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Fritch, Texas

9 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1939 and the latest in 1986. It stands in the Borger census division. It lies in ZIP code area 79036. The Survey maps it on the Sanford quadrangle. 1,859 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 3,196 feet above sea level.

Fritch within Hutchinson County

Population over time

2 figures

Fritch fell from 2,117 to 1,859 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.

YearPeople Change
20102,117
20201,859-258 (-12%)

Topographic sheets covering this place

6 surveys from 9 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.

Fires near this place

330 since 1992

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 330 fires within 5 miles of Fritch between 1992 and 2020, burning about 49,392 acres in total. 21 started naturally. 14 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
Missing data/not specified/undetermined134
Recreation and ceremony39
Fireworks33
Equipment and vehicle use30
Debris and open burning22
Natural21
Power generation/transmission/distribution18
Arson/incendiarism14
Misuse of fire by a minor9
Other causes6
Smoking3
Firearms and explosives use1

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

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
8 September 2019Equipment and vehicle use1.5 acresLake Meredith National Recreation AreaELIZABETH
6 September 2019Power generation/transmission/distribution2.7 acresLake Meredith National Recreation AreaCEDAR CANYON
6 September 2008Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreTexas A & M Forest Servicenot named
4 September 2018Missing data/not specified/undetermined44 acresLake Meredith National Recreation AreaPALO DURO 1
25 September 2019Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreLake Meredith National Recreation AreaVALLEY
22 September 1994Arson/incendiarismunder an acreLake Meredith National Recreation AreaCLIFFS
2 September 2000Recreation and ceremonyunder an acreLake Meredith National Recreation AreaBUGBEE#1
18 September 2000Arson/incendiarismunder an acreLake Meredith National Recreation AreaHUTCH14

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Hutchinson County

Storms near this place

60 of 146 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Fritch in 146 storm reports between 1993 and 2025: 99 hail, 35 thunderstorm wind, 4 tornado, 3 flash flood. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. 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.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
April 2001Thunderstorm WindFritch$140,000One trailer home was reported destroyed...one trailer home was missing its roof...another trailer home was damaged...and two wood frame houses had severe damage.
August 2021Thunderstorm WindFritch$100,000Video and photos received over social media showed considerable damage to some older storage buildings and boats off of highway 136 on the southwest side of Fritch. Time of event was estimated based on radar and local mesonet.
April 2001Tornado (F1)Fritch$40,000An official storm damage survey was made on the estimated tornado path length and width. The tornado touched down in the Antelope Creek area approximately one mile south of State Highway 136. This tornado originally touched down in Carson county and then moved into Hutchinson county.
August 2013Thunderstorm WindFritch$30,000A supercell thunderstorm moved southward across the Texas Panhandle during the evening hours of the 14th. The Hutchinson County Emergency Manager reported a thunderstorm gust damaged carports and weak structures in the Lake Meredith area (Hutchinson County). The supercell thunderstorm continued moving southward after producing this gust.
September 2023Thunderstorm WindFritch$25,000An overturned RV was reported by the emergency manager near the intersection of Fritch Fortress Rd and Amarillo Rd. There was also damage to what appeared to be a house currently being constructed.
April 2012Flash FloodFritch$25,000A trained spotter reported that Texas State Highway 136 in the town of Fritch, Texas was closed due flowing water. The trained spotter also reported that there was two feet of water at the intersection of Texas State Highway 136 and Canadian Drive. There were vehicles which were stalled in the street. The side streets were also reported to have water flowing from curb to curb. There were no reports of injuries.
June 2007Thunderstorm WindFritch$24,000The National Park Service at Lake Meredith reported a boat dock destroyed by thunderstorm winds. No injuries were reported.
May 1998Thunderstorm WindFritch$15,000Strong winds blew roof off a building and several campers were blown over.
July 2023Thunderstorm WindFritch$10,000A report was sent in by emergency management with pictures of large trees limbs snapped, large signs blown over, and metal shingles ripped off the roof of a house in the town of Fritch.
July 2002Thunderstorm WindFritch$10,000Powerlines were reported down in the town of Fritch.
August 2006Thunderstorm WindFritch$8,500One large tree was reported uprooted by the high winds and there was no power in town. Also...metal roof completely torn off of a thirty by thirty foot building in the Double Diamond Subdivision.
May 2022Tornado (EF0)Fritch$5,000As seen in videos provided, a very short lived landspout occurred in Fritch with location intersection near Palm and Ridgeland. Minor damage occurred, specifically, a few small tree limbs were downed, and there was damage to the metal roof of a barn as well as damage to a small shed that had been lofted into a nearby powerline.
June 2024Thunderstorm WindFritch$2,000The roof and part of a wall on an old shed were blown west onto the neighboring property.
April 2025HailFritch-Nickel to quarter size hail fell for a few minutes in Fritch.
July 2025HailFritch-Hail up to quarter size fell for around five minutes.
June 2024Tornado (EF0)Fritch-This tornado formed over Lake Meredith. The track of the tornado was parallel to the shoreline, before moving north-northeast into an inlet called Bugbee. The tornado then lifted as it approached the shoreline just south of Bugbee Cove. Numerous pictures confirmed tornado, and also produce some tree limb damage near the shoreline of Bugbee Cove.
September 2023Thunderstorm WindFritch-A 58 mph wind gust was also recorded 2 minutes after the 87 mph wind gust.
May 2022Thunderstorm WindFritch-As seen in videos provided, a very short lived landspout occurred in Fritch with location intersection near Palm and Ridgeland. Minor damage occurred, specifically, a few small tree limbs were downed, and there was damage to the metal roof of a barn as well as damage to a small shed that had been lofted into a nearby powerline.
May 2022Thunderstorm WindFritch-Tree limbs down, small building damaged, and debris on a powerline.
May 2021Thunderstorm WindFritch-Spotter estimated wind gust of 60 to 70 mph. Also reported a downed tree and power outages.
April 2020HailFritch-Ping pong ball size hail was reported.
June 2020HailFritch-Quarter size hail fell 2 miles southeast of Fritch. The time of this event is estimated from radar data.
June 2020HailFritch-Penny size hail fell 2 miles east-southeast of Fritch.
June 2020HailFritch-Quarter size hail fell in Fritch.
April 2019Thunderstorm WindFritch-Greater than 2 diameter tree limbs down.
May 2019HailFritch-Quarter to Half Dollar size hail near Fritch, TX.
May 2019HailFritch-Hail between golf ball and baseball size.
May 2019FloodFritch-Street flooding causing traffic delays in Fritch.
September 2019FloodFritch-Localized street flooding was reported in the northwest part of Fritch.
May 2018Thunderstorm WindFritch-The National Park Service said around 12:45 a.m. Sunday morning, 57-year-old Carl Kaiser was trying to load his swamped tracker boat near the Fritch Fortress boat dock when it suddenly capsized.
May 2017HailFritch-Nickel to quarter size hail falling in Fritch.
April 2017HailFritch-Report via Twitter.
July 2017Thunderstorm WindFritch-Late report of strong winds behind outflow along with blowing dust.
April 2016HailFritch-Half dollar size hail was reported in Fritch.
April 2016HailFritch-Dime to quarter size hail covered the road in Fritch.
April 2016HailFritch-Golf ball size hail was reported in Fritch.
April 2016HailFritch-Quarter size hail was reported at Double Diamond.
April 2016HailFritch-Penny size hail was reported in Fritch.
April 2016HailFritch-Quarter size hail was reported 1 mile south of Fritch.
April 2016HailFritch-Quarter size hail was reported at Lake Meredith Harbor.
June 2015HailFritch-Nickel size hail was reported in Fritch.
June 2014Thunderstorm WindFritch-A cluster of thunderstorms moved out of the Oklahoma Panhandle and into the Texas Panhandle during the evening hours of the 30th. As this cluster of thunderstorms moved near the town of Fritch (Hutchinson County), a member of the public reported an estimated 60 mph thunderstorm downburst destroyed a metal car port. After producing this downburst the cluster of thunderstorms continued to move to the southeast.
June 2014Thunderstorm WindFritch-A cluster of thunderstorms moved out of the Oklahoma Panhandle and into the Texas Panhandle during the evening hours of the 30th. As this cluster of thunderstorms moved near the town of Fritch (Hutchinson County), a member of the public reported a estimated 60 mph thunderstorm downburst. After producing this downburst the cluster of thunderstorms continued to move to the southeast.
July 2014HailFritch-Discrete thunderstorms developed over Hutchinson County during the evening hours of the 22nd. As the storm moved over the town of Fritch (Hutchinson County), local broadcast media reported nickel to quarter size hail (0.88 to 1.00 inch) in town. After producing this hail the storm moved southwestward across the county.
July 2014HailFritch-Discrete thunderstorms developed over Hutchinson County during the evening hours of the 22nd. As the storm moved over the town of Fritch (Hutchinson County), a trained storm spotter reported dime to quarter size hail (0.70 to 1.00 inch) in town. After producing this hail the storm moved southwestward across the county.
July 2014HailFritch-Discrete thunderstorms developed over Hutchinson County during the evening hours of the 22nd. As the storm moved over the town of Fritch (Hutchinson County), a member of the public reported golf ball size hail (1.75 inches) in town. After producing this hail the storm moved southwestward across the county.
June 2013HailFritch-A cluster of thunderstorms developed along a stalling cold front during the evening hours of the 8th. This cluster of thunderstorms moved to the south across the northern Texas Panhandle. A trained storm spotter in Fritch (Hutchinson County) reported quarter size hail (1 inch) over the city. The storm that produced this hail continued moving to the south across the county after producing this hail.
August 2013HailFritch-A discrete thunderstorm moved northward across Hutchinson County during the evening hours of the 8th. A trained storm spotter reported golf ball (1.75 inches) size hail as the thunderstorm moved north of the city of Fritch (Hutchinson County). The thunderstorm continued to move to the north before merging with a line of thunderstorms moving eastward across the Texas Panhandle.
August 2013HailFritch-A supercell thunderstorm moved southward across the Texas Panhandle during the evening hours of the 14th. The Hutchinson County Emergency Manager reported quarter size hail (1.00 inches) near the town of Fritch (Hutchinson County). The supercell thunderstorm continued moving southward after producing this hail.
August 2013HailFritch-A discrete thunderstorm moved northward across Hutchinson County during the evening hours of the 8th. A trained storm spotter one mile east-southeast of Fritch (Ochiltree County) reported half dollar (1.25 inches) size hail as the thunderstorm moved overhead. The thunderstorm continued to move to the north before merging with a line of thunderstorms moving eastward across the Texas Panhandle.
August 2013HailFritch-A discrete thunderstorm moved northward across Hutchinson County during the evening hours of the 8th. Local law enforcement reported half dollar (1.25 inches) size hail as the thunderstorm moved over the city of Fritch (Hutchinson County). The thunderstorm continued to move to the north before merging with a line of thunderstorms moving eastward across the Texas Panhandle.
August 2013Thunderstorm WindFritch-A supercell thunderstorm moved southward across the Texas Panhandle during the evening hours of the 14th. The Fritch Fire Department reported a 75 mph thunderstorm gust near the town of Fritch (Hutchinson County). The supercell thunderstorm continued moving southward after producing this hail.
August 2013Heavy RainFritch-A supercell thunderstorm produced a period of intense rainfall over Hutchinson County during the evening hours of the 14th. This thunderstorm produced 2.00 inches of heavy rain in the town of Fritch (Hutchinson County).
August 2013Heavy RainFritch-A supercell thunderstorm produced a period of intense rainfall over Hutchinson County during the evening hours of the 14th. This heavy rain led to minor flooding of streets in the town of Fritch (Hutchinson County). This minor flooding receded once the thunderstorm which produced the heavy rain moved south of the city.
April 2012Thunderstorm WindFritch-A trained spotter estimated the thunderstorm wind gusts in the town of Fritch Texas in Hutchinson county. There were no reports of damage or injuries.
September 2012Thunderstorm WindFritch-The Fritch Fire Department reported that a rod iron bench was moved by the strong thunderstorm wind gusts off of a porch. There was no damage and there were no injuries or fatalities reported.
June 2009Thunderstorm WindFritch-The Fritch Fire Department reported that numerous tree limbs had been blown down by the thunderstorm wind gusts estimated to be near sixty-one knots.
June 2009Thunderstorm WindFritch-The Fritch Fire Department estimated the thunderstorm wind gusts to be near seventy knots.
March 2007HailFritch-Hail covered the road on State Highway 136.
March 2007HailFritch-Reported on the east side of Fritch.

Every storm recorded in Hutchinson 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.

Map PlaceDistance Sheets
Sanford5.6 miles9
Philrich7.8 miles8
Bunavista8.3 miles8
Oil City8.8 miles9
Borger11.1 miles8
Electric City11.2 miles8
Phillips13.2 miles8
Stekoll Camp15.3 miles6

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 FritchAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q605853The 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 1357770. 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.