De Kalb, Texas

10 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1950 and the latest in 1990. It stands in the De Kalb census division. It lies in ZIP code area 75559. The Survey maps it on the De Kalb quadrangle. 1,527 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 410 feet above sea level.

De Kalb within Bowie County

Population over time

2 figures

De Kalb fell from 1,699 to 1,527 between 2010 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate, and an estimate published within five years of a census is left out. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.

Year	People	Change
2010	1,699
2020	1,527	-172 (-10%)

Topographic sheets covering this place

6 surveys from 10 printed sheets

Matched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.

1950 USGS De Kalb quadrangle1:24000, 2 printings
1951 USGS De Kalb quadrangle1:24000
1953 USGS Texarkana quadrangle1:250000, 4 printings
1956 USGS Texarkana quadrangle1:250000
1986 USGS Idabel quadrangle1:100000
1990 USGS Idabel quadrangle1:100000

Fires near this place

376 since 1993

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 376 fires within 5 miles of De Kalb between 1993 and 2020, burning about 3,720 acres in total. 4 started naturally. 38 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Reported cause	Fires
Debris and open burning	252
Missing data/not specified/undetermined	46
Arson/incendiarism	38
Equipment and vehicle use	24
Power generation/transmission/distribution	7
Natural	4
Misuse of fire by a minor	3
Recreation and ceremony	2

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

Date	Cause	Size	Reported by	Name on the report
9 September 1999	Arson/incendiarism	3.0 acres	Texas A & M Forest Service	not named
7 September 2019	Debris and open burning	under an acre	Texas A & M Forest Service	528
7 September 2012	Debris and open burning	3.0 acres	Texas A & M Forest Service	LINDEN - 6229
7 September 1993	Arson/incendiarism	5.0 acres	Texas A & M Forest Service	not named
6 September 2019	Debris and open burning	1.0 acres	Texas A & M Forest Service	GARLAND
6 September 2015	Debris and open burning	under an acre	Texas A & M Forest Service	NORTH
5 September 2013	Natural	under an acre	Texas A & M Forest Service	WINDELL
5 September 2011	Debris and open burning	1.0 acres	Texas A & M Forest Service	OAK GROVE

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Bowie County

Storms near this place

60 of 95 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names De Kalb in 95 storm reports between 1993 and 2025: 46 thunderstorm wind, 32 hail, 8 flash flood, 4 tornado. The reports record 22 injuries. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.

When	Event	Place named	Harm	What the report says
May 1999	Tornado (F3)	De Kalb	22 hurt, $125,000,000	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.
May 2003	Tornado (F2)	De Kalb	$200,000	A violent thunderstorm moved rapidly southeast across McCurtain County, OK into Bowie County, TX and Cass County, TX. This thunderstorm also produced a strong microburst in McCurtain County southwest of Idabel, OK and again southeast of Maud, TX, located in Bowie County. Numerous trees and limbs were snapped or pushed over along the entire track. Several homes, mobile homes, barns, garages, and outbuildings were either damaged or destroyed. The primary damage from this event occurred southeast of Maud, TX and was also associated with a microburst with wind speeds approaching 100 mph. The microburst occurred along the east side of the tornado track.
December 2015	Thunderstorm Wind	De Kalb	$50,000	A NWS Storm Survey team determined that damage along the west side of Dekalb, Texas was consistent with that of rear flank storm damage. This rear flank was the remaining remnant of a tornado that touched down earlier west of this location. The rear flank downdraft caused sporadic damage in the city of Dekalb, Texas. Several trees were uprooted. Numerous homes withstood light shingle damage. A light pole at the city park was snapped and the metal roof from one of the downtown buildings was lifted off.
November 1993	Thunderstorm Wind	De Kalb	$50,000	Thunderstorm winds damaged roofs, broke windows, and downed trees.
August 1998	Thunderstorm Wind	De Kalb	$35,000	Trees and powerlines down with one tree across a house.
June 2005	Thunderstorm Wind	De Kalb	$30,000	Large barn was blown over and destroyed by high winds.
February 1999	Thunderstorm Wind	De Kalb	$25,000	Barn roof blown in middle of Hwy 44.
August 2002	Thunderstorm Wind	De Kalb	$22,000	A tree fell across a garage doing major damage.
August 2010	Lightning	De Kalb	$20,000	Lightning caused a fire to a mobile home near Dekalb, Texas. No injuries were reported.
March 1996	Lightning	De Kalb	$20,000	no account filed
June 2001	Thunderstorm Wind	De Kalb	$15,000	Roof completely removed from a carport.
May 2001	Thunderstorm Wind	De Kalb	$12,000	A few trees were blown down and a small building was destroyed.
November 1994	Thunderstorm Wind	De Kalb	$5,000	Trees were blown down by high winds between De Kalb and Beaver Dam.
April 2011	Thunderstorm Wind	De Kalb	$1,000	Several trees were downed in Dekalb, Texas. There was a report of damage to one outbuilding on Hwy. 44.
March 2025	Thunderstorm Wind	De Kalb	-	Several roofs severely damaged with partial removal in De Kalb.
September 2022	Thunderstorm Wind	De Kalb	-	Large limb and power lines downed.
April 2021	Thunderstorm Wind	De Kalb	-	A tree fell on a home on Hickory Street in De Kalb. Power lines were also downed at this same location.
April 2021	Hail	De Kalb	-	Quarter size hail fell near the De Kalb Church of Christ on the east side of De Kalb.
April 2021	Hail	De Kalb	-	Half dollar size hail fell near De kalb.
April 2021	Hail	De Kalb	-	Ping pong ball size hail fell on the northwest side of De Kalb.
May 2021	Thunderstorm Wind	De Kalb	-	A tree was blown down onto power lines on Church Street in De Kalb.
May 2021	Thunderstorm Wind	De Kalb	-	Trees were downed on FM 992 just southwest of De Kalb.
May 2021	Thunderstorm Wind	De Kalb	-	A 60 mph wind gust was estimated in De Kalb.
May 2021	Thunderstorm Wind	De Kalb	-	A tree was blown down at South Runnels and Fannin Street, with another blown down at South Runnels and Peters Street. Part of a roof was blown into the roadway at Highway 82 and Napp Street.
May 2021	Flash Flood	De Kalb	-	Widespread flash flooding across much of Bowie County and the Texas side of Texarkana resulted in the closure of numerous roads. A few water rescues were also needed from stranded vehicles. Water entered several structures throughout the county as well.
April 2020	Thunderstorm Wind	De Kalb	-	A large tree was downed on South Runnels Street in Dekalb.
April 2020	Thunderstorm Wind	De Kalb	-	A tree was downed in the yard of a home on East Crockett Street in Dekalb.
April 2020	Thunderstorm Wind	De Kalb	-	A tree was downed on FM 2735 just north of Dekalb.
June 2020	Thunderstorm Wind	De Kalb	-	Damaging winds snapped several trees and power lines in Dekalb. A tree was blown down onto a home in town, with others down across roadways. The metal roof of a large barn was peeled back.
January 2020	Flash Flood	De Kalb	-	Farm to Market Road 1840 was flooded between County Road 4201 and County Road 4112.
May 2019	Thunderstorm Wind	De Kalb	-	A 60 mph wind gust was estimated at the intersection of Highway 259 and Highway 82 on the west side of Dekalb.
May 2019	Thunderstorm Wind	De Kalb	-	A tree was blown down onto a power line at the intersection of West Fannin Street and South Runnels Street in Dekalb.
May 2019	Thunderstorm Wind	De Kalb	-	An oak tree was blown down onto Highway 82, blocking most of the highway. It was struck by an 18-wheeler, but fortunately, no injuries were reported.
March 2016	Thunderstorm Wind	De Kalb	-	Trees down on Farm to Market Road 2735.
May 2016	Hail	De Kalb	-	Golf ball size hail fell at the intersection of Highway 259 and Highway 82 near Dekalb.
May 2016	Hail	De Kalb	-	Nickel size hail fell in Dekalb.
May 2016	Thunderstorm Wind	De Kalb	-	Winds were estimated to be near 60 mph in Dekalb.
July 2015	Flash Flood	De Kalb	-	Hwy. 82 was flooded between DeKalb and Malta, Texas.
July 2015	Flash Flood	De Kalb	-	High water was reported over Hwy. 82 and FM. 1840 in DeKalb, Texas.
May 2015	Thunderstorm Wind	De Kalb	-	Numerous trees were downed on the north side of town.
May 2015	Hail	De Kalb	-	Quarter size hail was reported in De Kalb, Texas.
May 2013	Thunderstorm Wind	De Kalb	-	A tree was downed on Martin Luther King Drive in Dekalb, Texas.
May 2013	Thunderstorm Wind	De Kalb	-	Numerous trees were downed throughout the western half of the county.
December 2012	Thunderstorm Wind	De Kalb	-	Fire Department reported that powerlines were downed throughout town.
April 2011	Thunderstorm Wind	De Kalb	-	A tree was downed at FM. 1840 and CR. 4114.
April 2011	Thunderstorm Wind	De Kalb	-	The roof was taken off a house off CR. 4320. There were also reports of trees in the yard twisted off close to the ground.
May 2009	Flood	De Kalb	-	The Red River at Pecan Point near Dekalb, Texas and downstream at Pecan Bend near Hooks, Texas suffered the most significant flooding for May as several homeowners became cutoff by high water. Also, considerable relocation of livestock was required as the Red River crested near stages comparable to that of June and July of 2007. As usual, area ranchers are keen to developing flooding on the Red River and avoided any drowned livestock, although, with the inconvenience and expense of relocating livestock and higher feeding expenses. In addition, area ranchers lost grazing on several hundred acres of flooded pastures through at least mid June.
May 2009	Flash Flood	De Kalb	-	Excessive heavy rainfall resulted in several flooded roadways in Dekalb, Texas.
October 2009	Flash Flood	De Kalb	-	Water was running across Hwy. 82 near MLK.
May 2009	Flash Flood	De Kalb	-	CR 992 northeast of Dekalb was flooded and closed.
May 2009	Thunderstorm Wind	De Kalb	-	Trees were downed on MLK and Browning Street with powerlines downed in Oak Grove.
May 2009	Thunderstorm Wind	De Kalb	-	A large tree was downed on CR 3204 just off of FM 992. Another tree was downed on CR 3206.
May 2009	Thunderstorm Wind	De Kalb	-	A large tree was downed, blocking CR 114 just off Hwy 259 north of town.
January 2008	Hail	De Kalb	-	Hail was reported at a convenience store.
January 2008	Hail	De Kalb	-	Hail fell at the De Kalb, Texas high school.
May 2008	Flash Flood	De Kalb	-	High water was reported across CR 933.
August 2008	Thunderstorm Wind	De Kalb	-	Numerous trees and powerlines were downed in town. The football goal post at the Dekalb High School was blown down from the strong winds.
July 2007	Flood	De Kalb	-	Excessive heavy rainfall in the Middle Red River Valley of northeast Texas and southeast Oklahoma resulted in high stages on the Red River near Pecan Point. The river rose and crested near 28.8 feet on July 14th. Area ranchers and farmers responded to the threat of river flooding. however, and evacuated livestock and farming equipment to higher ground. Increased awareness of river flooding prevented any livestock deaths.
August 2005	Thunderstorm Wind	De Kalb	-	Trees were downed.
May 2003	Funnel Cloud	De Kalb	-	Funnel cloud reported moving east southeast.

Every storm recorded in Bowie County

Nearest settlements

The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.

Place	Distance	Sheets
Garland	2.9 miles	9
Hubbard	3.1 miles	11
Oak Grove	4.2 miles	9
Hodgson	4.5 miles	11
Malta	5.2 miles	11
Old Salem	6.2 miles	11
College Hill	6.4 miles	11
New Hope	6.5 miles	11

Elsewhere

Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.

Wikipedia article on De Kalb	An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q976929	The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0).

Provenance

This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 1381748. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.

Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.

Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.