Mason County Natural Disasters and Weather Extremes
Hot Texas Rankings
The chance of earthquake damage in Mason County is about the same as Texas average and is much lower than the national average. The risk of tornado damage in Mason County is much lower than Texas average and is much lower than the national average.
Earthquake Index, #193
| Mason 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
| Mason 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, #191
| Mason County | 65.23 |
| 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 8,041 other weather extremes events within 50 miles of Mason 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: | 7 | Dense Fog: | 1 | Drought: | 134 |
| Dust Storm: | 0 | Flood: | 1,738 | Hail: | 3,985 | Heat: | 9 | Heavy Snow: | 20 |
| High Surf: | 0 | Hurricane: | 1 | Ice Storm: | 18 | Landslide: | 0 | Strong Wind: | 22 |
| Thunderstorm Winds: | 1,925 | Tropical Storm: | 4 | Wildfire: | 13 | Winter Storm: | 38 | Winter Weather: | 28 |
| Other: | 98 | ||||||||
Volcanos Nearby
No volcano is found in or near Mason County.
Historical Earthquake Events
No historical earthquake events that had recorded magnitudes of 3.5 or above found in or near Mason County.
No historical earthquake events found in or near Mason County.
Historical Tornado Events
A total of 17 historical tornado events that had recorded magnitude of 2 or above found in or near Mason County.
| Distance (miles) | Date | Magnitude | Start Lat/Log | End Lat/Log | Length | Width | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage | Crop Damage | Affected County |
| 7.2 | 1979-03-02 | 3 | 30°46'N / 99°23'W | 30°47'N / 99°16'W | 7.10 Miles | 150 Yards | 0 | 1 | 2.5M | 0 | Mason |
| 9.1 | 1965-06-06 | 2 | 30°35'N / 99°18'W | 1.00 Mile | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Mason | |
| 11.4 | 1999-05-11 | 4 | 30°41'N / 99°06'W | 30°39'N / 99°00'W | 7.00 Miles | 1400 Yards | 1 | 6 | 750K | 250K | Mason |
| Brief Description: A large multiple-vortex tornado ripped through eastern Mason County during the late afternoon hours. The slow moving tornado first touched down near the Llano River 9 miles northwest of Loyal Valley and then travelled a 7-mile long path, finally dissipating 5 miles north of Loyal Valley. This tornado, whose width would reach three-quarters of a mile wide at times, caused widespread devastation. Two homes were completely destroyed, with debris scattered over great distances. Large pieces of a pick-up truck were located three-quarters of a mile away from the house where it had been left. Tragically, one person was killed and 5 others were injured when that same house was destroyed. The people had sought refuge in a car in a stone garage, but as the tornado tore across the garage, debris smashed through the car, killing one man and injuring the remaining occupants. Sixteen other houses were damaged, along with additional barns and outbuildings. Numerous head of cattle and deer were also killed as the tornado passed. When the tornado crossed Farm-to-Market Road 152, a stretch of asphalt 720 feet wide was ripped off of the road surface. M75PH A series of supercell thunderstorms ripped across the Heartland and Northwest Hill Country on the afternoon of the 11th. Three tornadoes would touch down, including a devastating F4 tornado north of Loyal Valley in eastern Mason County. One person was killed and 6 others injured as the three-quarters of a mile tornado tracked a 7 mile long path. | |||||||||||
| 19.9 | 1965-05-16 | 2 | 30°30'N / 99°00'W | 0.20 Mile | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Gillespie | |
| 20.4 | 1999-03-12 | 2 | 31°00'N / 99°11'W | 30°59'N / 99°09'W | 2.00 Miles | 75 Yards | 0 | 0 | 100K | 0 | Mcculloch |
| Brief Description: A tornado touched down southeast of Brady, heavily damaging a house and a barn. Several rounds of thunderstorms developed across West Central Texas on the morning and afternoon of the 12th. The first round of storms brought dime to golf ball size hail to parts of the Northern Edwards Plateau, Concho Valley, and the Heartland. A second round of storms that developed during the early afternoon produced a supercell across the southern Heartland. This storm dropped a tornado south of Brady in Southern McCulloch County, as well as hail up the size of golf balls in the town of Brady itself. As the supercell moved into San Saba County, a second tornado would touch down. This tornado had an 8 mile long path and was 100 yards wide, passing 8 miles south of Richland Springs. Although each tornado would produce damage, no injuries or deaths were reported. | |||||||||||
| 24.4 | 1969-05-06 | 3 | 30°38'N / 99°31'W | 31°14'N / 99°35'W | 41.60 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Kimble |
| 29.7 | 1999-05-11 | 3 | 30°18'N / 99°12'W | 30°15'N / 99°11'W | 3.50 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 1.0M | 100K | Gillespie |
| Brief Description: The tornado was preceded by strong, gusty winds, very heavy rainfall and finally, large hail. Severe winds in advance of the tornado took a roof off the High School in Harper and laid it on the ground on the opposite side of the building. These winds also damaged several other roofs in the area. The tornado began its track around three miles east of Harper, moving toward the southeast. It lifted post oak trees out of the ground with their roots in tact. Approximately 2 miles down the path, it turned toward the south and continued for another 1.5 miles. Along its track, it destroyed. 35 homes, 10 mobile homes, and damaged or destroyed 25 outbuildings and barns. The tornado damage several vehicles and tossed one jeep over 100 yards. | |||||||||||
| 29.9 | 1971-05-30 | 2 | 31°06'N / 99°28'W | 31°06'N / 99°25'W | 3.30 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Mcculloch |
| 30.2 | 1989-05-14 | 2 | 31°08'N / 99°20'W | 1.00 Mile | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Mcculloch | |
| 30.3 | 1999-03-12 | 2 | 31°04'N / 99°03'W | 31°04'N / 98°51'W | 8.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 300K | 0 | San Saba |
| Brief Description: The same thunderstorm that spawned a brief touchdown in McCulloch County produced a second tornado south of Richland Springs. A hunting cabin, two trailer homes, 2 barns, and 3 vehicles were destroyed. Several rounds of thunderstorms developed across West Central Texas on the morning and afternoon of the 12th. The first round of storms brought dime to golf ball size hail to parts of the Northern Edwards Plateau, Concho Valley, and the Heartland. A second round of storms that developed during the early afternoon produced a supercell across the southern Heartland. This storm dropped a tornado south of Brady in Southern McCulloch County, as well as hail up the size of golf balls in the town of Brady itself. As the supercell moved into San Saba County, a second tornado would touch down. This tornado had an 8 mile long path and was 100 yards wide, passing 8 miles south of Richland Springs. Although each tornado would produce damage, no injuries or deaths were reported. | |||||||||||
| 32.9 | 1989-05-17 | 2 | 30°21'N / 98°52'W | 2.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Gillespie | |
| 37.0 | 1976-05-30 | 3 | 31°14'N / 99°26'W | 31°12'N / 99°24'W | 3.60 Miles | 500 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Mcculloch |
| 37.3 | 1971-02-25 | 2 | 30°10'N / 99°19'W | 0.30 Mile | 300 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Kerr | |
| 38.6 | 1962-05-28 | 2 | 30°17'N / 98°51'W | 30°17'N / 98°46'W | 5.10 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Gillespie |
| 38.7 | 1981-05-15 | 2 | 31°11'N / 98°57'W | 31°10'N / 98°49'W | 8.00 Miles | 150 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | San Saba |
| 46.2 | 2001-10-12 | 3 | 30°15'N / 98°40'W | 30°16'N / 98°39'W | 2.50 Miles | 400 Yards | 0 | 5 | 1.0M | 100K | Gillespie |
| Brief Description: The strongest of the Friday night tornadoes struck the town of Stonewall. This tornado, rated F3 on the Fujita Scale, was preceded by brief gusty winds of 30 to 40 miles per hour, very heavy rainfall and spotty .5-inch hail. The tornado formed around 830 pm CST near the intersection of Hahn Road and SH290. It moved north-northeastward for .75 miles, crossing SH290 and the Pedernales River. Just north of the river, it made a slight turn toward the east, now moving another mile toward the northeast. It crossed North River Road and continued over open country until it crossed Ranch Road 1623. After passing RR1623 for approximately .25 miles, it dissipated. The worst damage, F3 level, was to trees and homes between RR1623 and SH290, across the northwest and north central part of Stonewall. Ninety homes sustained damage with 6 destroyed. In addition, 7 mobile homes were destroyed and 20 damaged. Damage was also reported to 22 buildings. A two-story home had the entire second story destroyed, and a concrete building lost most of its walls and all of its roof. Other damage along the path typically included destroyed and damaged roofs and walls of homes and businesses as well as widespread damage to trees. The tornado path was approximately .25 miles in width and 2.5 miles in length. Although the tornado was not seen due to the late hour and darkness, residents did report that after heavy rain and hail, the wind became calm, and it was followed by a "roaring sound" so often reported in tornadoes. Five persons were injured with one man hospitalized as a result of the tornado. | |||||||||||
| 49.2 | 1970-05-15 | 2 | 30°15'N / 98°36'W | 0.50 Mile | 27 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Gillespie | |
* 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.