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North and Central Sebastian; Southern Crawford; Central and Southern Franklin; Pushmataha; Choctaw; Washington; Nowata; Tulsa; Rogers; Mayes; Okmulgee; Wagoner; Muskogee; McIntosh; Pittsburg; Southeast Osage
Choctaw County, Oklahoma severe weather history spans 420 recorded events between 1954 and 2026. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 46.9% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,178 nationally and #75 in Oklahoma.
420
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
43
Direct injuries
$9.8M
Property damage
The record
What the Choctaw County, Oklahoma severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Choctaw County, Oklahoma severe weather history averages 5.8 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 121 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 65 events fall before 1990 and 355 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Choctaw County, Oklahoma record is flood, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $7.9M in reported property damage. In total, 6 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Choctaw County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 197 | 0 | $280K | 3 | 1956–2026 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 158 | 0 | $1.4M | 74 | 1966–2026 |
| Tornado | 30 | 0 | $7.9M | F5 | 1954–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 25 | 0 | $105K | 0 | 1996–2023 |
| Flood | 6 | 1 | $50K | 0 | 2015–2015 |
| Lightning | 4 | 0 | $100K | 0 | 1997–2005 |
Decade by decade
Choctaw County, Oklahoma severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
31 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 26 touched down inside it and 5 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982-04-02 | EF5 | 0 | 29 | 53.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2022-11-04 | EF4 | 0 | 11 | 44.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 1960-05-04 | EF4 | 0 | 3 | 30.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2016-05-09 | EF3 | 0 | 2 | 13.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 1982-04-02 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 8.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1961-05-05 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1956-04-03 | EF3 | 0 | 3 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1954-04-30 | EF3 | 0 | 12 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1983-11-22 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1982-04-02 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Choctaw County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 20, 2015 | Flood | FALLON | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Apr 2, 1982 | Tornado | 0 | 25 | $2.5M | |
| Apr 30, 1954 | Tornado | 0 | 12 | $250K | |
| May 5, 1960 | Tornado | 0 | 3 | $250K | |
| May 9, 2016 | Tornado | BOSWELL AMMONS ARPT | 0 | 2 | $3.0M |
| Nov 4, 2022 | Tornado | ORD | 0 | 1 | $900K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A man drove into flood waters on Ballpark Road north of Hugo during the evening of May 21st. The vehicle became stranded. The driver was able to escape the flood water but then went back into the water to gather personal items. He reportedly stepped into a hole, went under water, and was swept away. The man drown and was recovered on May 22nd.
This tornado developed in Lamar County, Texas, and produced EF-4 damage northwest of Paris, and then crossed the Red River into Choctaw County. Extensive tree damage occurred just north of the Red River with numerous hardwood trees snapped from E2150 Road to E2140 Road. The tornado moved northeast, becoming about a mile wide several miles south of Sawyer, and continued to produce a very wide damage swath until a couple miles north of Highway 70. Throughout the path, numerous trees were snapped and uprooted, numerous power poles were snapped, numerous outbuildings were destroyed, and 38 homes were damaged, at least sixteen of which were severely damaged. The tornado dissipated between the N 4340 Road and N 4360 Road, and south of the E1980 Road. Based on the damage in Choctaw County, maximum estimated wind in this segment of the tornado was 110 to 120 mph.
Thunderstorm wind estimated at 80 miles an hour produced a large amount of damage in the Hugo area. Several businesses including a radio station, lumber company, sale barn, veterinary clinic and a feed lot received damage. Three homes had large trees fall on them. Numerous power poles and power lines were blown down. In addition several trees and large tree limbs blocked roads.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
14,297
Population (ACS)
$127K
Median home value
22
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 19, 2023 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND TORNADOES | 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 |
| May 26, 2015 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Choctaw County, Oklahoma?
420 events are on record between 1954 and 2026, causing 1 direct deaths and $9.8M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Choctaw County?
Hail, with 197 recorded events — 46.9% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Choctaw County?
31 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 26 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Choctaw County?
22 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Choctaw County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Choctaw County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Choctaw County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 50 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Choctaw 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
- Cherokee County 755
- Cimarron County 529
- Carter County 897
- Cleveland County 1,561
- Canadian County 1,260
- Coal County 270
Cite this page
“Choctaw County, Oklahoma.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/oklahoma/choctaw-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.