AUSTIN (KXAN) — The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s hurricane record dates back to 1851. Hurricane tracking made great strides with the launch of weather satellites in the early 1960s, while recording and communication improved with the naming of storms beginning in the 1950s.

Below is a breakdown of Texas’ long history with hurricanes….

Since 1851, 66 hurricanes have affected the state of Texas. This includes direct landfalls and indirect impacts.

STRENGTH:

  • Category 1: 27
  • Category 2: 13
  • Category 3: 16
  • Category 4: 10
  • Category 5: 0

MAJOR HURRICANES (CAT 3 or stronger)

-Sept 1875: CAT 3 – no name
-Aug 1880: CAT 3 – no name
-Aug 1886: CAT 4 – “Indianola”
-Oct 1886: CAT 3 – no name
-Sept 1900: CAT 4 – “Galveston”
-July 1909: CAT 3 “Velasco”
-Aug 1915: CAT 4 – “Galveston”
-Aug 1916: CAT 4 – no name
-Aug 1918: CAT 3 – no name
-Sept 1919: CAT 4 – no name
-Aug 1932: CAT 4 – “Freeport”
-Sept 1933: CAT 3 – no name
-Sept 1941: CAT 3 – no name
-Aug 1942: CAT 3 – no name
-July 1943: CAT 3 – no name
-Aug 1945: CAT 3 – no name
-June 1957: CAT 3 – “Audrey”
-Sept 1961: CAT 4 – “Carla”
-Sept 1967: CAT 3 – “Beulah”
-Aug 1970: CAT 4 – “Celia”
-Aug 1980: CAT 3 – “Allen”
-Aug 1983: CAT 3 – “Alicia”
-Aug 1999: CAT 3 – “Bret”
-Sept 2005: CAT 3 – “Rita”
-Aug 2017: CAT 4 – “Harvey”
-Aug 2020: CAT 4 – “Laura”

*satellite-era

MONTH:

-June: 11
-July: 10
-August: 22
-September: 18
-October: 5

DECADE:

  • 1850s: 3
  • 1860s: 4
  • 1870s: 2
  • 1880s: 7
  • 1890s: 3
  • 1900s: 4
  • 1910s: 7
  • 1920s: 2
  • 1930s: 5
  • 1940s: 8
  • 1950s: 2
  • 1960s: 2
  • 1970s: 2
  • 1980s: 5
  • 1990s: 1
  • 2000s: 5
  • 2010s: 1
  • 2020s: 3

EXTREMES:

COSTLIEST: Harvey (2017) — $148.8 Billion
DEADLIEST: Galveston (1900) — at least 8,000 fatalities
GREATEST STORM SURGE: Galveston (1900) — 15 foot storm surge
STRONGEST WINDS AT LANDFALL: Laura (2020), Indianola (1886), Freeport (1932) winds estimated at 150 mph
STRONGEST RECORDED WINDS: Allen (1980) recorded winds of 190 mph (CAT 5) while crossing the Yucatan Channel
LOWEST PRESSURE: Rita (2005) dropped to 895mb while over water — strongest on record in the Gulf of Mexico
WETTEST: Harvey (2017) — Nederland, TX recorded 60.58″ of rain

More historical data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration found here.