Is Abilene under a tornado or severe storm warning right now, and where would you shelter if one came through Taylor County?
Abilene sits where Texas plains storms build fast. The record near the city holds 139 tornadoes, 24 of them EF2 or stronger, and an F4 in 1950, so spring and early summer deserve the most attention.
No National Weather Service watches, warnings or advisories are in effect for the center of Abilene right now. Abilene is in Taylor County.
Severe weather and weather alerts in Abilene right now, with tornado warning, flood warning and heat advisory status
Each row is checked against the National Weather Service alerts for the center of the city, which is in Taylor County.
| Alert type | Right now |
|---|---|
| Tornado warning or watch | None in effect |
| Severe thunderstorm warning or watch | None in effect |
| Flood warning, flood watch or flash flood warning | None in effect |
| Winter storm warning, blizzard or ice storm | None in effect |
| Heat advisory or excessive heat warning | None in effect |
| Hurricane or tropical storm warning or watch | None in effect |
A watch means conditions are possible, so be ready. A warning means the hazard is happening or expected soon, so act now. What watches, warnings and advisories mean → · Tornado watch vs warning, and what to do in each → · All tornado watches and warnings →
Tornado history near Abilene
Every tornado in the official record that started within 25 miles of the city center, 1950 to 2025.
| 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Date | Rating | Deaths | Injuries |
|---|---|---|---|
| April 28, 1950 | EF4 | 5 | 5 |
| May 2, 2024 | EF3 | 0 | 4 |
| May 15, 1965 | EF3 | 0 | 2 |
| May 31, 1962 | EF3 | 0 | 2 |
| May 25, 1976 | EF3 | 0 | 1 |
Most have come from April through June. The single busiest month is May (41% of the total).
Counts use each tornado's starting point and are limited to the official record, so they cover where tornadoes began, not every place they passed. A tornado that crosses a state line is listed once for each state. Ratings are the Enhanced Fujita (EF) scale, assigned after National Weather Service damage surveys. Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather database. Past counts do not predict the next tornado.
Hurricanes and tropical storms near Abilene
Storms whose center passed within 60 nautical miles (about 69 miles) with at least 39 mph winds, 1851 to 2025.
| Storm | Date | Winds at closest pass | Strength | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unnamed (1886) | August 21, 1886 | 40 mph | Tropical storm | 64 mi |
Winds are the storm's maximum sustained winds when its center was closest to the city center in the six-hourly record, not the winds felt in the city, which depend on the storm's size and which side of it you were on. Source: NOAA National Hurricane Center HURDAT2.
Flood zone map for Abilene
Flood zones are mapped by FEMA, and they are set street by street, so the city center cannot tell you whether your address is in one. FEMA's Flood Map Service Center lets you search an address and see its flood zone.
Be ready in Abilene
Steps from official sources, with each point linked to the page it comes from.
- In a tornado warning, move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a sturdy building, or to your basement or safe room. Avoid windows. (NWS: Tornado watches and warnings)
- A mobile home or tent is not safe. Move to the closest substantial shelter and protect yourself from flying debris. (NWS: During a tornado)
- Being in a vehicle during a tornado is not safe. The best option is to drive to the closest shelter. (NWS: During a tornado)
- Identify and practice going to a safe shelter: a safe room built to FEMA criteria or a storm shelter built to ICC 500 standards. (Ready.gov: Tornadoes)
- The next best protection is a small, interior, windowless room or basement on the lowest level of a sturdy building. (Ready.gov: Tornadoes)
- During a tornado, cover your head and neck with your arms and put furniture or blankets around or on top of you. (Ready.gov: Tornadoes)
- It is never safe to drive or walk into flood waters. Turn around, don't drown. (NWS: Turn Around Don't Drown)
- Never drive around the barriers blocking a flooded road. The road may have collapsed under the water. (NWS: Turn Around Don't Drown)
- Evacuate immediately when water starts to rise, and get to higher ground if you are in a flood-prone or low-lying area. (NWS: During a flood)
- When thunder roars, go indoors. Move from outdoors into a building or a car with a roof. (Ready.gov: Thunderstorms & Lightning)
- Avoid using electronic devices connected to an electrical outlet, and avoid running water. (Ready.gov: Thunderstorms & Lightning)
- Do not drive through flooded roadways. Six inches of fast-moving water can knock you down, and one foot can sweep a vehicle away. (Ready.gov: Thunderstorms & Lightning)
- Do not rely on a fan as your primary cooling device. Fans do not reduce body temperature or prevent heat-related illness. (Ready.gov: Extreme Heat)
- If your home has no air conditioning, find a cooling center, take cool showers or baths, and drink plenty of fluids. (Ready.gov: Extreme Heat)
- Never leave people or pets in a closed car on a warm day. Check on family members, older adults and neighbors. (Ready.gov: Extreme Heat)
Nearby cities
Common questions about weather in Abilene
What county is Abilene in?
Abilene is in Taylor County, Texas.
Is there a tornado watch, tornado warning, winter storm, ice storm, snow or other weather warning in Abilene and the rest of Taylor County right now?
The National Weather Service has no active alerts for the center of Abilene right now. An alert can cover only part of Taylor County, so the Texas alerts page lists every county with an active National Weather Service alert.
What happened in the EF4 tornado near Abilene on April 28, 1950?
It is the strongest tornado in the NOAA Storm Prediction Center record that started within 25 miles of the center of Abilene. It was rated EF4, caused 5 deaths and 5 injuries, and began in Texas. Of the 139 tornadoes that started that close since 1950, 24 were rated EF2 or stronger. Ratings before 2007 use the original Fujita scale.
How many tornadoes have started within 25 miles of Abilene?
139 tornadoes from 1950 through 2025, 41 of them since 2000. In the last 10 years (2016 to 2025) there were 9, and 2017 was the busiest year with 2. Most came from April through June, and May is the busiest single month (41% of the total). One tornado that crosses a county or state line can appear as two records.
When did a tornado last start near Abilene?
The most recent tornado in the database that started within 25 miles of the center of Abilene began on May 18, 2025. The database runs through 2025, so it does not include anything after that.
How does Abilene compare with other Texas cities for tornadoes?
Abilene has 139 tornadoes within 25 miles of its center, which ranks 11th of the 20 Texas cities that have a page here. Houston has the most with 274, followed by Arlington with 234. The counts depend on how big an area each city's circle covers, so use them as a rough comparison.
Has a tropical storm ever passed near Abilene?
An unnamed storm in 1886 is the strongest on record: winds of 40 mph (tropical storm) at its closest recorded position on August 21, 1886, about 64 miles away. In all, 1 tropical storm or hurricane has passed within 60 nautical miles (about 69 miles) of Abilene since 1851. Wind and damage in the city itself depend on a storm's size and path.
Alerts come from the National Weather Service, the NOAA Storm Prediction Center and the National Hurricane Center.