Woods County, Oklahoma severe weather history spans 825 recorded events between 1951 and 2026. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 47.5% of all recorded events. It ranks #269 nationally and #27 in Oklahoma.
825
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
11
Direct injuries
$1.6M
Property damage
The record
What the Woods County, Oklahoma severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Woods County, Oklahoma severe weather history averages 11.0 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 225 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 201 events fall before 1990 and 624 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Woods County, Oklahoma record is flash flood, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is thunderstorm wind, with $668K 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 Woods County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 392 | 0 | $222K | 4.5 | 1958–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 357 | 0 | $668K | 82 | 1956–2026 |
| Tornado | 57 | 0 | $631K | F3 | 1951–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 12 | 1 | $5K | 0 | 1996–2019 |
| Lightning | 3 | 0 | $80K | 0 | 1996–2004 |
| Heavy Rain | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2007–2008 |
| Flood | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2006–2006 |
Decade by decade
Woods County, Oklahoma severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
56 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 52 touched down inside it and 4 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008-05-23 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 11.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1956-04-02 | EF3 | 0 | 2 | 20.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2002-04-17 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 34.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2000-05-25 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 8.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1998-10-04 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 10.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1995-05-17 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 12.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1991-04-02 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 5.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1969-04-16 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 13.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 1965-06-04 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1964-08-13 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Woods County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 1, 1998 | Flash Flood | COUNTYWIDE | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 20, 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | Freedom | 0 | 4 | $0 |
| Apr 3, 1956 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $250K | |
| Apr 5, 1951 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $3K | |
| Apr 18, 2002 | Tornado | WAYNOKA | 0 | 1 | $35K |
| May 25, 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | ALVA | 0 | 1 | $55K |
| Jun 8, 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | Plainview | 0 | 1 | $50K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Lightning struck an empty fiberglass saltwater storage tank causing an explosion at the newly opened Green Valley Saltwater Disposal Plant east of Waynoka on Highway 281. The explosion caused nearly full reclaimed oil storage tanks to catch on fire and burn for much of the night. Some nearby equipment was also destroyed by the fire.
A swath of significant thunderstorm wind damage occurred across portions of northeastern Woods County during the early morning of the 7th. Initial damage occurred along Major Road, just southwest of the community of Winchester. Here, a small metal outbuilding was destroyed along with several large tree limbs blown down. Trees were uprooted at several properties near/along U.S. Highway 281, north of the community of Alva. Additional damage occurred in the community of Capron, including several electrical poles that were broken and/or leaning and additional tree damage. The damage path is estimated, and the event time is estimated from radar observations. Damage photos were relayed courtesy of the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management.
This tornado is a continuation of the tornado that moved out of Major County at 0032 CST. The tornado curved to the right as it crossed the Cimarron River and moved northeastward for 15 miles before entering Alfalfa County at 0005 CST on April 18th. In Woods County, about 2 miles southwest of the intersection of State Highway 45 and the Woods County line, the roof of a trailer house was completely removed, and an exterior wall on the northeast side of the house was badly damaged and partially removed from the structure. The owner of the house received minor abrasions to his arm. Across the road from the house, a barn was unroofed, and most of the walls were destroyed. Otherwise, only tree damage was observed across Woods County.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
8,596
Population (ACS)
$140K
Median home value
25
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 14, 2024 | Severe Storm | 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 |
| Jun 1, 2019 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Alva 129
- Camp Houston 121
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Woods County, Oklahoma?
825 events are on record between 1951 and 2026, causing 1 direct deaths and $1.6M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Woods County?
Hail, with 392 recorded events — 47.5% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Woods County?
56 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 52 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Woods County?
25 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Woods County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Woods County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Woods County as very low risk, placing it in the 28 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Woods 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
- Washita County 795
- Woodward County 1,004
- Washington County 625
- Wagoner County 688
- Tulsa County 2,391
- Tillman County 971
Cite this page
“Woods County, Oklahoma.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/oklahoma/woods-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.