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Sequoyah County, Oklahoma severe weather history spans 703 recorded events between 1955 and 2026. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 41.8% of all recorded events. It ranks #398 nationally and #41 in Oklahoma.
703
Recorded events
20
Direct deaths
62
Direct injuries
$10.3M
Property damage
The record
What the Sequoyah County, Oklahoma severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Sequoyah County, Oklahoma severe weather history averages 9.9 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 222 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 85 events fall before 1990 and 618 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Sequoyah County, Oklahoma record is tornado, responsible for 17 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, 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 Sequoyah County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 294 | 0 | $615K | 3 | 1956–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 265 | 0 | $2.4M | 87 | 1956–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 72 | 2 | $1.7M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Tornado | 59 | 17 | $5.5M | F4 | 1955–2025 |
| Flood | 10 | 0 | $50K | 0 | 2015–2023 |
| Lightning | 3 | 1 | $10K | 0 | 1999–2005 |
Decade by decade
Sequoyah County, Oklahoma severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
62 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 54 touched down inside it and 8 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960-05-05 | EF4 | 16 | 106 | 62.4 mi | Crossed in |
| 1957-01-22 | EF4 | 10 | 20 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1960-05-05 | EF4 | 5 | 13 | 5.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 1996-04-21 | EF3 | 2 | 89 | 10.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1960-05-05 | EF3 | 1 | 0 | 23.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 1960-05-05 | EF3 | 1 | 0 | 4.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1999-05-04 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 38.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1973-05-26 | EF3 | 0 | 6 | 18.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 1957-05-20 | EF3 | 0 | 1 | 20.4 mi | Crossed in |
| 2018-11-30 | EF2 | 0 | 5 | 47.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Sequoyah County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 22, 1957 | Tornado | 10 | 20 | $250K | |
| May 6, 1960 | Tornado | 5 | 13 | $250K | |
| Apr 24, 2004 | Flash Flood | NORTHEAST PORTION | 2 | 0 | $0 |
| Apr 24, 1999 | Lightning | MULDROW | 1 | 1 | $0 |
| May 6, 1960 | Tornado | 1 | 0 | $250K | |
| May 6, 1960 | Tornado | 1 | 0 | $25K | |
| Mar 9, 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | GANS | 0 | 10 | $25K |
| Jun 26, 1988 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 6 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Flooding occurred along Lee Creek in the northeast part of Sequoyah county on the 24th of April. This flooding resulted in two deaths. A camper with 3 occupants was swept away by the creek 2 miles north of Short at approximated 645 am cdt. An 85 year old man and a 54 year old woman were swept away by the flood waters and died. The third occupant, a 24 year old male, survived by clinging to a tree.
A 36-year old Muldrow man was killed by lightning while fishing in a tournament on the Arkansas River near Lock and Dam 14. A 24-year old companion was also struck by lightning, suffering severe burns on his right arm, shoulder and foot.
Thunderstorm winds estimated up to 100 miles an hour and hail up to golfball size damaged 477 homes and 25 businesses along a couple of mile wide swath. Over 30 power poles were blown down leaving thousands without power.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
39,860
Population (ACS)
$139K
Median home value
31
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
- Sallisaw 170
- Vian 130
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Sequoyah County, Oklahoma?
703 events are on record between 1955 and 2026, causing 20 direct deaths and $10.3M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Sequoyah County?
Hail, with 294 recorded events — 41.8% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Sequoyah County?
62 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 54 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Sequoyah County?
31 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Sequoyah County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Sequoyah County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Sequoyah County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 79 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Sequoyah 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
- Seminole County 501
- Stephens County 1,039
- Rogers County 934
- Texas County 1,112
- Roger Mills County 696
- Tillman County 971
Cite this page
“Sequoyah County, Oklahoma.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/oklahoma/sequoyah-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.