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Texas · County tornado history

Bastrop County, Texas tornadoes

NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center has recorded 35 tornadoes in Bastrop County, Texas from 1950 through 2024, about one every 2.1 years. That ranks it 125 of 254 counties in Texas with a recorded tornado. The most recent was an EF0 on March 21, 2022.

By Twisters.us · Updated · How we count

Tornadoes since 1950
35
Since 2000
13
Strongest
F3, April 7, 1980
Most recent
EF0, March 21, 2022
Peak month
May (12)
Per 1,000 sq mi
39
FEMA tornado risk
Relatively High

F0/EF0 1 2 3 4 5 · Lines run from where each tornado touched down to where it lifted; dots are short paths. Neighboring counties are outlined.

When tornadoes hit Bastrop County

May has brought the most, 12 of 35. About 71% touched down between 1 pm and 7 pm (Central Standard Time, as the Storm Prediction Center records it).

By decade

More tornadoes in recent decades mostly reflects better detection and reporting (Doppler radar, storm spotters, damage surveys), especially for weak EF0 tornadoes, not necessarily more storms. The 2020s bar covers only 2020 to 2024.

How strong they were

Rating Estimated 3-second gust Tornadoes
F0 / EF0 Light damage: 65 to 85 mph (EF scale) 18
F1 / EF1 Moderate: 86 to 110 mph 6
F2 / EF2 Considerable: 111 to 135 mph 7
F3 / EF3 Severe: 136 to 165 mph 3
F4 / EF4 Devastating: 166 to 200 mph 0
F5 / EF5 Incredible: over 200 mph 0
EF-U Unknown: no damage to rate (mostly since 2016) 1

Tornadoes before February 2007 were rated on the original Fujita (F) scale; since then the National Weather Service uses the Enhanced Fujita (EF) scale. Wind speeds above are EF-scale estimates from damage, not measurements. See what the EF scale means.

The strongest tornadoes in Bastrop County

Date Rating Path length Path width Deaths Injuries
April 7, 1980 F3 31.7 mi 100 yd 1 5
April 28, 1953 F3 0.5 mi 200 yd 3
April 24, 1957 F3 14.7 mi 880 yd 1
April 26, 1957 F2 40.5 mi 10 yd
May 18, 1965 F2 1 mi 17 yd
November 17, 1971 F2 31.7 mi 33 yd
May 2, 1977 F2 17.7 mi 10 yd
August 10, 1980 F2 18.8 mi 77 yd
January 14, 1991 F2 5 mi 60 yd
March 21, 2022 EF2 12 mi 500 yd

Deaths and injuries are for each tornado’s whole path, which can cross other counties.

The deadliest

The deadliest tornado to touch Bastrop County was an F3 on April 7, 1980. It killed 1 person and injured 5 along its 31.7-mile path.

Most recent tornadoes

Date Rating Path length Path width Deaths Injuries
March 21, 2022 EF0 5.5 mi 50 yd
March 21, 2022 EF2 12 mi 500 yd
May 28, 2021 EF0 1.4 mi 50 yd
May 12, 2020 EF-U 0.1 mi 20 yd
May 12, 2020 EF0 2.6 mi 20 yd
May 23, 2017 EF0 1.8 mi 200 yd
May 25, 2015 EF1 3 mi 440 yd 1
May 23, 2015 EF1 0.8 mi 200 yd

The official database ends with 2024. For storms since then, see the Storm Prediction Center’s reports and your local National Weather Service office.

FEMA’s tornado risk rating

FEMA’s National Risk Index rates the tornado risk in Bastrop County as relatively high, with a score of 91 out of 100 compared with every other U.S. county. It estimates about 0.48 tornadoes a year here and an expected annual loss of about $7,429,411 to buildings, people and farming. The index mixes how often tornadoes strike with what is exposed and how well a community can recover, so a busy rural county can rate lower than a less active city.

Neighboring counties

Staying safe

When a tornado warning is issued, act at once. Go to a basement, storm shelter or safe room. With none, use a small windowless room on the lowest floor, as far from outside walls as you can, and cover your head and neck. Mobile homes and cars are not safe places to ride out a tornado: leave early for a sturdy building or shelter. Read the full tornado safety guide and the National Weather Service advice linked below.

Sources

Sources last checked 1 November 2026.

Frequently asked questions

How many tornadoes has Bastrop County had?

35 from 1950 through 2024 in NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center database, 13 of them since 2000.

When was the last tornado in Bastrop County?

The most recent in the official record was an EF0 on March 21, 2022. Later storms are not yet in the final database.

What was the strongest tornado in Bastrop County?

An F3 on April 7, 1980, with a 31.7-mile path.

When is tornado season in Bastrop County?

May has had the most tornadoes here. Across the U.S. the peak runs from spring into early summer, and the South also sees tornadoes in late fall and winter.