Bastrop County Natural Disasters and Weather Extremes
Hot Texas Rankings
The chance of earthquake damage in Bastrop County is about the same as Texas average and is much lower than the national average. The risk of tornado damage in Bastrop County is lower than Texas average and is higher than the national average.
Earthquake Index, #183
| Bastrop County | 0.00 |
| Texas | 0.04 |
| U.S. | 1.81 |
The earthquake index value is calculated based on historical earthquake events data using USA.com algorithms. It is an indicator of the earthquake level in a region. A higher earthquake index value means a higher chance of an earthquake.
Volcano Index, #1
| Bastrop County | 0.0000 |
| Texas | 0.0000 |
| U.S. | 0.0023 |
The volcano index value is calculated based on the currently known volcanoes using USA.com algorithms. It is an indicator of the possibility of a region being affected by a possible volcano eruption. A higher volcano index value means a higher chance of being affected.
Tornado Index, #88
| Bastrop County | 187.00 |
| Texas | 208.58 |
| U.S. | 136.45 |
The tornado index value is calculated based on historical tornado events data using USA.com algorithms. It is an indicator of the tornado level in a region. A higher tornado index value means a higher chance of tornado events.
Other Weather Extremes Events
A total of 8,990 other weather extremes events within 50 miles of Bastrop County were recorded from 1950 to 2010. The following is a break down of these events:
| Type | Count | Type | Count | Type | Count | Type | Count | Type | Count |
| Avalanche: | 0 | Blizzard: | 0 | Cold: | 22 | Dense Fog: | 2 | Drought: | 210 |
| Dust Storm: | 6 | Flood: | 2,196 | Hail: | 3,364 | Heat: | 23 | Heavy Snow: | 34 |
| High Surf: | 3 | Hurricane: | 2 | Ice Storm: | 32 | Landslide: | 0 | Strong Wind: | 85 |
| Thunderstorm Winds: | 2,642 | Tropical Storm: | 14 | Wildfire: | 24 | Winter Storm: | 42 | Winter Weather: | 57 |
| Other: | 232 | ||||||||
Volcanos Nearby
No volcano is found in or near Bastrop County.
Historical Earthquake Events
No historical earthquake events that had recorded magnitudes of 3.5 or above found in or near Bastrop County.
No historical earthquake events found in or near Bastrop County.
Historical Tornado Events
A total of 65 historical tornado events that had recorded magnitude of 2 or above found in or near Bastrop County.
| Distance (miles) | Date | Magnitude | Start Lat/Log | End Lat/Log | Length | Width | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage | Crop Damage | Affected County |
| 4.3 | 1980-08-10 | 2 | 30°00'N / 97°10'W | 30°05'N / 97°28'W | 18.80 Miles | 77 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Bastrop |
| 10.9 | 1991-01-14 | 2 | 29°59'N / 97°12'W | 30°02'N / 97°08'W | 5.00 Miles | 60 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Bastrop |
| 11.2 | 1953-04-28 | 3 | 30°00'N / 97°10'W | 0.50 Mile | 200 Yards | 0 | 3 | 25K | 0 | Bastrop | |
| 11.2 | 1965-05-18 | 2 | 30°00'N / 97°10'W | 1.00 Mile | 17 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Bastrop | |
| 15.3 | 1957-04-24 | 3 | 30°16'N / 97°22'W | 30°23'N / 97°17'W | 9.60 Miles | 880 Yards | 0 | 1 | 250K | 0 | Bastrop |
| 18.3 | 1965-04-15 | 2 | 29°51'N / 97°31'W | 29°54'N / 97°25'W | 6.90 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Caldwell |
| 18.8 | 1980-04-07 | 3 | 30°23'N / 97°15'W | 30°21'N / 97°13'W | 3.00 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Lee |
| 20.1 | 1956-09-04 | 2 | 30°38'N / 97°39'W | 30°09'N / 96°53'W | 56.60 Miles | 250 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Williamson |
| 20.1 | 1954-04-30 | 2 | 30°06'N / 96°58'W | 30°08'N / 96°59'W | 3.00 Miles | 880 Yards | 0 | 2 | 250K | 0 | Lee |
| 20.3 | 1971-02-25 | 2 | 29°53'N / 97°40'W | 29°57'N / 97°29'W | 11.90 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Caldwell |
| 21.3 | 1957-04-24 | 3 | 30°23'N / 97°17'W | 30°26'N / 97°14'W | 5.10 Miles | 880 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Williamson |
| 22.1 | 1980-04-07 | 3 | 30°27'N / 97°31'W | 30°23'N / 97°15'W | 16.50 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Bastrop |
| 22.3 | 1987-11-15 | 2 | 30°11'N / 96°57'W | 1.50 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 8 | 2.5M | 0 | Lee | |
| 23.4 | 1954-04-30 | 3 | 30°25'N / 97°27'W | 30°26'N / 97°25'W | 3.00 Miles | 880 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Travis |
| 23.7 | 1994-11-05 | 2 | 30°25'N / 97°09'W | 2.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 10K | 0 | Lee | |
| Brief Description: A trailer home was destoyed 1 mile north of the town of Blue. The tornado lifted the mobile home and dropped it 25 feet away. A 13-year old boy was eating supper in the mobile home alone as the tornado struck. He described a sound "like a freight train", with the trailer beginning to rock back and forth. He remembered hitting the floor and ceiling as the mobile home was rolled over and destroyed. He was found uninjured amid the debris. At 1845CST the Sheriff's Department reported trees downed just southeast of Blue. | |||||||||||
| 24.1 | 1973-10-11 | 2 | 29°45'N / 97°15'W | 29°46'N / 97°15'W | 1.10 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 1 | 25K | 0 | Fayette |
| 25.1 | 1980-08-10 | 2 | 30°15'N / 97°39'W | 30°18'N / 97°43'W | 5.40 Miles | 150 Yards | 0 | 4 | 250.0M | 0 | Travis |
| 25.3 | 1965-08-28 | 2 | 29°51'N / 97°37'W | 0.50 Mile | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Caldwell | |
| 27.2 | 1959-05-10 | 3 | 30°17'N / 97°43'W | 30°25'N / 97°37'W | 11.00 Miles | 667 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Travis |
| 28.0 | 1961-11-12 | 2 | 29°54'N / 97°43'W | 1.00 Mile | 433 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Caldwell | |
| 28.0 | 1973-10-11 | 2 | 29°39'N / 97°16'W | 29°45'N / 97°15'W | 7.10 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Gonzales |
| 29.1 | 1980-04-07 | 3 | 30°29'N / 97°36'W | 30°27'N / 97°31'W | 5.70 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 3 | 250K | 0 | Travis |
| 29.1 | 1954-04-30 | 3 | 30°26'N / 97°25'W | 30°37'N / 97°12'W | 18.10 Miles | 880 Yards | 0 | 6 | 250K | 0 | Williamson |
| 30.4 | 1961-08-04 | 2 | 29°42'N / 97°31'W | 0.10 Mile | 100 Yards | 0 | 3 | 3K | 0 | Caldwell | |
| 30.9 | 1957-03-31 | 2 | 30°23'N / 97°43'W | 0.50 Mile | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Travis | |
| 32.4 | 1957-03-20 | 3 | 30°19'N / 96°55'W | 30°23'N / 96°47'W | 9.30 Miles | 1760 Yards | 0 | 2 | 25K | 0 | Lee |
| 32.5 | 1985-04-22 | 2 | 30°02'N / 97°51'W | 0.50 Mile | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Hays | |
| 33.1 | 1962-02-23 | 2 | 30°15'N / 96°47'W | 2.00 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Lee | |
| 33.4 | 1957-03-31 | 2 | 30°30'N / 97°38'W | 0.10 Mile | 10 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Travis | |
| 34.0 | 1980-04-07 | 3 | 30°31'N / 97°42'W | 30°29'N / 97°36'W | 6.50 Miles | 100 Yards | 1 | 2 | 250K | 0 | Williamson |
| 34.1 | 1957-03-20 | 3 | 30°16'N / 96°50'W | 30°19'N / 96°44'W | 7.20 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 2 | 25K | 0 | Lee |
| 34.3 | 1978-07-28 | 2 | 30°36'N / 97°18'W | 0.50 Mile | 30 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Williamson | |
| 34.6 | 1953-12-02 | 3 | 30°30'N / 96°58'W | 30°32'N / 97°00'W | 3.30 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 4 | 25K | 0 | Lee |
| 35.4 | 1957-04-26 | 2 | 29°41'N / 97°39'W | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Caldwell | |||
| 35.4 | 1971-11-17 | 2 | 30°26'N / 97°21'W | 30°46'N / 96°59'W | 31.70 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Bastrop |
| 35.4 | 1954-07-06 | 2 | 29°42'N / 96°54'W | 29°43'N / 96°58'W | 4.50 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Colorado |
| 35.5 | 1971-02-25 | 2 | 29°48'N / 96°50'W | 0.50 Mile | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Fayette | |
| 35.8 | 1954-04-30 | 2 | 30°08'N / 96°49'W | 30°12'N / 96°37'W | 12.80 Miles | 880 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Fayette |
| 36.5 | 1976-03-30 | 2 | 30°02'N / 97°55'W | 2.50 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 1 | 250K | 0 | Hays | |
| 37.1 | 1971-02-25 | 2 | 29°48'N / 96°48'W | 0.50 Mile | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Fayette | |
| 38.6 | 1964-04-26 | 2 | 30°33'N / 97°42'W | 1.00 Mile | 17 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Williamson | |
| 39.9 | 1973-01-20 | 2 | 30°21'N / 97°55'W | 0.10 Mile | 40 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Travis | |
| 40.6 | 1961-11-12 | 2 | 29°52'N / 97°56'W | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Hays | |||
| 40.6 | 1971-02-25 | 2 | 29°44'N / 96°47'W | 0.50 Mile | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Colorado | |
| 40.7 | 1957-03-20 | 3 | 30°23'N / 96°47'W | 30°27'N / 96°41'W | 7.60 Miles | 880 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Burleson |
| 41.0 | 1985-12-10 | 2 | 30°35'N / 97°40'W | 30°39'N / 97°39'W | 5.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 2 | 2.5M | 0 | Williamson |
| 41.5 | 1981-05-16 | 2 | 30°27'N / 96°48'W | 30°24'N / 96°39'W | 9.70 Miles | 73 Yards | 0 | 1 | 250K | 0 | Burleson |
| 41.7 | 1962-06-01 | 2 | 30°39'N / 97°01'W | 0.50 Mile | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Milam | |
| 41.8 | 1997-05-27 | 3 | 30°33'N / 97°49'W | 30°29'N / 97°50'W | 5.60 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 15 | 70.0M | 50K | Williamson |
| Brief Description: The Cedar Park tornado formed around 3:05 pm CST from a different supercell thunderstorm. It first touched down about 3.5 miles north of Cedar Park at a location 0.6 miles south of CR 178 and 1.4 miles east of the intersection of US 183 and CR 178. The initial damage was to trees, however, the ground survey revealed damage nearby to a church and a trucking company. The aerial survey did not reflect this damage as being in line with the damage path. It is quite possible this damage was caused by strong wind near the tornado. The beginning point was in a relatively open area with damage primarily to a few trees and minor shingle damage to one house. The tornado moved south-southwestward skirting a residential area before it crossed CR 180 immediately east of US 183. A historic train located on the north side of CR 180 just to the east of US 183 was in the direct path of the tornado. While the engine remained on the track, a coal tender converted to hold diesel fuel and weighing approximately 65,000 pounds including the 1,000 gallons of diesel fuel was flipped over and thrown a short distance. Continuing across CR180, it entered a shopping center where it weakened and pushed inward slightly the north wall of a grocery store. It also pushed large metal doors inward that were built to open toward the outside. Damage at this point had been generally F2 with brief F3 as the tornado knocked the train tender off the track and damaged the wall and doors of the food store. It tore off much of a weakly supported roof of a grocery store. The manager of the store, who had been a victim of the Wichita Falls Tornado of 1979, saw the approaching tornado, and made an announcement to all in the store to meet him in the middle of the store. He then led everyone he could gather into the meat locker. This very quick and decisive action probably saved several lives. The tornado crossed US 183 causing additional damage to a number of businesses. One business on the west side of US 183 lost nearly the entire roof. Most damage to other businesses was believed to be minor. After crossing US 183 the tornado moved across Marquis Lane and North Park Circle moving through an area with widely scattered housing and a relative abundance of trees. Again, most damage to structures in this area was minor. From North Park Circle the tornado moved into the northwestern portion of Buttercup Creek, a subdivision of well constructed homes. Damage to homes was irregular with one house losing a roof but the house next door losing only shingles. Two homes in the area were nearly destroyed an one damaged when a pickup truck was lifted and tossed against its front wall. Eleven homes were destroyed, with damage reported to over 100 homes. The damage level ranged from F0 to F2. At this point, the tornado track was taking a gentle right turn as the tornado track became more southwesterly. The tornado moved into a wooded area crossing into Travis County before ending 1.1 miles from Lake Travis. Damage in the wooded area was irregular ranging from near total destruction of all trees to sections with about 10 percent of the trees down. | |||||||||||
| 42.1 | 1980-08-10 | 2 | 29°54'N / 97°52'W | 29°54'N / 98°05'W | 13.10 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 20 | 25.0M | 0 | Caldwell |
| 42.1 | 1955-06-05 | 2 | 29°42'N / 96°47'W | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Colorado | |||
| 42.2 | 1981-05-09 | 2 | 30°35'N / 96°52'W | 30°29'N / 96°45'W | 9.70 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Burleson |
| 42.3 | 1965-01-21 | 2 | 29°37'N / 96°53'W | 0.80 Mile | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Fayette | |
| 42.7 | 1970-07-04 | 2 | 30°26'N / 97°55'W | 1.50 Miles | 47 Yards | 1 | 4 | 0K | 0 | Travis | |
| 42.9 | 1997-05-27 | 2 | 30°28'N / 97°56'W | 30°26'N / 97°53'W | 3.60 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 50K | 10K | Travis |
| Brief Description: The Cedar Park tornado formed around 3:05 pm CST from a different supercell thunderstorm. It first touched down about 3.5 miles north of Cedar Park at a location 0.6 miles south of CR 178 and 1.4 miles east of the intersection of US 183 and CR 178. The initial damage was to trees, however, the ground survey revealed damage nearby to a church and a trucking company. The aerial survey did not reflect this damage as being in line with the damage path. It is quite possible this damage was caused by strong wind near the tornado. The beginning point was in a relatively open area with damage primarily to a few trees and minor shingle damage to one house. The tornado moved south-southwestward skirting a residential area before it crossed CR 180 immediately east of US 183. A historic train located on the north side of CR 180 just to the east of US 183 was in the direct path of the tornado. While the engine remained on the track, a coal tender converted to hold diesel fuel and weighing approximately 65,000 pounds including the 1,000 gallons of diesel fuel was flipped over and thrown a short distance. Continuing across CR180, it entered a shopping center where it weakened and pushed inward slightly the north wall of a grocery store. It also pushed large metal doors inward that were built to open toward the outside. Damage at this point had been generally F2 with brief F3 as the tornado knocked the train tender off the track and damaged the wall and doors of the food store. It tore off much of a weakly supported roof of a grocery store. The manager of the store, who had been a victim of the Wichita Falls Tornado of 1979, saw the approaching tornado, and made an announcement to all in the store to meet him in the middle of the store. He then led everyone he could gather into the meat locker. This very quick and decisive action probably saved several lives. The tornado crossed US 183 causing additional damage to a number of businesses. One business on the west side of US 183 lost nearly the entire roof. Most damage to other businesses was believed to be minor. After crossing US 183 the tornado moved across Marquis Lane and North Park Circle moving through an area with widely scattered housing and a relative abundance of trees. Again, most damage to structures in this area was minor. From North Park Circle the tornado moved into the northwestern portion of Buttercup Creek, a subdivision of well constructed homes. Damage to homes was irregular with one house losing a roof but the house next door losing only shingles. Two homes in the area were nearly destroyed an one damaged when a pickup truck was lifted and tossed against its front wall. Eleven homes were destroyed, with damage reported to over 100 homes. The damage level ranged from F0 to F2. At this point, the tornado track was taking a gentle right turn as the tornado track became more southwesterly. The tornado moved into a wooded area crossing into Travis County before ending 1.1 miles from Lake Travis. Damage in the wooded area was irregular ranging from near total destruction of all trees to sections with about 10 percent of the trees down. | |||||||||||
| 43.8 | 1977-04-14 | 2 | 30°16'N / 98°00'W | 30°34'N / 97°54'W | 21.60 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Travis |
| 44.3 | 1981-02-10 | 2 | 30°40'N / 97°40'W | 0.80 Mile | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Williamson | |
| 44.5 | 1997-05-27 | 4 | 30°22'N / 98°01'W | 30°20'N / 97°59'W | 5.60 Miles | 440 Yards | 1 | 5 | 15.0M | 0K | Travis |
| Brief Description: M25MH The Pedernales Valley tornado began on the shore of Lake Travis destroying trees and a floating marina where nearly all of the watercraft were destroyed. While numerous trees were twisted and uprooted in this area, several structures sustained only what appeared to be minor damage that would be no more than F0. The tornado was initially moving westward as it moved into rough terrain. A number of structures sustained varying damage until the tornado reached Bee Creek Road. At that location, a Southwest Bell building housing telephone switching equipment was destroyed. The building was well constructed and was one of several buildings which indicated at F4 rating for this tornado. Bee Creek Road takes a bend close to the telephone building and across the street a house was destroyed with walls knocked down. Approximately 2.2 miles from the lake, the tornado path takes a distinct dog leg turn toward the southwest. The point at which this dog-leg turn occurred also corresponds with a knoll. Trees and buildings at the top of the knoll were destroyed. After the dog-leg turn, the tornado assumed a heading of 250 degrees and crossed a major power distribution line. One steel tower was destroyed bringing all lines to the ground. The tornado remained on the 250 degree heading moving through the area described as the Hazy Hills subdivision. Numerous houses and several mobile homes were totally destroyed. Several houses survived but sustained major damage making them totally uninhabitable. The only death associated with this tornado occurred here when one man was killed. He lived in a mobile home that was demolished and his vehicle was tossed several hundred feet. Other survey team members were unable to learn whether he was in the mobile home or had left it to drive away. The tornado continued west-southwest moving across State Road (SR) 71. A number of well built homes in the Hazy Hills subdivision were heavily damaged or destroyed. Crossing SR 71, the tornado moved into another subdivision with widely separated houses in the Lick Creek valley, a steep walled creek that feeds into the Pedernales River. One stone-walled house located just north of Pedernales Drive and west of SR 71 was completely deroofed. Other structures in this subdivision sustained roof damage in the F2 range. After following the terrain into the creek it climbed another rise in the land before ending shortly after passing the crest of the small hill. As the tornado ended, damage was minimal to trees. | |||||||||||
| 45.3 | 1974-10-30 | 2 | 30°41'N / 97°40'W | 1.80 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Williamson | |
| 45.4 | 1955-05-06 | 2 | 30°47'N / 97°16'W | 30°44'N / 97°13'W | 4.90 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Milam |
| 45.7 | 1976-03-30 | 2 | 30°00'N / 98°04'W | 1.00 Mile | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Hays | |
| 45.7 | 1981-05-09 | 2 | 30°45'N / 96°57'W | 30°35'N / 96°52'W | 12.60 Miles | 60 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Milam |
| 46.6 | 2000-03-16 | 2 | 30°36'N / 97°51'W | 30°36'N / 97°50'W | 1.50 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 300K | 0 | Williamson |
| Brief Description: A strong weather system produced scattered showers and thunderstorms over Central Texas on the afternoon of Thursday March 16. Funnel clouds were first reported by the public and by the Leander Police Department near 4 pm that afternoon. A small, short-lived F0 tornado struck near the police station near 4 pm, with no significant damage. Shortly after 4 pm, another rope-shaped funnel was observed west of Leander. Photographs of this developing tornado indicate a generally-long and rope-shaped structure that slowly twisted and wound its way to the surface. The tornado touched down in the western part of Mason Creek Subdivision located on the west side of Leander and moved slowly eastward. Damage near the tornado touchdown was F0 level approaching F1. It damaged eaves of roofs, took shingles off roofs and knocked down large tree branches. More significant damage was noted along Greening Way and Mason Creek Boulevard in the west and central part of the subdivision, where several large trees of over 1 foot diameter were uprooted. This indicated damage in the lower levels of the F2 scale. In addition, the tornado had destroyed approximately 30 percent of one home. Again, this indicated minimal F2-level damage. The tornado began to lift as it approached Old Bagdad Road on the eastern side of the subdivision. Most of the damage in this part of the subdivision was at the F0 level. In all, the tornado damaged 24 homes and several outbuildings. The tornado was estimated at 200 yards wide with a path length of 1.5 mile. | |||||||||||
| 47.5 | 1998-10-17 | 2 | 30°30'N / 96°41'W | 30°33'N / 96°41'W | 3.50 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 1.5M | 0 | Burleson |
| Brief Description: Two tornadoes touched down in the Caldwell area causing substantial damage. Twenty-two homes were completely destroyed, 37 sustained major damage, and 101 homes with minor damage. Caldwell Middle School also had major damage. Tombstones weighing more than 1000 pounds were unearthed and moved. | |||||||||||
| 47.6 | 1955-05-18 | 2 | 29°34'N / 97°10'W | 29°20'N / 96°57'W | 20.70 Miles | 300 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Lavaca |
* The information on this page is based on the global volcano database, the U.S. earthquake database of 1638-1985, and the U.S. Tornado and Weather Extremes database of 1950-2010.