May 11 marks a solemn double milestone in Texas weather history: the state’s deadliest tornado and the strongest.

Although they struck 17 years apart, both storms hit on May 11 and left lasting marks in very different ways: one for its staggering loss of life, and the other for how it changed the science of tornado forecasting and measurement forever.

What is the deadliest tornado in Texas history?

Just after 4 p.m. on May 11, 1953 — the day after Mother’s Day — a monstrous tornado barreled into downtown Waco , forever etching its name into the record books. The storm touched down near Lorena and began moving north, developing a classic “hook” echo on radar at Texas A&M — a signature sign of a particularly dangerous twister.

Nearly a third of a mile wide, the F5 tornado carved a path straight through the heart of Waco, killing 114 people, injuring nearly 600 and leveling more than 600 buildings. More than 2,000 vehicles were damaged, and some trapped survivors waited as long as 14 hours for rescue. To this day, it remains the deadliest tornado in Texas history.

What was the strongest tornado in Texas history?

Exactly 17 years later, another historic twister struck — this time in Lubbock. While it claimed fewer deaths, the 1970 Lubbock tornado would go on to reshape how tornadoes are studied and classified. The storm, which touched down in the city’s southwest and tore through downtown, caused over $100 million in damage, killed 26 and injured more than 1,500 people. It remains one of only six Texas tornadoes ever rated an F5 — the highest designation on the original Fujita Scale.

In fact, its destruction was so extreme that Tetsuya Theodore Fujita — the University of Chicago professor who developed the tornado intensity scale — gave it one of only two experimental F6 ratings ever considered. The designation was ultimately discarded because the scale was never meant to go that high.

His exhaustive analysis of the storm’s path — later described as “the most detailed mapping ever done, up to that time, of the path of a single tornado” — laid the groundwork for the Fujita Scale. He introduced the scale in 1971 before researchers at Texas Tech University, in the very city devastated by the 1970 storm, helped design the Enhanced Fujita (EF) Scale.

Still, despite its scientific legacy, the Lubbock tornado doesn’t rank among the top 10 deadliest in Texas history, according to data from the National Weather Service, though it was noted as an "honorable mention."

Top 10 deadliest tornadoes in Texas history

Here's a look at the other catastrophic storms that left their mark — and the lives they claimed.

10. Jarrell – May 27, 1997

The Jarrell tornado is infamous not only for its strength, but also for its unusual behavior. It remains the last F5 tornado confirmed in Texas. Unlike most tornadoes, this one moved south-southwest — a rare track that’s still studied today. It wiped out parts of the small community, killing 27 people and injuring a dozen more. Many of the destroyed homes were completely swept away, leaving only bare slabs behind. The storm also killed hundreds of cattle.

9. Saragosa – May 22, 1987

This devastating tornado hit the small town of Saragosa in Reeves County just before sundown. It touched down southwest of town and traveled only about three miles, but that was enough to leave behind a heartbreaking toll. At a half-mile wide, the F4 twister tore through the community, destroying more than 80% of it. Thirty people were killed and 121 were injured. The worst tragedy occurred at Guadalupe Hall, where families had gathered for a kindergarten graduation. Twenty-two people died there, many of them parents and grandparents who died shielding children from flying debris.

8. Zephyr – May 30, 1909

This F4 tornado struck Zephyr in Brown County just before midnight. Much of the town was destroyed during the early morning hours, leaving little behind but empty lots. Most of the 34 deaths occurred in residential areas on the south and east sides of town. The storm also injured 70 people and damaged dozens of homes, several businesses and public buildings.

7. Karnes–DeWitt counties – May 6, 1930

A storm formed near Kenedy in Karnes County and moved east. The F4 tornado hit areas south of Runge and Nordheim. Many of the homes were poorly built and offered little protection, which contributed to the high death toll: 36 people were killed, and 60 were injured.

6. Frost – May 6, 1930

On the same day as the tornado in Karnes–DeWitt counties, this F4 twister hit the town of Frost after tracking from Hill County into Navarro County. It continued northeast, killing residents near Rankin, Bardwell and in Ennis (Ellis County). In total, it killed 41 people and injured more than 200.

5. Wichita Falls – April 10, 1979

One of the state’s most infamous tornadoes , this massive F4 touched down near Holliday before tearing into Wichita Falls. It damaged a junior high school, a stadium and a shopping center. At its widest, the tornado spanned 1.5 miles. It destroyed over 3,000 homes, killed 42 people — including 25 in vehicles — and injured more than 1,700. About 20,000 people were left homeless.

4. Glazier–Higgins–Woodward Tornado – April 9, 1947

This tornado cut through parts of Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas. In Texas, it started northwest of Pampa and moved near Canadian, following US Highway 60. The funnel stretched up to two miles wide. It destroyed the towns of Glazier and most of Higgins, killing 68 people and injuring over 270 in Texas alone. In total, across all three states, it killed 181 and injured nearly 1,000.

3. Rocksprings – April 12, 1927

An F5 tornado barreled through Rocksprings in Edwards County, killing 74 and injuring over 200 — nearly a third of the town’s population at the time. It was nearly a mile wide and wiped out 235 of the town’s 247 buildings. The storm continued for at least 35 miles and possibly as far as 65 miles before it lifted.

2. Goliad – May 18, 1902

This tornado also claimed 114 lives, but it ranks second due to a lower number of injuries, around 250. It touched down just before 4 p.m., southwest of Goliad and moved northeast, crossing the San Antonio River before slamming into the west side of town. The F4 tornado was about 1/8 of a mile wide and destroyed hundreds of buildings in its path.

1. Waco – May 11, 1953

The deadliest tornado in Texas history struck just after 4 p.m., the day after Mother’s Day in 1953. It started near Lorena and carved a path straight into downtown Waco. The storm showed a classic “hook” shape on radar at Texas A&M — a telltale sign of a dangerous twister. Nearly a third of a mile wide, the F5 tornado ripped through the city from south to north, killing 114 people and injuring nearly 600. About 600 buildings were destroyed and more than 2,000 vehicles were damaged. Some trapped survivors had to wait up to 14 hours for rescue.