BlockRalls, Texas
7 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1954 and the latest in 1986. It stands in the Ralls census division. It lies in ZIP code area 79357. The Survey maps it on the Ralls quadrangle. 1,665 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 3,107 feet above sea level.
Population over time
2 figuresRalls fell from 1,944 to 1,665 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 | 1,944 | |
| 2020 | 1,665 | -279 (-14%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
3 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 Lubbock quadrangle1:250000, 4 printings
- 1967 USGS Ralls quadrangle1:24000
- 1986 USGS Lubbock quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
Fires near this place
9 since 2007Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 9 fires within 5 miles of Ralls between 2007 and 2019, burning about 338 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 |
|---|---|
| Debris and open burning | 3 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 3 |
| Natural | 1 |
| Power generation/transmission/distribution | 1 |
| Equipment and vehicle 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 September 2011 | Equipment and vehicle use | 2.0 acres | Texas A & M Forest Service | ELE SHORT |
| 14 September 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2.0 acres | Texas A & M Forest Service | GRASS BETWEEN RALLS&LORENZO |
| 23 August 2019 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 60 acres | Texas A & M Forest Service | LORENZO 6280 |
| 30 May 2008 | Natural | 10 acres | Texas A & M Forest Service | not named |
| 5 April 2018 | Debris and open burning | 2.0 acres | Texas A & M Forest Service | CAMPER |
| 4 March 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 5.0 acres | Texas A & M Forest Service | not named |
| 25 March 2011 | Debris and open burning | 250 acres | Texas A & M Forest Service | CRP |
| 8 November 2007 | Debris and open burning | 5.0 acres | Texas A & M Forest Service | not named |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Storms near this place
60 of 82 shownRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Ralls in 82 storm reports between 1994 and 2025: 36 hail, 34 thunderstorm wind, 5 tornado, 4 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 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ralls | $3,500,000 | A rapidly intensifying thunderstorm produced an intense downburst that struck the west half of the city of Ralls before continuing south for about one mile south of Ralls. In addition to disrupting power to 2400 people in the area for much of the night and inflicting various degrees of damage to many homes and buildings, three large cotton compress buildings on the west side of town were completely destroyed with debris strewn up to 1/4 mile south of Highway 82. The extent of debris required the closure of the 4-lane highway for nearly one hour until debris could be cleared for passage. A nearby power sub-station belonging to Excel was heavily damaged and a total of 42 power poles were downed. Radar and debris patterns observed from the NWS storm survey revealed a classic downburst signature with destructive wind gusts determined to be as high as 90 mph, with sustained speeds likely ranging between 50 and 70 mph for roughly two minutes. |
| June 2018 | Hail | Ralls | $500,000 | Very large hail up to baseball size driven sideways by intense winds caused extensive damage to many north-facing windows, cars and home siding in Ralls. The hail also caused severe damage to the Texas Tech University West Texas mesonet on the south side of Ralls. |
| May 2005 | Tornado (F3) | Ralls | $300,000 | F3 tornado in Ralls.A strong tornado developed approximately 9 miles to the southwest of Ralls around 8:40 PM and tracked to the northeast for six miles. Along the path of this tornado, several power poles were blown over or snapped and a few center pivots were overturned or twisted. A residence was completely destroyed with debris entirely removed from the foundation. The majority of the debris from this structure was blown to the northeast approximately 10 to 30 feet from the foundation...with other related debris dispersed over a mile away. Two pickup trucks were lifted and deposited upside down 5 to 30 feet from former locations. Trees were mud-splattered and stripped of bark with large branches completely torn off trunks. Center pivot irrigation systems were either blown over or twisted in surrounding fields...however some were left unscathed to the northeast of this tornado. Additional debris associated with this tornado was also deposited in a field across from US Highway 62/82 before dissipating. |
| June 2002 | Hail | Ralls | $250,000 | Spotters affiliated with the Crosby County Sheriff's office reported baseball size hail. |
| May 2005 | Tornado (F2) | Ralls | $100,000 | F2 tornado in Ralls.In assessing the damage from the F3 tornado, the debris field diminished in areal coverage as the tornado tracked farther to the northeast along the end of its path. Damage assessment and public accounts of the storm suggested the tornado weakened and lifted. Meanwhile, a second tornado developed. This occurrence coincided with a break in the debris field observed during the Survey. This cycle of one tornado weakening and lifting while another tornado forms to the right of the former path is typical in well-organized tornadic thunderstorms. This second tornado developed approximately 1.5 miles west of Ralls and tracked to the north and northwest before dissipating three miles north of Ralls. The tornado damaged a residence and a nearby barn. Two thousand pound bales of hay were tossed from one side of US Highway 62/82 to the other as the tornado scattered debris to the south and southwest across an adjacent field. In addition, a vehicle was overturned on the property within debris from the residence and power poles were either blown down or snapped and center pivots overturned. |
| June 2003 | Hail | Ralls | $100,000 | Golfball to baseball size hail broke windows at the elementary school and damaged buildings in town. |
| May 2002 | Hail | Ralls | $50,000 | The Crosby County Sheriff's Office reported golfball size hail. The hail damaged the roofs of homes and automobiles in town and also destroyed cotton crops just outside town. |
| April 2003 | Hail | Ralls | $25,000 | The Crosby County Sheriff's Office reported golfball size hail. |
| May 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ralls | $9,000 | The fire department in Ralls reported several power lines pushed over along Texas State Highway 114 west of Ralls. |
| July 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ralls | $5,000 | |Thunderstorm winds resulted in minor damage in Ralls. Reports indicated that at least one heavy outdoor structure was damaged. No injuries were reported. |
| June 2000 | Flash Flood | Ralls | $5,000 | Portions of Highway 62/82 were flooded and closed. Two cars were stranded in the high water. |
| May 2002 | Tornado (F0) | Ralls | $3,000 | A tornado destroyed a barn on the west side of town. |
| May 2019 | Flood | Ralls | $1,000 | Law enforcement in Crosbyton reported that numerous roads in Crosby County were flooded and impassable. This area had received torrential rainfall from training thunderstorms over a two hour period. |
| April 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ralls | - | A Texas Tech University West Texas mesonet site near Ralls measured severe wind gusts from 1549 CST through 1553 CST. A peak gust of 68 mph was measured at 1549 CST. |
| June 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ralls | - | A Texas Tech University West Texas mesonet site near Ralls measured a severe wind gust of 62 mph. |
| November 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ralls | - | A Texas Tech University West Texas mesonet site near Ralls measured a severe wind gust of 73 mph. |
| July 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ralls | - | A swath of severe thunderstorm winds were observed by the Texas Tech University West Texas mesonet across Crosby County. The swath was located from near Ralls to near White River Lake. A peak wind gust of 75 mph was measured at 1831 CST near White River Lake. |
| June 2024 | Hail | Ralls | - | Local broadcast media relayed a report of quarter size hail in Ralls. |
| November 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ralls | - | A Texas Tech University West Texas mesonet site near Ralls measured severe wind gusts from 0046 CST through 0048 CST. A peak gust of 64 mph was measured at 0048 CST. |
| November 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ralls | - | A Texas Tech University West Texas mesonet site near Ralls measured a severe wind gust of 61 mph. |
| April 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ralls | - | A Texas Tech University West Texas mesonet site near Ralls measured a severe wind gust of 59 mph. |
| May 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ralls | - | A Texas Tech University West Texas mesonet site near Ralls measured severe wind gusts from 1649 CST through 1702 CST. A peak wind gust of 70 mph was measured at 1656 CST. |
| May 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ralls | - | A Texas Tech University West Texas mesonet site near Ralls measured a severe wind gust of 65 mph. |
| September 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ralls | - | A Texas Tech University West Texas mesonet site near Ralls measured severe wind gusts from 1356 CST through 1357 CST. A peak wind gust of 61 mph was measured at 1357 CST. |
| June 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ralls | - | A Texas Tech University West Texas mesonet site near Ralls measured severe wind gusts from 0800 CST through 0803 CST. A peak wind gust of 60 mph was measured at 0803 CST. |
| May 2021 | Hail | Ralls | - | Multiple reports were received of hail up to half dollar size in the city of Ralls. |
| March 2020 | Hail | Ralls | - | A report was received of quarter size hail in Ralls. No damage was reported. |
| June 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ralls | - | A Texas Tech University West Texas mesonet site near Ralls measured a wind gust to 62 mph. Additionally, reports from the Ralls Fire Department and social media showed wind damage in and around the city of Ralls. Multiple power poles and a tractor trailer were blown over as well as an irrigation center pivot. |
| June 2020 | Hail | Ralls | - | In addition to reporting wind damage in Ralls, the Ralls Fire Department reported hail up to golf ball size. |
| May 2019 | Hail | Ralls | - | An emergency manager reported quarter size hail in Ralls. |
| May 2019 | Hail | Ralls | - | The emergency manager for Crosby County reported quarter size hail approximately five miles south of Ralls on Texas Highway 207. No damage was reported. |
| June 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ralls | - | Measured by a Texas Tech University West Texas mesonet. |
| June 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ralls | - | Measured by a Texas Tech University West Texas mesonet. |
| May 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ralls | - | A Texas Tech University West Texas mesonet measured a wind gust to 67 mph near Ralls. |
| May 2017 | Hail | Ralls | - | A resident of Ralls reported sporadic hail as large as ping pong balls. No damage was observed. |
| September 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ralls | - | Measured by a Texas Tech University West Texas mesonet southeast of Ralls. |
| May 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ralls | - | A Texas Tech University West Texas mesonet measured wind gusts as high as 65 mph for a five minute period. |
| November 2016 | Flood | Ralls | - | Law enforcement reported that a section of Highway 207 south of Ralls was closed due to water of several inches covering the road. |
| May 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ralls | - | Measured by a Texas Tech University West Texas mesonet. |
| June 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ralls | - | The Texas Tech University West Texas Mesonet station near Ralls recorded a 69 mph wind gust beneath a thunderstorm. |
| August 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ralls | - | Measured by a Texas Tech University West Texas Mesonet station near Ralls. |
| December 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ralls | - | Measured by a Texas Tech University West Texas mesonet site. |
| May 2011 | Hail | Ralls | - | Broadcast media relayed a public report of quarter size hail in Ralls. No damage was reported. |
| April 2009 | Tornado (EF0) | Ralls | - | The supercell thunderstorm that produced a destructive swath of damaging hail over Lubbock (Lubbock County) produced a brief tornado near Ralls as it tracked northeastward over northern Crosby County.||A number of veteran storm chasers observed a brief tornado just southwest of Ralls at 17:45 CST. The tornado appeared as a broad multiple-vortex spin-up of dust, but resulted in no damage as it remained in open fields. |
| June 2009 | Hail | Ralls | - | Local fire department officials reported quarter size hail in Ralls. |
| June 2009 | Hail | Ralls | - | The public reported golfball size hail in Caprock. No damage was reported. |
| May 2009 | Hail | Ralls | - | The Ralls Fire Department reported nickel size hail in Ralls at 20:16 CST. |
| June 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ralls | - | The Texas Tech University West Texas Mesonet site near Ralls recorded a thunderstorm wind gust of 67 mph at 08:50 CST. No damage was reported. |
| June 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ralls | - | A thunderstorm wind gust of 72 mph was measured by the Texas Tech University West Texas Mesonet near Ralls. No damage was reported. |
| August 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ralls | - | Severe thunderstorm wind gusts of 61 mph were recorded by Texas Tech University West Texas Mesonet sites southeast of Ralls and northwest of White River Lake. No damage was reported. |
| April 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ralls | - | The Texas Tech University West Texas Mesonet site near Ralls recorded a peak thunderstorm wind gust of 66 mph. No damage was reported. |
| May 2007 | Flood | Ralls | - | |Fire department officials reported that minor flooding resulted in up to eight inches of standing water in many city streets in Ralls. |
| August 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ralls | - | The Texas Tech University West Texas Mesonet site near Ralls measured a peak gust of 63 mph as the severe storms impacted northern Crosby County. No damage was reported. |
| May 2006 | Hail | Ralls | - | Fire department officials reported large hail that ranged in size from nickels to golfballs from just south of Ralls northward to the city. No damage was reported. |
| June 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ralls | - | An isolated severe thunderstorm produced 60 MPH wind gusts as measured by the West Texas Mesonet site near Ralls. No damage was reported. |
| June 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ralls | - | Measured by the Texas Tech/West Texas Mesonet. |
| April 2003 | Hail | Ralls | - | The Crosby County Sheriff's Office reported golfball size hail. |
| May 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ralls | - | The West Texas Mesonet site near Ralls measured a 58 mph thunderstorm wind gust. |
| June 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ralls | - | The West Texas Mesonet station southeast of Ralls measured a 66 mph thunderstorm wind gust. |
| April 1999 | Flash Flood | Ralls | - | Highway 82 was reported flooded west of town. |
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.
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 Ralls | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q982269 | 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 1375618. 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.