309
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
4
Direct injuries
$1.6M
Property damage
Thunderstorm Wind in Cherokee County, Oklahoma: 309 recorded events between 1955 and 2026. The strongest on record measured 80. That places the county #421 nationally and #26 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Thunderstorm Wind in Cherokee County, Oklahoma: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for thunderstorm wind in Cherokee County is the 2000s, when 102 of the county's 309 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 Cherokee County archive, thunderstorm wind makes up 40.9% of all recorded severe weather across 6 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #421 for this hazard and #26 within Oklahoma, putting it in the 86.5 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
May is the peak month for thunderstorm wind in Cherokee County with 56 recorded events, while Dec 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.
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 30, 2025 | SCRAPER | 61 | 1 | 1 | $30K |
| May 30, 2016 | TAHLEQUAH | 61 | 0 | 1 | $50K |
| May 12, 2016 | QUALLS | 70 | 0 | 1 | $250K |
| Aug 21, 2006 | TAHLEQUAH | 61 | 0 | 1 | $25K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 10, 2026 | SCRAPER | 61 | $0 |
| Mar 10, 2026 | PEGGS | 61 | $0 |
| Jun 18, 2025 | SCRAPER | 65 | $20K |
| Jun 7, 2025 | PEGGS | 52 | $0 |
| May 19, 2025 | COOKSON | 71 | $0 |
| May 19, 2025 | COOKSON TENKILLER AR | 56 | $0 |
| May 19, 2025 | COOKSON | 80 | $5K |
| Apr 30, 2025 | TAHLEQUAH ARPT | 54 | $0 |
| Mar 30, 2025 | SCRAPER | 61 | $30K |
| Nov 3, 2024 | TAHLEQUAH | 61 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Cherokee County
- Hail 275
- Flash Flood 71
- Tornado 52
- Flood 44
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Strong thunderstorm wind blew down a tree onto a camper on the east side of the Illinois River. Two occupants of the trailer were trapped. One of the two occupants died from injuries sustained in the event, and the other was rescued by first responders.
Numerous trees and tree limbs were blown over throughout Cherokee County, including Tahlequah. Many trees were blown into electrical lines. Strong winds also caused heavy damage to the county's north solid waste transfer station.
At 245 AM CDT, there was a public report of 60 mph winds 5 miles west of Hulburt. Near Hulburt, a mobile home was knocked off of its foundation.In Sequoyah State Park, winds demolished an old water tower, though park officials had been planning to demolish it anyway. The winds also blew over 30 to 40 famed pine trees lining the entrance to Western Hills Lodge at the park. An uprooted tree damaged thousands of dollars in damage to the state park's new office and visitor's center, which were still under construction.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many thunderstorm wind events are on record in Cherokee County, Oklahoma?
309 thunderstorm wind events are recorded in Cherokee County between 1955 and 2026, causing 1 direct deaths.
What is the strongest thunderstorm wind recorded in Cherokee County?
The strongest thunderstorm wind on record in Cherokee County measured 80.
Where does the thunderstorm wind data for Cherokee 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
“Thunderstorm Wind in Cherokee County, Oklahoma.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/oklahoma/cherokee-county/thunderstorm-wind/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.