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Jefferson County, Oklahoma severe weather history spans 535 recorded events between 1955 and 2026. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 56.1% of all recorded events. It ranks #767 nationally and #61 in Oklahoma.
535
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
5
Direct injuries
$15.3M
Property damage
The record
What the Jefferson County, Oklahoma severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Jefferson County, Oklahoma severe weather history averages 7.5 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 1990s, with 156 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 108 events fall before 1990 and 427 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is thunderstorm wind, with $6.4M in reported property damage. In total, 7 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Jefferson County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 300 | 0 | $5.5M | 5 | 1955–2026 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 165 | 0 | $6.4M | 87 | 1963–2026 |
| Tornado | 42 | 0 | $3.3M | F4 | 1956–2023 |
| Flash Flood | 23 | 0 | $51K | 0 | 1998–2025 |
| Flood | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2006–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2007–2008 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $50K | 0 | 2009–2009 |
Decade by decade
Jefferson County, Oklahoma severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
46 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 42 touched down inside it and 4 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979-04-10 | EF4 | 42 | 1,740 | 46.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 2009-02-10 | EF4 | 8 | 46 | 37.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1990-03-13 | EF3 | 0 | 1 | 22.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1974-04-20 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 6.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1954-05-01 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 8.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2023-06-15 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 4.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 2003-05-08 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 6.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1976-04-19 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 3.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1969-04-16 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 8.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1956-04-28 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Jefferson County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 6, 1986 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 2 | $0 | |
| Oct 17, 1981 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $0 | |
| Aug 21, 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | HASTINGS | 0 | 1 | $20K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Straight-line winds caused roof damage to 12 homes, uprooted or destroyed many trees, broke several windows, damaged an outbuilding at a golf course and damaged some signs at the Richard Football Field. The strong winds cut a damage path a quarter of a mile wide and 2 miles long through the town.
This tornado moved east-southeast out of Stephens County into Jefferson County. The tornado then turned southeast and dissipated soon after crossing State Highway 89 between E1890 Road and E1900 Road. In Jefferson County, at least four homes were damaged and a couple of barns were damaged or destroyed as well as many trees damaged.
This nighttime tornado is the first of three Oklahoma tornadoes produced by a large supercell that moved across south central Oklahoma. The tornado moved east-southeast for six miles before dissipating. Several homes lost all or part of their roofs with several other homes receiving shingle damage. Four barns were damaged or destroyed. One pole barn had the poles, that were buried three feet deep, pulled out of the ground. A cinder block building also collapsed. Many trees and power lines were downed or damaged by the tornado. Two of the trees were over 100 years old. Three horses were also injured by the tornado.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
5,380
Population (ACS)
$83K
Median home value
30
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 18, 2025 | Severe Storm | 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
- Waurika 103
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Jefferson County, Oklahoma?
535 events are on record between 1955 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths and $15.3M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Jefferson County?
Hail, with 300 recorded events — 56.1% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Jefferson County?
46 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 42 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Jefferson County?
30 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Jefferson County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Jefferson County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Jefferson County as very low risk, placing it in the 21 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Jefferson 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
- Jackson County 1,135
- Johnston County 478
- Hughes County 421
- Kay County 1,268
- Haskell County 445
- Kingfisher County 785
Cite this page
“Jefferson County, Oklahoma.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/oklahoma/jefferson-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.