Storm risk in Taylor County, Texas
FEMA's overall hazard score for Taylor County is 83.81 (Relatively Moderate), 510th of 3,144 counties. Hail scores 99.33 (Very High), strong wind 65.24 (Relatively Moderate) and tornado 73.92 (Relatively Moderate). Expected hail loss is $623 per $1 million of buildings a year; NOAA logged 158 hail reports in Taylor County from 2014 to June 2026.
FEMA National Risk Index, version December 2025, retrieved October 8, 2026. NOAA hail reports 2014 to June 2026.
- Taylor 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 Taylor County
| Hazard | Rating | Score (0 to 100) | Rank in U.S. | Rank in TX |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | Relatively Moderate | 83.81 | 510 of 3,144 | 40 of 254 |
| Hail | Very High | 99.33 | 22 of 3,126 | 11 of 254 |
| Strong wind | Relatively Moderate | 65.24 | 1,094 of 3,126 | 85 of 254 |
| Tornado | Relatively Moderate | 73.92 | 821 of 3,126 | 88 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 | $18,077,448 | $623 | $85 | $22 | 13 of 3,126 | 3 of 254 |
| Strong wind | $608,609 | $21 | $26 | $20 | 1,536 of 3,121 | 148 of 254 |
| Tornado | $3,053,601 | $105 | $269 | $199 | 2,045 of 3,144 | 218 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 Taylor County
- FEMA expects hail in Taylor County to cost $623 per $1 million of buildings a year: 27.89 times the U.S. median and 7.33 times the TX county median, ranked 13th of 3,126 counties nationally and 3rd of 254 in Texas.
- FEMA expects strong wind in Taylor County to cost $21 per $1 million of buildings a year: 1.03 times the U.S. median and 0.79 times the TX county median, ranked 1,536th of 3,121 counties nationally and 148th of 254 in Texas.
- FEMA expects tornado in Taylor County to cost $105 per $1 million of buildings a year: 0.53 times the U.S. median and 0.39 times the TX county median, ranked 2,045th of 3,144 counties nationally and 218th of 254 in Texas.
- Applying FEMA's estimate to a $190,300 home, the average yearly loss in Taylor County is about $119 for hail and $3.99 for wind before any deductible; at the U.S. median county rates it would be $4.25 and $3.88.
- If the next years look like 2014 to 2025, a roof kept 20 years in Taylor County meets about 85.0 hail days of 1 inch or more; the median county in NOAA's file (1,275 counties) would give 35.0.
- Built in 1977, the median home in Taylor County is 49 years old, so an original roof has outlived a 3-tab shingle (15 to 20 years) and an architectural one (25 to 30 years); 78.7% of its 61,581 homes are at least 26 years old.
- March to June holds 152 of the 158 hail reports in Taylor County (96 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 Taylor 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 × Taylor County yearly loss ÷ building value. Hail: $18,077,448 ÷ $29,007,455,587 = 0.0006232. Wind: $608,609 ÷ $29,007,455,587 = 0.0000210. 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.
Taylor County in plain numbers
- Taylor County scores 83.81 in FEMA's overall hazard index (Relatively Moderate): 510th of 3,144 rated counties and 40th of 254 in Texas.
- Hail scores 99.33 (Very High). FEMA expects $18,077,448 of hail damage to buildings in Taylor County a year, which is $623 per $1 million of buildings, 27.89 times the U.S. median.
- Strong wind scores 65.24 (Relatively Moderate) with $608,609 of expected yearly building loss in Taylor County: $21 per $1 million of buildings, 1.03 times the U.S. median.
- Tornado scores 73.92 (Relatively Moderate) and FEMA's expected yearly tornado loss is $3,053,601, counting everything exposed, or $105 per $1 million of buildings in Taylor County.
- FEMA's own event record for Taylor County averages 5.65 hail events and 2.11 strong-wind events a year.
- NOAA logged 158 hail reports in Taylor County between 2014 and June 2026, on 52 days with stones of 1 inch or more; the largest was 4.5 inches.
- In Taylor County, FEMA counts buildings worth 29.01 billion dollars and 143,142 residents.
- Social vulnerability is Relatively Low in Taylor County.
- Community resilience there is Relatively High, for 143,142 residents.
- 1 city in Taylor County is covered on this site: Abilene. 13 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 Abilene is $5,740 to $12,710.
- Taylor County ranks 2 of the 194 counties with a page here for hail loss per $1 million of buildings, 58 for wind and 147 for tornado.
- In Taylor County, May is the busiest month with 63 of the 158 reports (40 percent), against 2 reports in November.
- Taylor County's worst year was 2024, with 8 hail days at 1 inch or more and 11 reports. At the 2014 to 2025 pace that is 4.25 such days a year, one about every 2.8 months.
- The median home in Taylor County was built in 1977; 53.6% of its 61,581 housing units date from before 1980, 78.7% from before 2000 and 12.0% from 2010 on.
- Census puts the median home value in Taylor County at $190,300, and 59.8% of homes are lived in by their owners.
- 4,648 single-family building permits were issued in Taylor County from 2014 to 2025, about 75.5 per 1,000 homes, peaking in 2025.
- NOAA lists 6 tornado tracks in Taylor County since 2014; the strongest was an EFU on March 10, 2026 near Potosi, 0.25 miles long.
- The fastest gust in NOAA's records for Taylor County is 96 mph on September 5, 2023 at Tye.
- The nearest county with a page here is Tom Green County, 78 miles from the centre of Taylor County; its hail score is 96.18.
- Across counties the median is one roofing firm for every 5,189 homes; Census counted 17 roofing contractor establishments in Taylor County in 2023, one for every 3,622 homes.
- FEMA has named Taylor County in 3 disaster declarations since 2014, the latest 1581 days before its data end, and 0 of them were storm-type.
The hail record of Taylor County, year by year
NOAA logged 158 reports in Taylor County; hail of 1 inch or more fell on 52 days. That is 4.2 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: May, 63 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 | 16 | 3 | 1 | 4.5 in | $404,000,000 |
| 2015 | 18 | 7 | 2 | 1.75 in | – |
| 2016 | 20 | 7 | 4 | 2.5 in | – |
| 2017 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 1.75 in | – |
| 2019 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2.5 in | – |
| 2020 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 2 in | – |
| 2021 | 13 | 3 | 2 | 2 in | – |
| 2022 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 1.75 in | – |
| 2023 | 34 | 6 | 5 | 3 in | – |
| 2024 | 11 | 8 | 2 | 2.5 in | – |
| 2025 | 15 | 7 | 3 | 2.5 in | – |
| 2026 (to June) | 6 | 1 | 1 | 2.75 in | – |
Biggest hail days in Taylor County
| Date | Largest stone | Reports that day | Damage reported | Near |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 12, 2014 | 4.5 in | 10 | $404,000,000 | Abilene Elmdale Arpt |
| April 25, 2023 | 3 in | 5 | none recorded | Ovalo |
| April 19, 2023 | 2.75 in | 7 | none recorded | Wylie |
| March 10, 2026 | 2.75 in | 6 | none recorded | Buffalo Gap |
| May 7, 2023 | 2.5 in | 9 | none recorded | Merkel |
Where large hail was reported
FEMA scores the county as a whole. NOAA’s reports show where inside Taylor County the big stones fell.
Reported hail locations, Taylor County
- 861 to 1.74 in
- 371.75 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.
133 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 Taylor County
Fastest gusts in Taylor County
| Date | Gust | Near |
|---|---|---|
| September 5, 2023 | 96 mph | Tye |
| June 8, 2025 | 90 mph | Abilene Bttrfld Arpt |
| June 21, 2023 | 85 mph | Hamby |
| June 24, 2023 | 85 mph | Merkel |
Strongest tornado tracks in Taylor County
| Date | Scale | Length | Injured / killed | Near |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 10, 2026 | EFU | 0.25 mi | 0 / 0 | Potosi |
| March 19, 2020 | EF2 | 6.18 mi | 0 / 0 | Mulberry Canyon |
| May 18, 2019 | EF2 | 5.04 mi | 0 / 0 | (Dys)Dyess Afb Abile |
| March 19, 2020 | EF1 | 0.23 mi | 0 / 0 | Tye |
6 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 Taylor County’s 2014 to 2025 pace of 4.25 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 61,581 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 | 1977 |
| Built before 1980 | 53.6% |
| Built before 2000 | 78.7% |
| Built since 2010 | 12.0% |
| Owner-occupied | 59.8% |
| Median home value | $190,300 |
| Single-family permits, 2014 to 2025 | 4,648 |
| Permits per 1,000 homes | 75.5 |
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 Taylor County
Roofing firms in Taylor County
| Roofing contractor establishments, 2023 | 17 |
| Change since 2016 | +4 (+31%) |
| Homes per roofing firm | 3,622 |
| Median across counties | 5,189 |
| Employees, 2023 | 83 |
Source for Taylor County: Census County Business Patterns, NAICS 238160. Full roofing-market page for Taylor County.
FEMA disaster declarations naming Taylor County since 2014
| Declarations naming Taylor County | 3 |
| Storm / flood / winter / fire | 0 / 0 / 2 / 1 |
| Median TX county | 4 |
| Rank among 174 TX counties | 149 |
| Days from the latest to the data cutoff | 1,581 |
Source for Taylor 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 Taylor County's.
| County | Miles | Overall | Hail loss | Hail, times here | Wind loss | Wind, times here | NOAA hail reports |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tom Green County, TX | 78 | Relatively Low | $117 | 0.19 | $16 | 0.76 | 218 |
| Midland County, TX | 129 | Relatively Moderate | $211 | 0.34 | $16 | 0.75 | 170 |
| Lubbock County, TX | 144 | Relatively High | $455 | 0.73 | $250 | 11.91 | 124 |
| Tarrant County, TX | 155 | Relatively High | $314 | 0.50 | $1.55 | 0.07 | 541 |
| Ector County, TX | 158 | Relatively Moderate | $387 | 0.62 | $12 | 0.58 | 167 |
| McLennan County, TX | 166 | Relatively Moderate | $20 | 0.03 | $8.67 | 0.41 | 137 |
More Texas counties, nearest first
- Bell County 166 mi
- Brazos County 238 mi
- Potter County 243 mi
- Smith County 269 mi
- Victoria County 298 mi
- Gregg County 298 mi
- Harris County 314 mi
- Webb County 317 mi
- Bowie County 329 mi
- Jefferson County 379 mi
- Hidalgo County 419 mi
- Cameron County 450 mi
Cities and ZIP areas in Taylor 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. 13 such areas have more than half their land here.
| City | ZIP areas (share of land in the county) | Pages |
|---|---|---|
| Abilene | 79601 (18%), 79602 (77%), 79603 (100%), 79605 (100%), 79606 (100%) | Roofers |
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How high is storm risk in Taylor County?
FEMA's National Risk Index gives Taylor County an overall score of 83.81 (Relatively Moderate), 510th of 3,144. Hail scores 99.33 (Very High), strong wind 65.24 (Relatively Moderate) and tornado 73.92 (Relatively Moderate).
In Taylor 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 158 for Taylor County between 2014 and June 2026, on 52 days with hail of 1 inch or more; the largest stone was 4.5 inches.
What do hail and wind cost a home in Taylor County each year, on average?
Applying FEMA's county rates to its median home value of $190,300: FEMA's estimate is about $119 a year for hail and $3.99 for wind, before any deductible, against $4.25 and $3.88 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 Taylor County compare with the rest of Texas?
Per $1 million of buildings Taylor County loses $623 to hail a year, against $85 in the median county of the state. Among 254 rated counties it is 11th for hail, 85th for strong wind and 88th for tornado.
How old are the roofs in Taylor County?
The median home was built in 1977, 49 years ago, and 78.7% of the 61,581 housing units in Taylor 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 Taylor County: FEMA National Risk Index, version December 2025, retrieved October 8, 2026; NOAA Storm Events Database hail reports for Taylor County; Census Bureau ZCTA-to-county relationship file (2020); Census ACS and Building Permits Survey, homes in Taylor County; Census County Business Patterns, roofing firms in Taylor County; OpenFEMA, declarations naming Taylor County. Planning-level information about Taylor 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).