Dewey County, Oklahoma severe weather history spans 635 recorded events between 1950 and 2026. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 52.8% of all recorded events. It ranks #504 nationally and #48 in Oklahoma.
635
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
7
Direct injuries
$1.5M
Property damage
The record
What the Dewey County, Oklahoma severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Dewey County, Oklahoma severe weather history averages 8.4 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 179 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 144 events fall before 1990 and 491 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is tornado, with $762K 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 Dewey County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 335 | 0 | $202K | 4.75 | 1956–2026 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 232 | 0 | $498K | 86 | 1956–2025 |
| Tornado | 54 | 0 | $762K | F3 | 1950–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 8 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–2019 |
| Heavy Rain | 4 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2007–2008 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $2K | 0 | 2000–2000 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1997–1997 |
Decade by decade
Dewey County, Oklahoma severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
53 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 49 touched down inside it and 4 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011-05-24 | EF3 | 1 | 2 | 13.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2002-04-17 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 8.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2007-05-05 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 16.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1984-10-31 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 6.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1982-05-15 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1977-08-02 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 8.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1972-04-19 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 15.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1961-05-04 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1955-05-25 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 5.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1954-04-29 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 33.3 mi | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Dewey County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 16, 1980 | Tornado | 0 | 3 | $250K | |
| May 7, 1965 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $25K | |
| Jul 2, 1956 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $0 | |
| May 26, 1955 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $25K | |
| May 17, 1950 | 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
Relayed images courtesy of the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management show significant thunderstorm wind damage at this location. The roof of a log cabin was blown off along with additional significant roof and siding damage to nearby outbuildings. The event time is estimated from radar observations.
The roof was ripped off a grain elevator with the rest of the structure collapsing in on itself. Downed trees and power lines caused a brief closing of Highway 34. Large tree limbs fell onto two vehicles. Several large trees were also uprooted. One tree was split.
Relayed images courtesy of the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management show widespread thunderstorm wind damage in the community of Leedey. This included numerous large trees snapped or uprooted along with roof damage to at least one building. The location is approximate, and the event time is estimated from radar observations.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
4,360
Population (ACS)
$134K
Median home value
35
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 22, 2026 | Fire | JUMPING JUNIPER FIRE | FM |
| Mar 14, 2025 | Fire | 840 ROAD FIRE | FM |
| 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 |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Dewey County, Oklahoma?
635 events are on record between 1950 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths and $1.5M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Dewey County?
Hail, with 335 recorded events — 52.8% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Dewey County?
53 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 49 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Dewey County?
35 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Dewey County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Dewey County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Dewey County as very low risk, placing it in the 16 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Dewey 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
- Delaware County 636
- Ellis County 752
- Custer County 811
- Garfield County 1,243
- Creek County 1,035
- Garvin County 768
Cite this page
“Dewey County, Oklahoma.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/oklahoma/dewey-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.