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.
Population over time
2 figuresFritch 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.
| Year | People | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 2,117 | |
| 2020 | 1,859 | -258 (-12%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
6 surveys from 9 printed sheetsMatched 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.
- 1939 USGS Sanford quadrangle1:62500, 2 printings
- 1953 USGS Sanford quadrangle1:24000
- 1954 USGS Amarillo quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1958 USGS Amarillo quadrangle1:250000
- 1970 USGS Sanford quadrangle1:24000
- 1986 USGS Borger quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
Fires near this place
330 since 1992Regional 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/undetermined | 134 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 39 |
| Fireworks | 33 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 30 |
| Debris and open burning | 22 |
| Natural | 21 |
| Power generation/transmission/distribution | 18 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 14 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 9 |
| Other causes | 6 |
| Smoking | 3 |
| Firearms and explosives use | 1 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 September 2019 | Equipment and vehicle use | 1.5 acres | Lake Meredith National Recreation Area | ELIZABETH |
| 6 September 2019 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 2.7 acres | Lake Meredith National Recreation Area | CEDAR CANYON |
| 6 September 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Texas A & M Forest Service | not named |
| 4 September 2018 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 44 acres | Lake Meredith National Recreation Area | PALO DURO 1 |
| 25 September 2019 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Lake Meredith National Recreation Area | VALLEY |
| 22 September 1994 | Arson/incendiarism | under an acre | Lake Meredith National Recreation Area | CLIFFS |
| 2 September 2000 | Recreation and ceremony | under an acre | Lake Meredith National Recreation Area | BUGBEE#1 |
| 18 September 2000 | Arson/incendiarism | under an acre | Lake Meredith National Recreation Area | HUTCH14 |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Storms near this place
60 of 146 shownRegional 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.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Fritch | $140,000 | One 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 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Fritch | $100,000 | Video 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 2001 | Tornado (F1) | Fritch | $40,000 | An 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 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Fritch | $30,000 | A 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 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Fritch | $25,000 | An 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 2012 | Flash Flood | Fritch | $25,000 | A 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 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Fritch | $24,000 | The National Park Service at Lake Meredith reported a boat dock destroyed by thunderstorm winds. No injuries were reported. |
| May 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Fritch | $15,000 | Strong winds blew roof off a building and several campers were blown over. |
| July 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Fritch | $10,000 | A 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 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Fritch | $10,000 | Powerlines were reported down in the town of Fritch. |
| August 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Fritch | $8,500 | One 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 2022 | Tornado (EF0) | Fritch | $5,000 | 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. |
| June 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Fritch | $2,000 | The roof and part of a wall on an old shed were blown west onto the neighboring property. |
| April 2025 | Hail | Fritch | - | Nickel to quarter size hail fell for a few minutes in Fritch. |
| July 2025 | Hail | Fritch | - | Hail up to quarter size fell for around five minutes. |
| June 2024 | Tornado (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 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Fritch | - | A 58 mph wind gust was also recorded 2 minutes after the 87 mph wind gust. |
| May 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Fritch | - | 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 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Fritch | - | Tree limbs down, small building damaged, and debris on a powerline. |
| May 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Fritch | - | Spotter estimated wind gust of 60 to 70 mph. Also reported a downed tree and power outages. |
| April 2020 | Hail | Fritch | - | Ping pong ball size hail was reported. |
| June 2020 | Hail | Fritch | - | Quarter size hail fell 2 miles southeast of Fritch. The time of this event is estimated from radar data. |
| June 2020 | Hail | Fritch | - | Penny size hail fell 2 miles east-southeast of Fritch. |
| June 2020 | Hail | Fritch | - | Quarter size hail fell in Fritch. |
| April 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Fritch | - | Greater than 2 diameter tree limbs down. |
| May 2019 | Hail | Fritch | - | Quarter to Half Dollar size hail near Fritch, TX. |
| May 2019 | Hail | Fritch | - | Hail between golf ball and baseball size. |
| May 2019 | Flood | Fritch | - | Street flooding causing traffic delays in Fritch. |
| September 2019 | Flood | Fritch | - | Localized street flooding was reported in the northwest part of Fritch. |
| May 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Fritch | - | 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 2017 | Hail | Fritch | - | Nickel to quarter size hail falling in Fritch. |
| April 2017 | Hail | Fritch | - | Report via Twitter. |
| July 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Fritch | - | Late report of strong winds behind outflow along with blowing dust. |
| April 2016 | Hail | Fritch | - | Half dollar size hail was reported in Fritch. |
| April 2016 | Hail | Fritch | - | Dime to quarter size hail covered the road in Fritch. |
| April 2016 | Hail | Fritch | - | Golf ball size hail was reported in Fritch. |
| April 2016 | Hail | Fritch | - | Quarter size hail was reported at Double Diamond. |
| April 2016 | Hail | Fritch | - | Penny size hail was reported in Fritch. |
| April 2016 | Hail | Fritch | - | Quarter size hail was reported 1 mile south of Fritch. |
| April 2016 | Hail | Fritch | - | Quarter size hail was reported at Lake Meredith Harbor. |
| June 2015 | Hail | Fritch | - | Nickel size hail was reported in Fritch. |
| June 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Fritch | - | 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 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Fritch | - | 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 2014 | Hail | Fritch | - | 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 2014 | Hail | Fritch | - | 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 2014 | Hail | Fritch | - | 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 2013 | Hail | Fritch | - | 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 2013 | Hail | Fritch | - | 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 2013 | Hail | Fritch | - | 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 2013 | Hail | Fritch | - | 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 2013 | Hail | Fritch | - | 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 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Fritch | - | 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 2013 | Heavy Rain | Fritch | - | 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 2013 | Heavy Rain | Fritch | - | 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 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Fritch | - | 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 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Fritch | - | 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 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Fritch | - | 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 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Fritch | - | The Fritch Fire Department estimated the thunderstorm wind gusts to be near seventy knots. |
| March 2007 | Hail | Fritch | - | Hail covered the road on State Highway 136. |
| March 2007 | Hail | Fritch | - | Reported on the east side of Fritch. |
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 | Place | Distance | Sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sanford | 5.6 miles | 9 | |
| Philrich | 7.8 miles | 8 | |
| Bunavista | 8.3 miles | 8 | |
| Oil City | 8.8 miles | 9 | |
| Borger | 11.1 miles | 8 | |
| Electric City | 11.2 miles | 8 | |
| Phillips | 13.2 miles | 8 | |
| Stekoll Camp | 15.3 miles | 6 |
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 Fritch | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q605853 | 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 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.





