Onalaska, TX tornado history
12 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of the center of Onalaska, TX from 1950 through 2025, according to the NOAA Storm Prediction Center, ranking 452nd of 534 Texas cities with a tornado on record. 1 was rated F3/EF3 or stronger by the National Weather Service. The most recent was on April 22, 2020 (EF3, 28.5-mile path). The deadliest, on April 22, 2020, killed 3 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 Onalaska, TX
| Date | Rating | Path length | Deaths / injuries | Started in | Closest to center |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 22, 2020 | EF3 | 28.5 mi | 3 / 33 | Polk County, TX | 1.6 mi |
| Jul 15, 2017 | EF0 | 0.4 mi | 0 / 0 | Polk County, TX | 8.8 mi |
| Apr 25, 2011 | EF0 | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 | Polk County, TX | 1.8 mi |
| Jul 3, 2007 | EF0 | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 | San Jacinto County, TX | 5.3 mi |
| Dec 16, 2001 | F2 | 3.0 mi | 0 / 2 | San Jacinto County, TX | 5.1 mi |
| Oct 12, 2001 | F1 | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 | Polk County, TX | 4.0 mi |
| May 13, 1994 | F0 | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 | Polk County, TX | 1.2 mi |
| Feb 9, 1981 | F2 | 19.9 mi | 1 / 8 | Walker County, TX | 7.1 mi |
| Apr 25, 1980 | F1 | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 | Polk County, TX | 6.2 mi |
| Mar 30, 1976 | F2 | 22.1 mi | 0 / 1 | Polk County, TX | 0.4 mi |
| May 1, 1967 | F2 | 8.0 mi | 0 / 2 | Polk County, TX | 1.5 mi |
| Dec 3, 1952 | F2 | 13.3 mi | 0 / 4 | Trinity County, TX | 8.0 mi |
More: Polk County tornadoes · Texas tornado history · Onalaska 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 Onalaska
The National Weather Service mapped the path of 2 tornadoes within 10 miles of Onalaska in damage surveys (1 EF3, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 22, 2020 | EF3 | 140 mph | 29.8 mi | 1,100 yd | 3 / 33 | 22:35–23:15 UTC | NWS Houston/Galveston |
| Jul 15, 2017 | EF0 | 80 mph | 0.4 mi | 20 yd | 0 / 0 | 20:27–20:30 UTC | NWS Houston/Galveston |
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.