The Lone Star State of Texas is not a stranger to natural disasters. On the contrary, it consistently ranks among the top 10 most disaster-prone states in the country.
Between 1980 and 2024, the state has recorded 190 extreme weather events, each costing more than $1 billion in damages. The Lone Star State is hit by hurricanes, tornadoes, thunderstorms, and winter storms, and it also experiences floods and wildfires. In addition, its long coastline along the Gulf of Mexico makes it susceptible to rising sea levels, and its desert south-west region is vulnerable to droughts.
“We have everything other than maybe avalanches,” Andrew Dessler, a professor of atmospheric sciences at Texas A&M University, told The Guardian. “Every other climate disaster you can think of, like wildfires – you name it, we have it.”
Floods
Flooding is the most common natural disaster in the state. One area, in particular, is largely associated with flash floods: the Texas Hill Country, also known as Flash Flood Alley.
Carlos Javier Martinez, a senior climate scientist with the climate and energy program at the Union of Concerned Scientists said, “The ‘alley’ stretches from Dallas to San Antonio and encompasses the Colorado and Guadalupe River basins.”
This hilly region in Texas is one of the most flood-prone regions in the country, with a long and tragic history of major flooding events. The area is highly susceptible to flash flooding mainly due to three reasons:
- Steep terrain: Some counties, such as Hunt and Kerr, are situated on a floodplain. The tall, rugged hills that surround them act as a funnel for rainfall, which converges into rivers and creeks that overflow with extreme precipitation.
- Shallow soil: The Texas Hill Country features clay-rich soil, which does not easily absorb water. If rainfall is heavy, water just runs off the shallow soil and feeds into rivers that swell and cause a flash flood.
- Repeated high rainfall events: Its location near the Gulf makes high or intense rainfall common.
Hurricanes
Hurricane season in the U.S. runs from June to November, but Texas typically braces for a landfall during August and September. Once they hit the Gulf Coast, hurricanes generally move in a north or northeast motion through the state.
These extreme weather events have the potential to wreak havoc on coastal communities as well as those located several hundred miles inland. Two of the most significant hurricanes to hit Texas are Hurricane Ike (2008) and the 1900 Galveston Hurricane.
The 1900 Galveston Hurricane and Hurricane Ike made landfall in roughly the same area, which is on Galveston Island along the upper Texas coast, at around the same time of the year, in September. In both events, storm surge played a major devastating role.
The former is considered to be “the deadliest hurricane to ever make landfall in the United States,” killing around 6,000 to 12,000 people and costing about $30 million in property damage. Meanwhile, Hurricane Ike killed 20 people in Texas, Arkansas, and Louisiana and resulted in approximately $19.3 billion in property damage.
Wildfires
The risk of wildfires in the Lone Star State runs all year round, with an average of 9,000 wildfires annually. However, the state’s wildfire season is typically in winter (February to April) and summer (August to October).
The no. 1 reason for wildfires in the state is human activity, with almost 90% of the natural disaster ignited by humans. Debris burning is the largest cause of wildfire ignition, but discarded cigarettes, vehicle exhaust, and sparks from welding and other industrial equipment also cause fires.
Tornadoes
Texas leads the country when it comes to tornadoes, with more than 150 occurrences in 2025. These extreme weather events are most frequent in the state from April to June.
Data from 1950 to 2025 shows that tornadoes have killed over 500 people, injured thousands more, and caused around $7 billion in property damage and about $80 million in crop damage. The deadliest was the Waco Tornado, which hit the state in May 1953. The massive F5 tornado killed 114 people, injured nearly 600, and damaged several hundred homes and buildings and a couple thousand vehicles.
A more recent one, the Jarrell Tornado, which hit Texas in May 1997, was also an F5 tornado, but its movement was “unusual,” according to the National Weather Service (NWS). This tornado moved to the south-southwest instead of the southwest to northeast route that most tornadoes to hit the region take. It also moved at a slow walking pace, whereas most violent tornadoes would have raced along at highway speeds.
Thunderstorms
In the U.S., thunderstorm activity is typically prevalent in the southern part of the country. So, Texas, along with other states located near the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico, generally have the highest number of average annual thunderstorms. The Lone Star State, in particular, sees 30 to 60 thunderstorms annually, most of which occur during the summer, according to Weatherstem.
Texas ranks first in the top 10 lists for the state with the most hours with thunderstorm activity and the most dangerous thunderstorms, according to data from the 2025 U.S. Lighting Report of 2025 of technology provider AEM (aem.eco). Aside from the thunder and lightning combo, thunderstorms can also produce gusty winds, tornadoes, hail, and flash flooding.
Winter Storms
In Texas, winter storms, which are the accumulation of freezing rain (ice), snow, and/or sleet, pose greater threat than blizzards. The heavy snowfall, blowing and drifting snow, extreme cold, high winds, or ice storms associated with this weather event can cause poor visibility and traffic accidents.
Fast-moving large low-pressure systems can be blamed for the winter storms that hit the Lone Star State from November to March. Ice can accumulate as much as two inches, which result in great damage to power distribution.
For instance, winter storm Uri, at its peak, caused a power outage in February 2021 that left nearly 4.5 million homes and businesses without power. According to a report by the Hobby School of Public Affairs at the University of Houston, “More than two out of three Texans – 69% – lost electricity at some point during Winter Storm Uri … for an average of 42 hours, while almost half – 49% – lost access to running water for an average of more than two days.”