Delaware County, Oklahoma severe weather history spans 636 recorded events between 1954 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 42.1% of all recorded events. It ranks #502 nationally and #47 in Oklahoma.
636
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
29
Direct injuries
$20.2M
Property damage
The record
What the Delaware County, Oklahoma severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Delaware County, Oklahoma severe weather history averages 8.8 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 1990s, with 229 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 50 events fall before 1990 and 586 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Delaware County, Oklahoma record is flash flood, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $16.5M 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 Delaware County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 268 | 0 | $2.3M | 75 | 1983–2025 |
| Hail | 261 | 0 | $1.1M | 3 | 1961–2026 |
| Tornado | 65 | 0 | $16.5M | F3 | 1954–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 34 | 1 | $260K | 0 | 1996–2021 |
| Flood | 6 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2001–2019 |
| Lightning | 2 | 0 | $100K | 0 | 2001–2002 |
Decade by decade
Delaware County, Oklahoma severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
70 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 55 touched down inside it and 15 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-05-25 | EF3 | 0 | 2 | 7.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-05-22 | EF3 | 0 | 4 | 17.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2006-03-12 | EF3 | 0 | 12 | 25.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2006-03-12 | EF3 | 0 | 8 | 29.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1980-04-07 | EF3 | 0 | 4 | 24.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 1974-06-08 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 2.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 1970-10-08 | EF3 | 0 | 4 | 6.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 1959-05-09 | EF3 | 0 | 3 | 23.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 2019-05-22 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 16.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2019-05-20 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 21.0 mi | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Delaware County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 17, 2008 | Flash Flood | JAY | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| May 23, 2011 | Tornado | MOSELEY | 0 | 12 | $400K |
| Mar 13, 2006 | Tornado | LEACH | 0 | 8 | $3.0M |
| Apr 15, 2011 | Tornado | EUCHA | 0 | 3 | $100K |
| May 22, 2011 | Tornado | DENNIS | 0 | 2 | $1.0M |
| May 16, 2003 | Tornado | FLINT | 0 | 2 | $1.0M |
| May 9, 1989 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $250K | |
| Nov 15, 1987 | 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
Runoff from locally heavy rainfall resulted in the flooding of several low water crossings to the east and north of Jay. A man was drowned when he tried to drive through flood waters flowing through one of these low water crossings.
The first tornado, which touched down in northwestern Cherokee County, continued into southern Delaware County. Damage suggested the tornado widened and strengthened as it moved through southern Delaware County reaching a maximum width of around 1/4 of a mile. The tornado damaged 95 homes, destroying 42 of those homes. Five businesses were also damaged. Numerous trees were snapped or uprooted and about 100 power poles were downed, which resulted in more than 5000 people losing power as a result of the storm. The worst damage from this tornado was found from near Twin Oaks to about 4 miles west-southwest of Colcord. The tornado injured eight people.
This is the first of two segments of this tornado. The tornado developed about 2.5 miles west-southwest of Zena, moved east-northeast across Grand Lake and then south of Zena crossing Highway 59 just north of the intersection with Highway 127. Permanent homes were damaged, barns and outbuildings were destroyed, mobile homes were severely damaged, and large trees were snapped or uprooted. The intensity and width of the tornado increased east of Highway 59 where several permanent homes were severely damaged, two double wide mobile homes were destroyed with only small pieces of debris remaining hundreds of yards from the homesite, and many large trees were snapped or uprooted. This extent of damage continued to the state line where a permanent home was severely damaged, two mobile homes were destroyed, and a steel-framed building was destroyed. Two people were injured in the permanent home. Maximum estimated wind in the tornado based on this damage was about 140 mph. The tornado continued into McDonald County, Missouri for about another mile before dissipating.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
41,279
Population (ACS)
$175K
Median home value
33
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 14, 2024 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Jul 19, 2023 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND TORNADOES | 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 |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Grove 107
- Jay 101
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Delaware County, Oklahoma?
636 events are on record between 1954 and 2026, causing 1 direct deaths and $20.2M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Delaware County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 268 recorded events — 42.1% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Delaware County?
70 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 55 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Delaware County?
33 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Delaware County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Delaware County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Delaware County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 83 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Delaware 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
- Custer County 811
- Dewey County 635
- Creek County 1,035
- Ellis County 752
- Craig County 555
- Garfield County 1,243
Cite this page
“Delaware County, Oklahoma.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/oklahoma/delaware-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.