96
Recorded events
15
Direct deaths
119
Direct injuries
$128.2M
Property damage
Tornado in Grady County, Oklahoma: 96 recorded events between 1951 and 2026. The strongest on record measured F5. That places the county #60 nationally and #8 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in Grady County, Oklahoma: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in Grady County is the 1960s, when 18 of the county's 96 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 Grady County archive, tornado makes up 7.9% of all recorded severe weather across 7 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #60 for this hazard and #8 within Oklahoma, putting it in the 98.0 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
May is the peak month for tornado in Grady County with 45 recorded events, while Jul 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999-05-03 | EF5 | 37.0 mi | 1,430 yd | Touched down here |
| 1973-05-24 | EF4 | 13.3 mi | 300 yd | Crossed in |
| 2011-05-24 | EF4 | 33.3 mi | 880 yd | Touched down here |
| 2011-05-24 | EF4 | 23.1 mi | 880 yd | Touched down here |
| 1953-03-13 | EF3 | 1.0 mi | 100 yd | Touched down here |
| 2015-05-06 | EF3 | 10.3 mi | 1,500 yd | Touched down here |
| 1999-05-03 | EF3 | 9.0 mi | 880 yd | Crossed in |
| 1974-04-20 | EF3 | 63.6 mi | 100 yd | Touched down here |
| 1961-04-30 | EF3 | 2.0 mi | 77 yd | Touched down here |
| 1960-04-28 | EF3 | 3.6 mi | 200 yd | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 3, 1999 | AMBER | F5 | 12 | 39 | $90.0M |
| May 24, 2011 | NORGE | EF4 | 1 | 48 | $0 |
| Mar 14, 1953 | F3 | 1 | 8 | $250K | |
| May 1, 1981 | F2 | 1 | 4 | $250K | |
| May 3, 1999 | CHICKASHA | F2 | 0 | 4 | $500K |
| May 3, 1999 | LAVERTY | F3 | 0 | 4 | $75K |
| Apr 8, 1965 | F2 | 0 | 2 | $2.5M | |
| May 1, 1961 | F3 | 0 | 2 | $25K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 10, 2026 | TUTTLE | EF0 | $10K |
| Apr 28, 2024 | BRADLEY | EF1 | $2K |
| May 13, 2023 | CHICKASHA ARPT | EF0 | $0 |
| May 12, 2023 | ALEX | EF0 | $0 |
| May 12, 2023 | RUSH SPRINGS | EFU | $0 |
| May 12, 2023 | BRIDGE CREEK | EF0 | $2K |
| May 11, 2023 | TUTTLE | EFU | $0 |
| May 11, 2023 | NORGE | EF0 | $0 |
| Apr 20, 2023 | MIDDLEBERG | EF1 | $10K |
| Feb 27, 2023 | TUTTLE | EF0 | $5K |
Other hazards here
More from Grady County
- Hail 643
- Thunderstorm Wind 434
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Tornado A9 (Grady County portion). See summary at end of May 3rd storm reports. The beginning time of this tornado was changed from 1723 CST to 1726 CST. Please refer to the original version of May Storm Data for more information.
This tornado is labeled C1 (Segment #1 of the Chickasha-Blanchard-Newcastle tornado). The tornado formed on the south side of Chickasha, quickly doing EF-2 damage. Mobile homes were damaged and destroyed, trees were uprooted/destroyed, outbuildings were destroyed, and many buildings lost significant portions of their roofs. One fatality occurred as a mobile home was destroyed in the south portion of Chickasha. As the tornado moved northeast of Chickasha, it gained significant strength, with several areas receiving EF-4 damage. Well-built homes were destroyed. Trees were debarked with only stumps remaining. Cars were thrown hundreds of feet. Almost continuous EF-3/occasional EF-4 damage occurred northeast until it crossed into McClain county 1.5 miles south of Highway 9. The tornado was probably at its strongest as it neared/crossed the McClain county line. Wind speeds there were estimated near 200 mph. Monetary damage estimates were not available.
Damage was first observed to dairy facility 2.7 miles southwest of Minco where the western portion of the south wall was pushed in which in turn pushed the roof and the northern wall of the building to the north. To the northwest, a farm sustained roof damage to the house, and damage to three metal storage buildings and two barns. Fences and trees were also damaged along the path. Monetary damages were estimated.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in Grady County, Oklahoma?
96 tornado events are recorded in Grady County between 1951 and 2026, causing 15 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in Grady County?
The strongest tornado on record in Grady County measured F5.
Where does the tornado data for Grady 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 Grady County, Oklahoma.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/oklahoma/grady-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.