Wise County

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Wise County: 3.
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.

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.

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 25, 2026Tornado$5.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   An EF-2 tornado occurred on the southwest side of Runaway Bay with peak winds estimated at 130 mph. This tornado formed just south of Highway 380 near Port O Call Drive and Pinto Court where a 100 to 200 yard wide swath of EF-0 tree damage was observed. The tornado then continued towards the west, uprooting some trees and snapping large branches as it approached Cimmarron Trail. By this time the tornado was nearly a third of a mile wide, causing substantial tree damage and minor roof damage before moving into a residential area between Cimmarron Trail and Jasper Creek Road. Most homes in this neighborhood sustained high-end EF-0 and EF-1 damage with heavily damaged manufactured…

2. Feb 11, 2010Heavy Snow, Wise$2.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   An average of 10-12 of snow fell across the county. The COOP Observer in Alvord reported a snow depth of 7 the morning of the 12th, and the COOP Observer in Decatur reported a total snow of 11. A NWS meteorologist measured 12 of snow southeast of Decatur. The local newspaper reported 8 of snow in Alvord, 11.5 in Cottondale, 12 in Runaway Bay, and 12.5 in Decatur. Numerous minor vehicle accidents were reported across the county. Several thousand customers lost power and extensive tree damage was reported.

3. Dec 5, 2013Winter Storm, Wise$2.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Up to 3 of ice and sleet accumulated in Wise County. Most of the accumulations were due to sleet. Three inches of sleet was reported near Decatur. US 380 between Decatur and Bridgeport was shut down on the 7th. Traffic was very slow or stopped on parts of Highway 287 due to ice, and numerous accidents had been reported.

4. May 8, 1998Hail$2.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Large hail struck three car dealerships in Decatur, causing an estimated $2 million in damage.

5. Apr 11, 2016Hail$1.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A public report indicated baseball sized hail along Highway 287 between Alvord, TX and Sunset, TX.

6. Jan 29, 2008Wildfire, Wise$1.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Numerous fires in the county burned 700 acres and destroyed fourteen structures. Most of the buildings were homes near Paradise. The fires were fanned by strong winds around 40 MPH. Damage was estimated around one million dollars.

7. Aug 31, 2011Wildfire, Wise$800,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   The 3547 Fire burned approximately 400 acres and was controlled September 6th. The fire was ignited by farm equipment along CR 3547 approximately 6 miles southwest of Paradise. Five homes, 3 outbuildings, a ranch barn, 1 tractor, and several hay bales were lost in the fire. One person was injured and transported to a hospital.

8. Mar 4, 2025Tornado$750,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Widespread damaging straight-line winds occurred across much of Wise County during the predawn hours of March 4th, 2025. Within this broad wind field, a NWS WFO Fort Worth survey team identified a relatively short track tornado north of the Cottondale community. This tornado formed near the intersection of FM 2123 and FM 3552, where a wood frame residence lost much of its roof and internal rafters. The peak intensity of the tornado was determined from the damage at this residence, with EF-1 intensity winds estimated around 110 mph. The tornado impacted two outbuildings nearby, producing EF-0 roof damage. The tornado moved eastward, roughly paralleling County Road 3470 for at least…

9. Oct 12, 2001Tornado$750,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   The second Wise county tornado touched down on the southwest side of Decatur, with initial damage to trees and a large storage shed. The tornado strengthened as it moved east northeast into the Lipsey Subdivision. Several homes sustained roof damage and numerous trees were blown down or snapped off. One large home on Garland Street was rendered uninhabitable, as most of the roof was blown off and two exterior walls were destroyed. The occupant escaped with minor injuries. The tornado crossed Highway 51, blowing down numerous trees, power lines, and utility poles. A large portion of the roof of the Church of Christ building was removed and blown into a tree about one mile away. The…

10. Dec 2, 1999Tornado$600,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    Two persons were killed in a mobile home which was destroyed by a tornado. Three other people were injured. Three mobile homes were destroyed, with two of them heavily damaged. Many outbuildings were damaged or destroyed.

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°F2 times, most recently Sep 4, 2000

All-time low

−2°F2 times, most recently Feb 16, 2021

Warmest night

86°F2 times, most recently Aug 8, 2023

Coldest day

12°FFeb 15, 2021

Wettest day

5.21 inJun 28, 1992

Snowiest day

4.0 inJan 24, 1948

Hottest year

2017mean 69.6°F

Coldest year

1993mean 64.9°F

Wettest year

201557.84 in

Driest year

200517.21 in

Station Fort Worth Meacham Field (USW00013961), 701 ft elevation, 27.9 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1946 to October 26, 2026; 97.6% 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 USW00013961.
• 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.