Murphy, TX tornado history
30 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of the center of Murphy, TX from 1950 through 2025, according to the NOAA Storm Prediction Center, ranking 152nd of 534 Texas cities with a tornado on record. 5 were rated F3/EF3 or stronger by the National Weather Service. The most recent was on October 20, 2019 (EF0, 4.8-mile path); the strongest, on December 26, 2015, was rated EF4. The deadliest, on December 26, 2015, killed 10 along its path.
Dashed circle: 10 miles from the city's Census center point. A tornado counts when its recorded path passes inside the circle. Paths run straight from start to end point, as SPC records them.
Source: National Storms (nationalstorms.com), CC BY 4.0, data from NOAA Storm Prediction Center storm reports.
Every tornado within 10 miles of the center of Murphy, TX
| Date | Rating | Path length | Deaths / injuries | Started in | Closest to center |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 20, 2019 | EF0 | 4.8 mi | 0 / 0 | Collin County, TX | 8.3 mi |
| Oct 20, 2019 | EF1 | 2.0 mi | 0 / 0 | Rockwall County, TX | 9.2 mi |
| Oct 20, 2019 | EF1 | 5.8 mi | 0 / 0 | Dallas County, TX | 6.2 mi |
| Oct 20, 2019 | EF2 | 2.5 mi | 0 / 0 | Dallas County, TX | 7.6 mi |
| Oct 20, 2019 | EF3 | 15.8 mi | 0 / 0 | Dallas County, TX | 6.0 mi |
| Dec 26, 2015 | EF4 | 13.0 mi | 10 / 468 | Dallas County, TX | 7.4 mi |
| Apr 9, 2008 | EF1 | 7.2 mi | 0 / 0 | Collin County, TX | 8.6 mi |
| Mar 30, 2007 | EF0 | 0.8 mi | 0 / 0 | Collin County, TX | 3.2 mi |
| Mar 4, 2004 | F1 | 3.0 mi | 0 / 2 | Collin County, TX | 9.9 mi |
| May 9, 1993 | F2 | 12.0 mi | 1 / 63 | Dallas County, TX | 2.8 mi |
| Jan 19, 1990 | F2 | 0.8 mi | 0 / 1 | Dallas County, TX | 6.8 mi |
| Mar 17, 1987 | F0 | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 | Collin County, TX | 7.1 mi |
| Dec 13, 1984 | F3 | 10.0 mi | 0 / 28 | Dallas County, TX | 9.5 mi |
| Jul 27, 1982 | F0 | 1.0 mi | 0 / 0 | Collin County, TX | 7.1 mi |
| Sep 12, 1977 | F2 | 2.5 mi | 0 / 0 | Collin County, TX | 0.7 mi |
| Jul 4, 1976 | F1 | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 | Dallas County, TX | 7.9 mi |
| May 30, 1976 | F1 | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 | Rockwall County, TX | 9.2 mi |
| Jul 25, 1975 | F0 | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 | Dallas County, TX | 9.2 mi |
| Jun 9, 1975 | F0 | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 | Collin County, TX | 6.5 mi |
| Nov 19, 1973 | F1 | 0.1 mi | 0 / 3 | Collin County, TX | 6.6 mi |
| Dec 14, 1971 | F1 | 1.5 mi | 0 / 4 | Dallas County, TX | 9.4 mi |
| Apr 18, 1970 | F1 | 1.0 mi | 0 / 2 | Collin County, TX | 4.3 mi |
| Oct 12, 1969 | F3 | 45.9 mi | 0 / 2 | Dallas County, TX | 0.7 mi |
| Apr 26, 1969 | F2 | 16.5 mi | 0 / 45 | Collin County, TX | 4.3 mi |
| May 12, 1968 | F2 | 0.4 mi | 0 / 0 | Collin County, TX | 8.7 mi |
| Apr 11, 1961 | F2 | 0.3 mi | 0 / 3 | Dallas County, TX | 8.8 mi |
| Oct 4, 1959 | F3 | 27.6 mi | 0 / 5 | Dallas County, TX | 7.5 mi |
| Aug 12, 1958 | F2 | 3.0 mi | 0 / 0 | Dallas County, TX | 6.7 mi |
| Jul 5, 1958 | F0 | 5.2 mi | 0 / 0 | Rockwall County, TX | 6.4 mi |
| Mar 2, 1952 | F0 | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 | Dallas County, TX | 3.6 mi |
More: Collin County tornadoes · Texas tornado history · Murphy hail history · Texas damaging wind
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center (SPC) Severe Weather Database (SVRGIS) tornado file, 1950–2025, and SPC preliminary storm reports for 2026 (data through November 6, 2026). Ratings are the ones the National Weather Service assigned: Fujita (F) scale before Feb 1, 2007, Enhanced Fujita (EF) after. Paths are drawn as straight lines from the start to the end point SPC records; real paths curve. City and county boundaries: US Census Bureau.
NWS Damage Survey Paths Near Murphy
The National Weather Service mapped the path of 6 tornadoes within 10 miles of Murphy in damage surveys (1 EF4, 1 EF3, 1 EF2, 2 EF1, 1 EF0). On the map, those paths follow the survey, colored by the EF rating of each stretch, instead of a straight line from start to end.
| Date | Rating | Peak wind | Path length | Max width | Deaths / injuries | On the ground | Surveyed by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 20, 2019 | EF0 | 80 mph | 4.8 mi | 500 yd | 0 / 0 | 05:22–05:27 UTC | NWS Fort Worth |
| Oct 20, 2019 | EF2 | 135 mph | 2.5 mi | 265 yd | 0 / 0 | 02:24–02:30 UTC | NWS Fort Worth |
| Oct 20, 2019 | EF3 | 140 mph | 15.9 mi | 1,300 yd | 0 / 0 | 01:58–02:30 UTC | NWS Fort Worth |
| Oct 20, 2019 | EF1 | 90 mph | 2.0 mi | 152 yd | 0 / 0 | 02:48–02:54 UTC | NWS Fort Worth |
| Oct 20, 2019 | EF1 | 100 mph | 6.0 mi | 500 yd | 0 / 0 | 02:36–02:45 UTC | NWS Fort Worth |
| Dec 26, 2015 | EF4 | – | 13.0 mi | 550 yd | 10 / 468 | 00:44–01:03 UTC | NWS Fort Worth |
Source: NOAA National Weather Service Damage Assessment Toolkit (DAT): the tornado paths and EF-rating zones NWS survey teams mapped after each storm. Survey data are preliminary and can be revised; NOAA's official record is Storm Data (NCEI). Paths are simplified to about 30 m. Times are when the tornado was on the ground, in UTC.