Storm risk in McLennan County, Texas
FEMA's overall hazard score for McLennan County is 91.22 (Relatively Moderate), 277th of 3,144 counties. Hail scores 89.98 (Relatively Moderate), strong wind 66.03 (Relatively Moderate) and tornado 98.82 (Relatively High). Expected hail loss is $20 per $1 million of buildings a year; NOAA logged 137 hail reports in McLennan County from 2014 to June 2026.
FEMA National Risk Index, version December 2025, retrieved October 8, 2026. NOAA hail reports 2014 to June 2026.
- McLennan County, coloured by its FEMA rating
- all U.S. counties
- each county in the state
- U.S. median
- state median
Expected yearly loss per $1 million of buildings, log scale. Dot colour is FEMA’s rating band. The tornado lane counts everything exposed, not only buildings.
How FEMA rates McLennan County
| Hazard | Rating | Score (0 to 100) | Rank in U.S. | Rank in TX |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | Relatively Moderate | 91.22 | 277 of 3,144 | 20 of 254 |
| Hail | Relatively Moderate | 89.98 | 316 of 3,126 | 56 of 254 |
| Strong wind | Relatively Moderate | 66.03 | 1,069 of 3,126 | 82 of 254 |
| Tornado | Relatively High | 98.82 | 38 of 3,126 | 10 of 254 |
Expected yearly loss, in dollars
| Hazard | This county, total a year | Per $1M of buildings | State median county | U.S. median county | Rank per $1M, U.S. | Rank per $1M, state |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | $1,126,838 | $20 | $85 | $22 | 1,645 of 3,126 | 208 of 254 |
| Strong wind | $487,329 | $8.67 | $26 | $20 | 2,323 of 3,121 | 218 of 254 |
| Tornado | $28,936,160 | $515 | $269 | $199 | 388 of 3,144 | 46 of 254 |
Rank 1 is the highest. Overall, hail and wind losses count buildings; the tornado row counts everything FEMA exposes, so it overstates building damage. Expected annual loss is an average over many years for the whole county, not a forecast for one roof.
What stands out in McLennan County
- FEMA expects hail in McLennan County to cost $20 per $1 million of buildings a year: 0.90 times the U.S. median and 0.24 times the TX county median, ranked 1,645th of 3,126 counties nationally and 208th of 254 in Texas.
- FEMA expects strong wind in McLennan County to cost $8.67 per $1 million of buildings a year: 0.43 times the U.S. median and 0.33 times the TX county median, ranked 2,323rd of 3,121 counties nationally and 218th of 254 in Texas.
- FEMA expects tornado in McLennan County to cost $515 per $1 million of buildings a year: 2.59 times the U.S. median and 1.91 times the TX county median, ranked 388th of 3,144 counties nationally and 46th of 254 in Texas.
- Applying FEMA's estimate to a $219,200 home, the average yearly loss in McLennan County is about $4.39 for hail and $1.90 for wind before any deductible; at the U.S. median county rates it would be $4.90 and $4.47.
- If the next years look like 2014 to 2025, a roof kept 20 years in McLennan County meets about 58.3 hail days of 1 inch or more; the median county in NOAA's file (1,275 counties) would give 35.0.
- Built in 1982, the median home in McLennan County is 44 years old, so an original roof has outlived a 3-tab shingle (15 to 20 years) and an architectural one (25 to 30 years); 73.4% of its 107,194 homes are at least 26 years old.
- March to June holds 124 of the 137 hail reports in McLennan County (91 percent); the quietest month is January, with 0 reports.
What hail and wind cost a home here in an average year
Enter a home value. The calculator applies McLennan County’s own loss rate: the county’s expected yearly loss divided by the value of its buildings. It starts at the Census median home value for the county.
Formula: home value × McLennan County yearly loss ÷ building value. Hail: $1,126,838 ÷ $56,240,347,194 = 0.0000200. Wind: $487,329 ÷ $56,240,347,194 = 0.0000087. This is FEMA’s estimate of average damage to buildings and does not account for your deductible. Tornado is left out because FEMA’s tornado loss counts people and other exposure, not only buildings.
Read this as a yardstick. The rate is an average over every building in the county, from sheds to office towers, and over many years. Real losses come in rare, large storms; a roof with no damage in 19 years can need full replacement in the 20th. The figure is not a quote and not a prediction for one address.
McLennan County in plain numbers
- McLennan County scores 91.22 in FEMA's overall hazard index (Relatively Moderate): 277th of 3,144 rated counties and 20th of 254 in Texas.
- Hail scores 89.98 (Relatively Moderate). FEMA expects $1,126,838 of hail damage to buildings in McLennan County a year, which is $20 per $1 million of buildings, 0.90 times the U.S. median.
- Strong wind scores 66.03 (Relatively Moderate) with $487,329 of expected yearly building loss in McLennan County: $8.67 per $1 million of buildings, 0.43 times the U.S. median.
- Tornado scores 98.82 (Relatively High) and FEMA's expected yearly tornado loss is $28,936,160, counting everything exposed, or $515 per $1 million of buildings in McLennan County.
- FEMA's own event record for McLennan County averages 4.68 hail events and 2.06 strong-wind events a year.
- NOAA logged 137 hail reports in McLennan County between 2014 and June 2026, on 38 days with stones of 1 inch or more; the largest was 4.5 inches.
- In McLennan County, FEMA counts buildings worth 56.24 billion dollars and 260,302 residents.
- Social vulnerability is Relatively High in McLennan County.
- Community resilience there is Relatively High, for 260,302 residents.
- 1 city in McLennan County is covered on this site: Waco. 20 Census ZIP areas have more than half of their land in the county.
- Our guide range for a 2,000 sq ft asphalt roof in Waco is $6,510 to $14,415.
- McLennan County ranks 109 of the 194 counties with a page here for hail loss per $1 million of buildings, 120 for wind and 23 for tornado.
- In McLennan County, April is the busiest month with 65 of the 137 reports (47 percent), against 5 reports in October.
- McLennan County's worst year was 2024, with 6 hail days at 1 inch or more and 11 reports. At the 2014 to 2025 pace that is 2.92 such days a year, one about every 4.1 months.
- The median home in McLennan County was built in 1982; 47.8% of its 107,194 housing units date from before 1980, 73.4% from before 2000 and 14.9% from 2010 on.
- Census puts the median home value in McLennan County at $219,200, and 61.2% of homes are lived in by their owners.
- 9,348 single-family building permits were issued in McLennan County from 2014 to 2025, about 87.2 per 1,000 homes, peaking in 2021.
- NOAA lists 10 tornado tracks in McLennan County since 2014; the strongest was an EF2 on April 26, 2024 near Tours, 3.68 miles long.
- The fastest gust in NOAA's records for McLennan County is 81 mph on April 8, 2021 at Lorena.
- The nearest county with a page here is Bell County, 40 miles from the centre of McLennan County; its hail score is 98.63.
- Across counties the median is one roofing firm for every 5,189 homes; Census counted 28 roofing contractor establishments in McLennan County in 2023, one for every 3,828 homes.
- FEMA has named McLennan County in 3 disaster declarations since 2014, the latest 2034 days before its data end, and 1 of them were storm-type.
The hail record of McLennan County, year by year
NOAA logged 137 reports in McLennan County; hail of 1 inch or more fell on 38 days. That is 2.9 such days a year; the median county in NOAA’s file has 1.8.
- reports
- days with hail of 1 inch or more
- * 2026 runs to June only
Reports by calendar month, all years together. Peak: April, 65 reports.
The same numbers as a table (years with at least one report)
| Year | Reports | Days, 1 inch or more | Days, 1.75 inch or more | Largest stone | Damage reported |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 9 | 4 | 1 | 1.75 in | $10,000 |
| 2015 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 in | – |
| 2016 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1.75 in | $5,000 |
| 2017 | 11 | 3 | 2 | 2.5 in | $13,500 |
| 2018 | 22 | 3 | 3 | 3 in | $35,000 |
| 2019 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1 in | – |
| 2020 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 1.75 in | $30,000 |
| 2021 | 11 | 3 | 1 | 2 in | $12,000 |
| 2022 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 in | – |
| 2023 | 23 | 5 | 3 | 4.5 in | $7,424,000 |
| 2024 | 11 | 6 | 0 | 1.25 in | – |
| 2025 | 14 | 4 | 1 | 1.75 in | $100,000 |
| 2026 (to June) | 12 | 3 | 1 | 3 in | $193,000 |
Biggest hail days in McLennan County
| Date | Largest stone | Reports that day | Damage reported | Near |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 26, 2023 | 4.5 in | 10 | $7,352,000 | Waco |
| June 16, 2023 | 3.5 in | 7 | $65,000 | Lorena |
| April 28, 2026 | 3 in | 9 | $193,000 | West |
| April 6, 2018 | 3 in | 1 | $10,000 | Mcgregor |
| April 10, 2017 | 2.5 in | 3 | $10,000 | Mart |
Where large hail was reported
FEMA scores the county as a whole. NOAA’s reports show where inside McLennan County the big stones fell.
Reported hail locations, McLennan County
- 711 to 1.74 in
- 241.75 to 2.74 in, golf ball to tennis ball
- 102.75 in and up, baseball
Largest plotted stone: 4.5 in. Bigger dots are bigger stones.
105 reports of 1 inch or larger have coordinates. Each dot is a reported location, not a storm path.
Sources: NOAA, Census county outlineWind and tornado records for McLennan County
Fastest gusts in McLennan County
| Date | Gust | Near |
|---|---|---|
| April 8, 2021 | 81 mph | Lorena |
| May 10, 2016 | 75 mph | (Act)Madison-Cooper |
| June 10, 2023 | 75 mph | Bruceville-Eddy |
| June 12, 2016 | 72 mph | Waco Madison Cooper |
Strongest tornado tracks in McLennan County
| Date | Scale | Length | Injured / killed | Near |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 26, 2024 | EF2 | 3.68 mi | 0 / 0 | Tours |
| May 23, 2024 | EF1 | 0.5 mi | 2 / 0 | Bruceville-Eddy |
| April 26, 2024 | EF1 | 0.88 mi | 0 / 0 | Erath |
| June 11, 2025 | EF0 | 0.08 mi | 0 / 0 | Gholson |
10 tornado tracks in all since 2014; the strongest 4 are listed.
How old the roofs are
Census counts homes by the decade they were built. Under each bar is the number of hail days of 1 inch or more that an original roof from that decade has met, at McLennan County’s 2014 to 2025 pace of 2.92 such days a year. Most roofs have been replaced since; the row shows what a roof that never was would have taken.
Bars: share of 107,194 housing units by decade built. Figures under the decade: hail days met by an original roof, at the county’s 2014 to 2025 pace. The pace of earlier years is unknown.
| Median year built | 1982 |
| Built before 1980 | 47.8% |
| Built before 2000 | 73.4% |
| Built since 2010 | 14.9% |
| Owner-occupied | 61.2% |
| Median home value | $219,200 |
| Single-family permits, 2014 to 2025 | 9,348 |
| Permits per 1,000 homes | 87.2 |
Asphalt shingles are rated 15 to 20 years (3-tab) and 25 to 30 years (architectural). Source: Census ACS 2019 to 2023 and Building Permits Survey.
Roofers and past disasters in McLennan County
Roofing firms in McLennan County
| Roofing contractor establishments, 2023 | 28 |
| Change since 2016 | +2 (+8%) |
| Homes per roofing firm | 3,828 |
| Median across counties | 5,189 |
| Employees, 2023 | 282 |
Source for McLennan County: Census County Business Patterns, NAICS 238160.
FEMA disaster declarations naming McLennan County since 2014
| Declarations naming McLennan County | 3 |
| Storm / flood / winter / fire | 1 / 0 / 2 / 0 |
| Median TX county | 4 |
| Rank among 174 TX counties | 135 |
| Days from the latest to the data cutoff | 2,034 |
Source for McLennan County: OpenFEMA, data to 2026-09-15.
Nearby counties
The closest counties that have a risk page, by distance between county centres. Loss is per $1 million of buildings; the columns marked "times here" divide the neighbour's loss by McLennan County's.
| County | Miles | Overall | Hail loss | Hail, times here | Wind loss | Wind, times here | NOAA hail reports |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bell County, TX | 40 | Relatively Moderate | $144 | 7.17 | $9.20 | 1.06 | 145 |
| Brazos County, TX | 81 | Relatively Moderate | $33 | 1.63 | $7.79 | 0.90 | 85 |
| Tarrant County, TX | 84 | Relatively High | $314 | 15.69 | $1.55 | 0.18 | 541 |
| Smith County, TX | 127 | Relatively Moderate | $22 | 1.08 | $3.21 | 0.37 | 131 |
| Gregg County, TX | 157 | Relatively Moderate | $91 | 4.56 | $13 | 1.55 | 50 |
| Harris County, TX | 159 | Very High | $1.84 | 0.09 | $4.51 | 0.52 | 169 |
More Texas counties, nearest first
- Taylor County 166 mi
- Victoria County 191 mi
- Tom Green County 206 mi
- Bowie County 211 mi
- Jefferson County 216 mi
- Midland County 285 mi
- Webb County 298 mi
- Lubbock County 304 mi
- Ector County 315 mi
- Hidalgo County 361 mi
- Cameron County 375 mi
- Potter County 379 mi
Cities and ZIP areas in McLennan County
1 city in this county is on PickARoofer. ZIP Code Tabulation Areas are Census shapes that approximate ZIP codes; where we have a city’s ZIPs, the share is the part of each area’s land that lies in this county. 20 such areas have more than half their land here.
| City | ZIP areas (share of land in the county) | Pages |
|---|---|---|
| Waco | 76701 (100%), 76705 (100%), 76710 (100%), 76712 (100%) | Roofers |
Storm hit your roof in McLennan County? A free inspection tells you if there is damage. One local roofer answers, not five.
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How high is storm risk in McLennan County?
FEMA's National Risk Index gives McLennan County an overall score of 91.22 (Relatively Moderate), 277th of 3,144. Hail scores 89.98 (Relatively Moderate), strong wind 66.03 (Relatively Moderate) and tornado 98.82 (Relatively High).
In McLennan County, how many hail reports has NOAA logged?
A report is one entry for one storm in one county, so counts follow where people live as well as where hail fell. NOAA has 137 for McLennan County between 2014 and June 2026, on 38 days with hail of 1 inch or more; the largest stone was 4.5 inches.
What do hail and wind cost a home in McLennan County each year, on average?
Applying FEMA's county rates to its median home value of $219,200: FEMA's estimate is about $4.39 a year for hail and $1.90 for wind, before any deductible, against $4.90 and $4.47 at the U.S. median county rates. This is an average over many years and all buildings, not a prediction for one roof; one bad storm costs far more than the average year.
How does McLennan County compare with the rest of Texas?
Per $1 million of buildings McLennan County loses $20 to hail a year, against $85 in the median county of the state. Among 254 rated counties it is 56th for hail, 82nd for strong wind and 10th for tornado.
How old are the roofs in McLennan County?
The median home was built in 1982, 44 years ago, and 73.4% of the 107,194 housing units in McLennan County date from before 2000. Asphalt shingles are rated 15 to 20 years (3-tab) or 25 to 30 years (architectural), so an original roof of either kind is past its rated life. The Census does not record when a roof was replaced.
What does expected annual loss mean?
It is FEMA's estimate of the average yearly loss from a hazard, in dollars, summed over the county. It is built for comparing counties at planning level, not for pricing one house.
Does a high rating mean my roof will be damaged?
No. The index compares counties and cannot say what will happen on your street. After a storm, a roof inspection is the only way to know.
Sources for McLennan County: FEMA National Risk Index, version December 2025, retrieved October 8, 2026; NOAA Storm Events Database hail reports for McLennan County; Census Bureau ZCTA-to-county relationship file (2020); Census ACS and Building Permits Survey, homes in McLennan County; Census County Business Patterns, roofing firms in McLennan County; OpenFEMA, declarations naming McLennan County. Planning-level information about McLennan County, not an inspection and not insurance advice.
This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Risk Index dataset but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).