Zapata County, Texas
Tornadoes, hail, floods and severe storms recorded here between 1956 and 2026, from NOAA's Storm Events Database. Search an address to see which tornadoes came closest to it.
5
Tornado reports
52
Hail reports
40
Floods since 1996
495
All events
0
Deaths
$8.8M
Property damage
Tornado paths in Zapata County
The part of each tornado’s path NOAA recorded in this county, 5 in all. Zoom in and the paths widen to their surveyed width.
EF0EF1EF2EF3EF4EF5Unrated
Year by year
All storm eventsTornadoes
NOAA's storm database records tornadoes back to 1950 and hail and thunderstorm wind back to 1955, but floods only from 1996 on. Older floods are missing here. For those, the U.S. Geological Survey's stream gauge records and flood reports are the place to look.
Most significant events
The strongest tornadoes, deadliest events and biggest damage here, up to 50.
Heat Heat
The third day of a trifecta of dangerous heat saw the Automated Weather Observing System (AWOS) at Zapata Co. Airport recorded a peak heat index value 113 during the mid afternoon, with just under three hours of values between 111 and 113F.
Excessive Heat Excessive Heat
The hottest feels-like day in modern history occurred on June 18th across Zapata County, as searing heat combined with remnant high humidity from early week's rain to produce extreme heat of 116F or higher for 8 hours. Peak values exceeded 120 for several hours in the mid to late…
Drought Drought
Severe (D2) Drought persisted on June 1st, but would be ended on June 2nd, as late May rains finally finished off the prolonged period of Severe, Extreme (D3) and Exceptional (D4) Drought that was dominant through most of spring 2026 in northeast Zapata County.
Drought Drought
Severe (D2) Drought persisted in far northeast Zapata County through the second and third weeks of May, before torrential rainfall of 2+ inches fell overnight May 20 into May 21, erasing the last of mentionable (D2) conditions for Storm Data beginning on May 26th.
Drought Drought
Severe (D2) Drought persisted across all of Zapata County, with a sliver in the northeast holding at Extreme (D3), through May 11th - as locally heavy rainfall late on May 8th and into May 9th was sufficient for a one-category improvement across the county, ending D2 conditions f…
Drought Drought
Most of Zapata County had improved to Severe (D2) Drought conditions with a pocket of Exceptional (D3) Drought over northern Zapata County during the April 14-20 timeframe. The D3 pocket would shrink to cover the northeast portion of the county on April 21, with D2 conditions rem…
Drought Drought
D3 (Extreme Drought) conditions were present across much of Zapata County from April 7-13 thanks to recent beneficial rains. Finally, D2 (Severe Drought) conditions were present over extreme southern Zapata County from April 7-13 thanks to recent beneficial rains.
Drought Drought
D4 (Exceptional Drought) conditions persisted from April 1 to April 6 across eastern and central Zapata County. D3 (Extreme Drought) conditions persisted across north-central and western Zapata County.
Drought Drought
Continued heat, very low humidity, lack of rainfall, and occasional wind brought Extreme to Exceptional (D3 to D4) Drought across all of Zapata County on March 24 continue through month's end. D3 conditions arrived in the northwest sections and prevailed. Unknown was the extent o…
Drought Drought
Exceptional (D4) Drought expanded to cover the eastern half of Zapata County on March 17, while Extreme (D3) conditions continued over a sliver of west-central and southwest Zapata. A slightly larger area of Severe (D2) was noted in northwest Zapata, a holdover from some rainfall…
Drought Drought
Exceptional Drought (D4) expanded west from Jim Hogg County on March 3, covering the eastern fifth of Zapata County. Extreme (D3) Drought persisted across central Zapata, with a small area of Severe (D2) Drought from San Ygnacio through the Webb County line in northwest Zapata al…
Drought Drought
From March 1-2, D3 (Extreme Drought) was present over all but the northwest corer of Zapata County, with a sliver of D2 (Severe) conditions holding on to begin March.
Drought Drought
Extreme (D3) Drought eastern Zapata County through February 16th, with Severe (D2) conditions elsewhere except the western fifth of the county. Persistent warm to hot and very dry conditions, even for February, allowed D3 conditions to expand farther west to all but the western f…
Cold/Wind Chill Cold/Wind Chill
The Automated Surface Observing System (ASOS) at Laredo, as well as an observation platform in Nuevo Laredo (Mexico), saw wind chill values drop to 24/25F around 2 AM on the 25th, continuing through around 11 AM. Minimum wind chill fell into the upper teens around daybreak. Sligh…
Frost/Freeze Frost/Freeze
By proxy with Hebbronville (northern Jim Hogg), freezing temperatures (32F degrees or lower) likely occurred for 13.5 hours from 8:35pm Sunday January 25th to 9:55am CST Monday January 26th in much of northern Zapata County, including the city of Zapata. A Hard Freeze (temperatur…
Drought Drought
By mid month, Severe (D2) to Extreme (D3) Drought conditions expanded westward to encompass much of Zapata County with the exception of the extreme west-northwestern part of the county, which remained under D1 (Moderate) Drought. D3 Drought was observed over the eastern half of Z…
Drought Drought
According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, D2 Severe Drought was observed across the eastern half of Zapata County with D3 Extreme Drought observed over the extreme southeastern section of Zapata County at the start of the month of January, continuing through the 12th.
Drought Drought
Extreme Drought snuck across the southeast corner of Zapata County on December 23, courtesy of zero to minimal rainfall that extended from northwest Starr County. Severe (D2) conditions remained elsewhere, except for some improvement to Moderate (D1) between Zapata and San Ygnaci…
Drought Drought
Severe (D2) Drought would prevail across all but the northern quarter of Zapata County through December 22nd.
Drought Drought
Due to prolonged dryness and near-record late summer through mid-autumn heat, Severe (D2) Drought conditions developed across much of Zapata County that initially included the the city of Zapata, but would expand to cover the entire county, including San Ygnacio on the 18th and c…
Drought Drought
Following locally heavy rainfall before daybreak on May 7th, and again during the afternoon no May 8th, which dropped pockets of 2-4+ inches of rain across much of Zapata County, Drought Improved to Moderate (D1) and Abnormally Dry (D0) across all but the extreme northwestern por…
Hail Hail
Zapata County Sheriff's office state that the public reported golf ball to softball size hail iin the city of San Ygnacio. The hail derived from a supercell thunderstorm that moved east from the foothills of the Sierra Madre Oriental mountains in northern Mexico. As of this writi…
Drought Drought
Due to the continued combination of dry and hot conditions with a strong sun angle and evaporation rates, Severe (D2) Drought continued across Zapata County to begin May. A band of thunderstorms with more than 2 inches (estimated) of rain on May 2nd covered southern Zapata, reduc…
Drought Drought
Due to the continued combination of dry and hot conditions with a strong sun angle and evaporation rates, Severe (D2) Drought continued across either a large portion of Zapata County, including the cities/towns of Zapata and San Ygnacio through the month of April, from April 1st …
Drought Drought
The combination of humidity averaging near 10 percent each afternoon for a week (March 9-17), occasional heat spikes, and gusty winds moved conditions into flash drought territory, and the drought monitor was adjusted to Extreme (D3) on the 18th. These conditions would continue u…
Drought Drought
A Severe (D2) Drought was designated for Zapata County on March 4, which continued through March 17, 2025, as a combination of very dry air, repeated dry fronts that produced northerly winds, and warmer than average temperatures created a flash drought condition.
Cold/Wind Chill Cold/Wind Chill
The Automated Weather Observing System (AWOS) platform in Zapata recorded 23.5 hours (from 12:30am to 11:20am on January 21 and from 7:15pm on January 21 to 7:55am on January 22) of wind chill values at or below 25F degrees. Minimum wind chill values of 20F degrees at 7:35am on J…
Frost/Freeze Frost/Freeze
The Automated Weather Observing System (AWOS) platform in Zapata recorded 23.5 hours of freezing temperatures (32 degrees or lower) from 12:30am to 11:20am on January 21, and from 7:15pm on January 21 to 7:55am on January 22. A minimum temperature of 23F degrees occurred at 6:35a…
Ice Storm Ice Storm
Broadcast media reported freezing rain on fences and vegetation in Zapata. The AWOS site recorded 0.13 inches of ice that had accumulated. With temperatures at or below 32F degrees, it's likely that freezing rain was falling between 12:30am-7:00am on January 21.
Flash Flood Flash Flood
Radar estimates of 4 to 6 inches of rainfall fell over a 3 hour period. Flooding was reported with high water as high as 2 feet flowing over Highway 16 in the city of Zapata. Water was reported in a home in the Medina Addition.
Heat Heat
Zapata recorded max heat indices between 111-117F for 5 hours, from 1:55-6:55 PM CDT on June 5, 2024.
Heat Heat
Zapata recorded max heat indices between 111-116F for 6 hours, from 12:55-6:55 PM CDT on June 4, 2024.
Thunderstorm Wind Thunderstorm Wind
An Emergency Management Coordinator reported a downed powerline along U.S. highway 83 near the Zapata/Webb County line.
Heat Heat
Zapata recorded max heat indices between 112-116F from 11:55 AM-5:55 PM CDT on May 27, 2024.
Heat Heat
Zapata recorded max heat indices between 111-116F for 7 hours, from 1:55-8:55 PM CDT on May 26, 2024.
Heat Heat
Zapata recorded max heat indices between 111-116F for 5 hours, from 12:55-5:55 PM CDT on May 25, 2024.
Heat Heat
Zapata recorded max heat indices between 112-114F from 1:55-7:55 PM CDT on May 24, 2024.
Heat Heat
Zapata recorded max heat indices between 111 and 113.5F between 335 and 655 PM CDT.
Heat Heat
Zapata recorded max heat indices between 111-113F for a little more than four hours from 215 through 625 PM CDT on May 21, 2024.
Hail Hail
Baseball size hail was reported in San Ygnacio, related by the Zapata County Sheriff's office.
Frost/Freeze Frost/Freeze
Zapata recorded temperatures at or below freezing for almost 11 hours (between 1235 AM and 1045 AM on the 16th. A Hard Freeze (temperatures below 28 degrees for 2 or more hours) was observed at Zapata between 555 AM and 825 AM. Minimum temperatures fell to 26F degrees across the …
Frost/Freeze Frost/Freeze
Zapata recorded temperatures at or below freezing for almost 11 hours (between 835 PM on the 16th and 855 AM on the 17th). A Hard Freeze (temperatures below 28 degrees for 2 or more hours) was observed at Zapata between 955 PM on the 16th and 825 AM on the 17th. A minimum tempera…
Frost/Freeze Frost/Freeze
The Automated Weather Observing System (AWOS) platform in Zapata recorded a little bit over 6 hours of freezing temperatures (32 degrees or lower) from 335AM to 955AM on January 15, 2024. A minimum temperature of 31F degrees occurred between 630AM and 830AM.
Drought Drought
Severe (D2) Drought conditions replaced Extreme (D3) Drought conditions across all but far northern Zapata County, following widespread 1 to 1.5 inches, locally 2 inches, of rainfall associated with showers and thunderstorms along the season's first cold front during the late aft…
Drought Drought
Extreme Drought (D3) prevailed across all but the northern fifth of Zapata County, from San Ygnacio north to the Webb County line and northeast to Jim Hogg County just five miles south of the Webb County line, through October 9th. Broad rainfall of 1 to more than 2 inches during …
Drought Drought
Extreme (D3) Drought dominated September across most of Zapata County, as rainfall was limited to patches of the county (mainly the northern tier) after mid month. At the start of the month, a sliver of Severe (D2) Drought existed near the Starr County and Webb County lines (sout…
Drought Drought
Lack of persistent rain and hot to very hot temperatures allowed Extreme (D3) Drought to develop across all but the southern tip of Zapata County on August 22nd.
Heat Heat
The Zapata County Airport AWOS reported a heat index of 111 by 3:15 PM CDT, with 111 or higher values persisting until approximately 5:35 PM CDT on August 11th.
Events by year, as a table
| Year | Events | Tornadoes |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 17 | 0 |
| 2025 | 12 | 0 |
| 2024 | 14 | 0 |
| 2023 | 27 | 0 |
| 2022 | 33 | 0 |
| 2021 | 23 | 0 |
| 2020 | 29 | 0 |
| 2019 | 13 | 0 |
| 2018 | 10 | 0 |
| 2017 | 11 | 0 |
| 2016 | 12 | 0 |
| 2015 | 11 | 0 |
| 2014 | 17 | 0 |
| 2013 | 23 | 0 |
| 2012 | 37 | 0 |
| 2011 | 36 | 0 |
| 2010 | 11 | 0 |
| 2009 | 25 | 0 |
| 2008 | 30 | 0 |
| 2007 | 12 | 0 |
| 2006 | 7 | 0 |
| 2005 | 2 | 1 |
| 2004 | 7 | 0 |
| 2003 | 8 | 0 |
| 2002 | 12 | 1 |
| 2001 | 20 | 0 |
| 2000 | 12 | 0 |
| 1998 | 3 | 0 |
| 1997 | 1 | 0 |
| 1996 | 7 | 0 |
| 1995 | 3 | 0 |
| 1994 | 2 | 0 |
| 1993 | 2 | 0 |
| 1992 | 1 | 0 |
| 1987 | 1 | 0 |
| 1985 | 1 | 0 |
| 1970 | 2 | 2 |
| 1956 | 1 | 1 |
Search your address
See every tornado that passed within 25 miles of a place in Zapata County, measured to its path.
We couldn’t get your location. Check that location access is allowed for this site, or type an address.