Texas, with its extensive coastline along the Gulf of Mexico, is highly vulnerable to tropical cyclone activity. The state has a long history of weather record-keeping, allowing for a statistical analysis of how often these powerful storms have made landfall. Understanding the number of landfalls provides a clear picture of the natural hazard the Texas coast faces annually.
Understanding the Landfall Count
A “hurricane hit” is defined by official records from agencies like the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) as a tropical cyclone making landfall with maximum sustained winds of 74 miles per hour or greater. This threshold signifies the criteria for a Category 1 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. Tropical storms, which have winds between 39 and 73 miles per hour, are recorded separately.
Since reliable record-keeping began in 1851, Texas has experienced 63 hurricane landfalls along its coast (data up to 2016), demonstrating a consistent threat over the past 170 years. This total represents a significant portion of all hurricanes that have struck the continental United States. The average frequency means that a hurricane makes landfall somewhere along the Texas shoreline approximately once every three to four years.
The distinction between a hurricane and a tropical storm is important. While a hurricane landfall impacts the entire coast every few years, an individual 50-mile segment of the Texas coast can expect a hurricane only once every six years, on average. This highlights that the risk is distributed unevenly along the shoreline.
Categorical Intensity Breakdown
The Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale classifies storms by wind speed. The majority of landfalling hurricanes fall into Category 1 and Category 2, with winds ranging from 74 to 110 miles per hour. These lower-category storms still cause significant damage but are not considered “major hurricanes.”
Major hurricanes are classified as Category 3, 4, or 5, possessing sustained winds of 111 miles per hour or higher. Since the 1850s, Texas has experienced over 25 major hurricane landfalls. These intense storms account for a disproportionate amount of the total damage and loss of life.
Category 4 hurricanes, with winds up to 156 miles per hour, have struck the Texas coast 10 times since 1851. Texas holds the distinction of never having had a tropical cyclone make landfall while meeting the criteria of a Category 5 hurricane.
Tracking Frequency Over Time
The frequency of hurricane landfalls in Texas is not uniform, showing distinct periods of high and low activity. For example, the coast experienced a prolonged period of calm between October 1989 and August 1999, a nearly ten-year stretch without a hurricane landfall. In contrast, the year 1886 saw a record four hurricanes strike the Texas coast in a single season.
These fluctuations are influenced by long-term natural climate cycles, such as the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO). The AMO, a sea surface temperature pattern in the North Atlantic, alternates between warm and cool phases lasting 20 to 40 years. The warm phase is generally associated with increased hurricane activity across the Atlantic basin, including a higher probability of landfalls.
The current high-activity era, which began in 1995, is linked to the warm phase of the AMO. This phase creates conditions conducive to storm formation and intensification, such as warmer sea surface temperatures and reduced wind shear. Other large-scale climate modes, like the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO), also modulate activity. La Niña seasons, for instance, tend to be characterized by a higher number of continental U.S. hurricane landfalls.
The Most Impactful Landfalls
Specific historical events illustrate the devastating potential of Texas hurricanes. The Galveston Hurricane of 1900 remains the deadliest natural disaster in United States history. This Category 4 storm brought a catastrophic storm surge that overwhelmed the low-lying island city, resulting in an estimated death toll between 6,000 and 12,000 people.
Hurricane Carla (1961) was a Category 4 at landfall and is recorded as the largest hurricane to ever affect the state. Its immense size and powerful winds impacted a vast stretch of the Texas coast.
Hurricane Ike (2008) struck Galveston as a Category 2, demonstrating that a storm’s category is not the sole measure of its destruction. Ike’s massive wind field generated a storm surge up to 20 feet in some areas, making it the second-costliest Texas hurricane at the time.
More recently, Hurricane Harvey (2017) became unique for its record-breaking rainfall and economic impact. Although it made landfall as a Category 4, Harvey stalled over the Houston area, dropping nearly 50 inches of rain. This unprecedented deluge led to catastrophic flooding and made Harvey the costliest hurricane in Texas history, with estimated damages reaching $125 billion.