Roby, Texas
12 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1893 and the latest in 1985. It stands in the Roby census division. It lies in ZIP code area 79543. The Survey maps it on the Roby quadrangle. 591 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 1,962 feet above sea level.
Population over time
2 figuresRoby fell from 643 to 591 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 | 643 | |
| 2020 | 591 | -52 (-8%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
5 surveys from 12 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.
- 1893 USGS Roby quadrangle1:125000, 4 printings
- 1954 USGS Big Spring quadrangle1:250000, 4 printings
- 1958 USGS Big Spring quadrangle1:250000
- 1969 USGS Roby quadrangle1:24000
- 1985 USGS Snyder quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
Fires near this place
71 since 2005Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 71 fires within 5 miles of Roby between 2005 and 2020, burning about 1,565 acres in total. 9 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 | 25 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 16 |
| Natural | 9 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 9 |
| Smoking | 6 |
| Power generation/transmission/distribution | 5 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 September 2006 | Debris and open burning | 8.0 acres | Texas A & M Forest Service | not named |
| 8 September 2016 | Natural | 5.0 acres | Texas A & M Forest Service | MURPHY |
| 6 September 2006 | Debris and open burning | 1.0 acres | Texas A & M Forest Service | not named |
| 30 September 2005 | Debris and open burning | 5.0 acres | Texas A & M Forest Service | not named |
| 28 September 2015 | Debris and open burning | 100 acres | Texas A & M Forest Service | MATTHEW BARRERA |
| 22 September 2011 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 10 acres | Texas A & M Forest Service | MEADER |
| 11 September 2005 | Smoking | 1.0 acres | Texas A & M Forest Service | not named |
| 31 August 2011 | Equipment and vehicle use | 1.0 acres | Texas A & M Forest Service | DITCH FIRE |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Storms near this place
60 of 92 shownRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Roby in 92 storm reports between 1993 and 2025: 47 hail, 29 thunderstorm wind, 10 flash flood, 5 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.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 2009 | Hail | Roby | $700,000 | A supercell thunderstorm produced tennis ball to softball size hail in Roby. The combination of the strong winds and large hail resulted in damage that ranged from light to significant to approximately 100 homes. The Fisher County Sheriff's Office stated that 80 to 90 percent of the homes received damage to their roofs, siding and windows. Also, automobile windows were broken. The large hail lasted for 20 minutes. |
| June 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Roby | $500,000 | The combination of strong winds and very large hail damaged all north facing sides of buildings. |
| June 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Roby | $500,000 | Strong thunderstorm winds moved through the town of Roby and caused structural damage to homes. Car windows were broken by flying debris. Numerous trees and power lines were downed. |
| June 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Roby | $300,000 | Strong winds blew down telephone and power poles. Some of the utility poles were pulled right out of the ground. Livestock trailers were thrown around. |
| June 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Roby | $30,000 | Visibilities were reduced to zero in blowing dust. |
| June 1997 | Tornado (F1) | Roby | $25,000 | no account filed |
| June 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Roby | $10,000 | Several trees blown over. |
| September 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | Roby | $10,000 | Strong thunderstorm winds hit the Fisher County Airport on the evening of the 8th. A nearby garage suffered extensive damage when the roof collapsed, severely damaging the car parked inside. Also, a metal hangar located at the airport was partially destroyed. |
| June 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Roby | $7,000 | A roof was blown off a house |
| September 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | Roby | $5,000 | Dime-size hail was reported in Lorenzo at 1235 CST. An Abilene television station reported dime-size hail in Rotan and 60 to 70 mph winds in Roby. The strong winds caused some structural damage to a home. |
| March 1993 | Hail | Roby | $5,000 | Larger than golfball-size hail fell in central Fisher County. The hail caused damage to roofs and vehicles in Roby. |
| July 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Roby | $2,000 | Strong thunderstorm winds from 65 to 75 mph damaged a shed used to house a recreational vehicle and large tree limbs of 12 inches in diameter. |
| May 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Roby | $1,000 | A roof was blown off a barn |
| February 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Roby | $500 | High winds during a thunderstorm ripped large tree limbs off area trees. |
| June 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Roby | - | Law Enforcement reported a Hog Farm east of Roby had damage to their property and multiple powerlines down along the road. |
| June 2025 | Hail | North Roby | - | Public reported baseball size hail 6 miles east of Rotan. |
| April 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Roby | - | A storm chaser reported winds of 60 to 65 mph 1 mile south of Roby, measured by instrumentation from 6:30 PM to 7 PM. |
| April 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Roby | - | Public reported a wind gust of 61 mph was in Roby. |
| May 2023 | Hail | North Roby | - | The time estimated from radar. |
| June 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Roby | - | The public reported a Facebook photo of a destroyed garage and adjacent garage wall in Roby. The time was based off radar. |
| May 2023 | Flood | Roby | - | The report was from mping. |
| May 2021 | Flash Flood | Roby | - | Fisher County Sheriff's Office reported flowing water over U.S. Highway 180 just west of Roby. |
| June 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Roby | - | The Fisher County Sheriffs Office estimated wind gusts between 65 and 70 mph along with pea size hail. |
| June 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Roby | - | There was roof damage to 2 homes and 1 business in Roby. Power poles and power lines were blown down just north of Roby, and power lines were down in Rotan. There were numerous tree branches blown down across Roby. The wind speed was estimated at 90 mph. |
| May 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Roby | - | Law enforcement reported large branches down over the roadways. |
| May 2017 | Flash Flood | Roby | - | Law enforcement reported flash flooding in Roby. |
| May 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | Roby | - | A gas pump was blown off of its foundation and several power poles were snapped in Roby. |
| May 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | Roby | - | The Fisher County Sheriff's office estimated a 60 mph wind gust in Roby. |
| May 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | Roby | - | Power poles were snapped at the intersection of FM 1085 and State Highway 180. |
| April 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | Roby | - | The Texas Department of Public Safety reported 60 mph winds near Roby. |
| August 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Roby | - | The public reported a roof torn off of a home, damage to interior walls, a carport destroyed, and damage to a porch from straight line thunderstorm winds. |
| August 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Roby | - | A microburst occurred over Roby at approximately 730 PM CDT. Two large, south-facing windows at the Roby City Hall were blown in and several trees were uprooted within the city limits. An outbuilding was destroyed on the south side of town. |
| April 2011 | Hail | Roby | - | Hail sizes ranging from dime size to golfball size fell from 645 pm to 715 pm. |
| June 2010 | Flash Flood | Roby | - | Fisher County Law Enforcement and a trained storm spotter reported flash flooding at the intersection of U.S. Highway 180 and County Road 102 or about 1 mile east of Roby. |
| April 2007 | Hail | Roby | - | Hail Covered the ground. |
| April 2004 | Flash Flood | Roby | - | Water was flowing over state highway 70 for several hours after heavy rains. |
| May 2004 | Tornado (F0) | Roby | - | An off duty NWS employee and the Roby fire department saw two brief tornadoes just to the west of Roby. |
| May 2004 | Tornado (F0) | Roby | - | This is the second brief tornado observed by the off duty NWS employee and the fire department. |
| May 2002 | Tornado (F0) | Roby | - | A law enforcement officer reported a tornado on the ground for a short time. No structures were damaged from the tornado. |
| September 2001 | Flash Flood | Roby | - | Heavy rainfall totaling 3 to 4 inches fell west of Roby, forcing the closure of Highway 180 for several hours. |
| August 2001 | Flash Flood | Roby | - | Rainfall of nearly 5 inches brought flooding to the central sections of Fisher County. County Road 446 near the community of Claytonville was washed out by high water. |
| September 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Roby | - | A severe thunderstorm produced winds estimated at 65 mph. |
| September 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Roby | - | Winds were measured at 62 mph during a severe thunderstorm. |
| March 2000 | Flash Flood | Roby | - | Ranch Road 2832 was reported to be flooded and impassable just northwest of Roby. |
| March 2000 | Tornado (F0) | Roby | - | The same spotter who reported a brief tornado touchdown in extreme northwest Nolan County reported a second brief tornado touchdown in extreme southwest Fisher County. |
| June 1999 | Flash Flood | Roby | - | Flood waters forced the closure of Farm Road 2832 west of Roby. |
| June 1999 | Flash Flood | Roby | - | Several roads were flooded and impassable in the community of Roby. |
| May 2023 | Hail | Roby | - | no account filed |
| May 2023 | Hail | Roby | - | no account filed |
| April 2015 | Hail | Roby | - | no account filed |
| April 2015 | Hail | Roby | - | no account filed |
| April 2015 | Hail | Roby | - | no account filed |
| June 2013 | Hail | North Roby | - | no account filed |
| June 2013 | Hail | Roby | - | no account filed |
| September 2012 | Hail | Roby | - | no account filed |
| September 2012 | Hail | Roby | - | no account filed |
| April 2011 | Hail | Roby | - | no account filed |
| September 2010 | Hail | Roby | - | no account filed |
| June 2009 | Hail | Roby | - | no account filed |
| June 2009 | Hail | Roby | - | 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.
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 Roby | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q976964 | 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 1375773. 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.




