Custer County, Oklahoma severe weather history spans 811 recorded events between 1950 and 2026. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 47.3% of all recorded events. It ranks #283 nationally and #29 in Oklahoma.
811
Recorded events
4
Direct deaths
23
Direct injuries
$41.3M
Property damage
The record
What the Custer County, Oklahoma severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Custer County, Oklahoma severe weather history averages 10.7 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 195 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 198 events fall before 1990 and 613 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Custer County, Oklahoma record is tornado, responsible for 4 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $37.4M in reported property damage. In total, 7 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Custer County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 384 | 0 | $70K | 4.75 | 1955–2026 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 329 | 0 | $3.5M | 87 | 1956–2026 |
| Tornado | 73 | 4 | $37.4M | F4 | 1950–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 19 | 0 | $260K | 0 | 1997–2023 |
| Lightning | 4 | 0 | $21K | 0 | 1996–2002 |
| Flood | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2022–2022 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2007–2007 |
Decade by decade
Custer 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: 67 touched down inside it and 8 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1967-06-10 | EF4 | 4 | 1 | 8.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 2001-10-09 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 11.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 1981-05-22 | EF3 | 0 | 12 | 10.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1971-06-07 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1962-05-25 | EF3 | 0 | 4 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-05-19 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 6.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2019-06-15 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 6.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2010-03-08 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 9.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 1985-04-22 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 8.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1981-05-22 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 10.4 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Custer County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 10, 1967 | Tornado | 4 | 1 | $250K | |
| May 23, 1981 | Tornado | 0 | 12 | $25.0M | |
| May 26, 1962 | Tornado | 0 | 4 | $250K | |
| Jun 7, 1994 | Tornado | Foss – | 0 | 2 | $5.0M |
| Mar 7, 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | WEATHERFORD | 0 | 1 | $240K |
| Sep 23, 1997 | Flash Flood | BUTLER | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Nov 15, 1988 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 1 | $0 | |
| Sep 9, 1985 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Widespread damage occurred in and around Custer county. A Cessna 152 airplane was flipped, with the nose gear of two more collapsing in Clinton. Three vehicles were blown over on Interstate 40. One of the drivers was injured. Numerous barns were destroyed from Clinton to Custer City, with the contents of the barns also severely damaged. Several buildings sustained roof damage. Superior Well Services had its roof completely blown off and the bait shop at Foss Lake destroyed. Hundreds of power poles and trees were blown down around Custer county. The top of a large grain bin Sentinel Farmer's Co-Op was destroyed and another grain bin sustained severe damage. The loading arm which feeds grain from the bin to railroad cars broke. Over 90,000 bushels of wheat were destroyed as a result of the damage. Monetary damages were estimated.
The strong winds damaged the roofs of several buildings and homes. One building was the United Grocery Store. The main roof damage was shingles blown off. Several carports were also blown over. Power lines were downed. A few semi-trucks were overturned on Interstate 40.
Three semis were overturned on Interstate 40, and one of the drivers was injured. Five thousand square feet of the roof at Walmart was blown off. Numerous homes and businesses had windows broken. A porch was destroyed, and a local fire department recorded a wind gusts of 88 mph, resulting in a broken glass door and roof damage. On the southeast side of Weatherford, road signs and power poles were downed, while on the east side of Weatherford, a trailer was overturned.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
28,259
Population (ACS)
$182K
Median home value
32
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 14, 2024 | Severe Storm | 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 |
| Dec 21, 2020 | Severe Ice Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | DR |
| Apr 5, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Weatherford 198
- Clinton 104
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Custer County, Oklahoma?
811 events are on record between 1950 and 2026, causing 4 direct deaths and $41.3M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Custer County?
Hail, with 384 recorded events — 47.3% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Custer County?
75 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 67 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Custer County?
32 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Custer County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Custer County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Custer County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 62 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Custer 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
- Creek County 1,035
- Delaware County 636
- Craig County 555
- Dewey County 635
- Cotton County 549
- Ellis County 752
Cite this page
“Custer County, Oklahoma.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/oklahoma/custer-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.