Van, TX tornado history
13 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of the center of Van, TX from 1950 through 2025, according to the NOAA Storm Prediction Center, ranking 443rd 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 4, 2025 (EF0, 9.0-mile path); the strongest, on May 10, 2015, was rated EF3. The deadliest, on May 10, 2015, killed 2 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 Van, TX
| Date | Rating | Path length | Deaths / injuries | Started in | Closest to center |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 4, 2025 | EF0 | 9.0 mi | 0 / 0 | Van Zandt County, TX | 5.6 mi |
| Apr 29, 2017 | EF0 | 1.6 mi | 0 / 0 | Van Zandt County, TX | 8.8 mi |
| Apr 29, 2016 | EF0 | 2.6 mi | 0 / 0 | Van Zandt County, TX | 6.1 mi |
| May 10, 2015 | EF1 | 1.1 mi | 0 / 0 | Smith County, TX | 7.1 mi |
| May 10, 2015 | EF1 | 1.4 mi | 0 / 0 | Smith County, TX | 8.3 mi |
| May 10, 2015 | EF3 | 10.2 mi | 2 / 43 | Van Zandt County, TX | 0.5 mi |
| Apr 26, 2011 | EF1 | 13.9 mi | 0 / 1 | Van Zandt County, TX | 4.2 mi |
| Jan 20, 2010 | EF2 | 15.2 mi | 0 / 0 | Van Zandt County, TX | 7.8 mi |
| Feb 10, 2009 | EF1 | 7.1 mi | 0 / 0 | Smith County, TX | 9.0 mi |
| Mar 3, 2008 | EF1 | 1.4 mi | 0 / 0 | Van Zandt County, TX | 8.4 mi |
| May 27, 1994 | F0 | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 | Van Zandt County, TX | 6.3 mi |
| Mar 16, 1987 | F1 | 6.0 mi | 0 / 0 | Smith County, TX | 5.4 mi |
| May 9, 1965 | F2 | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 | Smith County, TX | 7.9 mi |
More: Van Zandt County tornadoes · Texas tornado history · Van 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 Van
The National Weather Service mapped the path of 5 tornadoes within 10 miles of Van in damage surveys (1 EF3, 4 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 4, 2025 | EF0 | 80 mph | 9.0 mi | 75 yd | 0 / 0 | 20:17–20:30 UTC | NWS Fort Worth |
| Apr 29, 2017 | EF0 | 85 mph | 1.5 mi | 100 yd | 0 / 0 | 21:14–21:17 UTC | NWS Fort Worth |
| Apr 29, 2016 | EF0 | 70 mph | 3.6 mi | – | 0 / 0 | 22:26–22:29 UTC | NWS Fort Worth |
| May 9, 2015 | EF3 | 140 mph | 10.3 mi | 700 yd | 0 / 0 | 01:46 UTC | NWS Fort Worth |
| Apr 26, 2011 | EF0 | 85 mph | 7.1 mi | – | 0 / 0 | 23:04–23:20 UTC | NWS Shreveport |
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.