Smyer, Texas
9 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1954 and the latest in 1985. It stands in the Levelland census division. It lies in ZIP code area 79367. The Survey maps it on the Smyer quadrangle. 441 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 3,389 feet above sea level.
Population over time
3 figuresSmyer fell from 480 to 441 between 2000 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 480 | |
| 2010 | 474 | -6 (-1%) |
| 2020 | 441 | -33 (-7%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
7 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 Brownfield quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1957 USGS Wolfforth quadrangle1:62500
- 1958 USGS Brownfield quadrangle1:250000
- 1962 USGS Brownfield quadrangle1:250000
- 1976 USGS Wolfforth SW quadrangle1:24000
- 1985 USGS Levelland quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
- 1985 USGS Smyer quadrangle1:24000
Fires near this place
13 since 2009Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 13 fires within 5 miles of Smyer between 2009 and 2018, burning about 194 acres in total. None 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 |
|---|---|
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 4 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 4 |
| Debris and open burning | 3 |
| Smoking | 1 |
| Other causes | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 August 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 5.0 acres | Texas A & M Forest Service | 2011-93 |
| 25 August 2011 | Smoking | 2.0 acres | Texas A & M Forest Service | 2011-92 |
| 30 July 2018 | Equipment and vehicle use | 6.0 acres | Texas A & M Forest Service | 2018144 |
| 25 June 2018 | Equipment and vehicle use | under an acre | Texas A & M Forest Service | 2018110 |
| 22 June 2018 | Other causes | 1.0 acres | Texas A & M Forest Service | 2018108 |
| 23 March 2013 | Debris and open burning | 20 acres | Texas A & M Forest Service | 2013-23 |
| 23 February 2009 | Debris and open burning | 10 acres | Texas A & M Forest Service | 2009-18 |
| 22 February 2017 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Texas A & M Forest Service | 2017-25 |
Storms near this place
59 since 1994Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Smyer in 59 storm reports between 1994 and 2025: 34 hail, 16 thunderstorm wind, 6 tornado, 1 flood. The reports record 2 injuries. 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 2025 | Tornado (EF1) | Smyer | 2 hurt | An intense cyclic supercell thunderstorm produced a total of eight known tornadoes over portions of Cochran, Hockley, and Lubbock Counties. This was the sixth of the tornadoes. This tornado developed approximately three miles northeast of Smyer damaging or destroying multiple manufactured homes as it moved eastward before dissipating along the Hockley/Lubbock County line. At least two manufactured homes were rolled off their foundations and heavily damaged causing two injuries. |
| May 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Smyer | $70,000 | Strong thunderstorm wind destroyed a mobile home. An NWS storm survey indicated that wind gusts associated with this damage were likely in the 80 to 100 mph range. |
| May 1994 | Hail | Smyer | $50,000 | no account filed |
| June 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Smyer | $40,000 | Strong thunderstorm wind destroyed a mobile home. |
| March 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | Smyer | $10,000 | The Hockley County emergency manager forwarded a report of structural damage near the intersection of Nightingale and Deere Road in far eastern Hockley County. The roof to a well-constructed 60x75-foot metal barn was destroyed with debris strewn south for 1/4 mile. The time of the event was estimated. |
| May 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | Smyer | $5,000 | no account filed |
| May 1994 | Hail | Smyer | $5,000 | no account filed |
| June 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | Smyer | $1,000 | Strong thunderstorm wind removed numerous shingles from the roof of a house on Farm-to-Market Road 2130. |
| May 2014 | Tornado (EF0) | Smyer | $500 | Storm spotters and an off-duty NWS employee observed a seven minute tornado over rural land about seven miles southeast of Levelland. Although this tornado did destroy a small roof extension attached to an outbuilding, the construction of the roof was of low quality and therefore the tornado was assigned an EF0 rating. |
| October 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Smyer | $300 | A trampoline was damaged after being lofted over a fence and landing in a neighbor's yard. |
| April 2025 | Hail | Smyer | - | A nearly stationary supercell over northeastern Hockley County generated severe size hail for nearly two hours. Numerous reports were received from the public and storm chasers of hail ranging in size from quarters to baseball size. No damage was reported from the hail. |
| April 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Smyer | - | A Texas Tech University West Texas mesonet site in Smyer measured a wind gust to 64 mph. |
| June 2025 | Tornado (EF2) | Smyer | - | An intense cyclic supercell thunderstorm produced a total of eight known tornadoes over portions of Cochran, Hockley, and Lubbock Counties. This was the seventh of the tornadoes. This new tornado formed close to the termination of the previous tornado just before it dissipated. An NWS storm survey revealed that a manufactured home had been rolled off its foundation and completely destroyed resulting in the EF-2 rating. Additional damage to structures was found as far south as the intersection of Texas State Highway 114 and Farm to Market Road 2378 in Lubbock County. The tornado then dissipated in Lubbock County just north of Texas State Highway 114. |
| June 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Smyer | - | A Texas Tech University West Texas mesonet site in Smyer measured severe wind gusts from 1838 CST through 1857 CST. A peak wind gust of 109 mph was measured at 1846 CST. These winds were associated with a rear flank downdraft. |
| June 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Smyer | - | A Texas Tech University West Texas mesonet site in Anton measured a wind gust of 63 mph. |
| August 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Smyer | - | A Texas Tech University West Texas mesonet site in Smyer measured a severe wind gust of 69 mph. |
| November 2024 | Flash Flood | Smyer | - | Flash flooding was observed just east of Smyer along Texas State Highway 114 early in the morning of the 18th. Heavy rainfall from a line of thunderstorms produced a torrential amount of rainfall in a short period of time. |
| October 2023 | Hail | Smyer | - | A report from the public was received of hail up to two inches in diameter approximately three miles east of Smyer. No damage was reported. |
| June 2023 | Hail | Smyer | - | A trained spotter reported quarter size hail east of Smyer. |
| May 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Smyer | - | A Texas Tech University West Texas mesonet in Smyer measured severe wind gusts from 1940 CST through 1942 CST. A peak wind gust of 61 mph was measured at 1940 CST. Additionally, visibility was briefly near zero due to blowing dust in Smyer. |
| May 2022 | Hail | Smyer | - | A trained spotter reported quarter size hail two to three inches deep on the ground. |
| August 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Smyer | - | A Texas Tech University West Texas mesonet site in Smyer measured severe wind gusts from 1703 CST through 1713 CST. A peak wind gust of 65 mph was measured at 1704 CST. |
| May 2021 | Hail | Smyer | - | A storm chaser reported hail up to tennis ball size southwest of Smyer. No damage was reported. |
| May 2021 | Tornado (EFU) | Smyer | - | Numerous reports of a funnel cloud and a brief touchdown were received on a supercell just west of Wolfforth. The tornado briefly touched down in an open field in Hockley County just west of the Lubbock/Hockley County line. No damage was known from this tornado, therefore, a rating of EF-Unknown was assigned. |
| May 2020 | Hail | Smyer | - | A report of quarter size hail was received about two miles northwest of Smyer. |
| June 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Smyer | - | A Texas Tech University West Texas mesonet site near Smyer measured a peak wind gust of 71 mph at 2245 CST. Severe winds were measured from 2242 through 2252 CST. |
| March 2019 | Hail | Smyer | - | Reported on Farm-to-Market Road 1585. Damage information was not available. |
| May 2019 | Hail | Smyer | - | No damage was reported. |
| May 2019 | Hail | Smyer | - | Damage was not known. |
| June 2013 | Hail | Smyer | - | A Skywarn spotter reported quarter size hail near Smyer. |
| November 2011 | Hail | Smyer | - | The U.S. Post Office in Smyer estimated hail to the size of quarters. No damage was reported. |
| March 2011 | Hail | Smyer | - | Storm chasers reported golfball size hail near Smyer. No damage was reported. |
| May 2011 | Hail | Smyer | - | A trained spotter in Smyer reported very large two inch hail. No damage was reported. |
| June 2009 | Hail | Smyer | - | Post office employees reported golfball size hail in Smyer as a supercell thunderstorm moved westward into Hockley County from northwestern Lubbock County. No damage was reported. |
| June 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Smyer | - | A Texas Tech University West Texas Mesonet meteorologist estimated thunderstorm winds in excess of 60 mph along Farm to Market Road 168 south of Smyer. No damage was reported. |
| May 2008 | Tornado (EF0) | Smyer | - | A rope-shaped tornado was witnessed by several people north of Smyer just before 11:00 CST. The tornado reportedly remained in open fields near the Spade Ranch north of Texas Highway 114, and generally west of Farm to Market Road 168. Although the tornado may have actually crossed Farm to Market Road 168 before it dissipated, no damage was reported. |
| August 2008 | Hail | Smyer | - | Local newspapers reported that small hail caused minor damage to cotton crops just southeast of Smyer. Crop damages were reportedly light enough that crops were expected to generally recover by the end of the growing season. |
| June 2007 | Hail | Smyer | - | Hail up to three-quarters of an inch in diameter damaged a swath of cotton near the intersection of Farm to Market Roads 168 and 1294 north of Smyer. |
| August 2004 | Hail | Smyer | - | The public reported golfball size hail. |
| June 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Smyer | - | Strong thunderstorm winds snapped large tree limbs. |
| May 2001 | Hail | Smyer | - | Storm spotters reported golfball size hail. |
| May 2001 | Tornado (F0) | Smyer | - | Law enforcement officials reported a brief tornado touchdown in open country west of town. No NWS storm survey was conducted. |
| June 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | Smyer | - | Strong thunderstorm wind blew down several trees on Farm-to-Market Road 2130 about a mile north of Highway 114. |
| September 2017 | Hail | Smyer | - | no account filed |
| September 2016 | Funnel Cloud | Smyer | - | no account filed |
| July 2015 | Flood | Smyer | - | no account filed |
| April 2001 | Hail | Smyer | - | no account filed |
| April 2001 | Hail | Smyer | - | no account filed |
| April 2001 | Hail | Smyer | - | no account filed |
| May 2001 | Hail | Smyer | - | no account filed |
| May 2001 | Hail | Smyer | - | no account filed |
| August 2001 | Hail | Smyer | - | no account filed |
| June 1999 | Hail | Smyer | - | no account filed |
| May 1996 | Hail | Smyer | - | no account filed |
| June 1995 | Hail | Smyer | - | no account filed |
| June 1995 | Hail | Smyer | - | no account filed |
| May 1995 | Hail | Smyer | - | no account filed |
| June 1995 | Hail | Smyer | - | no account filed |
| June 1995 | Hail | Smyer | - | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Opdyke | 6.0 miles | 8 | |
| Opdyke West | 7.4 miles | 8 | |
| Arnett | 9.3 miles | 7 | |
| Levelland | 11.4 miles | 7 | |
| Ropesville | 11.8 miles | 9 | |
| Roundup | 12.8 miles | 10 | |
| Whitharral | 13.7 miles | 7 | |
| Clauene | 14.1 miles | 7 |
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 Smyer | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q973202 | 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 1368526. 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.






