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Jackson County, Oklahoma severe weather history spans 1,135 recorded events between 1951 and 2026. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 53.5% of all recorded events. It ranks #93 nationally and #12 in Oklahoma.
1,135
Recorded events
4
Direct deaths
77
Direct injuries
$1.0B
Property damage
The record
What the Jackson County, Oklahoma severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Jackson County, Oklahoma severe weather history averages 15.1 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 243 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 272 events fall before 1990 and 863 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Jackson County, Oklahoma record is tornado, responsible for 4 direct deaths. The costliest is thunderstorm wind, with $763.3M 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 Jackson County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 607 | 0 | $4.0M | 4.5 | 1957–2026 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 406 | 0 | $763.3M | 87 | 1955–2026 |
| Tornado | 83 | 4 | $259.6M | F3 | 1951–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 26 | 0 | $75K | 0 | 1996–2024 |
| Lightning | 9 | 0 | $146K | 0 | 1996–2008 |
| Flood | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2014–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2007–2007 |
Decade by decade
Jackson County, Oklahoma severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
79 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 74 touched down inside it and 5 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011-11-07 | EF4 | 0 | 0 | 17.4 mi | Crossed in |
| 1954-05-01 | EF4 | 0 | 2 | 68.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 1982-05-11 | EF3 | 2 | 18 | 10.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2015-05-16 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 40.4 mi | Crossed in |
| 1982-05-11 | EF3 | 0 | 41 | 4.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1977-05-20 | EF3 | 0 | 3 | 10.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 1960-06-07 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 0.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1975-02-22 | EF2 | 2 | 8 | 5.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-05-23 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 15.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1983-05-12 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Jackson County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 11, 1982 | Tornado | 2 | 18 | $250K | |
| Feb 22, 1975 | Tornado | 2 | 8 | $250K | |
| May 11, 1982 | Tornado | 0 | 41 | $250.0M | |
| Feb 22, 1975 | Tornado | 0 | 4 | $250K | |
| May 20, 1977 | Tornado | 0 | 3 | $2.5M | |
| Oct 21, 2017 | Hail | HEADRICK | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Jun 4, 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | (LTS) Altus AFB | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Apr 3, 1957 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $25K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Substantial wind damage was reported in Altus. One hundred and seventy-nine homes sustained some kind of damage, with two destroyed, five with major damage, forty-three with minor damage, and one hundred twenty-nine affected. Seventeen businesses were damaged, with two destroyed, four with major damage, and eight with minor damage. One hundred and seventy power poles and numerous trees were blown down. Sixty percent of the town was without power at one point. Roof damage was reported to several buildings. Part of the roof at Altus Junior High caved in. Several buildings on East Broadway had roofs blown off or collapsed. Highway 62 was closed on the east side of town due to debris.. One injury was reported when a semi-truck was blown over injuring the driver. A train car also was overturned on the southeast side of town. No injuries were reported with it. Monetary damages were estimated.
Several tree limbs 6 inches in diameter blown down. Also, several trees 24 inches in diameter and a 50 foot HAM radio antenna were blown down. Two 35,000 bushel grain storage tanks were toppled by the high wind. The event lasted approximately 15 minutes. Monetary damages were estimated.
Altus emergency management reported three structures damaged by the strong winds. One mobile home in Headrick was destroyed. One house in Altus sustained roof damage, and a tin roof was torn off a barn on the southwest side of Altus. Monetary damages were estimated for the entire county.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
24,678
Population (ACS)
$158K
Median home value
30
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
- Altus 273
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Jackson County, Oklahoma?
1,135 events are on record between 1951 and 2026, causing 4 direct deaths and $1.0B in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Jackson County?
Hail, with 607 recorded events — 53.5% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Jackson County?
79 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 74 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Jackson County?
30 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Jackson County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Jackson County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Jackson County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 86 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Jackson 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
- Hughes County 421
- Jefferson County 535
- Haskell County 445
- Johnston County 478
- Harper County 611
- Kay County 1,268
Cite this page
“Jackson County, Oklahoma.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/oklahoma/jackson-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.