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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
Tulsa County, Oklahoma severe weather history spans 2,391 recorded events between 1950 and 2026. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 45.7% of all recorded events. It ranks #8 nationally and #2 in Oklahoma.
2,391
Recorded events
28
Direct deaths
464
Direct injuries
$710.2M
Property damage
The record
What the Tulsa County, Oklahoma severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Tulsa County, Oklahoma severe weather history averages 31.5 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 626 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 259 events fall before 1990 and 2,132 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Tulsa County, Oklahoma record is tornado, responsible for 16 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $434.0M in reported property damage. In total, 9 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Tulsa County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 1,092 | 0 | $95.8M | 4.5 | 1955–2026 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 872 | 1 | $170.9M | 100 | 1955–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 246 | 3 | $6.2M | 0 | 1996–2026 |
| Tornado | 98 | 16 | $434.0M | F4 | 1950–2026 |
| Flood | 55 | 7 | $8K | 0 | 1999–2025 |
| Lightning | 19 | 1 | $3.3M | 0 | 1998–2017 |
| Heavy Rain | 7 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–2011 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–1998 |
| Cold/Wind Chill | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–1998 |
Decade by decade
Tulsa County, Oklahoma severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
103 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 89 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993-04-24 | EF4 | 7 | 100 | 5.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1991-04-26 | EF4 | 1 | 24 | 32.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1981-04-19 | EF3 | 5 | 49 | 9.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 1974-06-08 | EF3 | 2 | 80 | 63.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 1993-04-24 | EF3 | 0 | 30 | 8.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1992-07-02 | EF3 | 0 | 1 | 4.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1981-04-19 | EF3 | 0 | 7 | 4.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 1981-04-19 | EF3 | 0 | 1 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1975-12-05 | EF3 | 0 | 38 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1974-06-08 | EF3 | 0 | 42 | 48.9 mi | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Tulsa County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 24, 1993 | Tornado | E Tulsa to 1 N | 7 | 100 | $500K |
| Apr 20, 1981 | Tornado | 5 | 49 | $2.5M | |
| Jun 8, 1974 | Tornado | 2 | 70 | $25.0M | |
| Apr 20, 2025 | Flood | LEONARD | 2 | 0 | $0 |
| May 22, 2019 | Flood | PRATTVILLE | 2 | 0 | $0 |
| Mar 25, 2015 | Tornado | WEKIWA | 1 | 30 | $2.0M |
| Jul 23, 2005 | Lightning | BROKEN ARROW | 1 | 1 | $0 |
| Apr 2, 2024 | Flood | DAWSON | 1 | 0 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Locally heavy rainfall during the morning of the 20th resulted in high flows through area low water crossings. A vehicle was driven into one such low water crossing, and was washed downstream. Two people exited the vehicle in the flood, and got to safety, while two others drowned in the flood water. The victims weren't recovered until the following day, with around 100 first responders participating in the search efforts.
The Arkansas River near Tulsa rose above its flood stage of 18 feet at 12:30 am CDT on May 22nd. The river crested at 23.41 feet at 3:00 pm CDT on the 29th, resulting in major flooding. This was the second highest crest on record. Severe flooding occurred along the Arkansas River in Tulsa County, with some homes in south Tulsa and Bixby flooded. Riverside Drive in Tulsa was closed in places. A man fell into the river in Tulsa on the 26th, and another waded into the river. Both men drowned. Monetary damage from this flood is unknown. The river remained above flood stage through the end of May, and finally fell below flood stage at 6:30 am CDT on June 1st.
This is the third segment of a three segment tornado. The tornado moved into Tulsa County at W Archer Road to the east of S 209th W Avenue. The roofs of several homes were damaged and trees were uprooted as it crossed S 193rd W Avenue. The tornado moved southeast crossing Highway 412, where it snapped or uprooted numerous trees and blew a tractor trailer off the road. A doughnut shop was destroyed at S 177th W Avenue, homes were damaged, and trees and poles were snapped. It crossed the Arkansas River and moved through the River Oaks Estates Mobile Home Park where it destroyed 58 mobile homes and two permanent homes. One fatality and about 30 injuries occurred in this park. The tornado crossed the Arkansas River again as it moved east-southeast toward Sand Springs, uprooting numerous trees before dissipating on the south side of Sand Springs, south of Highway 412 and just west of Highway 97. Based on this damage, maximum estimated wind in this segment of the tornado was 125 to 135 mph.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively High
FEMA NRI risk rating
680,794
Population (ACS)
$230K
Median home value
40
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 19, 2023 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND TORNADOES | DR |
| Jun 29, 2022 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, 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 |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Tulsa 536
- Broken Arrow 246
- Owasso 203
- Bixby 193
- Collinsville 165
- Alsuma 117
- Glenpool 114
- Broken Arrow Arpk 107
- Jenks 103
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Tulsa County, Oklahoma?
2,391 events are on record between 1950 and 2026, causing 28 direct deaths and $710.2M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Tulsa County?
Hail, with 1,092 recorded events — 45.7% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Tulsa County?
103 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 89 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Tulsa County?
40 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Tulsa County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Tulsa County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Tulsa County as relatively high risk, placing it in the 98 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Tulsa 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
- Tillman County 971
- Wagoner County 688
- Texas County 1,112
- Washington County 625
- Stephens County 1,039
- Washita County 795
Cite this page
“Tulsa County, Oklahoma.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/oklahoma/tulsa-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.