Major County, Oklahoma severe weather history spans 595 recorded events between 1951 and 2026. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 55.0% of all recorded events. It ranks #598 nationally and #53 in Oklahoma.
595
Recorded events
4
Direct deaths
18
Direct injuries
$5.0M
Property damage
The record
What the Major County, Oklahoma severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Major County, Oklahoma severe weather history averages 7.9 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 1990s, with 167 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 135 events fall before 1990 and 460 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Major County, Oklahoma record is tornado, responsible for 4 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $4.0M 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 Major County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 327 | 0 | $0 | 3.5 | 1962–2026 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 189 | 0 | $472K | 98 | 1955–2026 |
| Tornado | 54 | 4 | $4.0M | F4 | 1951–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 16 | 0 | $485K | 0 | 1997–2019 |
| Flood | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2006–2009 |
| Heavy Rain | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2007–2008 |
| Lightning | 2 | 0 | $42K | 0 | 1999–2003 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2007–2007 |
Decade by decade
Major County, Oklahoma severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
58 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 54 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979-05-02 | EF4 | 1 | 25 | 20.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-05-24 | EF3 | 1 | 2 | 13.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 1984-10-31 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 20.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1970-04-26 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2002-04-17 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 34.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1991-04-12 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 9.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1984-10-31 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 8.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1979-05-02 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 20.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1965-05-25 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1961-05-07 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 4.9 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Major County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 5, 2026 | Tornado | DANE | 2 | 0 | $50K |
| May 2, 1979 | Tornado | 1 | 15 | $2.5M | |
| May 24, 2011 | Tornado | DANE | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Apr 27, 1951 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $3K | |
| Aug 17, 1991 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
This tornado developed near or just southwest of the intersection of County Roads E0560 Road and N2430 Road in Major County where it damaged trees and power poles and twisted a stop sign. The tornado quickly intensified as it approached US-60 west of Fairview. A car along US-60 was hit by this tornado and rolled approximately 520 yards to the northeast. A woman and her daughter were killed in his car. Wooden transmission line poles and standard wooden power poles were broken along and north of US-60. The tornado continued northeast through rural areas of Major County damaging additional trees before dissipating east or southeast of the intersection of E0500 Road and N2460 Road approximately 7 miles west of Fairview.
This tornado is labeled A1 (Segment #3 of the Canton Lake tornado). The large, violent tornado continued north into Major county. The tornado hit homesteads and barns, severely damaging most structures, and splintering trees and power poles. One of the farmsteads received on the upper end of EF-3 damage, with the house completely collapsing and the trees on the property debarked and snapped. The tornado continued near Cedar Springs, damaging the church roof, and severely damaging a mobile home and several buildings at a farmstead. The tornado finally lifted southwest of Fairview. Monetary damage estimates were not available.
Widespread wind damage was reported in and around Fairview. Seventeen utility poles were blown down. The press box at the high school was blown down and destroyed. Several windows at an automobile dealership were broken. Roof damage was reported at several other businesses. At the Fairview Sooner Co-Op, two silos were destroyed, ruining the 7,000 bushels of grain inside. Monetary damages were estimated.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
7,628
Population (ACS)
$150K
Median home value
33
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 |
| Dec 21, 2020 | Severe Ice Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | DR |
| Apr 5, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Major County, Oklahoma?
595 events are on record between 1951 and 2026, causing 4 direct deaths and $5.0M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Major County?
Hail, with 327 recorded events — 55.0% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Major County?
58 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 54 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Major County?
33 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Major County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Major County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Major County as very low risk, placing it in the 34 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Major 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
- McIntosh County 674
- Marshall County 399
- McCurtain County 1,037
- Mayes County 831
- McClain County 773
- Murray County 468
Cite this page
“Major County, Oklahoma.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/oklahoma/major-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.