BlockBefore

Vernon, Texas

9 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1955 and the latest in 1986. It stands in the Vernon census division. It lies in ZIP code area 76384. The Survey maps it on the Vernon quadrangle. 10,078 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 1,184 feet above sea level.

Research this city

Vernon within Wilbarger County

On record in Vernon

Buildings and businesses the archive holds for this place. Each opens its own page, with the source record it came from.

On the National Register 1 record

Population over time

2 figures

Vernon fell from 11,002 to 10,078 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.

YearPeople Change
201011,002
202010,078-924 (-8%)

Topographic sheets covering this place

4 surveys from 9 printed sheets

Matched 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.

Fires near this place

60 since 2008

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 60 fires within 5 miles of Vernon between 2008 and 2018, burning about 689 acres in total. 2 started naturally. 6 were 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/undetermined21
Equipment and vehicle use9
Debris and open burning8
Power generation/transmission/distribution8
Arson/incendiarism6
Smoking4
Misuse of fire by a minor2
Natural2

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
5 September 2011Power generation/transmission/distribution1.0 acresTexas A & M Forest ServiceTEXAS ST.
9 August 2012Missing data/not specified/undetermined5.0 acresTexas A & M Forest ServiceMETHVIN FIRE
6 August 2011Power generation/transmission/distribution1.0 acresTexas A & M Forest ServiceBISMARCK ST
5 August 2011Equipment and vehicle use5.0 acresTexas A & M Forest ServiceSUMMEROUR ROAD
25 August 2014Equipment and vehicle use1.0 acresTexas A & M Forest ServiceHWY 287 #6
24 August 2018Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreTexas A & M Forest Service18109
20 August 2011Missing data/not specified/undetermined1.0 acresTexas A & M Forest ServiceYAMPARIKA ST
14 August 2011Missing data/not specified/undetermined200 acresTexas A & M Forest ServiceM A TO VERNON F D (MINTS)

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Wilbarger County

Storms near this place

60 of 157 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Vernon in 157 storm reports between 1993 and 2026: 87 hail, 53 thunderstorm wind, 9 flash flood, 4 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.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
September 1995Thunderstorm WindVernon$5,000,000Severe thunderstorm winds in Vernon in Wilbarger County blew out all of the windows and removed a large part of the roof of the administrative offices and gymnasium of a state hospital. Damage to the facilities was estimated at $1 to 2 million dollars. A mobile home was also destroyed and at least 14 utility poles were blown down. In Foard County severe thunderstorm winds downed two-inch tree limbs in Thalia.
June 2004Thunderstorm WindVernon$1,000,000Strong wind gusts caused heavy damage at the Wilbarger County Airport. Eleven hangers were damaged as well as nine aircraft. Seven of these aircraft were considered total losses.
June 2004Thunderstorm WindVernon$150,000Some structural damage was reported around town.
August 2006Thunderstorm WindVernon$50,000The local high school sustained some roof damage. Some highway signs and trees were also downed.
May 2001Thunderstorm WindVernon$50,000Two hangars and 6 airplanes sustained damage.
September 1995Thunderstorm WindVernon$50,000A severe thunderstorm in Wilbarger County downed power lines, blew part of the roof off a business, and destroyed outbuildings three miles south of Vernon. Lightning struck, ignited, and destroyed two mobile homes in Henrietta in Clay County.
May 1999Thunderstorm WindVernon$40,000no account filed
August 1996Thunderstorm WindVernon$35,000no account filed
September 2016Heavy RainVernon$30,000Roof collapsed due to heavy rain. 2 to 3 inches of rain was reported. Debris caused damage to a second building as well.
July 2023Thunderstorm WindVernon$20,000Image showing a large section of a metal roof facade removed from a motel building. Time is radar estimated.
June 2003Thunderstorm WindVernon$15,000Numerous tree limbs were downed. An apartment building sustained roof damage.
June 2007Thunderstorm WindVernon$13,000Several large trees and power lines downed. Monetary damages were estimated.
July 2004Thunderstorm WindVernon$10,000A hangar at the Wilbarger County airport was heavily damaged.
May 2001Thunderstorm WindVernon$10,000A ninety-two mph wind gust was measured at the Wilbarger Auditorium. Twenty-seven trees were downed at Hill Crest Country Club.
May 1999Thunderstorm WindVernon$10,000no account filed
May 1999Flash FloodVernon$10,000no account filed
June 2008Thunderstorm WindVernon$8,000Highway 287 had to be closed due to transmission lines lying over the roadway. Monetary damages were estimated.
August 2008Thunderstorm WindVernon$8,000The wind gust caused minor roof damage, as well as minor tree and power line damage. Monetary damages were estimated.
June 2007Thunderstorm WindVernon$8,000One tree was blown over with other trees having limbs blown down. A couple windows in a store were blown out and an awning was blown over a house. Monetary damages were estimated.
July 1997Thunderstorm WindVernon$7,000Severe thunderstorm winds downed trees, blew plate glass windows out of a hotel, and blew the roof off the bathrooms at the city park. Power lines were blown down, and several large tree limbs were broken. One large limb landed on a car, breaking out all of the car's windows.
May 1999Thunderstorm WindVernon$7,000no account filed
July 2020Thunderstorm WindVernon$5,000RV trailers flipped over.
April 2012Thunderstorm WindVernon$3,000Power lines were downed near the corner of CR 134 E and Highway 183.
May 2000Thunderstorm WindVernon$2,500Several utility poles were downed in the 2600 block of Wheeler, and road signs were blown over.
April 2003Thunderstorm WindVernon$2,000Some minor damage to buildings and awnings along with a few broken windows.
July 2015Thunderstorm WindVernon$1,000Power lines downed by winds.
May 1998Thunderstorm WindVernon$600no account filed
March 2015Thunderstorm WindVernon$500At least one tree blown down.
April 1999Thunderstorm WindVernon$500Several traffic lights were downed by thunderstorm winds in downtown Vernon.
May 1996HailVernon$500no account filed
November 1998LightningVernon$200no account filed
November 1998Thunderstorm WindVernon$200no account filed
June 1997Thunderstorm WindVernon$100Severe thunderstorm winds gusted up to 70 mph at the Wilbarger County Airport just north of Vernon. In town, trees and limbs throughout Vernon were damaged or blown down.
June 2002Thunderstorm WindVernon$10Eight inch diameter tree limbs were downed.
April 2026HailVernon-The report was relayed through mPING.
June 2021Thunderstorm WindVernon-Two inch tree limbs broken off of tree.
May 2021Thunderstorm WindVernon-Small limbs snapped off of trees.
May 2020Thunderstorm WindVernon-Large limb downed, video on social media.
May 2020HailVernon-Mping report.
May 2018Tornado (EFU)Vernon-A storm chaser observed a tornado north of Vernon. No damage is known to have occurred and the time and location are estimated.
May 2018Thunderstorm WindVernon-Billboard blown over along US-287, and large trees were damaged at Eastview Cemetery. Time estimated by Radar.
May 2018Flash FloodVernon-Streets flooded and vehicles stranded in high water.
March 2017Flash FloodVernon-Road was closed due to flooding.
March 2017Flash FloodVernon-City streets were flooded.
May 2017Flash FloodVernon-Flash flooding reported over highway 183 south of Vernon.
May 2015Tornado (EF0)Vernon-A storm chaser and a law enforcement officer reported a brief tornado estimated to be 10 miles west-northwest of Vernon. No damage was reported.
September 2012HailVernon-Emergency manager reported 2.5 inch hail.
September 2012HailVernon-Emergency manager reported 1 inch hail.
September 2012HailVernon-Emergency manager reported 2 inch hail. Reports of 1.25 inch and 1.75 inch hail were also received within Vernon city limits between 7:06 and 7:11pm CST.
April 2009HailVernon-The hail was reported at the intersection of Highway 287 and Farm Road 925.
April 2009HailVernon-Golfball-size hail was reported on Highway 287 on the north side of Vernon. The hail was covering the roadway.
April 2009HailVernon-Golfball- to tennis ball-size hail was reported.
June 2007Flash FloodVernon-HWY 283 was closed due to high water.
June 2007Flash FloodVernon-US 287 near Oklaunion, US 70 between Oklaunion and the Red River Bridge, and the intersection of US 70 and FM 2073 west of Lockett were closed due to high water.
June 2006HailVernon-Hail report gathered by the NSSL Severe Hail Verification Experiment (SHAVE).
June 2006HailVernon-Hail report gathered by the NSSL Severe Hail Verification Experiment (SHAVE).
June 2006HailVernon-Hail report gathered by the NSSL Severe Hail Verification Experiment (SHAVE).
August 2006FloodVernon-During the late afternoon and early evening hours of August 26, thunderstorms produced locally heavy rainfall amounts over parts of western north Texas. Storm total accumulations of 2.5 to 4.5 inches were reported in the Vernon area, and some of the subsequent runoff produced brief, shallow flooding north of Vernon. At approximately 1700 CST, shallow runoff up to 4 inches in depth covered U.S. Highway 283 at a location four miles north of Vernon, TX near the Wilbarger County Airport, but the flooding lasted for only an hour.
May 2005HailVernon-Hail reported at the intersection of Highway 287 and Highway 70.
May 2005HailVernon-Hail was observed on the southwest side of town.

Every storm recorded in Wilbarger County

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 PlaceDistance Sheets
Hinds3.1 miles9
Oklaunion6.7 miles9
Lockett7.8 miles10
Tolbert8.3 miles10
White City9.6 miles9
Fargo9.7 miles9
Farmers Valley10.2 miles10
Northside10.5 miles9

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 VernonAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q979546The 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 1370623. 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.