When Is Tornado Season in Texas?

Texas tornado season

Tornado season in Texas typically runs from April to June. May historically is the peak month for tornado formation.

This time of year often has the perfect conditions for the formation of tornadoes:

Warm, humid air coming from the Gulf of Mexico
Cold jet stream coming down from Canada

Per the National Weather Service, tornadoes can actually form at almost any time of the year in southeast Texas thanks to the proximity of the Gulf of Mexico.

How many tornadoes in Texas per year?

There are an average of 136 tornadoes per year according to data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Sitting in an active part of the Tornado Alley region, Texas is one of the most tornado-prone states in the U.S. Other states that have a high tornado activity are Kansas, Oklahoma, Florida, and Nebraska.

The worst tornadoes in Texas history

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA), these are the worst tornadoes to have hit Texas since 1900.

	Tornado	Date	Category	Size	Death Toll
1	The Waco Tornado	May 11, 1953	F5	.33 mile wide	114 deaths, 597 injured
2	The Goliad Tornado	May 18, 1902	F4	.13 mile wide	114 deaths, 250 injured
3	The Rocksprings Tornado	April 12, 1927	F5	1 mile wide	74 deaths, 205 injured
4	The Glazier-Higgins-Woodward Tornadoes	April 9, 1947	N/A	1-2 miles wide	181 deaths, 970 injured
5	The Wichita Falls Tornado	April 10, 1979	F4	1.5 miles wide	42 deaths, 1,700 injured
6	The Frost Tornado	May 6, 1930	F4	N/A	41 deaths, 200+ injured
7	The Karnes-Dewitt Tornado	May 6, 1930	F4	N/A	36 deaths, 60 injured
8	The Zephyr Tornado	May 30, 1909	F4	N/A	34 deaths, 70 injured
9	The Saragosa Tornado	May 22, 1987	F4	.5 miles wide	30 deaths, 121 injured
10	The Jarrell Tornado	May 27, 1997	F5	N/A	27 deaths, 12 injured

Are tornadoes getting stronger?

According to the National Weather Service, the annual frequency of tornadoes in the United States has remained relatively constant throughout recorded history. Some data suggests that there has even been a slight decrease in EF4 and EF5 tornadoes.

At the same time, thanks to better tracking and prediction technology, the death toll from tornadoes across the nation has decreased significantly over the last 100 years. We’re better able to know when and where tornadoes will occur, which allows people to take cover and find safety before the tornado arrives.

Written by Graham Lumley

Graham Lumley is the Growth Product Manager at BKV Energy, a retail electricity provider in Texas' deregulated market, where he has worked since 2023. He analyzes customer usage and billing data, helps develop BKV's fixed-rate plans, and creates tools to simplify Texas electricity shopping. He has written over 200 articles on Texas electricity rates, delivery charges, plan types, energy generation, and more to help Texans understand their bills and pay less. With over 10 years of experience in consumer products, marketing, and energy, he explains the Texas electricity market in plain language.