53
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
6
Direct injuries
$2.6M
Property damage
Tornado in Alfalfa County, Oklahoma: 53 recorded events between 1954 and 2026. The strongest on record measured F3. That places the county #337 nationally and #52 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in Alfalfa County, Oklahoma: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in Alfalfa County is the 1990s, when 11 of the county's 53 recorded events were logged. Comparing decades is useful for spotting active periods, but the earliest years are thin because systematic reporting for this hazard began later.
Within the Alfalfa County archive, tornado makes up 7.9% of all recorded severe weather across 9 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #337 for this hazard and #52 within Oklahoma, putting it in the 88.5 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
May is the peak month for tornado in Alfalfa County with 15 recorded events, while Jan is the quietest. Seasonality here is a property of the archive as much as the climate: reports cluster where population and spotter networks are densest.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
| Date | Scale | Path length | Max width | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1956-04-02 | EF3 | 20.0 mi | 400 yd | Crossed in |
| 2002-04-17 | EF2 | 34.0 mi | 1,500 yd | Crossed in |
| 1998-10-04 | EF2 | 10.0 mi | 440 yd | Crossed in |
| 1995-05-17 | EF2 | 12.0 mi | 400 yd | Crossed in |
| 1991-03-26 | EF2 | 9.0 mi | 300 yd | Touched down here |
| 1985-09-22 | EF2 | 4.0 mi | 500 yd | Touched down here |
| 1983-05-17 | EF2 | 2.5 mi | 100 yd | Touched down here |
| 1976-03-11 | EF2 | 16.6 mi | 200 yd | Touched down here |
| 1969-04-16 | EF2 | 13.8 mi | 200 yd | Touched down here |
| 1962-05-20 | EF2 | 0.3 mi | 100 yd | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 1, 1973 | F2 | 0 | 6 | $250K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 5, 2026 | HELENA | EF2 | $400K |
| Nov 24, 2025 | LAMBERT | EF0 | $0 |
| Jun 18, 2025 | JET | EF0 | $10K |
| Jun 7, 2025 | GREAT SALT PLAINS LAKE DAM | EF1 | $20K |
| May 6, 2024 | HELENA | EFU | $0 |
| Jun 18, 2023 | BURLINGTON | EFU | $0 |
| Feb 27, 2023 | AMORITA | EF0 | $10K |
| May 16, 2015 | ALINE | EF1 | $0 |
| May 1, 2012 | JET | EF0 | $0 |
| May 1, 2012 | JET | EF0 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Alfalfa County
- Hail 343
- Thunderstorm Wind 244
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
This tornado developed about 4 miles west-southwest of Helena, or about a mile southeast of the community of McWillie. This tornado moved generally northeast although there was some variability in motion as it moved north of Helena and then south and east of Jet. Power poles were damaged as the tornado crossed State Highway 45 and areas west of Helena. Significant damage was observed along State Highway 58 north of Helena where a number of power poles were broken along a mile stretch of SH-58, and at least three barns were destroyed (EF2) both along SH-58 and east of SH-58 on E0300 Road. The tornado continued to produce tree and power pole damage as it moved northeast. Power poles were broken east of Jet along N2740 Road and along U.S. Highway 64 on both sides of the Alfalfa-Grant County line. The tornado then moved into Grant County with the centerline crossing the county line just north of U.S. 64.
This tornado developed and was occurring simultaneously with the previous tornado northwest of Cherokee for about 7 minutes. This tornado is estimated to have moved from about 3 miles northwest of Cherokee to about 1 mile northwest of Amorita. Damage occurred to numerous outbuildings and trees along the path, including at the Byron-Amorita cemetery.
Alfalfa County Emergency Management and KFOR-TV reported a tornado that formed on the south side of the Great Salt Plains Lake and moved north across the lake. The only reported damage was to an outbuilding on the edge of the lake. The specific path was estimated.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in Alfalfa County, Oklahoma?
53 tornado events are recorded in Alfalfa County between 1954 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in Alfalfa County?
The strongest tornado on record in Alfalfa County measured F3.
Where does the tornado data for Alfalfa County come from?
All events come from the NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database, the federal public-domain archive of severe weather reports. Dates are UTC, damage is as reported and not inflation-adjusted, and the most recent entries may still be revised.
Cite this page
“Tornado in Alfalfa County, Oklahoma.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/oklahoma/alfalfa-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.