A Guide to Texas Hurricane Season

The 2024 hurricane season in Texas lasts six-months, from June 1 to November 30. Storms can potentially form any time of the year. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the 2024 season is expected to be very active, with an 85% chance of being above normal. NOAA predicts that 17 to 25 named storms could develop, with 8 to 13 becoming hurricanes, and 4 to 7 turning into major hurricanes. 

What Is the Peak Time in Texas for Hurricanes?

Historically, August through October are the most common months for hurricanes to form in the Gulf of Mexico and hit the Texas Coast, with hurricanes most active in August and September. NOAA has tracked U.S. hurricanes since 1850. 

The National Weather Service (NWS) lists known Texas Coast hurricanes from the year 1527. On January 6, 2010, the NWS issued this report on Texas hurricanes from 1527 to 2009, which included:

“Texas has seen its share of hurricane activity over the many years it has been inhabited. Nearly five hundred years ago, unlucky Spanish explorers learned firsthand what storms along the coast of the Lone Star State were capable of. Despite these setbacks, Spaniards set down roots across Mexico and Texas and started colonies. Galleons filled with gold and other treasures sank to the bottom of the Gulf, off such locations as Padre and Galveston Islands. Over time, French settlers began colonies in eastern sections of the state. Finally, Americans came into play.”

Between 1527 and 2009, 30 hurricanes stormed the Texas coast in the month of September, 25 in August, 24 in June, 16 in July, 13 in October, 5 in November, and the numbers drop to the low single digits in the other months.

The Great Galveston Hurricane of 1900 holds the title of the deadliest natural disaster in U.S. history. We do not have an accurate death toll from that hurricane, but an estimated 6,000 to 12,000 people died related to it. According to NOAA, just 15 years later, another devastating hurricane hit Galveston and claimed almost 300 lives.

Which Five Texas Cities Are Most Likely to be Impacted By Hurricanes?

The recorded hurricanes that affected Texas primarily impacted Southeast Texas and South Texas. The cities that experience more impact from hurricanes hammering the Texas Coast are:

• Austin
• Brownsville
• Galveston 
• Houston 
• Port Arthur

When Was the Last Hurricane to Hit Texas?

Hurricane Beryl made landfall near Matagorda, Texas, around 4 a.m. on Monday, July 8, 2024. Beryl rolled onto the Texas Coast as a Category 1 hurricane. Category 1 hurricanes produce winds raging from 74 mph to 95 mph, with wind gusts reaching up to 107 mph in some areas. Texas Outside’s aftermath coverage of Beryl is here.

Has Texas ever Had a Category 5 Hurricane?

No, at least not since 1851. From 1851 to July 8, 2024, when Beryl visited Texas, no hurricane has hit the Texas Coast while at a Category 5 strength. Hurricane Harvey hit near Port Aransas on August 25, 2017 as a Category 4. Harvey ravaged Houston and is the last major hurricane to impact the Texas Coast. 

Does Texas Have More Hurricanes than Florida?

In 1851, civil engineer Herbert Saffir and meteorologist Robert Simpson developed the current hurricane severity scale so emergency officials and responders can determine wind hazards of an approaching hurricane. The Saffir/Simpson scale shows that Florida has experienced more hurricanes than Texas since 1851. 

Florida is located in a subtropical climate and experiences warm, humid weather most of the year. Tropical winds plus warm water equal prime conditions that allow hurricanes to develop and for storms to form on the open seas, where they build up strength until they approach the coastline. 

Upon landfall, hurricanes begin losing strength, but they hit the coast with forces of destruction and/or devastation, depending on the Saffir/Simpson category they are when they slam into land. Hurricanes can travel back to open sea, grow stronger again, and return to the coastline. 

Florida is a long narrow peninsula that boasts 8,436 miles of shoreline encompassed by the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. Its many miles of coastline are exposed to open seas, and it has relatively little landmass compared to its relation to many more square miles of sea. This significantly increases the risk of hurricane strikes. 

Hurricane Landfall

Texas is number two in the U.S. for hurricane landfalls. Texas sports 3.359 miles of coast. Alaska rings in with the most U.S. coastline at 33,904 miles. As of July 2, 2024, the most recent hurricane to make landfall in Florida was Hurricane Idalia in 2023. 

NOAA’s National Hurricane Center Tropical Cyclone Report documented that Hurricane Ian, which rolled in at Category 4. To date, Ian was the most expensive hurricane in Florida’s history and the third-costliest in United States history.

Ian made landfall three times, after hitting La Colomo in Western Cuba, then near Cayo Costa in Southwestern Florida, and finally roaring up to Georgetown, South Carolina. Ian claimed over 150 direct and indirect lives and caused over $112 billion in damage in the U.S. 

Tropical Storm Ian developed in the central Caribbean on Sept. 23 and strengthened into a hurricane on Sept. 26 and made landfall in Cuba on Sep 27 at Category 3. Ian returned to the ocean, grew into a Category 4 and hit Florida at that speed, and left to clash with South Carolina at Category 1 on September 30. 

Ian finally died after an extremely long life and transitioned into an extratropical cyclone on October 1, 2022.  

Hurricane Categories

The Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale (SSHWS) categorizes hurricanes into five categories based on their sustained wind speeds:

• Category 1: Winds of 74–95 mph can cause minimal damage to buildings, such as shingles coming off roofs, gutters and vinyl siding being damaged, and tree branches and young trees being uprooted.
• Category 2: Winds of 96–110 mph can cause more extensive damage, such as damage to a home’s roof and siding, trees and power lines being damaged, roads being blocked, and power outages lasting for days or weeks.
• Category 3: Winds of 111–129 mph can cause major damage to well-built homes and other buildings, roofs being heavily damaged, and numerous trees being damaged or uprooted.
• Category 4: Winds of 130–156 mph can cause catastrophic damage.
• Category 5: Winds of over 157 mph are the worst case scenario.