Windthorst, Texas
7 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1954 and the latest in 1985. It stands in the Archer City census division. It lies in ZIP code area 76389. The Survey maps it on the Windthorst quadrangle. 342 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 1,033 feet above sea level.
Population over time
2 figuresWindthorst fell from 409 to 342 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 | 409 | |
| 2020 | 342 | -67 (-16%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
4 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 Wichita Falls quadrangle1:250000, 3 printings
- 1958 USGS Wichita Falls quadrangle1:250000
- 1962 USGS Windthorst quadrangle1:24000
- 1985 USGS Wichita Falls quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
Fires near this place
89 since 2006Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 89 fires within 5 miles of Windthorst between 2006 and 2020, burning about 2,002 acres in total. 12 started naturally. 2 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/undetermined | 25 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 23 |
| Debris and open burning | 19 |
| Natural | 12 |
| Power generation/transmission/distribution | 7 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 2 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 September 2019 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Texas A & M Forest Service | FUEL FIRE |
| 22 September 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | Texas A & M Forest Service | RAHT ROAD FIRE |
| 16 September 2013 | Natural | 10 acres | Texas A & M Forest Service | VEITENHEIMER ROAD |
| 13 September 2013 | Natural | 200 acres | Texas A & M Forest Service | S OF WINDTHORST |
| 12 September 2017 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 1.0 acres | Texas A & M Forest Service | CONRADY FM 174 FIRE |
| 8 August 2018 | Natural | 30 acres | Texas A & M Forest Service | 172 ABERNATHY FIRE |
| 7 August 2018 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | Texas A & M Forest Service | PENNARTZ AND PEYSAN RD FIRE |
| 7 August 2013 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Texas A & M Forest Service | FM 172 |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Storms near this place
60 of 75 shownRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Windthorst in 75 storm reports between 1993 and 2024: 55 hail, 11 thunderstorm wind, 5 tornado, 2 funnel cloud. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2000 | Hail | Windthorst | $250,000 | no account filed |
| May 2000 | Hail | Windthorst | $250,000 | no account filed |
| August 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Windthorst | $150,000 | Minor structural damage in Windthorst with numerous downed trees and power lines and poles. |
| May 2023 | Flash Flood | Windthorst | $10,000 | Vehicles stranded near Windthorst. |
| May 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Windthorst | $10,000 | The Windthorst High School gymnasium had significant roof damage from thunderstorm winds. A greenhouse was also destroyed at the school, and a nearby barbecue restaurant sustained roof damage on the southwest side of the building. |
| June 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Windthorst | $1,000 | Thunderstorm winds uprooted trees and blew down power lines along Highway 281. |
| August 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Windthorst | $500 | Several damaged signs and no power in town. |
| October 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Windthorst | $10 | Large tree limbs were downed. |
| May 2024 | Hail | Windthorst | - | Relayed by amateur radio. |
| May 2024 | Tornado (EF1) | Windthorst | - | This tornado was observed by many storm spotters and storm chasers. It developed on the northeast edge of Windthorst damaging trees along Zihlman Road. Otherwise it moved northeast crossing into Clay County just south of Veitenheimer Road. |
| April 2020 | Hail | Windthorst | - | Time estimate from radar. |
| June 2019 | Flash Flood | Windthorst | - | Water flowing over Munchrath road. |
| May 2017 | Tornado (EFU) | Windthorst | - | A tornado was observed southwest of Windthorst by the Windthorst Fire Department and a university chase team. No damage was reported and the location is estimated. |
| May 2015 | Tornado (EF0) | Windthorst | - | A tornado was observed in far southeastern Archer County approximately 11 miles south of Windthorst. No damage was reported. |
| May 2015 | Hail | Windthorst | - | No damage reported. |
| May 2013 | Hail | Windthorst | - | Quarter size hail reported. |
| March 2013 | Hail | Windthorst | - | No damage information was available. |
| May 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Windthorst | - | Minor damage occurred along Highway 281 in Windthorst. Monetary damage estimates were not available. |
| July 2007 | Funnel Cloud | Windthorst | - | The funnel cloud was reported just west of Windthorst, lasting about 1 minute. |
| August 1997 | Tornado (F0) | Windthorst | - | An F0 tornado touched down in an open field about 1/2 mile west of Highway 16. It was on the ground for about 3 minutes and did no reported damage. |
| August 1997 | Tornado (F0) | Windthorst | - | An F0 tornado touched down briefly about 1/5 miles west of Highway 16. No damage was reported. |
| May 1994 | Hail | Windthorst | - | Thunderstorms in the western part of North Texas during the afternoon and evening hours on the 29th produced one tornado and hail up to baseball-size. A tornado touched down five miles southwest of Scotland at 1630 CST. This F0 tornado occurred in an open field and no damage was reported. |
| May 1994 | Hail | Windthorst | - | Thunderstorms in the western part of North Texas during the afternoon and evening hours on the 29th produced one tornado and hail up to baseball-size. A tornado touched down five miles southwest of Scotland at 1630 CST. This F0 tornado occurred in an open field and no damage was reported. |
| April 1994 | Hail | Windthorst | - | Thunderstorms in the western part of north Texas during the late morning and early afternoon hours on the 25th produced hail up to baseball size. |
| August 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | Windthorst | - | Severe thunderstorms across Clay and Archer Counties produced hail up to golfball size and isolated wind damage. Power poles were reported downed 9 miles south of Windthorst |
| August 1994 | Hail | Windthorst | - | Severe thunderstorms across Clay and Archer Counties produced hail up to golfball size and isolated wind damage. Power poles were reported downed 9 miles south of Windthorst |
| August 1994 | Hail | Windthorst | - | Severe thunderstorms across Clay and Archer Counties produced hail up to golfball size and isolated wind damage. Power poles were reported downed 9 miles south of Windthorst |
| May 2017 | Hail | Windthorst | - | no account filed |
| May 2015 | Hail | Windthorst | - | no account filed |
| April 2013 | Hail | Windthorst | - | no account filed |
| April 2013 | Hail | Windthorst | - | no account filed |
| February 2012 | Hail | Windthorst | - | no account filed |
| May 2011 | Hail | Windthorst | - | no account filed |
| May 2011 | Hail | Windthorst | - | no account filed |
| March 2006 | Hail | Windthorst | - | no account filed |
| May 2006 | Hail | Windthorst | - | no account filed |
| May 2006 | Hail | Windthorst | - | no account filed |
| July 2005 | Hail | Windthorst | - | no account filed |
| July 2005 | Hail | Windthorst | - | no account filed |
| July 2005 | Hail | Windthorst | - | no account filed |
| July 2005 | Hail | Windthorst | - | no account filed |
| July 2005 | Hail | Windthorst | - | no account filed |
| July 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Windthorst | - | no account filed |
| June 2004 | Hail | Windthorst | - | no account filed |
| June 2004 | Hail | Windthorst | - | no account filed |
| June 2004 | Hail | Windthorst | - | no account filed |
| April 2003 | Hail | Windthorst | - | no account filed |
| June 2003 | Hail | Windthorst | - | no account filed |
| April 2002 | Hail | Windthorst | - | no account filed |
| February 2001 | Hail | Windthorst | - | no account filed |
| May 2001 | Hail | Windthorst | - | no account filed |
| May 2001 | Hail | Windthorst | - | no account filed |
| May 2001 | Hail | Windthorst | - | no account filed |
| May 2001 | Funnel Cloud | Windthorst | - | no account filed |
| May 2001 | Hail | Windthorst | - | no account filed |
| March 2000 | Hail | Windthorst | - | no account filed |
| May 2000 | Hail | Windthorst | - | no account filed |
| May 2000 | Hail | Windthorst | - | no account filed |
| May 2000 | Hail | Windthorst | - | no account filed |
| May 2000 | Hail | Windthorst | - | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scotland | 6.1 miles | 8 | |
| Archer City | 10.1 miles | 9 | |
| Luke Wilson | 11.5 miles | 9 | |
| Anarene | 13.7 miles | 7 | |
| Dads Corner | 17.8 miles | 9 | |
| Lakeside City | 18.3 miles | 10 | |
| Hartex | 21.1 miles | 8 | |
| Holliday | 21.5 miles | 8 |
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 Windthorst | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q974958 | 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 1371789. 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.



