42
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
2
Direct injuries
$3.3M
Property damage
Tornado in Jefferson County, Oklahoma: 42 recorded events between 1956 and 2023. The strongest on record measured F4. That places the county #567 nationally and #65 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in Jefferson County, Oklahoma: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in Jefferson County is the 2010s, when 11 of the county's 42 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 Jefferson County archive, tornado makes up 7.9% of all recorded severe weather across 7 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #567 for this hazard and #65 within Oklahoma, putting it in the 80.4 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
May is the peak month for tornado in Jefferson County with 22 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979-04-10 | EF4 | 46.9 mi | 1,320 yd | Crossed in |
| 2009-02-10 | EF4 | 37.0 mi | 880 yd | Crossed in |
| 1990-03-13 | EF3 | 22.0 mi | 200 yd | Touched down here |
| 1974-04-20 | EF3 | 6.1 mi | 100 yd | Touched down here |
| 1954-05-01 | EF3 | 8.0 mi | 300 yd | Crossed in |
| 2023-06-15 | EF2 | 4.1 mi | 1,000 yd | Crossed in |
| 2003-05-08 | EF2 | 6.0 mi | 150 yd | Touched down here |
| 1976-04-19 | EF2 | 3.8 mi | 440 yd | Touched down here |
| 1969-04-16 | EF2 | 8.2 mi | 10 yd | Touched down here |
| 1956-04-28 | EF2 | 0.1 mi | 10 yd | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 17, 1981 | F1 | 0 | 2 | $0 |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 15, 2023 | RINGLING | EF1 | $100K |
| Jun 15, 2023 | SUGDEN | EFU | $0 |
| May 1, 2019 | ADDINGTON | EFU | $0 |
| May 1, 2019 | WAURIKA | EFU | $0 |
| May 28, 2017 | RINGLING | EFU | $0 |
| May 19, 2015 | RYAN | EF0 | $0 |
| May 19, 2015 | RYAN | EF0 | $0 |
| May 19, 2015 | TERRAL | EF0 | $0 |
| May 9, 2015 | WAURIKA | EF0 | $0 |
| May 8, 2015 | WAURIKA | EF0 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Jefferson County
- Hail 300
- Thunderstorm Wind 165
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
This tornado moved east-southeast out of Stephens County into Jefferson County. The tornado then turned southeast and dissipated soon after crossing State Highway 89 between E1890 Road and E1900 Road. In Jefferson County, at least four homes were damaged and a couple of barns were damaged or destroyed as well as many trees damaged.
This nighttime tornado is the first of three Oklahoma tornadoes produced by a large supercell that moved across south central Oklahoma. The tornado moved east-southeast for six miles before dissipating. Several homes lost all or part of their roofs with several other homes receiving shingle damage. Four barns were damaged or destroyed. One pole barn had the poles, that were buried three feet deep, pulled out of the ground. A cinder block building also collapsed. Many trees and power lines were downed or damaged by the tornado. Two of the trees were over 100 years old. Three horses were also injured by the tornado.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in Jefferson County, Oklahoma?
42 tornado events are recorded in Jefferson County between 1956 and 2023, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in Jefferson County?
The strongest tornado on record in Jefferson County measured F4.
Where does the tornado data for Jefferson 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 Jefferson County, Oklahoma.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/oklahoma/jefferson-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.