Plains, Texas
7 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1954 and the latest in 1985. It stands in the Plains census division. It lies in ZIP code area 79355. The Survey maps it on the Plains quadrangle. 1,355 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 3,642 feet above sea level.
Population over time
2 figuresPlains fell from 1,481 to 1,355 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 | 1,481 | |
| 2020 | 1,355 | -126 (-9%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
5 surveys from 7 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.
- 1954 USGS Brownfield quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1958 USGS Brownfield quadrangle1:250000
- 1962 USGS Brownfield quadrangle1:250000
- 1971 USGS Plains quadrangle1:24000
- 1985 USGS Brownfield quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
Fires near this place
3 since 2006Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 3 fires within 5 miles of Plains between 2006 and 2015, burning about 500 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 |
|---|---|
| Natural | 1 |
| Smoking | 1 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 September 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 300 acres | Texas A & M Forest Service | YOAKUM CO. MUTUAL AID |
| 4 July 2006 | Natural | 50 acres | Texas A & M Forest Service | SCHWARTZ FIRE |
| 17 November 2010 | Smoking | 150 acres | Texas A & M Forest Service | GRASS ASSIST |
Storms near this place
60 of 74 shownRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Plains in 74 storm reports between 1994 and 2025: 41 hail, 22 thunderstorm wind, 6 tornado, 5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 2008 | Hail | Plains | $250,000 | The Yoakum County Sheriff's Office reported that baseball size hail smashed out many automobile windshields and punctured holes in the roofs of several mobile homes. Two Sheriff's Office cruisers sustained significant damage. Area gins and cotton farmers reported that more than 25,000 acres of cotton were destroyed east of Plains. No injuries were reported. |
| October 2002 | Hail | Plains | $250,000 | Wind-driven tennis ball size hail produced significant damage to at least 54 homes and a number of automobiles. At least 2000 acres of cotton were destroyed. |
| June 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Plains | $200,000 | A swath of extreme winds accompanied a bowing line-shaped convective complex as it moved southward over portions of Yoakum and Terry Counties during the late evening hours of the 26th. Severe winds initiated over central Yoakum County as measured by the Texas Tech University West Texas Mesonet site near Plains where a 62 mph gust was recorded at 20:45 CST. A cattle feed lot located on the New Mexico and Texas state line in western Yoakum County measured a peak gust of 81 mph according to newspaper accounts.||Damage to utility poles, lines, and trees was widespread. Numerous power poles were snapped along Farm to Market Road 213. Some minor crop damage occurred due to sandblasting. No significant structural damage was reported.||Law enforcement officials reported damage in and near Denver City when the winds spread south across southern Yoakum County. Winds estimated up to 70 mph reportedly occurred in the city between 21:10 and 21:15 CST. A number of power poles were snapped by the winds. |
| May 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Plains | $75,000 | Newspaper articles reported damaging thunderstorm winds up to 70 miles per hour across northern Yoakum County. The worst damage was reported near Farm to Market Road 1780 where a number of irrigation systems and utility poles were damaged. |
| June 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Plains | $10,000 | The Texas Tech Mesonet station north of town measured a 60 mph thunderstorm wind gust. The strong wind destroyed a barn. |
| May 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Plains | $10,000 | no account filed |
| May 1998 | Hail | Plains | $5,000 | no account filed |
| June 1999 | Hail | Plains | $3,000 | Large hail damaged a car and broke the windshield. |
| October 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Plains | $2,000 | Strong thunderstorm wind blew down power poles and trees. |
| May 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Plains | - | Law enforcement in Yoakum County reported widespread power outages in the town of Plains due to blown down power poles. |
| April 2025 | Hail | Plains | - | Local broadcast media relayed public reports of hail ranging from golf ball to ping pong ball size in Plains. |
| June 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Plains | - | A Texas Tech University West Texas mesonet site near Plains measured severe wind gusts from 2003 CST through 2010 CST. A peak wind gust of 63 mph was measured at 2007 CST. |
| September 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Plains | - | A Texas Tech University West Texas mesonet site near Plains measured a severe wind gust of 59 mph. |
| August 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Plains | - | A Texas Tech University West Texas mesonet site near Plains measured a wind gust of 61 mph. |
| May 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Plains | - | A Texas Tech University West Texas mesonet site near Plains measured severe wind gusts from 1535 CST through 1537 CST. A peak wind gust of 68 mph was measured at 1535 CST. |
| May 2023 | Hail | Plains | - | Law enforcement in Plains reported large quantities of accumulating hail up to the size of quarters. |
| May 2023 | Hail | Plains | - | Law enforcement reported quarter size hail in the city of Plains. |
| May 2022 | Hail | Plains | - | A local co-op gin reported golf ball size hail. No damage was reported. |
| May 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Plains | - | A Texas Tech University West Texas mesonet site near Plains measured a wind gust to 61 mph. |
| June 2021 | Hail | Plains | - | A trained spotter reported quarter size hail in rural east-central Yoakum County. |
| May 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Plains | - | A Texas Tech University West Texas mesonet site near Plains measured a wind gust to 58 mph. |
| May 2021 | Hail | Plains | - | Several reports were received of hail up to golf ball size from about four miles west-southwest of Plains to Plains along US Highway 82. No damage was reported. |
| May 2021 | Hail | Plains | - | The Tokio, Texas co-op gin located at the intersection of Farm to Market Road 1780 and US Highway 82 reported golf ball size hail. No damage was reported. |
| May 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Plains | - | A Texas Tech University West Texas mesonet site near Plains measured a wind gust to 66 mph. Furthermore, law enforcement in Plains reported that a tree had been blown over and was blocking a roadway in the city of Plains. |
| July 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Plains | - | A Texas Tech University West Texas mesonet site near Plains measured a wind gust to 70 mph. |
| May 2018 | Hail | Plains | - | No damage information was available. |
| October 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Plains | - | A Texas Tech University West Texas mesonet site near Plains measured a wind gust to 71 mph. |
| June 2017 | Hail | Plains | - | Damage, if any, was unknown. |
| July 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Plains | - | A Texas Tech University West Texas mesonet site near Plains recorded wind gusts up to 67 mph for 20 minutes. |
| June 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Plains | - | A Texas Tech University West Texas mesonet site near Plains measured a peak wind gust to 69 mph. |
| September 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Plains | - | A Texas Tech University West Texas mesonet site near Plains measured a wind gust to 59 mph. No damage was reported. |
| October 2010 | Hail | Plains | - | The public reported quarter to golfball size hail east of Plains along U.S. Highway 82/380. The hail damaged an estimated 2,500 acres of cotton crops. |
| June 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Plains | - | The public reported an estimated wind gust up to 70 mph associated with a thunderstorm along U.S. Highway 82 near the community of Allred. No damage was reported. |
| June 2010 | Hail | Plains | - | Local farmers reported that large hail destroyed 640 acres of cotton northwest of Plains. Event time is estimated based on Doppler radar. |
| June 2009 | Hail | Plains | - | Multiple reports of quarter size hail were received along a swath from just north of Plains to Farm to Market Road 1780 in extreme northeastern Yoakum County. |
| June 2008 | Tornado (EF0) | Plains | - | A local television station broadcasted a viewer's photograph which showed a brief and small non-mesocyclonic tornado that occurred east of Plains. A number of witnesses reportedly observed the tornado in open fields near U.S. Highway 82/380. No damage was reported. |
| May 2008 | Hail | Plains | - | Storm Spotters reported nickel size hail along U.S. Highway 82 near the Texas and New Mexico state line southwest of Plains. |
| May 2007 | Hail | Plains | - | Law enforcement reported large hail up to the size of quarters between Bronco and Plains. Reports indicated severe damage to cotton crops east of Bronco. |
| June 2007 | Hail | Plains | - | The Terry County Emergency Management Office reported large hail up to the size of nickels in northeastern Yoakum County. |
| May 2006 | Tornado (F0) | Plains | - | The local broadcast media relayed reports of a brief tornado north of Plains. No damage was reported. |
| May 2006 | Hail | Plains | - | Skywarn storm spotters reported golfball size hail just northeast of Plains. |
| September 2006 | Hail | Plains | - | Local farmers reported that large hail up to the size of quarters damaged cotton crops along a swath from U.S. Highway 82/380 east of Plains to the Yoakum and Terry County line northwest of Tokio. Newspaper articles reported that the hail knocked leaves off of many cotton plants. |
| May 2005 | Flash Flood | Plains | - | CR380 between Plains and Brownfield closed due to water. CR1780 5 miles north of Plains flooded. |
| May 2005 | Flash Flood | Plains | - | CR380 closed due to water. CR1780 flooded north of Highway 82 and CR380. |
| June 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Plains | - | Measured by the Texas Tech/West Texas Mesonet. |
| April 2004 | Hail | Plains | - | Golfball size hail was reported by the public. |
| September 2004 | Flash Flood | Plains | - | Flooding resulted in the closure of intersection Highway 214 and Farm-to-Market Road 1939. |
| October 2004 | Flash Flood | Plains | - | Three inches of rain flooded the area in 30 minutes. Law enforcement reported cars washed off roadways. |
| September 2003 | Hail | Plains | - | The Yoakum County Sheriff's Office reported golfball size hail. |
| June 2003 | Tornado (F0) | Plains | - | The Yoakum County Sheriff's Office reported a tornado over open country. |
| June 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Plains | - | The West Texas Mesonet station north of town measured a 65 mph thunderstorm wind gust. |
| August 2001 | Tornado (F0) | Plains | - | Storm spotters reported a (landspout) tornado near the intersection of County Road 225 and Farm-to-Market Road 214. The tornado remained over open country. |
| April 1999 | Tornado (F0) | Plains | - | A brief tornado touchdown in open country was reported by law enforcement officials and by storm spotters. No survey was conducted. |
| April 1999 | Flash Flood | Plains | - | Roads were reported flooded throughout the county. |
| April 1999 | Tornado (F0) | Plains | - | A brief tornado in open country was reported by a storm spotter. No survey was conducted. |
| June 2007 | Hail | Plains | - | no account filed |
| May 2005 | Hail | Plains | - | no account filed |
| October 2004 | Hail | Plains | - | no account filed |
| October 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Plains | - | no account filed |
| September 2003 | Hail | Plains | - | no account filed |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sligo | 12.0 miles | 7 | |
| Bronco | 13.1 miles | 6 | |
| Allred | 14.3 miles | 6 | |
| Pleasant Hill | 14.4 miles | 7 | |
| Denver City | 15.5 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 Plains | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q982455 | 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 1365369. 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.




