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Texas · County tornado history

Bexar County, Texas tornadoes

NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center has recorded 72 tornadoes in Bexar County, Texas from 1950 through 2024, about one every 1.0 years. That ranks it 24 of 254 counties in Texas with a recorded tornado. The most recent was an EF0 on October 26, 2023.

By Twisters.us · Updated · How we count

Tornadoes since 1950
72
Since 2000
28
Strongest
F4, April 28, 1953
Most recent
EF0, October 26, 2023
Peak month
May (14)
Per 1,000 sq mi
57
FEMA tornado risk
Very 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 Bexar County

May has brought the most, 14 of 72. About 49% touched down between 2 pm and 8 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) 31
F1 / EF1 Moderate: 86 to 110 mph 25
F2 / EF2 Considerable: 111 to 135 mph 14
F3 / EF3 Severe: 136 to 165 mph 1
F4 / EF4 Devastating: 166 to 200 mph 1
F5 / EF5 Incredible: over 200 mph 0

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 Bexar County

Date Rating Path length Path width Deaths Injuries
April 28, 1953 F4 1 mi 1,760 yd 2 15
November 22, 1961 F3 1 mi 50 yd
March 19, 2002 F2 1.5 mi 50 yd 30
March 19, 2012 EF2 5 mi 100 yd 4
May 16, 1969 F2 4.3 mi 100 yd 3
September 17, 1988 F2 5 mi 50 yd 3
August 10, 1980 F2 12.2 mi 100 yd 2
July 12, 1954 F2 1 mi 33 yd
May 2, 1958 F2 20.8 mi 200 yd
May 3, 1958 F2 21 mi 67 yd

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

The deadliest

The deadliest tornado to touch Bexar County was an F4 on April 28, 1953. It killed 2 people and injured 15 along its 1-mile path.

Most recent tornadoes

Date Rating Path length Path width Deaths Injuries
October 26, 2023 EF0 5.2 mi 150 yd
May 24, 2020 EF1 0.5 mi 50 yd
February 19, 2017 EF1 3 mi 200 yd
February 19, 2017 EF0 1.6 mi 100 yd
February 19, 2017 EF2 4.6 mi 600 yd
May 23, 2015 EF1 0.4 mi 150 yd
May 25, 2013 EF0 0.4 mi 100 yd
March 19, 2012 EF0 0.2 mi 10 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 Bexar County as very high, with a score of 100 out of 100 compared with every other U.S. county. It estimates about 0.43 tornadoes a year here and an expected annual loss of about $124,133,912 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 Bexar County had?

72 from 1950 through 2024 in NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center database, 28 of them since 2000.

When was the last tornado in Bexar County?

The most recent in the official record was an EF0 on October 26, 2023. Later storms are not yet in the final database.

What was the strongest tornado in Bexar County?

An F4 on April 28, 1953, with a 1-mile path.

When is tornado season in Bexar 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.