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From hurricanes to tornadoes to natural gas leaks, Texas has had several unfortunate natural disasters over the years. These 11 took the harshest tolls.
Texas became a U.S. state on December 29, 1845. Its longevity, enormous size, and proximity to the Gulf of Mexico make it a prime target for natural disasters and extreme weather events. While Texas has often proved resilient, Mother Nature can sometimes overwhelm it, leading to devastating impacts.
Here are 11 of the deadliest natural disasters in Texas history, covered in reverse chronicle order.
1. Hurricane Beryl (2024)
The most recent natural disaster in Texas was also one of the deadliest. Beryl was a Category 1 hurricane that landed in eastern Texas on July 8. The high winds created 50 tornadoes across Texas, Louisiana, and Arkansas. Damage from Hurricane Beryl resulted in 37 deaths and an estimated $6 billion in costs to rebuild and recover. The hurricane also knocked out power for millions of Texans, many of whom went for days before the lights came back on.
2. August 2023 Heat Wave
Heat waves don’t typically get named like hurricanes do, but that doesn’t make them any less damaging. Much of last summer (and even most of the spring) experienced record-breaking heat, with August being the most extreme. In Texas, 285 weather stations reported at least three weeks of days with temperatures of 100 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. Columbus and Austin had 100-plus-degree temps every single day of the month. The severe heat—sometimes paired with intense humidity—led to hundreds of deaths. The official count from April to September was 247, with many coming in August.
3. December 2022 Winter Storm
One of the perks of living in Texas is that winters are typically short-lived. It’s common to go an entire year without seeing snow. However, that perk can turn devastating when a severe winter weather event does occur, and Texas got hit with a powerful arctic front that extended to the Lone Star State all the way from Maine. Buffalo, New York, was the most impacted, with hurricane-level winds and constant snow squalls killing dozens of people. Texans were among 200 million people under a winter weather advisory, and many lost water and power as the frigid weather froze pipes and knocked out power lines. The death toll reached 87 between December 21 and 26. It was the worst Texas winter storm since…well, the year before.
4. 2021 Winter Freeze
Between February 10 and 20, 2021, Texas was hit by three winter storms that affected much of the United States. We all knew what ERCOT meant after the storms knocked out more than 4.5 million homes and businesses, leaving them without power for days on end. Texas’s failure to prepare its infrastructure for such a drastic winter event—ERCOT reported we were 4:37 from a complete grid failure—became a hot-button topic, as energy companies surged prices while people struggled to recover from the damages. The state claimed the final death count was 246, though some believe it’s even higher than that. It’s also likely the most expensive disaster in state history, costing about $195 billion in damages.
5. Hurricane Harvey (2017)
After Hurricane Wilma in 2005, we didn’t have another hurricane make landfall in the U.S. until 2017, but that streak ended suddenly when Hurricane Harvey hit. Intense flooding caused an estimated $125 billion in damages, mainly across the greater Houston area. Most areas received 40 inches of rain, while Nederland accumulated 60 inches at its peak—a full five feet of flooding. More than 30,000 people were displaced as a result of the damage, and tens of thousands of rescue efforts saved people’s lives. Even with that heroism, 106 people died from Hurricane Harvey.
6. 2015 Texas-Oklahoma Flooding
The wettest month on record for both Texas and Oklahoma is May 2015. That’s largely the result of deadly flooding from May 24 to May 26. Significant devastation occurred in Hays County along the Blanco River and in Harris County in southeast Texas. On top of that, heavy tornadoes were reported across the state. Governor Greg Abbott declared a state of emergency for 24 counties, and thousands of homes had to evacuate. In total, 31 people died, with 27 being from Texas, and several other people were reported missing.
7. Hurricane Ike (2008)
Ike hit Galveston as a Category 2 hurricane in the early morning of September 13, 2008. The hurricane led to winds of up to 110 miles per hour and a 22-foot storm surge. The impacts of Ike have continued to subsist, with $3.4 billion in housing damages and another $2.4 billion in infrastructure damage requiring heavy repairs for ports, waterways, and coastlines. While Hurricane Ike was forming, about a million people were warned to evacuate in low-lying areas of Houston, Galveston Island, and other locations. Of those, around 140,000 decided to “tough it out,” which likely increased the death toll. The entire storm is responsible for 195 confirmed deaths, with others missing. Close to half of those fatalities happened in Texas.
8. 1953 Waco Tornadoes
In May 1953, 33 tornadoes hit 10 U.S. states. Texas was one of the most impacted, particularly the Waco region. As heavy rain and golf ball-sized hail began falling from the sky, residents took shelter in local buildings. Unfortunately, those buildings were not built to withstand such severe weather and immediately collapsed. Thirty people died in the R.T. Dennis building collapse. A total of 196 buildings were damaged, with at least 114 fatalities reported. Some survivors were left under rubble for close to a day. Other victims were never found and identified.
9. 1937 New London School Explosion
A natural gas leak caused one of the deadliest events in Texas history. As many students and teachers were in the main building of the New London School, an instructor turned on an electric sander. The spark of the sander probably mixed with the natural gas in the air, causing an enormous explosion that was heard up to four miles away from the school. Approximately 295 people died, and another 300 were injured. At the time, natural gas was odorless. Within weeks of this event, thiol was added to natural gas to give it a noticeable smell and avoid future disasters.
10. 1919 Florida Keys Hurricane
One of the most devastating hurricanes in Texas history began as a tropical depression over the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean. The storm gained steam and caused heavy damage across the Florida Keys en route to the Gulf of Mexico. It hit the Texas Coastal Bend with 115-mile-per-hour winds and caused north of $20 million in damages (about $369 million today). A confirmed 284 people died, though the number is almost certainly much higher. Hundreds of people were reported missing, and many victims were found covered in crude oil and couldn’t be identified.
11. 1900 Galveston Hurricane
The Galveston Hurricane, also known as the Galveston Flood or The Great Storm of 1900, first formed on August 27, 1900. It made landfall on the southeastern part of Texas near Galveston early on September 9. The hurricane was downgraded to a tropical storm that night, but not before hitting Galveston with heavy winds and eight to 12 feet of water, with more than 7,000 buildings sustaining damage and about a quarter of the city’s population becoming homeless. Between 6,000 and 12,000 people died from the hurricane; the most common estimation is 8,000 fatalities. It’s the deadliest natural disaster in United States history. Galveston was severely hit again in 1915, with at least 400 deaths resulting from that hurricane.
This article first appeared on Good Info News Wire and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.
