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Southern Sebastian; Craig; Ottawa; Haskell; Northern Le Flore; Northeast Osage; Central and Southern Sequoyah; Central Le Flore
Heat Advisory
Southern Sebastian; Craig; Ottawa; Haskell; Northern Le Flore; Northeast Osage; Central and Southern Sequoyah; Central Le Flore
Heat Advisory
Creek; Okfuskee; Latimer; Southern Le Flore
Le Flore County, Oklahoma severe weather history spans 1,253 recorded events between 1953 and 2026. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 43.7% of all recorded events. It ranks #71 nationally and #9 in Oklahoma.
1,253
Recorded events
21
Direct deaths
167
Direct injuries
$20.6M
Property damage
The record
What the Le Flore County, Oklahoma severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Le Flore County, Oklahoma severe weather history averages 17.2 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 349 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 135 events fall before 1990 and 1,118 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Le Flore County, Oklahoma record is tornado, responsible for 19 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $12.7M 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 Le Flore County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 548 | 0 | $4.3M | 3 | 1956–2026 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 466 | 0 | $2.5M | 87 | 1957–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 94 | 1 | $918K | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Tornado | 78 | 19 | $12.7M | F5 | 1953–2025 |
| Flood | 63 | 1 | $0 | 0 | 2008–2023 |
| Lightning | 2 | 0 | $145K | 0 | 2002–2005 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–1998 |
Decade by decade
Le Flore County, Oklahoma severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
82 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 75 touched down inside it and 7 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976-03-26 | EF5 | 2 | 64 | 11.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 1961-05-05 | EF4 | 16 | 58 | 26.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 1976-03-26 | EF4 | 1 | 4 | 10.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 1960-05-05 | EF3 | 1 | 0 | 23.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 1980-04-07 | EF3 | 0 | 9 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-04-28 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 8.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2015-05-25 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 15.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-05-24 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 12.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2009-04-09 | EF2 | 0 | 4 | 10.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2000-03-26 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 4.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Le Flore County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 5, 1961 | Tornado | 16 | 58 | $250K | |
| Mar 26, 1976 | Tornado | 2 | 64 | $2.5M | |
| Mar 26, 1976 | Tornado | 1 | 4 | $250K | |
| Jun 23, 2019 | Flash Flood | NEFF | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| May 10, 2015 | Flood | COAL CREEK | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Apr 7, 1980 | Tornado | 0 | 9 | $2.5M | |
| Nov 22, 1983 | Tornado | 0 | 6 | $2.5M | |
| Apr 10, 2009 | Tornado | (PGO)PAGE | 0 | 4 | $100K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The Poteau River near Panama rose above its flood stage of 29 feet at 2:15 am CDT on May 10th. The river crested at 43.54 feet at 1:00 am CDT on the 12th, resulting in major flooding. Very severe agricultural flooding occurred and many county roads were totally impassable. One flood-related fatality occurred at around 3:30 am CDT on the 11th near Spiro when a man tried to rescue cattle that had been inundated by flood waters. He drown and was found on May 13th. The river fell below flood stage at 11:30 pm CDT on the 15th.
Golfball-sized hail caused major damage in Poteau. Many cars had their windshields broken out, their mirrors and antennae knocked off, and some cars were dented so badly that it knocked off paint. The entire police fleet suffered dents. Roof damage on many buildings was considerable. State Farm Insurance alone had 800 building damage claims and 350 auto claims stemming from the storm. The awning on the Black Angus restaurant on Broadway was shredded by the force of the hail. State Farm reported $1.6 million in claims, and the Reed-Williams Insurance Company reported $1 million in claims two weeks after the storm, and more claims were still coming in. All in all, this was a historic hailstorm for Poteau.
A tornado touched down 1.5 miles northwest of Hodgen and moved southeast passing near the town of Hodgen before lifting 2 miles southeast of Hodgen. Three mobile homes were destroyed and as many as eight others were damaged. In addition, two broiler houses were destroyed, killing all the chickens inside.A few other agriculture structures were damaged and a few power lines were blown down.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
49,053
Population (ACS)
$136K
Median home value
32
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| Jun 1, 2019 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
| May 25, 2019 | Flood | FLOODING | EM |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Poteau 155
- Panama 130
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Le Flore County, Oklahoma?
1,253 events are on record between 1953 and 2026, causing 21 direct deaths and $20.6M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Le Flore County?
Hail, with 548 recorded events — 43.7% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Le Flore County?
82 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 75 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Le Flore County?
32 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Le Flore County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Le Flore County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Le Flore County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 83 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Le Flore 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
- Latimer County 440
- Lincoln County 816
- Kiowa County 1,071
- Logan County 796
- Kingfisher County 785
- Love County 455
Cite this page
“Le Flore County, Oklahoma.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/oklahoma/le-flore-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.