Even though Houston is a 10-hour drive from from the Panhandle, based off the frequency of tornado warnings in Harris County, it might feel like H-town is smack dab in the middle of tornado alley.
But this inkling may have some data to back it up. Each time a tornado is reported in the United States, the National Climate Data Center keeps a record of it, showing the magnitude, damage and deaths caused by each individual twister.
In Texas, Harris is the number one county for tornado touchdowns, with a total of 225 reported sightings. In fact, Harris County is second in the nation, behind Weld County, Colorado, for tornadoes.
According to USA Tornadoes, Harris and Weld are the only two counties in the U.S. with over 200 tornadoes reports.
Still, Harris County’s tornadoes aren’t particularly deadly. The region has experienced no F5 tornadoes, the most violent category of twisters.
Similarly, the most fatalities ever caused by a twister in Harris County was two in 1986, when a magnitude F3 tornado struck.
While Houston undoubtedly has the highest frequency of tornadoes, the most severe and deadly twisters are still seen throughout the Panhandle, Central and Northwest Texas.
Fernando Ramirez Published 5:15 pm, Wednesday, October 26, 2016
Photo: Wesley Hitt/Getty Images
