54
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
7
Direct injuries
$762K
Property damage
Tornado in Dewey County, Oklahoma: 54 recorded events between 1950 and 2026. The strongest on record measured F3. That places the county #323 nationally and #48 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in Dewey County, Oklahoma: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in Dewey County is the 1960s, when 13 of the county's 54 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 Dewey County archive, tornado makes up 8.5% of all recorded severe weather across 7 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #323 for this hazard and #48 within Oklahoma, putting it in the 89.0 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
May is the peak month for tornado in Dewey County with 21 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011-05-24 | EF3 | 13.2 mi | 880 yd | Touched down here |
| 2002-04-17 | EF3 | 8.0 mi | 600 yd | Touched down here |
| 2007-05-05 | EF2 | 16.0 mi | 600 yd | Crossed in |
| 1984-10-31 | EF2 | 6.0 mi | 200 yd | Touched down here |
| 1982-05-15 | EF2 | 0.5 mi | 50 yd | Touched down here |
| 1977-08-02 | EF2 | 8.0 mi | 10 yd | Touched down here |
| 1972-04-19 | EF2 | 15.5 mi | 77 yd | Touched down here |
| 1961-05-04 | EF2 | 1.0 mi | 400 yd | Touched down here |
| 1955-05-25 | EF2 | 5.1 mi | 300 yd | Touched down here |
| 1954-04-29 | EF2 | 33.3 mi | 10 yd | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 16, 1980 | F1 | 0 | 3 | $250K | |
| May 7, 1965 | F0 | 0 | 1 | $25K | |
| Jul 2, 1956 | F1 | 0 | 1 | $0 | |
| May 26, 1955 | F2 | 0 | 1 | $25K | |
| May 17, 1950 | F1 | 0 | 1 | $3K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 5, 2026 | PUTNAM | EF0 | $0 |
| Jun 16, 2019 | PUTNAM | EF1 | $3K |
| May 18, 2017 | CESTOS | EFU | $0 |
| May 16, 2015 | LEEDEY | EF1 | $0 |
| May 6, 2015 | SEILING | EF0 | $0 |
| Apr 26, 2013 | PUTNAM | EF0 | $0 |
| May 24, 2011 | HUCMAC | EF1 | $0 |
| May 19, 2010 | LEEDEY | EF0 | $0 |
| May 6, 2007 | VICI | EF1 | $15K |
| Mar 20, 2006 | PUTNAM | F0 | $10K |
Other hazards here
More from Dewey County
- Hail 335
- Thunderstorm Wind 232
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
This tornado formed approximately 5.5 miles east southeast of Seiling and moved northwestward for 1 mile before dissipating. One-half of a well-constructed, anchored mobile home was ripped off with contents of the home strewn in the yard. The other half of the home was twisted in the direction the tornado traveled. Two large locust trees were also uprooted.
This tornado formed in northern Dewey County, near Cestos, and moved northward, entering Woodward County at 2241 CST. In Dewey County, an old, abandoned farm house, constructed of wood, with broken windows and no doors, was leveled, about 2.5 miles east-southeast of Cestos. Huge cottonwood trees nearby were uprooted. A 15 ft long bus, with no engine, was lofted over a chain-link fence and dropped on its side about 50-75 ft away, and a 1/2 ton pickup trailer bed, detached from the front of the truck, was picked up and carried about 1/2 mile, and crumpled.
This is the continuation of the tornado that began in northeastern Ellis county. The tornado moved across the extreme northwest tip of Dewey county west and northwest of Vici before moving into Woodward County south of Sharon. The only reported damage in Dewey county was downed power lines. Monetary damages were estimated.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in Dewey County, Oklahoma?
54 tornado events are recorded in Dewey County between 1950 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in Dewey County?
The strongest tornado on record in Dewey County measured F3.
Where does the tornado data for Dewey 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 Dewey County, Oklahoma.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/oklahoma/dewey-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.