84
Recorded events
4
Direct deaths
112
Direct injuries
$27.8M
Property damage
Tornado in McClain County, Oklahoma: 84 recorded events between 1953 and 2026. The strongest on record measured F4. That places the county #98 nationally and #15 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in McClain County, Oklahoma: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in McClain County is the 2020s, when 23 of the county's 84 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 McClain County archive, tornado makes up 10.9% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #98 for this hazard and #15 within Oklahoma, putting it in the 96.7 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
May is the peak month for tornado in McClain County with 33 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 | Crossed in |
| 2013-05-20 | EF5 | 13.9 mi | 1,900 yd | Touched down here |
| 2011-05-24 | EF4 | 33.3 mi | 880 yd | Crossed in |
| 2011-05-24 | EF4 | 23.1 mi | 880 yd | Crossed in |
| 1973-11-19 | EF3 | 24.2 mi | 500 yd | Touched down here |
| 2023-04-19 | EF3 | 10.9 mi | 1,200 yd | Touched down here |
| 2024-04-27 | EF2 | 4.9 mi | 125 yd | Touched down here |
| 2023-02-26 | EF2 | 26.1 mi | 900 yd | Touched down here |
| 2022-12-13 | EF2 | 4.9 mi | 300 yd | Touched down here |
| 1998-10-04 | EF2 | 5.0 mi | 80 yd | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 20, 1973 | F3 | 2 | 18 | $2.5M | |
| May 4, 1999 | BLANCHARD | F4 | 1 | 17 | $10.0M |
| Apr 20, 2023 | DIBBLE | EF3 | 1 | 2 | $4.0M |
| May 24, 2011 | CRINER | EF4 | 0 | 61 | $0 |
| May 20, 2013 | NEWCASTLE | EF4 | 0 | 5 | $0 |
| May 3, 1991 | F1 | 0 | 3 | $25K | |
| May 25, 1997 | PURCELL | F2 | 0 | 2 | $900K |
| Mar 14, 1953 | F2 | 0 | 2 | $250K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 8, 2026 | PURCELL | EF2 | $400K |
| Jun 6, 2025 | BYARS | EF0 | $2K |
| Jun 6, 2025 | NEWCASTLE | EF0 | $1K |
| Jun 6, 2025 | NEWCASTLE | EF0 | $15K |
| Jun 3, 2025 | NEWCASTLE | EF1 | $60K |
| Nov 3, 2024 | BLANCHARD | EF1 | $5.0M |
| Apr 28, 2024 | COLE | EF2 | $200K |
| Apr 28, 2024 | COLE | EF0 | $2K |
| Apr 28, 2024 | DIBBLE | EF1 | $2K |
| Apr 28, 2024 | DIBBLE | EF1 | $2K |
Other hazards here
More from McClain County
- Hail 417
- Thunderstorm Wind 232
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The third tornado of the outbreak, the Cole-Goldsby Tornado, was the most destructive of the outbreak. The multiple-vortex tornado touched down near Rockwell Avenue south of 260th Street and moved in an erratic path, generally east and east-northeast through Cole. Many homes and mobile homes were damaged or destroyed near and in Cole. A man was killed in a destroyed mobile home in the far western portion of Cole. A woman was injured in a nearby mobile home, but died of a heart attack on the way to the hospital (indirect fatality). EF3 rated damage was found to at least three homes on Portland Avenue and Main Street in Cole with most exterior walls removed.||After moving through Cole and crossing State Highway 74B, the tornado continued to move northeast, then becoming narrower and turning northerly as it past 290th Street/Chestnut Road, moving between Western Avenue and Santa Fe Avenue just west of the town of Goldsby and dissipating before reaching State Highway 9. It continued to produce roof damage (up to EF2) to homes and tree damage.
This tornado touched down in the northern part of Blanchard and moved north-northeast. The tornado initially was EF0 producing some tree limb damage and damage to one house near Northeast 40th Street and Rockwall. After crossing the Norman Spur of the Bailey Turnpike and moving into Newcastle, EF1 damage was noted to trees and homes as it moved through neighborhoods in Newcastle north of SW 24th Avenue. Newcastle Elementary School received significant roof damage as the tornado continued to move north just west of U.S. Highway 62. The tornado finally dissipated in north Newcastle to the northwest of US-62 and Northwest 16th Street.
This tornado developed near 180th Street and Ladd Road southwest of Purcell and moved northeast. One home about 3 miles southwest of Purcell had the roof removed. A semi on Interstate 35 just west of Purcell was pushed over injuring one person. The tornado then moved through Purcell causing roof damage to a few homes and damaging utility poles and trees. Moving out of the northeast side of Purcell, the tornado crossed the Canadian River into Cleveland County.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in McClain County, Oklahoma?
84 tornado events are recorded in McClain County between 1953 and 2026, causing 4 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in McClain County?
The strongest tornado on record in McClain County measured F4.
Where does the tornado data for McClain 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 McClain County, Oklahoma.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/oklahoma/mcclain-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.