Skip to content
Twisters.us
Find my countyFind my countyTexasKansasOklahomaSee all: StatesWhat to do in a tornadoWatch vs. warningStorm shelters and safe roomsSee all: Stay safeTornado Alley mapEF scaleEvery EF5See all: Records

Texas · County tornado history

Jones County, Texas tornadoes

NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center has recorded 87 tornadoes in Jones County, Texas from 1950 through 2024, about 1.2 a year. That ranks it 18 of 254 counties in Texas with a recorded tornado. The most recent was an EF3 on May 2, 2024.

By Twisters.us · Updated · How we count

Tornadoes since 1950
87
Since 2000
22
Strongest
EF3, May 2, 2024
Most recent
EF3, May 2, 2024
Peak month
May (42)
Per 1,000 sq mi
93
FEMA tornado risk
Relatively Low

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 Jones County

May has brought the most, 42 of 87. About 76% touched down between 3 pm and 9 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) 45
F1 / EF1 Moderate: 86 to 110 mph 19
F2 / EF2 Considerable: 111 to 135 mph 15
F3 / EF3 Severe: 136 to 165 mph 6
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) 2

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 Jones County

Date Rating Path length Path width Deaths Injuries
May 25, 1962 F3 4.1 mi 67 yd 1 1
May 2, 2024 EF3 3.3 mi 210 yd 4
May 15, 1965 F3 9.3 mi 100 yd 2
May 14, 1990 F3 0.2 mi 10 yd 2
May 25, 1976 F3 20.3 mi 300 yd 1
May 26, 1976 F3 1 mi 300 yd
April 5, 1955 F2 43.7 mi 67 yd 6
May 14, 1990 F2 0.2 mi 10 yd 3
May 14, 1990 F2 2 mi 100 yd 2
May 14, 1990 F2 0.2 mi 10 yd 2

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

The deadliest

The deadliest tornado to touch Jones County was an F3 on May 25, 1962. It killed 1 person and injured 1 along its 4.1-mile path.

Most recent tornadoes

Date Rating Path length Path width Deaths Injuries
May 2, 2024 EF3 3.3 mi 210 yd 4
May 2, 2024 EF-U 0.8 mi 100 yd
June 11, 2023 EF-U 0.4 mi 50 yd
May 23, 2023 EF2 4.6 mi 700 yd 2
March 19, 2020 EF2 5.4 mi 135 yd
May 18, 2019 EF1 8.7 mi 550 yd
March 28, 2017 EF0 4.7 mi 100 yd
March 28, 2017 EF0 4.5 mi 50 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 Jones County as relatively low, with a score of 54 out of 100 compared with every other U.S. county. It estimates about 0.65 tornadoes a year here and an expected annual loss of about $1,070,289 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 Jones County had?

87 from 1950 through 2024 in NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center database, 22 of them since 2000.

When was the last tornado in Jones County?

The most recent in the official record was an EF3 on May 2, 2024. Later storms are not yet in the final database.

What was the strongest tornado in Jones County?

An EF3 on May 2, 2024, with a 3.3-mile path.

When is tornado season in Jones 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.