Beckham County, Oklahoma severe weather history spans 801 recorded events between 1950 and 2026. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 54.6% of all recorded events. It ranks #291 nationally and #30 in Oklahoma.
801
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
18
Direct injuries
$39.7M
Property damage
The record
What the Beckham County, Oklahoma severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Beckham County, Oklahoma severe weather history averages 10.5 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 202 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 163 events fall before 1990 and 638 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Beckham County, Oklahoma record is tornado, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $33.8M in reported property damage. In total, 8 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Beckham County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 437 | 0 | $6K | 4.5 | 1955–2026 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 256 | 0 | $4.9M | 78 | 1956–2026 |
| Tornado | 75 | 1 | $33.8M | F3 | 1950–2023 |
| Flash Flood | 17 | 0 | $882K | 0 | 1997–2019 |
| Lightning | 7 | 0 | $81K | 0 | 1997–1999 |
| Flood | 5 | 0 | $5K | 0 | 2016–2022 |
| Heavy Rain | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2007–2008 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2001–2001 |
Decade by decade
Beckham County, Oklahoma severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
75 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 72 touched down inside it and 3 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1955-05-25 | EF4 | 2 | 18 | 45.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 2007-05-05 | EF3 | 0 | 1 | 2.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2007-05-05 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 5.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2001-10-09 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 11.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1977-05-16 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 6.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1977-05-16 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 18.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1962-04-26 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 3.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-05-16 | EF2 | 1 | 10 | 18.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1982-05-16 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1968-04-02 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.4 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Beckham County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 16, 2017 | Tornado | CARTER | 1 | 10 | $25.0M |
| Jul 28, 1990 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 2 | $0 | |
| May 6, 2007 | Tornado | ERICK | 0 | 1 | $5.0M |
| Apr 15, 2003 | Tornado | MAYFIELD | 0 | 1 | $1.0M |
| May 4, 2001 | Flash Flood | ELK CITY | 0 | 1 | $30K |
| May 9, 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | SAYRE | 0 | 1 | $36K |
| Apr 25, 1980 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $250K | |
| May 5, 1959 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $3K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A tornado moved from 2 miles SSW to 0.5 miles SSE of Sweetwater causing major damage to portions of the Sweetwater school. A man received minor injuries when the trailer he was in rolled before coming to rest next to a fence. Several fence posts that had been cemented into the ground at the baseball field were uprooted and a forty foot by forty foot barn was destroyed.
The roof of the Lincoln Teen Center was mostly removed by the strong winds, with another sustaining major damage. Numerous trees were blown down and several dumpsters were blown over. High voltage transmission structures and power lines were blown down. The Holiday Inn sign was also blown down. Monetary damages were estimated.
A tornado was observed crossing State Highway 30 to the southwest of Erick. The tornado moved east-northeast and then northeast to the south and southeast of Erick. The Erick Fire Department observed damage to trees and a barn on E 1280 Road. As the tornado moved northeast, another barn was destroyed, and damage was observed to power poles and a pivot irrigator.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
22,148
Population (ACS)
$144K
Median home value
28
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 15, 2026 | Fire | 1170 ROAD FIRE | FM |
| Feb 24, 2021 | Severe Ice Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORMS | DR |
| Feb 17, 2021 | Severe Ice Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM |
| Apr 5, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Jun 1, 2019 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Elk City 173
- Erick 144
- Sayre 109
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Beckham County, Oklahoma?
801 events are on record between 1950 and 2026, causing 1 direct deaths and $39.7M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Beckham County?
Hail, with 437 recorded events — 54.6% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Beckham County?
75 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 72 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Beckham County?
28 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Beckham County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Beckham County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Beckham County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 58 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Beckham County, Oklahoma severe weather history data come from?
Every figure is drawn from United States federal public-domain records: NOAA/NCEI Storm Events for the event archive, NOAA SPC SVRGIS for mapped tornado paths, FEMA for disaster declarations and risk ratings, and the U.S. Census for population context. Dates are shown in UTC and recent entries may still be revised by NOAA.
Nearby
Neighbouring counties
- Beaver County 1,025
- Blaine County 560
- Atoka County 457
- Bryan County 619
- Alfalfa County 673
- Caddo County 1,302
Cite this page
“Beckham County, Oklahoma.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/oklahoma/beckham-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.