Bowie County, TX Environment & Hazard Risk

• HailRelatively High$5.49M/yr expected annual loss, about 5.2 events a year
• Ice stormVery High$1.75M/yr expected annual loss, about once every 1 year
• TornadoRelatively High$8.46M/yr expected annual loss, about once every 1 year
• Heat waveRelatively Moderate$2.86M/yr expected annual loss, about 19 events a year
• LightningRelatively High$792K/yr expected annual loss, about 60 events a year
• EarthquakeRelatively Low$958K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 585 years
• Winter weatherRelatively Moderate$133K/yr expected annual loss, about 4.3 events a year
• WildfireRelatively Low$203K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 475 years
• DroughtRelatively Moderate$441K/yr expected annual loss, about 23 events a year
• Cold waveRelatively Low$1.4M/yr expected annual loss, about once every 1 year
• Strong windRelatively Moderate$508K/yr expected annual loss, about 4.9 events a year
• HurricaneVery Low$60.6K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 111 years
• LandslideVery Low$164/yr expected annual loss, about once every 7 years

Bars show the national percentile score (0 to 100) for each hazard. Dollar figures are expected annual losses to buildings, people and crops. Not rated here: avalanche, coastal flooding, riverine flooding, tsunami, volcanic activity.

Check the flood zone for an address

Homes with flood insurance

215 of 31,907 (0.7%)

Homes in high-risk flood zones

873

Insured in high-risk zones

153 (18%)

Flood claims since 1978

242

Claims paid since 1978

$5.17M

• Thunderstorm Wind243
• Hail192
• Flash Flood85
• Heat59
• Drought54
• Tornado26
• Winter Weather24 · 1 death
• Excessive Heat23
• Winter Storm11
• Funnel Cloud8

• TornadoF3, 19.5 mi path, 200 yd wide05/04/1999

  De Kalb, Bowie County

  22 injured, $125M damage

  What happened

  This tornado moved directly through the downtown district of De Kalb and across a high school. Numerous homes and businesses were severely damaged or destroyed. The high school suffered severe damage. Sirens sounded 15 minutes prior to arrival of the storm. The damage resulted in a Presidential Disaster Declaration. This tornado moved from Red River county, TX across Bowie county, TX into Little River county, AR.

• Hail2.75" hail04/01/2008

  Whatley, Bowie County

  $120M damage

  What happened

  Fire department reported that car windows and sky lights and the roofs of many homes throughout the city were damaged from this devastating hail storm. Preliminary monetary estimate at the time of this publication was near 90 million dollars with local emergency management officials saying this amount would likely increase.

• Flood06/01/2015

  Pine Spgs, Bowie County

  $29.9M damage

  What happened

  Excessive heavy rainfall during the month of May resulted in very high water on the Red River bordering McCurtain County in Southeast Oklahoma and Red River and Bowie Counties in Northeast Texas during the entire month of June. Rainfall amounts during the month of May across the Upper and Middle Red River basins of Southern Oklahoma and Northern Texas totaled over 20 inches of rain. The Oklahoma state climatologist reported that May of 2015 was the all time wettest month of any month in state history. Lake Texhoma, a flood control reservoir to the Red River upstream of Arthur City, Texas rose to its highest pool stage on record early on June 1st at 645.66 feet with peak releases of around 140,000 CFS. The Muddy Boggy Creek tributary to the Red River rose to near its flood of record cresting near 55 feet earlier on May 29th with inflows upwards of 70,000 CFS into the Red River. Muddy Boggy Creek crested just shy of the 1990 flood of record with 55.27 feet near Unger, Oklahoma. Other tributaries of the Red River also crested at very high levels during the final week of May and early in June, 2015 below Lake Texhoma including Bois D'Arc and Bokchito Creeks. Finally the Kiamichi...

• Winter Weather01/15/2022

  Bowie

  1 death, 3 injured

  What happened

  A strong upper level low pressure system moved through the Red River Valley into East Texas and North Louisiana during the afternoon and evening of January 15th, reinforcing a strong cold front through East Texas, Southeast Oklahoma, Southwest Arkansas, and North Louisiana during the morning hours. This front ushered subfreezing temperatures into portions of Northeast Texas, Southwest Arkansas, and Southeast Oklahoma during the afternoon hours, with large scale forcing increasing on the north side of the low over these areas atop the subfreezing air mass. Thus, areas of snow, some of which was heavy, developed and resulted in accumulations on elevated objects including bridges and overpasses, as well as grassy surfaces. Snowfall amounts of a dusting to 2 inches fell across these portions of extreme Northeast Texas, before quickly diminishing after midnight on the 16th with the departure of the low pressure system to the east into Central Mississippi. Unfortunately, one indirect fatality occurred around 230 am on the 16th when a driver lost control of her vehicle while crossing an icy bridge on Interstate 30 along the Morris/Bowie County line, hitting the concrete side rails....

• TornadoEF3, 15.65 mi path, 800 yd wide11/05/2022

  Bassett, Bowie County

  $7M damage

  What happened

  The supercell thunderstorm which produced a second tornado ending in northwestern Cass County continued on to the northeast and produced another tornado just north of the Sulphur River in southwestern Bowie County. This tornado was determined to be the strongest one produced by this particular thunderstorm and generated a few spots of low end EF-3 damage in several locations along its nearly 16-mile long path, with estimated maximum winds near 140 mph. This tornado first touched down along U.S. Highway 67 to the southwest of Simms and quickly grew in strength and width after tracking a few miles, briefing reaching a width of nearly a half mile at times. Just west of Simms and continuing northeast just past FM-561, the tornado produced many instances of EF-2 damage to both trees and structures. As the tornado crossed FM-561, there were several structures, a few well built, which had roofs and many walls removed, with 140 mph winds estimated here which were just inside the EF-3 threshold. Additionally, near this structural damage, there was a small section of asphalt road removed from FM-561 and the road debris was thrown into one residence. From there, the tornado then tracked...

• Flash Flood05/28/1998

  Texarkana, Bowie County

  2 injured, $1.1M damage

  What happened

  Excessive rain over a short period of time caused numerous flooding problems across the city. Cars were stranded and stalled with several underpasses flooded. A 21 year old woman was critically injured when her car was swept off a road into a drainage ditch. A 20 year old man riding with her managed to pull himself free of the vehicle by grabbing onto a branch hanging over the ditch. An estimated 500 residents were evacuated from their homes including 50 residents of a Texarkana, TX nursing home.

• Heat07/26/2026

  Bowie

• Heat07/22/2026

  Bowie

• Excessive Heat07/21/2026

  Bowie

• Heat07/20/2026

  Bowie

• Drought07/01/2026

  Bowie

• Flash Flood06/23/2026

  De Kalb, Bowie County

• Thunderstorm Wind52 kt wind06/23/2026

  Maud, Bowie County

• Flash Flood06/19/2026

  Beaverdams, Bowie County

• Texarkana Water UtilitiesServes 37,000 · Surface water · Local governmentNo health violations+1 monitoring or reporting
• Macedonia Eylau Mud 1Serves 14,652 · Purchased surface water · Local governmentNo health violations+4 monitoring or reporting
• Central Bowie County WscServes 9,210 · Purchased surface water · Local governmentNo health violations+1 monitoring or reporting
• City of New BostonServes 6,880 · Purchased surface water · Local government1 health violation+4 monitoring or reporting
• City of Wake VillageServes 5,945 · Purchased surface water · Local governmentNo health violations+2 monitoring or reporting
• City of RedwaterServes 4,356 · Purchased surface water · Local governmentNo health violations+9 monitoring or reporting
• City of NashServes 3,818 · Purchased surface water · Local governmentNo health violations+1 monitoring or reporting
• City of HooksServes 2,518 · Purchased surface water · Local government1 health violation+7 monitoring or reporting