Dallas, 1957. Garland, 2015. Lancaster, 1994. Maybe you’re familiar with these high-profile deadly North Texas tornadoes. But do you know which twisters in our area have been the deadliest?
Some of the deadliest tornadoes in the history of our area were decades ago, when warnings were a pipe dream and infrastructure easily crumbled in tornadic winds.
The National Weather Service has a list of the deadliest tornadoes in Texas history - but we wanted to know specifically about our area.
It turns out the tragic Valley View tornado, which killed seven people on the night of May 25 this year, ranks in the top 10 deadliest tornadoes in recorded North Texas history. Additionally, it was the third deadliest tornado in the last 90 years, behind only the 1957 Dallas tornado and the 2015 Garland/Rowlett tornado.
Important note: This list includes the 16 counties in the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area that make up the North Central Texas Council of Governments: Collin, Dallas, Denton, Ellis, Erath, Hood, Hunt, Johnson, Kaufman, Navarro, Palo Pinto, Parker, Rockwall, Somervell, Tarrant, and Wise. We have also added Cooke and Grayson Counties due to their proximity to DFW.
If you have any additions/tweaks to this list, I’d love to hear from you at john.liddle@audacy.com.
Deadliest Tornadoes in North Texas History (Since 1880)
#1 - Pilot Point/Sherman 1896
Date: May 15, 1896
County: Denton and Grayson
Location: Pilot Point to Sherman
Strength: F5
Deaths: 73
Details: The tornado began in the Pilot Point area, shifting farm homes off their foundations before intensifying into a devastating F5. As it widened and strengthened, it swept away numerous farms west of Farmington and Howe. Narrowing to 60 yards wide, it tore through Sherman, obliterating 50 homes and causing catastrophic damage, including an iron-beam bridge twisted from its supports and a 500-pound stone carried 250 yards. The tornado killed 73 people, injured at least 200, and left bodies scattered up to 400 yards from their home sites, making it one of the most intense tornadoes ever recorded in North Texas and the Texoma region. In fact, it’s the only F5 or EF5 in recorded history.
Sources: US Tornadoes, National Weather Service
#2 - Frost 1930
Date: May 6, 1930
County: Navarro and Ellis
Location: Frost, Rankin, Ennis
Strength: F4
Deaths: 41
Details: This F4 tornado wreaked havoc as it touched down near Bynum in Hill County, then crossed into Navarro County, striking Frost and killing at least 25 people. It continued its deadly path northeast, causing additional fatalities south of Rankin and Bardwell, and then into Ellis County, claiming lives in Ennis. By the time it dissipated, the tornado had left 41 dead and over 200 injured, marking a tragic chapter in the history of these communities.
Source: National Weather Service
#3 - Nevada 1927
Date: May 9, 1927
County: Collin
Location: Nevada
Strength: F4
Deaths: 19
Details: The F4 tornado formed southwest of Nevada and impacted the western half of the town, resulting in 19 deaths. Newspaper accounts indicated that Odd Fellows Hall was the only building left standing, and that the Baptist church, which was partially destroyed, was converted into a temporary hospital for the approximately 100 injured.
Sources: National Weather Service, Bryan-College Station Eagle
#4 - Blue Ridge 1919
Date: April 8, 1919
County: Collin and Fannin
Location: Blue Ridge, Delba, Trenton, and Ector
Strength: F4
Deaths: ~18
Details: This nocturnal tornado devastated rural communities such as Blue Ridge, Delba, Trenton, and Ector. This was possibly two tornadoes. And six of eight members of one family were killed near Blue Ridge according to the resource "Significant Tornadoes" by the preeminent tornado history expert Thomas P. Grazulis.
Sources: National Weather Service, Wiki Article
#5 - Garland 1927
Date: May 9, 1927
County: Dallas
Location: Garland
Strength: F4
Deaths: 14-17 (15 according to NWS)
Details: On the same day of the Nevada twister, a brief but extremely destructive tornado moved through Garland, following a highly erratic path. Some accounts list the number dead at 17. According to the Garland Historical Society, "Two of the seventeen people who lost their lives in the disaster were S.E. Nicholson, a former mayor, merchant and prominent citizen, and his mother Mrs. Missouri A. Nicholson." The city's first library was established as a memorial to the Nicholsons. Some accounts also list this as being a Mother's Day tornado. But Mother's Day was May 8 that year, not May 9. This may have been because it was in the early morning hours of Monday, May 9.
Sources: Wiki Article, Dallas News, SMU Digital Collection.
#6 - Melissa 1921
Date: April 13, 1921
County: Collin
Location: Melissa
Strength: F4
Deaths: 11 to 13
Details: A tornado struck the town on April 13, 1921, killing up to 13 people and demolishing many homes and businesses. Sadly, eight years later a fire would destroy many of the businesses rebuilt in downtown Melissa.
Sources: TAMU Severe Weather Summary, City of Melissa, Wiki Article
#7 - Slidell 1909
Date: March 23, 1909
County: Wise
Location: Slidell
Strength: ??
Deaths: 11
Details: According to accounts, this storm came through at 10:15 p.m. on a Tuesday night. 11 died and there were 10 injuries.
Source: TAMU Severe Weather Summary
#8 - Dallas 1957
Date: April 2, 1957
County: Dallas
Location: Dallas
Strength: EF3
Deaths: 10
Could this be the most viewed tornado in history? Maybe so. And it certainly was an event that disproved theories about twisters. This tornado, barely visible at first, touched down near Redbird Airport, south of modern-day Interstate 20. What started as a thin, almost ghostly funnel quickly transformed into a fierce and deadly storm that would etch its path in history over the next 45 minutes. As the tornado moved northward, it cut a destructive swath through the Dallas neighborhoods of Oak Cliff, Kessler Park, West Dallas and Love Field. By the time it lifted over Bachman Lake, shortly after 5:00 p.m., it had left a trail of devastation in its wake.
At its peak, the tornado's fury was likely in the upper range of an F3. Near the Trinity River, between Singleton Boulevard and Riverside Drive, it unleashed its maximum intensity. Homes were ripped from their foundations, and railroad cars were overturned. While this level of destruction often indicates an F4, the official rating remained F3 due to the poor construction of the homes. Photogrammetric estimates confirmed winds peaking at a staggering 175 mph in the worst-hit areas. As it crossed the Trinity River, the tornado began to weaken, eventually passing over a parking lot about 3⁄4 mile west of the U.S. Weather Bureau office at Dallas Love Field. It then entered its final, rope stage before dissipating just north of Bachman Lake.
The tornado claimed 10 lives and injured at least 200 people (some sources say 216). Damage estimates reached a staggering $4 million (1957 USD). In total, about 131 homes (some sources say 154) were completely destroyed, 111 homes were severely damaged, and 287 homes sustained minor damage.
The tornado's journey was captured in unprecedented detail, with 125 observers producing thousands of photographs and hours of high-quality, 16-mm film. Spanning a 17-mile path, the tornado was highly visible due to its slow forward speed of 30 mph, lack of precipitation, and ideal late-afternoon lighting. As it struck shortly before the end of the workday, countless business and factory workers in Downtown Dallas witnessed the spectacle, with TV studios capturing the event from rooftops.
Sources: National Weather Service, 1957 Dallas Tornado Website
#9 - Garland/Rowlett 2015
Date: December 26, 2015
County: Dallas and Rockwall
Location: Sunnyvale to Garland to Rowlett
Strength: EF4
Deaths: 10
On the day after Christmas, 2015, a rare December tornado became one of the strongest to ever impact Dallas County. It was also the deadliest tornado in the North Texas region since 1957. The evening wedge tornado started at Samuell Farm North Park just northeast of Highway 80 and Belt Line Road. It started on a northeast track, and less than a mile later had caused EF2 damage near Hidden Lake Drive in Sunnyvale. As the twister continued into Garland, it caused EF3 damage just west of Bobtown Road. But it was at the intersection of I-30 and the George Bush Turnpike where the monster storm would do its worst. Cars at that intersection were caught in EF4 winds of 170-180 mph. Nine people died there as vehicles were thrown from an overpass. The tornado continued across Lake Ray Hubbard before moving into Rowlett, causing EF2 to EF4 damage before moving back over the lake and dissipating. In total, 10 were killed by the tornado. 468 were injured.
Sources: National Weather Service, Tornado Talk, KRLD Article
#10 - Valley View 2024
Date: May 25, 2024
County: Montague, Cooke, Denton
Location: Forestburg to Era to Valley View to Pilot Point
Strength: EF3
Deaths: 7
Details: This deadly, long-tracked tornado struck southeast of Bowie in Montague County at 9:42 PM, initially causing EF0-EF1 damage. It intensified to EF2, severely damaging residences near Forestburg, and then weakened slightly with EF0-EF1 damage. Crossing into Cooke County, it caused EF0 damage in Rosston before strengthening to EF2 south of Era and west of Valley View. It reached low-end EF3 intensity along County Road 200 in the FRF Estates subdivision, heavily damaging homes and resulting in fatalities. The tornado maintained EF2 strength crossing I-35, hitting a Shell Travel Station in Valley View where dozens were taking shelter. There were no fatalities at the gas station, but the structure was destroyed. It continued east before it dissipated near Pilot Point at 11:15 PM after a 47.99-mile path, killing seven and injuring 100. This supercell spawned a few other tornadoes, including an EF1 that struck Ray Roberts Marina in Sanger, and an EF1 plus a satellite EF3 that damaged homes just northeast of Celina. Multiple homes on Prairie Meadow Lane (east of 289) were destroyed by the short-lived EF3.
#11 - Granbury 2013
Date: May 15, 2013
County: Hood
Location: Granbury
Strength: EF4
Deaths: 6
Details: The deadliest tornado in Hood County history struck just southeast of Granbury around 8 p.m. on May 15, 2013. It started on the west side of the Brazos River/Lake Granbury, and after crossing the river, caused up to EF4 damage to homes in the Rancho Brazos Estates. More than 100 homes were damaged, and there were dozens of injuries. The tornado was only on the ground for 2.5 miles and had winds up to 200 mph.
Sources: National Weather Service, Tornado Talk
#12 - Greenville and Wolfe City 1927
Date: May 9, 1927
County: Hood
Location: NW of Greenville to near Wolfe City
Strength: F4
Deaths: 6
Details: On the same day as the Nevada tornado, a short distance away, another twister impacted Greenville and Wolfe City. It appears the deaths from this tornado were in Wolfe City (four) and Kellogg (two).
Source: Whitewright Sun
#13 - Oak Cliff 1933
Date: July 30, 1933
County: Dallas
Location: Oak Cliff
Strength: ??
Deaths: 4-5
Details: 1957 was not the first time Oak Cliff had been hit hard by a tornado. Some stories indicate that four people died in the tornado, while others say five. There were around 30 injuries, and the twister caused 500,000 in damage on its two mile path.
Links: TAMU Severe Weather Summary, Oak Cliff Advocate
#14 - Wise County 1912
Date: April 20, 1912
County: Wise
Location: S of Boonsville to Boyd
Strength: F4
Deaths: 4
Link: TAMU Severe Weather Summary
#15 - Lancaster 1994
Date: April 25, 1994
County: Dallas
Location: Lancaster
Strength: EF4
Deaths: 3
Injuries: 48
Details: One of Dallas County’s most significant tornadoes ripped through Lancaster on April 25, 1994 at around 8:30 p.m. It was particularly destructive in the Lancaster downtown square, where 80% of structures were destroyed. Almost 500 homes were either damaged or destroyed in the short time the tornado was on the ground (6 miles). Three people died in the storm.
Link: Tornado Talk
#16 - Westminster
Date: May 9, 2006
County: Collin and Grayson
Location: Collin/Grayson Counties
Strength: EF3
Deaths: 3
Details: This tornado started on the north side of Anna in Collin County and strengthened as it moved northeast into Grayson County. It was at its strongest (EF3) right at the Collin/Grayson County line. An elderly couple and a teen were killed in Westminster.
Link: National Weather Service, Cyclone Road
#17 - Gribble Springs
Date: May 15, 1896
County: Denton and Cooke
Location: W of Denton / Gribble Springs
Strength: F3
Deaths: 3
Details: Struck the town of Gribble Springs (just east of Sanger).
#18 - McKinney
Date: May 3, 1948
County: Collin
Location: McKinney
Strength: F3
Deaths: 3
Sources: In tornado communities, “May 3” has become known for the EF5 tornado that struck Bridge Creek and Moore, OK in 1999. But some McKinney residents remember the destruction of May 3, 1948. Three were killed, and around 500 buildings were damaged or destroyed, including a hospital.
Links: McKinney Courier Gazette, Paris News, Tornado Talk, Dallas News
#19 - Downtown Fort Worth
Date: March 28, 2000
County: Tarrant
Location: Downtown Fort Worth
Strength: EF3
Deaths: 2
Injuries: 80
Details: If you ask Fort Worth residents, this is one of the most memorable weather events in their town…right up there with the Mayfest Hail Storm in 1995. (That one was called the “costliest thunderstorm event in history” by NOAA. But with two fatalities, March 28, 2000 is the deadliest tornado on record in Tarrant County. The tornado first struck near Castleberry High School, about 4 miles west of downtown Fort Worth, at 6:18 pm, causing roof and tree damage in River Oaks' Monticello neighborhood. By 6:20 pm, it had damaged businesses near Camp Bowie and West 7th, then hit the Montgomery Ward building and Linwood neighborhood. It severely damaged the 6-story Cash America building and the Mallick Tower and Calvary Cathedral by 6:24 pm.
As the tornado weakened entering downtown Fort Worth, it shattered thousands of windows, especially in the Bank One and Union Pacific Resources buildings.
Two people died: a man warning others and a homeless man. About 80 others were injured, with 6 hospitalized.
Links: National Weather Service (1), National Weather Service (2)
#20 - Copeville
Date: December 26, 2015
County: Collin
Location: Copeville
Strength: EF2
Deaths: 2
On the same night an EF4 killed 10 in Garland and Rowlett, Copeville was hit by an EF2 that claimed the lives of two more North Texans. The tornado went on a 5.5 mile path that hugged the east side of Lavon Lake.
Link: National Weather Service
#21 - Canaan
Date: April 8, 1919
County: Grayson County
Location: Canaan
Strength: F2
Deaths: 2
Details: This tornado wrecked a church, store, and 16 homes at Canaan.
Link: Wiki
#22 - Justin
Date: May 15, 1896
County: Denton
Location: SW of Justin to E of Ponder
Strength: F2
Deaths: 2
Details: A total of 22 homes were damaged in Justin, with five destroyed. Every business in town received some degree of damage. There were 25 injuries, including 17 serious.
Source: justintexashistory.com
#23 - Princeton/Farmersville
Date: April 20, 1912
County: Collin
Location: S of Princeton to NE of Farmersville
Strength: F4
Deaths: 2
Other deadly tornadoes:
Date: April 25, 1970
County: Kaufman
Location: South of Terrell
Strength: EF2
Deaths: 1
Date: April 13, 2007
County: Tarrant
Location: Fort Worth-North Richland Hills
Strength: EF1
Deaths: 1
Link: National Weather Service
Date: April 20, 1912
County: Denton
Location: W of Roanoke to Flower Mound to S of Lewisville
Strength: F4
Deaths: 1
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