Washita County, Oklahoma severe weather history spans 795 recorded events between 1950 and 2025. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 54.8% of all recorded events. It ranks #295 nationally and #32 in Oklahoma.
795
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
23
Direct injuries
$103.8M
Property damage
The record
What the Washita County, Oklahoma severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Washita County, Oklahoma severe weather history averages 10.6 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 242 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 209 events fall before 1990 and 586 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is tornado, with $102.9M 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 Washita County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 436 | 0 | $112K | 4.5 | 1955–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 282 | 0 | $729K | 80 | 1955–2025 |
| Tornado | 54 | 0 | $102.9M | F4 | 1950–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 15 | 0 | $30K | 0 | 1996–2019 |
| Lightning | 3 | 0 | $25K | 0 | 2000–2006 |
| Flood | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2019–2019 |
| Heavy Rain | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2003–2007 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2004–2004 |
Decade by decade
Washita County, Oklahoma severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
60 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 51 touched down inside it and 9 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1962-05-25 | EF4 | 0 | 9 | 7.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1950-04-28 | EF3 | 1 | 1 | 20.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 2001-10-09 | EF3 | 0 | 9 | 6.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2001-10-09 | EF3 | 0 | 1 | 13.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2001-10-09 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 11.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 1975-05-02 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 4.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 1973-06-18 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 16.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 1951-06-08 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 10.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-05-16 | EF2 | 1 | 10 | 18.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2019-05-07 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 8.8 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Washita County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 9, 2001 | Tornado | CORDELL | 0 | 9 | $100.0M |
| May 26, 1962 | Tornado | 0 | 9 | $250K | |
| Apr 3, 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | CANUTE | 0 | 3 | $30K |
| Oct 9, 2001 | Tornado | COWDEN | 0 | 1 | $600K |
| Apr 25, 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | Canute | 0 | 1 | $5K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
D2. Washita County portion. Extensive tree damage was observed from the Kiowa/Washita County border, northeastward to near State Highway 115, where the tornado leveled (rated F2) the Oakdale Schoolhouse, an old structure built in the 1920s. Across the street from the schoolhouse, a diesel shop was leveled, along with a barn, garage, and an unanchored wood-floor home. Several vehicles and large pieces of farm equipment were also tossed and destroyed. About 4 miles north-northeast of Mountain View, 3 homes suffered major damage, with one rated F3. As the tornado continued northeastward, F3 damage was inflicted on a farm, where a house and several barns and outbuildings were leveled. A 10,000 gallon diesel tank ended up in an open field about one-quarter mile away from its original position.
The Cordell Tornado developed about a mile south of Cordell along County Road E1200 just west of US Highway 183. A couple of metal buildings were damaged along E1200 Road along with trees and power lines. Debris from these buildings were found about 300 yards north. The tornado moved north and northeast into Cordell near US-183 and Caddo Street and moving across the southern and eastern portions of Cordell causing roof damage for dozens of homes and a few businesses. The tornado dissipated soon after moving through a neighborhood on the northeast edge of Cordell.
This tornado developed as another tornado just a mile to the southeast was dissipating in northern Kiowa County. This second tornado moved north-northeast directly into the town of Rocky. Fortunately the tornado was relatively weak in Rocky and the damage in town was generally EF0 tree damage. The tornado turned more northeast after moving through Rocky and intensified to EF2 intensity. Northeast of town, a transmitter shelter building was damaged, a few mobile homes were significantly damaged, outbuildings damaged or destroyed, and a number of trees and power poles were damaged. Some debris from mobile homes and/or outbuildings were blown about 3/4 of a mile to the northeast. For the last two miles of the path, the tornado turned north and dissipated south of US-183 to the south-southwest of Cordell.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
10,815
Population (ACS)
$118K
Median home value
37
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 18, 2025 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
| 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 |
| Dec 21, 2020 | Severe Ice Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | DR |
| Apr 5, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Washita County, Oklahoma?
795 events are on record between 1950 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $103.8M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Washita County?
Hail, with 436 recorded events — 54.8% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Washita County?
60 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 51 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Washita County?
37 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Washita County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Washita County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Washita County as very low risk, placing it in the 32 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Washita 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
- Washington County 625
- Woods County 825
- Wagoner County 688
- Woodward County 1,004
- Tulsa County 2,391
- Tillman County 971
Cite this page
“Washita County, Oklahoma.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/oklahoma/washita-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.