71
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
47
Direct injuries
$48.3M
Property damage
Tornado in McCurtain County, Oklahoma: 71 recorded events between 1953 and 2026. The strongest on record measured F5. That places the county #155 nationally and #29 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in McCurtain County, Oklahoma: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in McCurtain County is the 1970s, when 13 of the county's 71 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 McCurtain County archive, tornado makes up 6.8% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #155 for this hazard and #29 within Oklahoma, putting it in the 94.6 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Apr is the peak month for tornado in McCurtain County with 25 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982-04-02 | EF5 | 53.0 mi | 500 yd | Crossed in |
| 2022-11-04 | EF4 | 60.2 mi | 1,056 yd | Crossed in |
| 1999-05-04 | EF3 | 71.5 mi | 50 yd | Crossed in |
| 1982-04-02 | EF3 | 52.0 mi | 233 yd | Crossed in |
| 2009-04-09 | EF3 | 37.2 mi | 850 yd | Touched down here |
| 1972-10-22 | EF3 | 1.5 mi | 33 yd | Touched down here |
| 2022-11-04 | EF2 | 2.8 mi | 800 yd | Touched down here |
| 1953-04-23 | EF2 | 0.8 mi | 17 yd | Touched down here |
| 2020-04-28 | EF2 | 19.4 mi | 350 yd | Touched down here |
| 2015-12-12 | EF2 | 7.3 mi | 600 yd | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 24, 1953 | F2 | 1 | 14 | $30 | |
| Nov 4, 2022 | PICKENS | EF2 | 1 | 1 | $300K |
| Nov 4, 2022 | BOSS | EF4 | 0 | 6 | $35.0M |
| Nov 18, 1985 | F1 | 0 | 4 | $250K | |
| Apr 2, 1982 | F5 | 0 | 4 | $2.5M | |
| Feb 23, 1977 | F2 | 0 | 4 | $250K | |
| Dec 13, 2015 | VALLIANT | EF2 | 0 | 3 | $2.0M |
| Apr 11, 1979 | F2 | 0 | 3 | $250K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 10, 2026 | OAK HILL | EF2 | $500K |
| Apr 4, 2025 | MILLERTON | EF1 | $100K |
| Nov 4, 2024 | HOLLY CREEK | EF1 | $0 |
| Mar 15, 2024 | BROKEN BOW | EF1 | $50K |
| Mar 3, 2023 | OAK HILL | EF1 | $10K |
| Nov 4, 2022 | BOSS | EF4 | $35.0M |
| Nov 4, 2022 | BATTIEST | EF1 | $0 |
| Nov 4, 2022 | PICKENS | EF2 | $300K |
| May 16, 2020 | PLEASANT HILL | EF0 | $0 |
| May 16, 2020 | TOM | EFU | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from McCurtain County
- Hail 439
- Thunderstorm Wind 394
- Flash Flood 107
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
An EF-2 tornado with estimated maximum winds near 125 mph touched down in extreme Northwest McCurtain County near the Pickens community. The tornado touched down off of Pickens Road where it completed destroyed a chicken house, removed large sections of a roof of a home, and snapped multiple hardwood trees. The tornado then impacted a double-wide mobile home that was tied down with straps, which were snapped or footings pulled out of the ground. The mobile home was vaulted to the northwest and led to a fatality of a 90 year old male inside. A vehicle was also tossed and rolled at this location as well. The tornado continued moving northeast and uprooted multiple hardwood and softwood trees as it crossed Mount Zion Church Road, Glover Road, and Cedarwood Lane, before lifting near Coleman Road.
An NWS Storm Survey team determined that the damage west of Valliant, Oklahoma was consistent with that of tornado damage. The tornado first touched down near U.S. Hwy. 70 and traveled in a northeast direction before lifting near Tommy Taylor Road or just south of Pine Creek Reservoir. Numerous trees were uprooted and/or snapped along the damage path. Sixteen homes suffered significant damage and 4 mobile homes were completely destroyed. Two persons were injured when their mobile home was destroyed. Another person was injured when their mobile home was rolled by the tornado.
An EF-2 tornado with estimated maximum winds near 125 mph touched down in a heavily wooded area along Union Valley Road, snapping and uprooting numerous trees. The tornado moved south southeast, tossing two barges over 100 yards and lifting a large portion of the roof deck of a home, causing it to collapse. The tornado then completely destroyed a single-wide manufactured home, with the base frame of the home twisted and tossed 100 yards to the east. Further to the south, another home sustained significant roof and structural damage when large gas tanks were tossed into it. The tornado then continued to snap numerous trees along Cascade Creek Road and along Wyr 20000 Road, as well as removing roofing material from another home on Union Valley Road. The tornado continued to track southeast across a heavily wooded area before crossing into Sevier County Arkansas.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in McCurtain County, Oklahoma?
71 tornado events are recorded in McCurtain County between 1953 and 2026, causing 2 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in McCurtain County?
The strongest tornado on record in McCurtain County measured F5.
Where does the tornado data for McCurtain 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 McCurtain County, Oklahoma.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/oklahoma/mccurtain-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.