Lightning TrackerHouston storms: live alerts, hail & tornado history
Live watches and warnings for Houston, TX, the 48-hour thunderstorm outlook, and every hail, damaging-wind and tornado report within 25 miles since 2016.
Live alerts for Houston, TX
Checking the National Weather Service…
Storm outlook, next 48 hours
Loading forecast…
Severe weather in Houston by the numbers
Houston gets regular severe thunderstorms: since 2016, spotters and emergency managers have filed 408 severe-weather reports within 25 miles of the city — 159 hail reports, 212 damaging-wind reports and 37 tornado reports. On average that is 11.8 days a year with at least one report.
Storm season here peaks in March, April, May, when 58% of all reports were filed.
In the last 12 months there were 6 hail reports, 17 wind reports and 2 tornado reports around Houston; the largest hail was 1.50″ (walnut / ping pong ball) on Apr 30, 2026.
Latest storm reports near Houston
| Date | Report | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Aug 28, 2026 | Damaging wind | 19 mi NW · Harris Co. |
| Aug 28, 2026 | Hail 1.00″ | 20 mi N · Harris Co. |
| Jul 22, 2026 | Damaging wind | 23 mi SE · Galveston Co. |
| Jul 12, 2026 | Damaging wind | 17 mi NW · Harris Co. |
| Jun 2, 2026 | Hail 1.00″ | 17 mi NW · Harris Co. |
| May 26, 2026 | Damaging wind | 19 mi N · Harris Co. |
| May 22, 2026 | Damaging wind | 18 mi E · Gmz335 Co. |
| Apr 30, 2026 | Hail 1.00″ | 14 mi S · Brazoria Co. |
| Feb 14, 2026 | Damaging wind | 9 mi S · Harris Co. |
| Nov 24, 2025 | Tornado EF2 | 20 mi NW |
One line per day and type — the closest report that day. Distance and direction from the city centre. The latest SPC reports are preliminary until NOAA finalises them.
Storm reports by year
Storm season in Houston
All hail, wind and tornado reports within 25 miles, 2016–2026, by month.
Hail in Houston
Houston averages 4.4 days a year with hail reported nearby. The biggest stone on record since 2016 was 2.50 inches — about the size of a tennis ball — reported 24 miles from the city centre on May 9, 2019. Hail of 1 inch (quarter size) or larger is what makes a thunderstorm severe; see the hail size chart.
Tornadoes near Houston
There have been 37 tornado reports within 25 miles of Houston since 2016; the strongest was rated EF3 (Jan 24, 2023, 13 miles from the city centre). A tornado warning means a tornado is occurring or imminent — take shelter immediately.
Storm alerts for Houston on your iPhone
Lightning Tracker shows storm risk around you, live severe-weather alerts and how close the storm is — free on the App Store.
Storm trackers near Houston
Questions about storms in Houston
Does Houston get a lot of severe storms?
Houston averages 11.8 days a year with at least one hail, damaging-wind or tornado report within 25 miles, based on NOAA Storm Prediction Center reports 2016–2025.
When is storm season in Houston?
Most severe-weather reports around Houston come in March, April, May.
What is the biggest hail recorded near Houston?
2.50 inches (tennis ball size) on May 9, 2019, 24 miles from the city centre.
Have tornadoes hit near Houston?
Yes — 37 tornado reports within 25 miles since 2016, the strongest rated EF3 on Jan 24, 2023.
How do I get storm alerts for Houston?
The live panel on this page shows every active National Weather Service watch and warning for Houston, TX. For alerts on your phone, Lightning Tracker for iPhone shows storm risk and warnings for your location.
How this page works: storm reports are NOAA Storm Prediction Center local storm reports (final database 2016–2025, preliminary daily reports after that) within 25 miles of Houston, TX. They are reports of hail, damaging wind and tornadoes — not lightning strike counts, which no free public dataset provides at city level. Live alerts come from the National Weather Service API, the outlook from Open-Meteo forecast models. Updated Sep 29, 2026.