Denton, TX Tornado History — 142 Tornadoes Since 1950
How many tornadoes has Denton, TX had?
Denton has had 142 tornadoes on record within 25 miles since 1950, including 5 violent (EF3+) tornadoes.
When was the most recent tornado near Denton?
The most recent tornado within 25 miles of Denton was an Unrated on August 28, 2025.
When is tornado season in Denton?
May is historically the peak month for tornadoes near Denton, with 36 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 Denton
The last 20 years of confirmed tornadoes within 25 miles — 54 total, averaging 2.7 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 Denton
17 fatalities have been recorded within 25 miles of Denton since 1950, across 2 events. 323 injuries have been reported across all events. 1957 was the deadliest year on record.
The deadliest single event was a F3 on April 2, 1957, which caused 10 fatalities along a 17.2-mile track.
Notable Tornadoes Near Denton
About Tornadoes in Denton
This overview was written August 10, 2026. The tornado counts and notable-event figures elsewhere on this page reflect the latest data and may differ from this summary.
Between Denton's quiet years and its outbreak days lies a wide gulf: the same North Texas sky that stays calm through entire springs can, on the right afternoon, produce long-track tornadoes. An F3 struck on April 2, 1957, running 17.2 miles, killing 10 people and injuring about 200. Another F3 arrived on June 13, 1966, and a broader F3 followed on March 12, 1971, cutting a swath roughly 440 yards wide. An F2 on April 26, 1994 injured 8 people and did an estimated 27.5 million dollars in damage as it tracked 16 miles across the area. Then came May 26, 2024, when an EF3 carved a 47.27-mile path as wide as 1,400 yards, killing 7 people and injuring about 80 — a reminder that quiet stretches here are pauses rather than conclusions.
The reason lies in geography. Moist air flowing north from the Gulf of Mexico meets drier continental air along a dryline that frequently sets up just west of the Denton area, while spring jet-stream disturbances supply the wind shear that lets thunderstorms rotate. When those ingredients align — typically from March into early June — supercells can form fast and move quickly across the prairie northwest of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The NOAA Storm Prediction Center maintains the record behind this page, and its event list shows activity scattered from the 1950s through the 2020s, with the calm intervals as much a part of the story as the storms.