Roscoe, Texas
9 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1954 and the latest in 1985. It stands in the Roscoe census division. It lies in ZIP code area 79545. The Survey maps it on the Roscoe quadrangle. 1,271 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 2,388 feet above sea level.
Population over time
2 figuresRoscoe fell from 1,322 to 1,271 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 | 1,322 | |
| 2020 | 1,271 | -51 (-4%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
4 surveys from 9 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 Big Spring quadrangle1:250000, 4 printings
- 1958 USGS Big Spring quadrangle1:250000
- 1969 USGS Roscoe quadrangle1:24000, 2 printings
- 1985 USGS Sweetwater quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
Fires near this place
50 since 2005Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 50 fires within 5 miles of Roscoe between 2005 and 2020, burning about 422 acres in total. 1 started naturally. 1 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/undetermined | 22 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 11 |
| Debris and open burning | 8 |
| Railroad operations and maintenance | 4 |
| Power generation/transmission/distribution | 2 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 1 |
| Smoking | 1 |
| Natural | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 September 2011 | Natural | 60 acres | Texas A & M Forest Service | RAFTER B FIRE |
| 9 August 2019 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | Texas A & M Forest Service | NOLAN COUNTY FEEDERS |
| 8 August 2019 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | Texas A & M Forest Service | I20 |
| 6 August 2011 | Equipment and vehicle use | 1.0 acres | Texas A & M Forest Service | 233 FIRE |
| 25 August 2010 | Smoking | 2.0 acres | Texas A & M Forest Service | MM 239 I-20 GRASS FIRE |
| 18 August 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Texas A & M Forest Service | GRASS FIRE MM235 I20 |
| 15 August 2008 | Equipment and vehicle use | 1.0 acres | Texas A & M Forest Service | not named |
| 14 August 2020 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 1.0 acres | Texas A & M Forest Service | GRASS FIRE CR 182 |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Storms near this place
60 of 72 shownRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Roscoe in 72 storm reports between 1993 and 2026: 47 hail, 18 thunderstorm wind, 7 tornado. The reports record 1 death. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Roscoe | 1 killed | The Nolan County Sheriff confirmed 6 accidents on I-20 near Roscoe, with 1 fatality caused by a tanker truck rolling over. Also, several jack-knifed 18-wheelers. No tornadoes reported. but locally strong winds were reported. Also, multiple power lines were blown down nearby. |
| May 2002 | Hail | Roscoe | $12,000,000 | Hail up to the size of baseballs fell for nearly 40 minutes on the city of Roscoe causing damage to the school. Numerous homes received roof and window damage. |
| June 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Roscoe | $250,000 | Winds uprooted trees, downed power lines, and damaged roofs in northern Nolan County. |
| June 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Roscoe | $50,000 | Two homes northwest of Roscoe suffered extensive damage when thunderstorm winds blew through the area. Each home had extensive roof damage, allowing water to enter and cause most of the damage. |
| May 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | Roscoe | $50,000 | no account filed |
| July 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Roscoe | $25,000 | Strong thunderstorm winds damaged a silo, and overturned three semi trucks traveling on Interstate 20 near Roscoe. |
| September 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Roscoe | $25,000 | The winds overturned two tractor semi-trailers on Interstate 20. Ten power poles were also blown over. |
| June 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Roscoe | $20,000 | Four tractor trailers were blown over by winds estimated at 70 mph on Highway 84 northwest of Roscoe. |
| May 2004 | Tornado (F0) | Roscoe | $8,000 | A brief tornado track was surveyd just to the south of Roscoe. A shed was destroyed. |
| June 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Roscoe | $3,000 | Strong winds knocked down some power poles in Roscoe. |
| June 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Roscoe | $1,000 | Antenna blown down |
| June 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | Roscoe | $600 | Several telephone poles were snapped in half by winds estimated at up to 60 mph. |
| May 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Roscoe | $500 | High winds blew a vehicle off of the road. Along with the high winds hail up to the size of Baseballs occurred as well. |
| April 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Roscoe | - | There were power poles reported blown down in Roscoe by the Nolan County Sheriff's Office. |
| June 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Roscoe | - | A metal roof was blown off. The time was estimated from radar. |
| June 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Roscoe | - | There were power lines blown down on south side of Roscoe. |
| May 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Roscoe | - | A tree was blown into power lines. |
| June 2021 | Hail | Roscoe | - | A storm chaser reported golf ball size hail at the I-20/US 84 spilt east of Roscoe. |
| May 2021 | Hail | Roscoe | - | The Roscoe Fire Department reported a mix of pea size to quarter size hail. The time of this report was estimated using radar. |
| September 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Roscoe | - | An Amateur Radio operator reported a semi truck blown over, a pivot irrigation system blown down and two power poles toppled. |
| March 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Roscoe | - | A trained spotter reported an 18 wheeler blown over at the intersection of U.S. Highway 84 and Interstate 20. |
| April 2017 | Hail | Roscoe | - | The Sweetwater Police Department estimated golf ball size hail. |
| April 2016 | Hail | Roscoe | - | The broadcast media reported quarter size hail in Roscoe. |
| May 2013 | Hail | Roscoe | - | An amateur radio operator reported one inch hail at the intersection of U.S. Highway 84 and Interstate 20. |
| July 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Roscoe | - | An off duty police officer reported 75 to 80 mph winds in Roscoe. |
| June 2005 | Tornado (F0) | Roscoe | - | Ham radio operators and law enforcement reported another round of land spouts near the community of Roscoe. |
| June 2005 | Tornado (F0) | Roscoe | - | Ham radio operators and law enforcement reported land spout swarms developing around the Roscoe area. |
| May 2002 | Hail | Roscoe | - | Baseball size hail was reported northwest of Roscoe in northwestern Nolan County. |
| June 2001 | Tornado (F0) | Roscoe | - | Spotters reported a second brief tornado touchdown north of Roscoe. |
| June 2001 | Tornado (F0) | Roscoe | - | Nolan County storm spotters reported a a brief tornado touchdown in open country northwest of Roscoe. |
| March 2000 | Tornado (F0) | Roscoe | - | A spotter reported a brief tornado touchdown across extreme northwest Nolan County. |
| April 1999 | Hail | Roscoe | - | Tennis ball size hail. |
| May 1994 | Hail | Roscoe | - | After a short respite from yesterday's storms, severe weather and flash flooding developed again over parts of West Texas due to a stalled upper level low pressure system to the west. This day's thunderstorms, combined with the previous day's, brought very heavy rainfall totals to much of the area. In particular, six to eight inches fell in a swath from near Denver City to Lubbock and Crosbyton. Six to eight inches also fell in an area from Andrews County across Big Spring to near Sweetwater; within this area there were isolated reports to near 12 inches. This day's rain caused more flash flooding, this time in Terry County (especially at Brownfield and also in Union, where a school was flooded), in Lubbock County (especially in Lubbock where several main roads were closed due to water for two to three days), in Lynn and Crosby Counties (where the sheriff's offices reported many roads under water), in Midland County (especially in Midland where many roads were flooded and cars stranded; some by as much as three feet of water), and in Mitchell, Nolan, and Howard Counties (where many roads were flooded in each county). The extreme rainfall caused river flooding along Beals Creek (in eastern Howard and southern Mitchell Counties) and on the Colorado River (in southern Mitchell and northwest Coke Counties). Witnesses reported that the Colorado River was 1.5 miles wide at the peak of flooding about 1900 CST on the 11th. No significant flood damage was reported. There were also many reports of severe weather. Large hail fell in Ector County (west of Odessa), and golf ball-size hail fell in Upton County (in McCamey) and in Sterling County (near Sterling). There were also reports of up to quarter-size hail in many areas. Three tornadoes occurred this day. In Pecos County, the Girvin Fire Department reported a tornado that lasted about 10 minutes, but caused no damage. An Abilene TV film crew reported a brief tornado in Mitchell County about five miles south of Colorado City, and storm spotters reported another brief tornado in Nolan County about eight miles southwest of Roscoe. Lightning caused about $12,000 damage to a house in Lubbock. This occurred when lightning struck the garage, causing a fire that also damaged a car in the garage. |
| May 1993 | Hail | Roscoe | - | The public reported dime to nickel-size hail near Roscoe. No damage resulted. |
| April 2026 | Hail | Roscoe | - | no account filed |
| April 2019 | Hail | Roscoe | - | no account filed |
| March 2018 | Hail | Roscoe | - | no account filed |
| March 2018 | Hail | Roscoe | - | no account filed |
| April 2017 | Hail | Roscoe | - | no account filed |
| April 2017 | Hail | Roscoe | - | no account filed |
| May 2015 | Hail | Roscoe | - | no account filed |
| April 2015 | Hail | Roscoe | - | no account filed |
| April 2015 | Hail | Roscoe | - | no account filed |
| April 2013 | Hail | Roscoe | - | no account filed |
| June 2010 | Hail | Roscoe | - | no account filed |
| June 2009 | Hail | Roscoe | - | no account filed |
| June 2009 | Hail | Roscoe | - | no account filed |
| March 2008 | Hail | Roscoe | - | no account filed |
| May 2008 | Hail | Roscoe | - | no account filed |
| April 2006 | Hail | Roscoe | - | no account filed |
| May 2006 | Hail | Roscoe | - | no account filed |
| May 2005 | Hail | Roscoe | - | no account filed |
| March 2004 | Hail | Roscoe | - | no account filed |
| March 2004 | Hail | Roscoe | - | no account filed |
| March 2002 | Hail | Roscoe | - | no account filed |
| May 2002 | Hail | Roscoe | - | no account filed |
| May 2002 | Hail | Roscoe | - | no account filed |
| May 2002 | Hail | Roscoe | - | no account filed |
| August 2002 | Hail | Roscoe | - | no account filed |
| June 2001 | Hail | Roscoe | - | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Avenger Village | 4.5 miles | 13 | |
| Brownlee | 5.5 miles | 8 | |
| Shaufler | 6.1 miles | 13 | |
| Sweetwater | 7.2 miles | 13 | |
| Wastella | 7.4 miles | 8 | |
| Champion | 7.4 miles | 8 | |
| Orient | 8.3 miles | 12 | |
| Maryneal | 15.3 miles | 12 |
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 Roscoe | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q981720 | 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 1345550. 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.



