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Girard, Texas

7 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1954 and the latest in 1985. It stands in the Jayton North census division. It lies in ZIP code area 79518. The Survey maps it on the Girard quadrangle. 53 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 2,116 feet above sea level.

Girard within Kent County

Population over time

2 figures

Girard grew from 50 to 53 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
201050
202053+3 (+6%)

Topographic sheets covering this place

3 surveys from 7 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

5 since 2008

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 5 fires within 5 miles of Girard between 2008 and 2020, burning about 4,048 acres in total. None started naturally. None was 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
Equipment and vehicle use3
Missing data/not specified/undetermined2

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
25 September 2011Equipment and vehicle use30 acresTexas A & M Forest ServiceCR 404
24 June 2020Equipment and vehicle use2.0 acresTexas A & M Forest ServiceBOAT TRAILER
7 May 2017Equipment and vehicle useunder an acreTexas A & M Forest ServiceGILPIN FIRE
13 March 2008Missing data/not specified/undetermined15 acresTexas A & M Forest Servicenot named
1 March 2008Missing data/not specified/undetermined4,000 acresTexas A & M Forest Servicenot named

Every fire recorded in Kent County

Storms near this place

51 since 1995

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Girard in 51 storm reports between 1995 and 2025: 40 hail, 8 thunderstorm wind, 2 flash flood, 1 tornado. 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
May 2013Thunderstorm WindGirard$300,000Similar to an earlier supercell in Floyd and Crosby Counties, intense downburst winds in the rear flank downdraft created prolonged and widespread destructive winds in northeast Kent County. These winds were likely enhanced by a strong mesocyclone that earlier was tornadic in southeast Dickens County. A Texas Tech University West Texas mesonet located one mile SSE of Jayton recorded 20 consecutive minutes of severe wind gusts ranging from 59 mph to 92 mph! In Girard and Jayton, scattered structural damage was commonplace and at least one trailer was completely destroyed. At least one home in Girard lost a portion of its roof, but damage to most homes in Girard and Jayton was less severe and consisted of shingle loss, damage to siding, cracked or shattered windows, and toppled fences. Several trees were damaged; one of which totaled a car in Jayton after landing directly on the vehicle. Damage to area farm and ranch land consisted of toppled center pivots and large storage tanks. Power outages were common as several dozen power poles were snapped. Fortunately, no injuries occurred during this extended bout of destructive winds; however, damage to some homes was compounded by heavy rains entering damaged roofs and cracked windows resulting in water damage to carpets, walls and furniture. A NWS storm survey the following day in Girard and Jayton uncovered classic divergent debris patterns associated with downbursts. Monetary losses are estimated at this time and may rise once insurance figures become available.
April 2003HailGirard$15,000The Kent County Sheriff reported golfball size hail.
April 2000HailGirard$10,000no account filed
June 1995HailGirard$10,000no account filed
May 2006HailGirard$5,000Hail up to the size of baseballs was observed by the Spur Fire Department in northwestern Kent County. Fire department vehicles sustained minor damage. These giant hailstones were associated with one of two isolated supercells that impacted southern Dickens County, Crosby, Garza, and Kent Counties.
May 1996Thunderstorm WindGirard$5,000no account filed
May 2000Thunderstorm WindGirard$4,000Strong thunderstorm wind blew down power poles in town.
April 2025HailGirard-Law enforcement in Kent County reported hail up to four inches in diameter in the town of Girard. No damage was reported.
April 2025HailGirard-Multiple storm chasers reported hail along Texas State Highway 70 between Girard and Jayton ranging in size from quarters to ping pong ball size.
June 2025HailGirard-A storm chaser reported golf ball size hail along Farm to Market Road 1081 in northwestern Kent County.
June 2025HailGirard-An NWS cooperative weather observer reported hail up to two inches in diameter along Farm to Market Road 2320 in Kent County. No damage was reported at the time.
April 2024HailGirard-A report of golf ball size hail was received from the public.
June 2023Thunderstorm WindGirard-A swath of strong winds and damage associated with a rear flank downdraft occurred over a three county area. In Girard, an NWS survey team found two homes that had their roofs partially or completely removed. In Jayton, several smaller outbuildings were completely destroyed along with some peeling back of porch roofs. The Texas Tech University West Texas mesonet site near Jayton measured a 109 mph peak wind gust at 2107 CST. Additional damage to trees and partial peeling of a home's roof was found on Farm to Market Road 1083 southwest of Jayton. Minor damage occurred to the mesonet near Jayton.
June 2019Thunderstorm WindGirard-Law enforcement in Kent County estimated a wind gust to 60 mph in Girard.
May 2018Flash FloodGirard-Highway 70 between Jayton and Spur was impassable due to mud and debris flows from floodwaters.
May 2017HailGirard-No damage accompanied the hail.
June 2017HailGirard-The Kent County Sheriff's office reported golf ball size hail along State Highway 70 between Girard and Jayton. No damage was reported.
April 2016HailGirard-A storm spotter reported quarter size hail west of Girard. No damage was reported.
April 2016HailGirard-A storm chaser reported quarter size hail. No damage was reported.
April 2015Thunderstorm WindGirard-Kent County emergency management estimated winds of 50 to 60 mph.
April 2012HailGirard-Law enforcement reported golfball size hail in Girard at 2120 CST followed by 1.25 inch hail at 2137 CST. No damage was reported.
May 2012HailGirard-The public estimated golfball size hail 5W Girard. No damage was reported.
April 2009Tornado (EF0)Girard-Multiple public and law enforcement reports of a tornado were well corresponded to an intense radar-derived tornadic vortex signature just southwest and west of Girard shortly after 21:00 CST. One public report indicated that a family heard a loud roar as the tornado passed near their home four miles southwest of Girard. Despite multiple witnesses, a post-storm National Weather Service survey found no damage in the area which is predominantly open mesquite-covered range land.
May 2009HailGirard-Nickel size hail was reported in Girard.
June 2008HailGirard-Law enforcement officials reported golf ball size hail in Girard. No significant damage was reported.
April 2007HailGirard-Law enforcement officials reported quarter size hail in Girard.
May 2006HailGirard-The Spur Fire Department reported large hail up to the size of golfballs along in rural areas of northwestern Kent County west of Girard. The hail briefly became very large, with a few baseball size hailstones noted at 18:01 CST.
May 2006HailGirard-The public and amateur radio storm spotters reported quarter size hail accompanied by 60 MPH winds in Girard. No significant damage was reported.
May 2006Thunderstorm WindGirard-The public and amateur radio storm spotters reported that severe thunderstorm winds estimated to exceed 60 MPH were accompanied by quarter size hail. No significant damage was reported.
June 1999Flash FloodGirard-The Sheriff's Office reported Highway 70 was flooded northwest of Girard.
June 2005HailGirard-no account filed
May 2004HailGirard-no account filed
June 2004HailGirard-no account filed
April 2003HailGirard-no account filed
April 2003HailGirard-no account filed
May 2001HailGirard-no account filed
May 2001HailGirard-no account filed
June 2001HailGirard-no account filed
April 2000HailGirard-no account filed
June 1999HailGirard-no account filed
April 1999HailGirard-no account filed
May 1999HailGirard-no account filed
May 1999HailGirard-no account filed
May 1999HailGirard-no account filed
June 1997Thunderstorm WindGirard-no account filed
June 1997HailGirard-no account filed
June 1997HailGirard-no account filed
May 1996HailGirard-no account filed
May 1995HailGirard-no account filed
May 1995HailGirard-no account filed
May 1995HailGirard-no account filed

Every storm recorded in Kent 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
Jayton9.2 miles6
Clairemont14.3 miles6
Harmony22.8 miles6
Polar29.3 miles8

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 GirardAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q982110The 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 1358041. 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.