3, 2010Flash Flood$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Prolonged and heavy rainfall began to result in flash flooding over portions of Terry County during the late evening of the 3rd. ||Local emergency management officials initially reported that all roads leading to The Draw area in Brownfield were inundated with high running water by 20:41 CST. Also, at that time, two RV-campers were threatened by rapidly rising water in the Brownfield City Park. In addition, Webb Street also became inundated by flowing flood water east of town. Local authorities also reported that playa lakes in the Brownfield vicinity began to exceed capacity by 21:00 CST.||At 21:55 CST, first responders rescued a motorist as their vehicle was being washed away on…

3. May 5, 2006Tornado$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Storm chasers and Skywarn storm spotters observed a third tornado northwest of Brownfield as an occluding mesocyclone produced intermittent tornadoes for more than fifteen minutes. This tornado remained on the ground for at least seven minutes, and tracked across open farmland. Two center-pivot irrigation units were destroyed, however, resulting in $500,000 in property damage.

4. Apr 9, 2011Wildfire, Terry$350,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A potent spring-time storm system impacted the western and central U.S. during the 9th and 10th of April. Strong wind through a deep layer of the atmosphere overspread the Southern Plains on the 9th as the parent storm system initially approached the southern Rockies. The strengthening wind fields overspread pronounced surface heating and drying over the Southern Plains. This resulted in an outbreak of wind-driven wildfires across portions of five states. ||Locally on the South Plains, winds that gusted upwards of 59 mph (Hockely County) contributed to two significant and damaging wildfires. The 'Prentice' Fire ignited in Terry County around midday on the 9th. The fire consumed…

5. Dec 26, 2015Blizzard, Terry$250,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Following a mild Christmas, a strong cold front arrived early on the morning of the 26th ahead of temperatures falling to freezing territory throughout the course of the afternoon all in advance of a slow-moving upper low in the Desert Southwest and far north-central Mexico. Northerly winds increased in intensity during the day and by early evening were frequently gusting between 50 and 60 mph over the entire South Plains. These winds created several power outages, minor roof damage, downed tree limbs, and even toppled some trees completely. By mid-evening on the 26th, exceptionally rich moisture from the Gulf of Mexico deepened over the shallow dome of cold air and resulted in…

6. Jun 26, 2007Thunderstorm Wind$250,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A swath of severe winds accompanied a bowing line-shaped convective complex as it moved southward over portions of Yoakum and Terry Counties during the late evening hours of the 26th. Severe winds impacted areas near Brownfield around 21:20 CST. A 62 mph gust was measured by the Texas Tech University West Texas Mesonet site just south of the city. In addition, the public estimated gusts up to 60 mph in the city. Newspaper articles reported that up to one hundred utility poles were downed during the storm, and that electrical services were knocked out to most of the city through the late evening hours. In addition, many trees suffered damage. No significant structural damage was reported.

7. Jun 14, 2009Thunderstorm Wind$200,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A cluster of severe storms produced a swath of damaging winds along the U.S. Highway 62/385 corridor from near Wellman to Brownfield around 18:00 CST. Initial reports of damages were received from the Wellman vicinity, where the roof was blown off of an agricultural station shortly before 18:00 CST. As the winds spread northeastward, the Texas Tech University West Texas Mesonet site south of Brownfield measured a peak gust of 82 mph. The roof was partially blown off of a medical clinic in downtown Brownfield, and a large metal storage facility collapsed in the winds just east of the city. No injuries were reported.

8. Aug 21, 2015Thunderstorm Wind$200,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Xcel Energy reported eleven 69 kV transmission poles toppled from the intersection of US Highway 380 and Farm-to-Market Road 1780 south for about two miles. Lyntegar Electric CO-OP reported one distribution pole was down just south of this swath.

9. Jul 29, 2009Thunderstorm Wind$200,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Thunderstorm winds resulted in a swath of damage from the Needmore and Meadow areas of northern Terry County southward to near Brownfield. Several buildings at the Needmore Gin sustained heavy roof damage, and the steeple was blown off of a church in Meadow. At least six utility poles also were reportedly blown down by the winds. A 60 mph thunderstorm wind gust was measured by the Texas Tech University West Texas Mesonet site near Brownfield at 22:30 CST, where a large oak tree was reportedly split. No injuries were reported.

10. Jul 10, 2006Thunderstorm Wind$175,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    Thunderstorms produced damaging winds near Union in southeastern Terry County during the early evening hours of the 10th. Severe gusts estimated up to at least 65 mph ripped the roof off of the Union School gymnasium, and scattered debris more than 125 yards downwind. Several irrigation pivot systems were overturned. A cotton module builder damaged heavy farm equipment when it was rolled over by the winds. A trailer house located at the intersection of Texas Highways 213 and 137 suffered severe roof damage. Damage estimates were $175,000. No injuries were reported.

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

111°F2 times, most recently Jun 28, 1994

All-time low

−8°F2 times, most recently Jan 14, 1963

Warmest night

78°FAug 12, 2023

Coldest day

7°FFeb 15, 2021

Wettest day

5.40 inMay 28, 2005

Snowiest day

9.5 inNov 13, 1976

Hottest year

2024mean 63.8°F

Coldest year

1975mean 58.2°F

Wettest year

200437.31 in

Driest year

20114.84 in

Snowiest season

22.8 in1972-73

Station Brownfield (USC00411128), 3,300 ft elevation, 0.6 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1953 to October 23, 2026; 99.5% 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 USC00411128.
• 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.