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Nowata County, Oklahoma severe weather history spans 465 recorded events between 1956 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 43.4% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,002 nationally and #69 in Oklahoma.
465
Recorded events
3
Direct deaths
10
Direct injuries
$8.0M
Property damage
The record
What the Nowata County, Oklahoma severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Nowata County, Oklahoma severe weather history averages 6.6 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 1990s, with 148 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 64 events fall before 1990 and 401 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Nowata County, Oklahoma record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 3 direct deaths. The costliest is thunderstorm wind, with $5.5M in reported property damage. In total, 6 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Nowata County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 202 | 3 | $5.5M | 87 | 1956–2026 |
| Hail | 158 | 0 | $320K | 3 | 1957–2025 |
| Tornado | 43 | 0 | $1.4M | F3 | 1956–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 43 | 0 | $540K | 0 | 1996–2021 |
| Flood | 18 | 0 | $250K | 0 | 2007–2020 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $5K | 0 | 1996–1996 |
Decade by decade
Nowata County, Oklahoma severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
47 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 34 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979-03-18 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 7.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 1959-05-09 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 23.4 mi | Crossed in |
| 2003-04-19 | EF2 | 0 | 3 | 20.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1996-05-26 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 30.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1982-03-15 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 12.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1982-03-15 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1981-05-23 | EF2 | 0 | 3 | 4.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1981-05-23 | EF2 | 0 | 3 | 15.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 1961-03-26 | EF2 | 0 | 26 | 49.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 1959-05-09 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 19.1 mi | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Nowata County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 7, 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | NOWATA ARPT | 3 | 0 | $250K |
| May 24, 1981 | Tornado | 0 | 3 | $0 | |
| May 23, 1981 | Tornado | 0 | 3 | $250K | |
| Jun 1, 2013 | Tornado | WATOVA | 0 | 2 | $75K |
| Apr 2, 2024 | Tornado | DELAWARE | 0 | 1 | $20K |
| Apr 28, 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | LENAPAH | 0 | 1 | $10K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
An intense downburst destroyed a double wide mobile home, killing three occupants. The strong thunderstorm wind also destroyed at least two other mobile homes, damaged the roofs and siding of a number of permanent homes, destroyed a number of steel-framed or wood-framed outbuildings, snapped many power poles, and snapped or uprooted trees in this area.
Thunderstorm winds measured at 74 miles an hour at a nearby mesonet site and estimated at 80 miles an hour at Nowata did widespread damage in and around Nowata. Several hundred trees and power poles were damaged or blown down. The trees fell on several houses causing roof damage. Several cars were also damaged. The downed power poles caused widespread power outages that lasted up to 12 hours.
Thunderstorm winds estimated at 80 miles did serious damage along a 6 miles long area from just southwest of Nowata to just northwest of Nowata. Two homes, an indoor livestock area and 5 barns were destroyed. Twelve other structures received significant roof damage. This damage was produced by the same line of thunderstorms that produced significant wind damage in Bartlesville earlier in the morning.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
9,435
Population (ACS)
$138K
Median home value
31
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 30, 2024 | Tornado | 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 |
| Apr 5, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Jul 12, 2019 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Nowata 128
- Lenapah 123
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Nowata County, Oklahoma?
465 events are on record between 1956 and 2026, causing 3 direct deaths and $8.0M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Nowata County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 202 recorded events — 43.4% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Nowata County?
47 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 34 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Nowata County?
31 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Nowata County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Nowata County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Nowata County as very low risk, placing it in the 41 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Nowata 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
- Noble County 496
- Okfuskee County 566
- Muskogee County 916
- Oklahoma County 2,500
- Murray County 468
- Okmulgee County 749
Cite this page
“Nowata County, Oklahoma.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/oklahoma/nowata-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.