Dallas, TX Tornado History — 205 Tornadoes Since 1950
How many tornadoes has Dallas, TX had?
Dallas has had 205 tornadoes on record within 25 miles since 1950, including 12 violent (EF3+) tornadoes.
When was the most recent tornado near Dallas?
The most recent tornado within 25 miles of Dallas was an EF1 on March 4, 2025.
When is tornado season in Dallas?
April is historically the peak month for tornadoes near Dallas, with 48 on record. Spring through early summer (April–June) generally sees the highest activity across most of the central and southern United States.
At a Glance
Recent Tornado Activity Near Dallas
The last 20 years of confirmed tornadoes within 25 miles — 62 total, averaging 3.1 per year over this window.
Tornadoes by Decade
Tornadoes by Enhanced Fujita Rating
F0–F5 ratings (pre-2007) are grouped with their EF equivalents. The Enhanced Fujita scale replaced the original Fujita scale in February 2007.
Tornadoes by Month
Casualties on Record Near Dallas
24 fatalities have been recorded within 25 miles of Dallas since 1950, across 4 events. 1,052 injuries have been reported across all events. 2015 was the deadliest year on record.
The deadliest single event was an EF4 on December 26, 2015, which caused 10 fatalities along a 13.0-mile track.
Notable Tornadoes Near Dallas
About Tornadoes in Dallas
This overview was written April 23, 2026. The tornado counts and notable-event figures elsewhere on this page reflect the latest data and may differ from this summary.
The Dallas–Fort Worth Metroplex is one of the largest population centers in Tornado Alley's southern flank. DFW tornadoes are typically supercell-driven during the April–June primary season, with a meaningful secondary peak in October–November when fall cold fronts collide with lingering Gulf moisture. The metro's enormous footprint and dense suburban development mean even a "weak" EF1 or EF2 in the right place produces high-impact damage.
The Dallas tornado of April 2, 1957
The historical baseline event for Dallas is the Dallas F3 tornado of April 2, 1957, which tracked from Oak Cliff through downtown and into east Dallas, killing 10 people. The 1957 event was filmed extensively from downtown rooftops and is one of the most photographically documented tornadoes of the pre-Doppler era. The damage path traversed what are now redeveloped neighborhoods south of the Trinity River.
The 2015 and 2019 outbreaks
The December 26, 2015 Garland/Rowlett EF4 tornado killed 13 people on the day after Christmas — an unusually deadly cool-season event. The path tracked from Sunnyvale through Garland and into Rowlett, hitting the I-30 corridor at peak intensity. The December 2015 outbreak is also notable for occurring at night during a period of widespread holiday travel, which contributed to the high fatality count among motorists.
The October 20, 2019 Dallas EF3 tornado tracked through north Dallas — Walnut Hill, Preston Hollow, and the Marsh Lane area — at approximately 9pm CDT, causing widespread damage to schools, businesses, and high-end residential areas. Twenty-eight schools were damaged or destroyed; estimated insured losses exceeded $1.5 billion, making it the most costly tornado in Texas history at the time. No fatalities — a fortunate outcome attributed in part to wide tornado warning coverage and effective Wireless Emergency Alert delivery.
Tornadoes by part of the Metroplex
DFW's tornado risk distributes unevenly. The eastern Metroplex (Garland, Rowlett, Mesquite, Sunnyvale) sits on the typical track of southeastward-moving storms originating in north Texas and southern Oklahoma. The northern suburbs (Plano, McKinney, Frisco) get more EF1–EF2 activity than EF3+. South Dallas and southern Tarrant County (Cedar Hill, Duncanville, Mansfield) have seen multiple violent tornadoes including the 2015 path. Fort Worth proper has fewer high-end events but the I-20 corridor through Arlington, Grand Prairie, and into east Dallas is one of the most consistently warned tornado tracks in the state.
What this means for DFW residents today
The 2015 and 2019 events demonstrated that even DFW's most affluent neighborhoods aren't protected from violent tornadoes by population density or building stock — well-built brick homes in north Dallas were leveled in October 2019. Texas building codes don't require tornado shelters, and most DFW homes don't have basements (high water table and clay soil), so interior-room shelter or above-ground FEMA safe rooms are the practical options.
For nighttime alerting — the primary risk window for both the 2015 and 2019 events — phone-call alerts that bypass Do Not Disturb are the most reliable layer for the Metroplex. NWS Fort Worth (FWD) is one of the most active warning offices in the country and typically issues tornado warnings with 15–20 minutes of lead time, which is meaningful margin if a shelter plan is in place. The DFW metro's outdoor siren network is geographically inconsistent — some suburbs maintain robust networks, others don't have sirens at all — which is part of why phone-based alerting matters more here than the typical Plains assumption.