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North and Central Sebastian; Southern Crawford; Central and Southern Franklin; Pushmataha; Choctaw; Washington; Nowata; Tulsa; Rogers; Mayes; Okmulgee; Wagoner; Muskogee; McIntosh; Pittsburg; Southeast Osage
Mayes County, Oklahoma severe weather history spans 831 recorded events between 1950 and 2026. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 41.0% of all recorded events. It ranks #265 nationally and #26 in Oklahoma.
831
Recorded events
7
Direct deaths
36
Direct injuries
$50.2M
Property damage
The record
What the Mayes County, Oklahoma severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Mayes County, Oklahoma severe weather history averages 10.9 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 1990s, with 216 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 96 events fall before 1990 and 735 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Mayes County, Oklahoma record is tornado, responsible for 3 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $45.5M 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 Mayes County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 341 | 0 | $1.3M | 4.5 | 1959–2026 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 325 | 1 | $2.5M | 88 | 1963–2026 |
| Tornado | 92 | 3 | $45.5M | F3 | 1950–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 56 | 1 | $731K | 0 | 1996–2023 |
| Flood | 9 | 1 | $0 | 0 | 2009–2022 |
| Lightning | 7 | 1 | $190K | 0 | 1998–2023 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1999–1999 |
Decade by decade
Mayes County, Oklahoma severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
92 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 79 touched down inside it and 13 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 | 2 | 23 | 23.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 1974-06-08 | EF3 | 2 | 80 | 63.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 1980-04-07 | EF3 | 0 | 4 | 24.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1974-06-08 | EF3 | 0 | 42 | 48.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 1959-05-09 | EF3 | 0 | 3 | 23.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-08-10 | EF2 | 1 | 2 | 5.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2010-05-13 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 8.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 1993-04-24 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 4.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1990-05-15 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 8.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1986-04-07 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 5.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Mayes County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 26, 2024 | Tornado | PRYOR | 2 | 4 | $5.0M |
| Aug 5, 2023 | Lightning | SPAVINAW | 1 | 3 | $0 |
| Aug 10, 2011 | Tornado | LOCUST GROVE | 1 | 2 | $0 |
| Jul 24, 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | CHOUTEAU | 1 | 1 | $15K |
| May 1, 2009 | Flood | PRYOR | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 20, 1999 | Flash Flood | COUNTYWIDE | 1 | 0 | $150K |
| Jun 9, 1974 | Tornado | 0 | 7 | $25.0M | |
| Apr 30, 1985 | Tornado | 0 | 3 | $250K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
This is the second segment of a two-segment tornado. The tornado moved into Mayes County at about the W 470 Road, and continued to produce significant damage, snapping many trees at the county line. As it moved east-southeast, the tornado destroyed a mobile home less than a mile east of the county line, where two fatalities and four injuries occurred. The tornado destroyed several homes near the N 428 Road, about four miles northwest of Pryor, and then dissipated about two miles northwest of Pryor. In total, about 60 homes were damaged, eighteen of which were destroyed, more than 50 outbuildings were destroyed, and many power poles were blown down. Based on this damage, maximum estimated wind in this segment of the tornado was 145 to 155 mph.
Radar estimates of 4 to 8 inches of rain in Mayes County centered near Adair caused major flash flooding. The county emergency manager said in media reports that it was the worst flooding he had seen in his 30 years in that position.Flooding forced the closing of US Hwy 69 2 miles north of Adair and OK Hwy 28 near Adair. Between 630 and 700 AM CDT, a 53-year old man drowned when his car was washed away by eight-foot deep floodwaters flowing over OK Hwy 28 west of Adair. Those floodwaters were associated with heavy flows in a branch of Pryor Creek. Numerous county roads were flooded throughout Mayes County. Pryor Creek jumped its banks near Pryor, displacing ten people from their homes. Two trailers and one home received major damage from Pryor Creek flooding.
Strong thunderstorm wind flipped a horse-drawn buggy injuring two passengers, one critically. The critically injured woman died in a hospital from her injuries on September 3rd. The strong wind also destroyed a barn and damaged two others in this vicinity.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
39,604
Population (ACS)
$188K
Median home value
31
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
- Pryor 222
- Adair 103
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Mayes County, Oklahoma?
831 events are on record between 1950 and 2026, causing 7 direct deaths and $50.2M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Mayes County?
Hail, with 341 recorded events — 41.0% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Mayes County?
92 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 79 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Mayes County?
31 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Mayes County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Mayes County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Mayes County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 78 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Mayes 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
- Marshall County 399
- Murray County 468
- Major County 595
- Muskogee County 916
- McIntosh County 674
- Noble County 496
Cite this page
“Mayes County, Oklahoma.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/oklahoma/mayes-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.