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Carter County, Oklahoma severe weather history spans 897 recorded events between 1953 and 2026. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 57.1% of all recorded events. It ranks #211 nationally and #24 in Oklahoma.
897
Recorded events
15
Direct deaths
113
Direct injuries
$46.7M
Property damage
The record
What the Carter County, Oklahoma severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Carter County, Oklahoma severe weather history averages 12.3 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 1990s, with 272 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 211 events fall before 1990 and 686 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Carter County, Oklahoma record is tornado, responsible for 14 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $31.4M in reported property damage. In total, 8 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Carter County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 512 | 0 | $15K | 4.5 | 1955–2026 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 268 | 0 | $8.6M | 89 | 1955–2026 |
| Tornado | 65 | 14 | $31.4M | F4 | 1953–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 38 | 1 | $6.4M | 0 | 1997–2026 |
| Lightning | 10 | 0 | $203K | 0 | 1996–2009 |
| Flood | 2 | 0 | $25K | 0 | 2025–2025 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2007–2007 |
| Wildfire | 1 | 0 | $100K | 0 | 2000–2000 |
Decade by decade
Carter County, Oklahoma severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
69 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 60 touched down inside it and 9 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009-02-10 | EF4 | 8 | 46 | 37.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1972-04-19 | EF4 | 5 | 6 | 28.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-04-27 | EF4 | 1 | 6 | 26.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 1995-05-07 | EF3 | 3 | 6 | 34.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 1979-10-30 | EF3 | 3 | 2 | 8.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 1953-03-13 | EF3 | 2 | 11 | 45.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 2010-05-10 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 4.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 1990-03-13 | EF3 | 0 | 1 | 22.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1979-04-10 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 12.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 1959-05-26 | EF3 | 0 | 8 | 3.3 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Carter County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 11, 2009 | Tornado | WILSON | 8 | 46 | $3.0M |
| May 7, 1995 | Tornado | Leon to | 3 | 6 | $500K |
| Oct 30, 1979 | Tornado | 3 | 2 | $250K | |
| Jun 18, 2015 | Flash Flood | ARDMORE | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Apr 28, 2024 | Tornado | ARDMORE | 0 | 19 | $20.0M |
| May 27, 1959 | Tornado | 0 | 8 | $25K | |
| May 9, 1993 | Thunderstorm Wind | Healdton | 0 | 6 | $5.0M |
| Mar 3, 1977 | Tornado | 0 | 5 | $25K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The Ardmore tornado initially developed about 5 miles southwest of Ardmore, and moved north-northeast towards Ardmore. Some homes near Gateway Road had most or all of their roofs removed. Tree damage was significant along this area. ||The tornado then continued north-northeast through the west side of Ardmore especially near Plainview Road. Many homes suffered significant roof damage. Ardmore emergency management reported that 52 homes were damaged with 17 of them a total loss. The tornado moved near a Best Buy distribution center on the northwest side of Ardmore blowing over numerous trailers.||Continuing north-northeast, the tornado continued producing tree and power pole damage, and EF2 roof damage to another home near Lake Ardmore road. The tornado crossed Interstate 35 just east of Ardmore Club Lake and turned more northeast before dissipating near US Highway 77 north of Deer Creek Road.
Carter County EM reported at least approximately 225 homes with flooding damage (est. $20k per home). At least one of these had 6 feet of water. Numerous had 4 feet of water. 1 older building collapsed. 20-40 tinhorns washed out (est. $20k per tinhorn). 1 bridge out (est. $180K).
Significant flash flooding developed across the southern half of Carter County after 4 to 5 inches of rain fell over most of the area in a short period of time. The worst flooding occurred between Lone Grove and Ardmore where major damage was sustained to homes, businesses, bridges, roads, and vehicles totaling 1.2 million dollars. Also in Ardmore, a family in the southwest part of the city was rescued from their home, and so was a woman in the northwest part of the city.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
48,555
Population (ACS)
$169K
Median home value
33
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 19, 2026 | Fire | HOSPITAL ROAD FIRE | FM |
| Apr 30, 2024 | Tornado | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Feb 24, 2021 | Severe Ice Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORMS | DR |
| Feb 17, 2021 | Severe Ice Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM |
| Apr 5, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Ardmore 168
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Carter County, Oklahoma?
897 events are on record between 1953 and 2026, causing 15 direct deaths and $46.7M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Carter County?
Hail, with 512 recorded events — 57.1% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Carter County?
69 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 60 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Carter County?
33 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Carter County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Carter County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Carter County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 75 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Carter County, Oklahoma severe weather history data come from?
Every figure is drawn from United States federal public-domain records: NOAA/NCEI Storm Events for the event archive, NOAA SPC SVRGIS for mapped tornado paths, FEMA for disaster declarations and risk ratings, and the U.S. Census for population context. Dates are shown in UTC and recent entries may still be revised by NOAA.
Nearby
Neighbouring counties
- Canadian County 1,260
- Cherokee County 755
- Caddo County 1,302
- Choctaw County 420
- Bryan County 619
- Cimarron County 529
Cite this page
“Carter County, Oklahoma.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/oklahoma/carter-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.