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Coal County, Oklahoma severe weather history spans 270 recorded events between 1950 and 2025. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 55.6% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,965 nationally and #77 in Oklahoma.
270
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
8
Direct injuries
$7.2M
Property damage
The record
What the Coal County, Oklahoma severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Coal County, Oklahoma severe weather history averages 3.6 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 1990s, with 83 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 47 events fall before 1990 and 223 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Coal County, Oklahoma record is tornado, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is hail, with $5.5M in reported property damage. In total, 6 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Coal County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 150 | 0 | $5.5M | 4 | 1974–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 68 | 0 | $453K | 70 | 1977–2025 |
| Tornado | 31 | 1 | $1.2M | F3 | 1950–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 18 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2002–2020 |
| Lightning | 2 | 0 | $2K | 0 | 1998–2017 |
| Flood | 1 | 1 | $20K | 0 | 2015–2015 |
Decade by decade
Coal County, Oklahoma severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
32 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 29 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016-05-09 | EF3 | 1 | 0 | 9.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 1992-05-11 | EF3 | 0 | 1 | 12.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2001-04-11 | EF2 | 1 | 1 | 13.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2001-04-11 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 14.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 1992-05-11 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 10.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1981-05-13 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 4.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1963-03-18 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1954-07-23 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1950-04-28 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2025-04-19 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Coal County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 11, 2001 | Tornado | COALGATE | 1 | 1 | $75K |
| May 11, 2015 | Flood | TUPELO | 1 | 0 | $20K |
| May 18, 2019 | Tornado | COTTONWOOD | 0 | 3 | $25K |
| Apr 26, 1994 | Hail | Bromide | 0 | 3 | $5.0M |
| May 11, 1992 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $250K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
This tornado formed 4 miles southeast of Coalgate and tracked northeastward for 8 miles before crossing into northwest Atoka County at 0434 CST (See following entry for information about the Atoka County segment). The tornado then continued for another 5 miles before dissipating at 0440 CST. In Coal County, 1 fatalilty and injuries to another person occurred when a mobile home was thrown approximately 200 yards and disintegrated 4 miles east of Coalgate. In addition, a well-constructed frame home suffered severe roof damage and exterior wall damage in extreme eastern Coal County.
Flooding occurred following several rounds of heavy rainfall. One fatality occurred when a truck stalled in floodwater and the occupant attempted to get out of the vehicle. The individual was swept away and perished. The incident occurred near Norfleet Rd and county road 3170 in rural Coal county.
This tornado formed in Pontotoc County and crossed into Coal County at approximately 0349 CST, then re-entered Pontotoc County at approximately 0356 CST. Nineteen power transmission towers, 3 for major trunk power lines, were downed across this area.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
5,320
Population (ACS)
$116K
Median home value
27
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 30, 2024 | Tornado | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
| 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 |
| Jul 12, 2019 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Coal County, Oklahoma?
270 events are on record between 1950 and 2025, causing 2 direct deaths and $7.2M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Coal County?
Hail, with 150 recorded events — 55.6% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Coal County?
32 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 29 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Coal County?
27 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Coal County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Coal County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Coal County as very low risk, placing it in the 32 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Coal 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
- Cleveland County 1,561
- Comanche County 1,405
- Cimarron County 529
- Cotton County 549
- Choctaw County 420
- Craig County 555
Cite this page
“Coal County, Oklahoma.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/oklahoma/coal-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.