BlockBefore

Muenster, Texas

13 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1902 and the latest in 1991. It stands in the Muenster census division. It lies in ZIP code area 76252. The Survey maps it on the Muenster West quadrangle. 1,536 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 1,001 feet above sea level.

Muenster within Cooke County

Population over time

2 figures

Muenster fell from 1,544 to 1,536 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
20101,544
20201,536-8 (-1%)

Topographic sheets covering this place

7 surveys from 13 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

222 since 2005

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 222 fires within 5 miles of Muenster between 2005 and 2020, burning about 1,132 acres in total. 14 started naturally. 3 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
Equipment and vehicle use78
Missing data/not specified/undetermined69
Debris and open burning42
Power generation/transmission/distribution16
Natural14
Arson/incendiarism3

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
7 September 2011Missing data/not specified/undetermined1.0 acresTexas A & M Forest ServiceHWY 82 KAISER FIRE
6 September 2015Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreTexas A & M Forest ServiceWEST 82 CR359
5 September 2015Missing data/not specified/undetermined1.0 acresTexas A & M Forest ServiceHWY 82
5 September 2013Missing data/not specified/undetermined5.0 acresTexas A & M Forest Service1951 CR 415
4 September 2008Missing data/not specified/undetermined1.0 acresTexas A & M Forest Servicenot named
30 September 2020Equipment and vehicle use2.0 acresTexas A & M Forest ServiceKLEMENT FIRE
3 September 2019Debris and open burning1.0 acresTexas A & M Forest ServiceBIFFLE FIRE
3 September 2018Naturalunder an acreTexas A & M Forest ServiceMYRA POLE FIRE

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Cooke County

Storms near this place

60 of 89 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Muenster in 89 storm reports between 1993 and 2025: 59 hail, 20 thunderstorm wind, 5 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
June 2011Thunderstorm WindMuenster$1,200,000A significant microburst occurred in the city of Muenster. Numerous trees were uprooted across the city, the field house of a school was damaged, a church sustained substantial damage, several roofs were torn off homes, mobile homes suffered significant damage, and tombstones at the local cemetery were blown over and crushed. The most costly damage occurred to two grain silos. Along Main Street, many businesses were heavily damaged and the windows were blown out of Orr Construction. The damage across the city was estimated to total over 1 million dollars.
May 1997Tornado (F2)Muenster$100,000A tornado blew over a 1500 lb pumpjack, snapped 25 power poles, destroyed several barns, damaged roofs, and damaged or destroyed numerous trees.
May 2023HailMuenster$100,000no account filed
May 2023HailMuenster$50,000no account filed
March 2009HailMuenster$20,000Baseball size hail was reported in the city of Muenster.
May 2020HailMuenster$10,000Emergency management reported golf ball sized hail in the city of Muenster, TX.
April 2001Tornado (F1)Muenster$10,000The second tornado touched down 6.8 miles southwest of Muenster. It then moved northeast and dissipated 3.8 miles east of Muenster. Tree limbs were blown down southwest of Myra and roofs were damaged in Myra.
May 2025HailMuenster$7,000no account filed
August 2020Thunderstorm WindMuenster$5,000Emergency management reported power lines down with estimated 60 mph winds in the city of Muenster, TX.
October 2014Thunderstorm WindMuenster$5,000The Muenster Police Department reported 60 to 65 mph winds just north of Muenster.
April 2014HailMuenster$5,000Golf ball sized hail was reported by a trained spotter 5 miles south of Muenster, TX.
October 2014Thunderstorm WindMuenster$5,000Emergency management reported that Silos were damaged in Muenster, TX.
March 2009HailMuenster$5,000Hen Egg size hail fell 3 miles northwest of Muenster. The local newspaper reported that the hail broke one window at a house and tore other window screens. The hail also stripped trees of their leaves and flowers, stripped the leaves and flowers off onion and hyacinth plants, and cracked the windshield of a VFD truck. The hail hit so hard that it left indentions in the ground.
April 2009HailMuenster$5,000Golfball size hail was reported 3 miles west of Muenster.
April 2009HailMuenster$5,000Golfball size hail was reported 1 mile northwest of Muenster by the fire department.
March 2006HailMuenster$5,000Golf ball-size hail reported in Sivells Bend. Minor vehicle damage was reported.
April 2004Thunderstorm WindMuenster$5,000Trees were blown down in Sivells Bend.
June 2004Thunderstorm WindMuenster$5,000Power lines were blown down in the western part of the county.
May 1993Tornado (F1)Muenster$5,000A brief tornado touchdown destroyed a barn and blew down some trees.
April 2011HailMuenster$4,000Half Dollar to golfball size hail was reported 4 miles south-southwest of Muenster.
July 2009Thunderstorm WindMuenster$3,000Damaging winds, likely from a downburst, hit the town of Muenster. A 1,000 pound creep feeder was moved approximately half mile. Other heavy items in the city were moved about a half of a mile, and a camper was moved over 30 feet. Sheds were destroyed, trailers were moved, tree leaves were shredded off limbs, and a cattle trailer was shoved up against a fence. Residents also reported their homes shaking during the damaging wind event and missing roof shingles.
March 2009HailMuenster$2,000Golfball size hail was observed 3 miles west-northwest of Muenster.
June 2002Thunderstorm WindMuenster$2,000One large tree and two small trees were blown down by high winds.
August 2002Thunderstorm WindMuenster$2,000Trees and power lines were blown down by high winds.
March 1998Thunderstorm WindMuenster$2,000Thunderstorm winds blew down a fence, some trees, and some telephone poles.
May 2022HailMuenster$1,000Nickel to golf ball sized hail was reported in Muenster.
July 2022Thunderstorm WindMuenster$500A social media report indicated large limbs and a few trees down just north of Muenster, TX.
May 2025HailMuenster-Emergency manager reported quarter size hail in Muenster.
May 2025Tornado (EFU)Muenster-A tornado was confirmed by chaser video east of Saint Jo on private land. Grass was laid down in a circular pattern in a field, but the tornado dissipated before reaching an area of trees. Video shows the tornado only lasted about 10 seconds. This tornado was rated EF-Unknown.
August 2025Thunderstorm WindMuenster-A Mesonet site measured a 58 mph wind gust in Muenster.
November 2024HailMuenster-Storm chaser reported 1 inch hail 4 miles WNW of Muenster.
May 2022HailMuenster-Reported via mPing.
January 2020FloodMuenster-Emergency Management reported county roads across mainly the southeast portion of the county remained flooded after around 5 inches of rain fell earlier.
July 2019Thunderstorm WindMuenster-A social media report indicated that a large tree was blown over in the city of Muenster, TX.
April 2017HailMuenster-The Cooke County emergency manager reported egg sized hail north of Muenster.
March 2016HailMuenster-Dime to nickel sized hail was reported in Muenster.
October 2014HailMuenster-Emergency management reported penny-sized hail in Muenster, TX.
October 2014HailMuenster-Emergency management reported 1-inch diameter hail in Muenster, TX.
October 2014HailMuenster-A trained spotter reported half-dollar sized hail in Muenster.
March 2013HailMuenster-Trained spotters reported quarter sized hail near Muenster.
April 2011HailMuenster-Nickel size hail fell about 2 miles north of Muenster.
February 2009HailMuenster-Penny size hail fell 5 miles east of Muenster.
February 2009HailMuenster-Quarter size hail fell in Muenster.
February 2009Thunderstorm WindMuenster-Large tree limbs were down in Muenster.
March 2009Tornado (EF0)Muenster-Cooke County Fire Department relayed via amateur radio a tornado on the ground near Highway 82 3 miles west of Muenster.
April 2009HailMuenster-Quarter size hail was reported by the fire department 4 miles northwest of Muenster.
April 2009HailMuenster-Quarter size hail was reported in Muenster.
April 2009Flash FloodMuenster-Water was covering several roads in Gainesville and was up to the bumper of pick-up trucks in some locations. Also, part of HWY 82 was closed between Muenster and Lindsey for nearly 2 hours where the water was reported to be a foot deep.
February 2008HailMuenster-Quarter-size hail was reported in Muenster.
July 2007Flash FloodMuenster-Many county roads around town flooded.
October 2005LightningMuenster-Lightning started several fires, including a transformer fire at the intersection of Elm and Sixth Streets. Power outages were reported in town as lightning hit power lines, causing fuses to blow. Two oil tank fires were also started by lightning, one north of town on County Road 425, and the other on County Road 350 south of town.
April 2004HailMuenster-Occurred at the intersection of fm 1630 and FM 373 south of Muenster.
April 2004HailMuenster-Occurred in the community of Myra.
June 2004Flash FloodMuenster-Water was over several roads around Muenster. By 228 pm numerous county roads were flooded, and a bridge was washed out on CR 411. At 715 PM, secondary roads remained closed across the western part of the county.
February 2001Thunderstorm WindMuenster-Power lines were blown down.
February 2001Thunderstorm WindMuenster-Power lines were blown down.
June 1998Thunderstorm WindMuenster-Thunderstorm winds downed trees. No dollar estimate of damage was reported.
July 1995HailMuenster-Severe crop damage was reported south of Muenster from this storm.
July 1995HailMuenster-Power lines were blown down by high winds.
May 2023HailMuenster-no account filed

Every storm recorded in Cooke 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
Myra3.8 miles13
Hood7.6 miles13
Lindsay8.2 miles13
Freemound8.2 miles12
Marysville8.5 miles13
Bulcher10.6 miles12
Era11.8 miles8
Prairie Point12.0 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 MuensterAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q981829The 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 1363432. 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.