70
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
29
Direct injuries
$10.9M
Property damage
Tornado in Stephens County, Oklahoma: 70 recorded events between 1951 and 2024. The strongest on record measured F3. That places the county #165 nationally and #30 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in Stephens County, Oklahoma: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in Stephens County is the 1970s, when 13 of the county's 70 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 Stephens County archive, tornado makes up 6.7% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #165 for this hazard and #30 within Oklahoma, putting it in the 94.4 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
May is the peak month for tornado in Stephens County with 23 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977-05-15 | EF3 | 0.8 mi | 180 yd | Touched down here |
| 2024-11-03 | EF3 | 21.7 mi | 500 yd | Touched down here |
| 1990-03-13 | EF3 | 22.0 mi | 200 yd | Crossed in |
| 1979-04-10 | EF3 | 12.8 mi | 170 yd | Touched down here |
| 1977-03-02 | EF3 | 4.3 mi | 200 yd | Touched down here |
| 1960-05-04 | EF3 | 0.1 mi | 10 yd | Touched down here |
| 1954-05-01 | EF3 | 6.2 mi | 100 yd | Touched down here |
| 1979-04-10 | EF2 | 74.1 mi | 1,056 yd | Crossed in |
| 2024-11-03 | EF2 | 4.9 mi | 300 yd | Touched down here |
| 2023-06-15 | EF2 | 4.1 mi | 1,000 yd | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 16, 1977 | F3 | 1 | 2 | $250K | |
| Nov 3, 2024 | COMANCHE | EF3 | 0 | 6 | $5.0M |
| Feb 22, 1975 | F2 | 0 | 4 | $250K | |
| Apr 20, 1973 | F2 | 0 | 4 | $25K | |
| Feb 22, 1975 | F2 | 0 | 2 | $250K | |
| Jun 11, 1970 | F1 | 0 | 2 | $25K | |
| Feb 8, 1966 | F2 | 0 | 2 | $250K | |
| Apr 23, 1955 | F1 | 0 | 2 | $3K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 3, 2024 | LAKE FUQUA DAM | EF2 | $250K |
| Nov 3, 2024 | DUNCAN | EF1 | $50K |
| Nov 3, 2024 | COMANCHE | EF3 | $5.0M |
| Jun 15, 2023 | LOCO | EF2 | $150K |
| Jun 15, 2023 | LOCO | EF1 | $10K |
| Jun 15, 2023 | COMANCHE | EF1 | $30K |
| Jun 15, 2023 | SUNRAY | EF0 | $0 |
| Jun 15, 2023 | EMPIRE CITY | EFU | $0 |
| Mar 16, 2023 | VELMA | EF0 | $0 |
| Dec 13, 2022 | DUNCAN | EF1 | $3K |
Other hazards here
More from Stephens County
- Hail 595
- Thunderstorm Wind 297
- Flash Flood 61
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
This tornado developed near US Highway 81 and the Jefferson County line south of Comanche and moved northeast for nearly 22 miles. At least two dozen buildings were damaged by the tornado including a number of homes that were destroyed. Hundreds of trees were reported downed along the path as well as numerous power lines and power poles. Numerous large trees were destroyed and debarked at the tornado moved over the Comanche Golf Course and Comanche Lake to the east of the town of Comanche with the tree damage significant enough for an EF3 rating. After crossing Comanche Lake, the tornado continued northeast crossing State Highway 7 between Duncan and Velma, and dissipating a few miles southwest of Lake Fuqua.
The same thunderstorm that produced the tornado near Comanche produced another tornado that began northeast of Lake Fuqua and moved northeast into Garvin County. At least one home suffered significant roof damage along State Highway 29 and trees and power poles were damaged along the path.
This tornado developed 2.6 miles southeast of Loco and moved east-southeast. Damage was confined to trees and power line poles until the tornado approached the county line where a mobile home was destroyed. The tornado did move into Jefferson County.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in Stephens County, Oklahoma?
70 tornado events are recorded in Stephens County between 1951 and 2024, causing 1 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in Stephens County?
The strongest tornado on record in Stephens County measured F3.
Where does the tornado data for Stephens 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 Stephens County, Oklahoma.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/oklahoma/stephens-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.