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Higgins, Texas

6 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1954 and the latest in 1986. It stands in the Higgins census division. It lies in ZIP code area 79046. The Survey maps it on the Higgins South quadrangle. 356 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 2,569 feet above sea level.

Higgins within Lipscomb County

Population over time

3 figures

Higgins fell from 425 to 356 between 2000 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
2000425
2010397-28 (-7%)
2020356-41 (-10%)

Topographic sheets covering this place

4 surveys from 6 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

12 since 2006

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 12 fires within 5 miles of Higgins between 2006 and 2014, burning about 6,593 acres in total. 1 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
Missing data/not specified/undetermined3
Railroad operations and maintenance3
Debris and open burning2
Equipment and vehicle use2
Natural1
Recreation and ceremony1

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
9 September 2011Railroad operations and maintenance5.0 acresTexas A & M Forest ServiceUS 60 LIPSCOMB CO.
12 September 2007Railroad operations and maintenance75 acresTexas A & M Forest Servicenot named
31 July 2007Railroad operations and maintenance25 acresTexas A & M Forest Servicenot named
10 July 2009Debris and open burning25 acresTexas A & M Forest ServiceCORKER
10 July 2009Equipment and vehicle use250 acresTexas A & M Forest ServiceHIGGINS S FIRE
31 May 2011Equipment and vehicle use10 acresTexas A & M Forest ServiceBIG BULL AND HIGGINS
28 April 2006Natural3.0 acresTexas A & M Forest Servicenot named
31 March 2014Missing data/not specified/undetermined250 acresTexas A & M Forest ServiceREKINDLE OF 4 MILES WEST OF HIGGINS

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Lipscomb County

Mines and quarries near this place

1 within 5 miles

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 1 working within 5 miles of Higgins: 1 past producer. None of them still produces. What was taken out: Limestone, General. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Where SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
Unknown Caliche PitLimestone, GeneralPast Producer

Storms near this place

60 of 82 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Higgins in 82 storm reports between 1993 and 2025: 71 hail, 7 thunderstorm wind, 4 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
July 2025HailHiggins$15,000Large hail fell northwest of Higgins. Hail sizes were mostly dime size to quarter size, but a few hailstones were slightly larger than a golf ball. This resulted in damage to a fire engine that was en route to a wildfire caused by lightning.
May 2012Thunderstorm WindHiggins$10,000A trained spotter reported that the strong thunderstorm wind gust blew over a carport and that there were two tree limbs blown down. There were no reports of injuries or fatalities.
June 2023Tornado (EF0)Higgins$1,000This tornado developed to the west of Highway 1453. It resulted in a few downed tree branches before crossing into Ellis County, Oklahoma. This tornado was also observed by several storm spotters and chasers.
April 2009HailHiggins$1,000Hail broke sky lights in their home and lasted for five to ten minutes.
March 2012HailHiggins$100The public reported that the hail was covering the ground and that a neighbor had a broken window due to the hail. There were no injuries reported.
May 2021HailHiggins-Hail stones ranged from 0.5 to 1 inch and Highway 60 was covered in hail.
June 2020HailHiggins-Billiard ball size hail fell in Higgins. A photo submitted by the observer also showed significant windshield damage due to large hail.
June 2020HailHiggins-Golf ball size hail fell 1 mile east of Higgins.
August 2019Thunderstorm WindHiggins-Part of a roof was blown off of a building. Multiple 55-gallon drums were blown down the street and some tree limbs were broken around town in Higgins.
August 2019Thunderstorm WindHiggins-A tree was uprooted in a pasture off of US Highway 60 near the Oklahoma state line.
April 2019Tornado (EFU)Higgins-Broadcast media and multiple spotters reported a new tornado touchdown near Higgins, TX. NWS survey information suggests the tornado touchdown first occurred about 4 miles southwest of Higgins at 0429 PM and lifted at 0432 PM approximately 4 miles southwest of Higgins. The tornado was rated EF-Unknown since no damage was observed. The tornado track and times were based on spotter reports and radar data.
April 2019Tornado (EF0)Higgins-Multiple sources reported a tornado touchdown. NWS survey information suggests the tornado touchdown began at 0354 PM 2 miles northeast of Glazier in Hemphill County and lifted at 0421 PM approximately 6 miles northeast of Glazier in Lipscomb County. A few trees were damaged along highway 60 southwest of Coburn, and some large tree limbs were snapped. The tornado was rated EF-0 with an estimated peak wind speed of 75 MPH.
May 2018Thunderstorm WindHiggins-Large tree limbs across Highway 213 just west of 1454 required crews to remove.
May 2018HailHiggins-All windows blown out on the north side of a home.
May 2016HailHiggins-Half dollar size hail fell 3 miles west-northwest of Higgins.
March 2015HailHiggins-A cluster multicells strengthened near Glazier just north of Canadian in Hemphill County and then moved northeast into Lipscomb County. One report of pea to marble size hail was received at 6:15 PM CST before the storm crossed into Lipscomb County. At 6:28 PM CST, one quarter size hail report was received by the public between Lipscomb and Higgins.
August 2015HailHiggins-Hail up to quarter size fell near the Oklahoma State line, 1 mile east-northeast of Higgins.
April 2012Thunderstorm WindHiggins-A trained spotter estimated the thunderstorm wind gusts in the town of Higgins, Texas.
August 2011Thunderstorm WindHiggins-The public estimated the thunderstorm wind gusts about two miles south southeast of Higgins Texas in Lipscomb County. There were no reports of damage or injuries.
May 2010Thunderstorm WindHiggins-A cooperative observer for the National Weather Service estimated sixty-one knot thunderstorm wind gusts just north of Higgins Texas. No damage or injuries were reported.
May 2008HailHiggins-City Official reported mostly penny size hail with a few to the size of baseballs.
May 1997HailHiggins-Report of hail covering the ground.
May 1995HailHiggins-Midday redevelopment of storms produced hail up to golf ball-size. At the same time golf ball-size hail was occurring in Childress the Childress surface observation report three-quarters-inch hail.
June 1995HailHiggins-Sixteen confirmed tornadoes on this date with two reaching the violent catagory. Very large hail and heavy rain also occurred and did considerable damage, much of it overlooked by the media due to the extent of the tornado damage. Early watches and warnings combined with extensive TV and radio coverage of the extreme danger these storms poised helped keep injuries to a minimum, and luckily no human deaths.
June 2023HailHiggins-no account filed
March 2021HailHiggins-no account filed
October 2021HailHiggins-no account filed
May 2019HailHiggins-no account filed
May 2018HailHiggins-no account filed
May 2018HailHiggins-no account filed
June 2017HailHiggins-no account filed
March 2012HailHiggins-no account filed
March 2012HailHiggins-no account filed
March 2012HailHiggins-no account filed
March 2012HailHiggins-no account filed
May 2010HailHiggins-no account filed
May 2010HailHiggins-no account filed
May 2010HailHiggins-no account filed
May 2010HailHiggins-no account filed
April 2009HailHiggins-no account filed
April 2009HailHiggins-no account filed
April 2009HailHiggins-no account filed
April 2009HailHiggins-no account filed
April 2009HailHiggins-no account filed
April 2009HailHiggins-no account filed
April 2009HailHiggins-no account filed
June 2008HailHiggins-no account filed
June 2008HailHiggins-no account filed
May 2008HailHiggins-no account filed
May 2008HailHiggins-no account filed
May 2008HailHiggins-no account filed
June 2008HailHiggins-no account filed
June 2008HailHiggins-no account filed
June 2008HailHiggins-no account filed
June 2008HailHiggins-no account filed
October 2008HailHiggins-no account filed
June 2007HailHiggins-no account filed
May 2007HailHiggins-no account filed
September 2006HailHiggins-no account filed
September 2006HailHiggins-no account filed

Every storm recorded in Lipscomb 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
Coburn7.8 miles6
Lipscomb15.2 miles6
Magoun17.7 miles6
Locust Grove18.2 miles6
Follett22.5 miles6
Barton Corners23.7 miles6
Sherlock24.8 miles6
Twin Grove26.2 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 HigginsAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q978067The 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 1359148. 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.

Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.

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.