McClain County, Oklahoma severe weather history spans 773 recorded events between 1953 and 2026. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 53.9% of all recorded events. It ranks #318 nationally and #35 in Oklahoma.
773
Recorded events
5
Direct deaths
115
Direct injuries
$30.5M
Property damage
The record
What the McClain County, Oklahoma severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, McClain County, Oklahoma severe weather history averages 10.6 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 1990s, with 173 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 152 events fall before 1990 and 621 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the McClain County, Oklahoma record is tornado, responsible for 4 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $27.8M in reported property damage. In total, 8 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in McClain County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 417 | 0 | $0 | 5.5 | 1955–2026 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 232 | 0 | $1.7M | 104 | 1956–2025 |
| Tornado | 84 | 4 | $27.8M | F4 | 1953–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 30 | 1 | $485K | 0 | 2000–2025 |
| Lightning | 6 | 0 | $475K | 0 | 1998–2020 |
| Flood | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2022–2023 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2004–2004 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2007–2007 |
Decade by decade
McClain County, Oklahoma severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
91 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 77 touched down inside it and 14 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999-05-03 | EF5 | 36 | 583 | 37.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2013-05-20 | EF5 | 24 | 212 | 13.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-05-24 | EF4 | 1 | 48 | 33.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 2011-05-24 | EF4 | 0 | 61 | 23.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 1973-11-19 | EF3 | 5 | 36 | 24.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2023-04-19 | EF3 | 1 | 2 | 10.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-04-27 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 4.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2023-02-26 | EF2 | 0 | 12 | 26.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2022-12-13 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 4.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 1998-10-04 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 5.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in McClain County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 20, 1973 | Tornado | 2 | 18 | $2.5M | |
| May 4, 1999 | Tornado | BLANCHARD | 1 | 17 | $10.0M |
| Apr 20, 2023 | Tornado | DIBBLE | 1 | 2 | $4.0M |
| May 20, 2015 | Flash Flood | COLE | 1 | 0 | $30K |
| May 24, 2011 | Tornado | CRINER | 0 | 61 | $0 |
| May 20, 2013 | Tornado | NEWCASTLE | 0 | 5 | $0 |
| May 3, 1991 | Tornado | 0 | 3 | $25K | |
| May 25, 1997 | Tornado | PURCELL | 0 | 2 | $900K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The third tornado of the outbreak, the Cole-Goldsby Tornado, was the most destructive of the outbreak. The multiple-vortex tornado touched down near Rockwell Avenue south of 260th Street and moved in an erratic path, generally east and east-northeast through Cole. Many homes and mobile homes were damaged or destroyed near and in Cole. A man was killed in a destroyed mobile home in the far western portion of Cole. A woman was injured in a nearby mobile home, but died of a heart attack on the way to the hospital (indirect fatality). EF3 rated damage was found to at least three homes on Portland Avenue and Main Street in Cole with most exterior walls removed.||After moving through Cole and crossing State Highway 74B, the tornado continued to move northeast, then becoming narrower and turning northerly as it past 290th Street/Chestnut Road, moving between Western Avenue and Santa Fe Avenue just west of the town of Goldsby and dissipating before reaching State Highway 9. It continued to produce roof damage (up to EF2) to homes and tree damage.
News 9 reports high water swept a vehicle into Walnut Creek near Cole. Some individuals were successfully rescued, but one man was unable to escape and ultimately perished in the flood waters. The vehicle was swept away near Highway 74B and May Ave north of Cole.
This tornado touched down in the northern part of Blanchard and moved north-northeast. The tornado initially was EF0 producing some tree limb damage and damage to one house near Northeast 40th Street and Rockwall. After crossing the Norman Spur of the Bailey Turnpike and moving into Newcastle, EF1 damage was noted to trees and homes as it moved through neighborhoods in Newcastle north of SW 24th Avenue. Newcastle Elementary School received significant roof damage as the tornado continued to move north just west of U.S. Highway 62. The tornado finally dissipated in north Newcastle to the northwest of US-62 and Northwest 16th Street.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
45,273
Population (ACS)
$256K
Median home value
44
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 22, 2026 | Fire | DIBBLE CREEK FIRE | FM |
| Apr 30, 2024 | Tornado | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Apr 24, 2023 | Tornado | 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 |
| Dec 21, 2020 | Severe Ice Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Newcastle 180
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in McClain County, Oklahoma?
773 events are on record between 1953 and 2026, causing 5 direct deaths and $30.5M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in McClain County?
Hail, with 417 recorded events — 53.9% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed McClain County?
91 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 77 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover McClain County?
44 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include McClain County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is McClain County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates McClain County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 63 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the McClain 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
- Love County 455
- McCurtain County 1,037
- Logan County 796
- McIntosh County 674
- Lincoln County 816
- Major County 595
Cite this page
“McClain County, Oklahoma.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/oklahoma/mcclain-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.