57
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
5
Direct injuries
$631K
Property damage
Tornado in Woods County, Oklahoma: 57 recorded events between 1951 and 2025. The strongest on record measured F3. That places the county #279 nationally and #45 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in Woods County, Oklahoma: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in Woods County is the 1950s, when 15 of the county's 57 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 Woods County archive, tornado makes up 6.9% of all recorded severe weather across 7 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #279 for this hazard and #45 within Oklahoma, putting it in the 90.5 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jun is the peak month for tornado in Woods County with 15 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008-05-23 | EF3 | 11.0 mi | 980 yd | Touched down here |
| 1956-04-02 | EF3 | 20.0 mi | 400 yd | Touched down here |
| 2002-04-17 | EF2 | 34.0 mi | 1,500 yd | Crossed in |
| 2000-05-25 | EF2 | 8.0 mi | 250 yd | Touched down here |
| 1998-10-04 | EF2 | 10.0 mi | 440 yd | Touched down here |
| 1995-05-17 | EF2 | 12.0 mi | 400 yd | Touched down here |
| 1991-04-02 | EF2 | 5.0 mi | 100 yd | Touched down here |
| 1969-04-16 | EF2 | 13.8 mi | 200 yd | Crossed in |
| 1965-06-04 | EF2 | 1.5 mi | 150 yd | Touched down here |
| 1964-08-13 | EF2 | 0.1 mi | 10 yd | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3, 1956 | F3 | 0 | 2 | $250K | |
| Apr 5, 1951 | F2 | 0 | 2 | $3K | |
| Apr 18, 2002 | WAYNOKA | F2 | 0 | 1 | $35K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 7, 2025 | CAPRON | EF0 | $1K |
| Apr 24, 2025 | CAMP HOUSTON | EFU | $0 |
| May 20, 2024 | WAYNOKA | EF1 | $10K |
| May 20, 2024 | WAYNOKA | EF1 | $10K |
| May 30, 2018 | WAYNOKA | EF1 | $10K |
| May 18, 2017 | WAYNOKA | EFU | $0 |
| May 18, 2017 | ALVA | EFU | $0 |
| Nov 17, 2015 | CAMP HOUSTON | EF1 | $0 |
| Apr 18, 2015 | DACOMA | EF1 | $0 |
| Apr 15, 2012 | WAYNOKA | EF0 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Woods County
- Hail 392
- Thunderstorm Wind 357
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
This tornado is a continuation of the tornado that moved out of Major County at 0032 CST. The tornado curved to the right as it crossed the Cimarron River and moved northeastward for 15 miles before entering Alfalfa County at 0005 CST on April 18th. In Woods County, about 2 miles southwest of the intersection of State Highway 45 and the Woods County line, the roof of a trailer house was completely removed, and an exterior wall on the northeast side of the house was badly damaged and partially removed from the structure. The owner of the house received minor abrasions to his arm. Across the road from the house, a barn was unroofed, and most of the walls were destroyed. Otherwise, only tree damage was observed across Woods County.
The tornado developed and moved predominately over range land. Little or no significant damage was observed until the tornado approached the state line. Widespread tree damage, consistent with an EF2 tornado was noted. The tornado then moved into Comanche County Kansas. Monetary damages were estimated.
A weak tornado caused intermittent damage from the north side of Waynoka to an area about 2.5 miles south-southeast of Waynoka. A historic (but unoccupied) hotel, The Eastman Building, on the north side of Waynoka was unroofed as the tornado developed. Damage in Waynoka was mainly tree damage with a few downed trees and lot of small limbs. The tornado dissipated about 2.5 miles south-southeast of Waynoka.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in Woods County, Oklahoma?
57 tornado events are recorded in Woods County between 1951 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in Woods County?
The strongest tornado on record in Woods County measured F3.
Where does the tornado data for Woods 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 Woods County, Oklahoma.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/oklahoma/woods-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.