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Cotton County, Oklahoma severe weather history spans 549 recorded events between 1951 and 2026. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 54.5% of all recorded events. It ranks #730 nationally and #59 in Oklahoma.
549
Recorded events
7
Direct deaths
23
Direct injuries
$3.1M
Property damage
The record
What the Cotton County, Oklahoma severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Cotton County, Oklahoma severe weather history averages 7.3 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 1990s, with 167 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 114 events fall before 1990 and 435 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Cotton County, Oklahoma record is tornado, responsible for 7 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $1.8M 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 Cotton County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 299 | 0 | $0 | 4.5 | 1959–2026 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 185 | 0 | $1.2M | 90 | 1955–2026 |
| Tornado | 45 | 7 | $1.8M | F4 | 1951–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 14 | 0 | $40K | 0 | 1996–2020 |
| Flood | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2006–2006 |
| Heavy Rain | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2007–2007 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $40K | 0 | 1998–1998 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2000–2000 |
Decade by decade
Cotton County, Oklahoma severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
43 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 37 touched down inside it and 6 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1957-05-24 | EF4 | 4 | 5 | 21.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 1962-05-26 | EF4 | 0 | 1 | 10.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1954-05-01 | EF3 | 3 | 3 | 12.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 1959-08-30 | EF3 | 0 | 1 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1958-11-17 | EF3 | 0 | 4 | 65.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 1954-05-01 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 8.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1979-04-10 | EF2 | 1 | 3 | 74.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 1969-04-16 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 24.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 1960-05-04 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 4.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 1959-08-30 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Cotton County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 24, 1957 | Tornado | 4 | 5 | $250K | |
| May 1, 1954 | Tornado | 3 | 3 | $250K | |
| Nov 17, 1958 | Tornado | 0 | 4 | $0 | |
| May 26, 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | WALTERS | 0 | 3 | $42K |
| Mar 29, 1988 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 3 | $0 | |
| Jun 2, 1973 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $250K | |
| Apr 16, 1969 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $25K | |
| May 27, 1962 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $250K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Five large transmission poles were downed on the north side of Walters. The high school lost about one third of its overlayment on the west side of the gym. Nine homes were destroyed, 6 severely damaged, and 15 with minor to moderate damage. Thirty homes in total were damaged, 20 of them mobile homes.
There were numerous reports of tree damage, power poles down, and minor roof damage to homes. A couple of small structures, such as storage sheds, were also destroyed. The time of this reported was estimated based on radar.
Several reports of minor roof damage, tree limbs (6-inch diameter) broken, and one 45×50 barn completely demolished. The barn that was destroyed blew across US70 – 1/2 a mile east of SH65, taking down power lines and striking one vehicle that was driving eastbound.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
5,485
Population (ACS)
$114K
Median home value
37
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 30, 2024 | Tornado | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
| 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 |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Walters 138
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Cotton County, Oklahoma?
549 events are on record between 1951 and 2026, causing 7 direct deaths and $3.1M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Cotton County?
Hail, with 299 recorded events — 54.5% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Cotton County?
43 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 37 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Cotton County?
37 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Cotton County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Cotton County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Cotton County as very low risk, placing it in the 5 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Cotton 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
- Comanche County 1,405
- Craig County 555
- Coal County 270
- Creek County 1,035
- Cleveland County 1,561
- Custer County 811
Cite this page
“Cotton County, Oklahoma.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/oklahoma/cotton-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.