McCurtain County, Oklahoma severe weather history spans 1,037 recorded events between 1953 and 2026. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 42.3% of all recorded events. It ranks #129 nationally and #16 in Oklahoma.
1,037
Recorded events
6
Direct deaths
53
Direct injuries
$49.9M
Property damage
The record
What the McCurtain County, Oklahoma severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, McCurtain County, Oklahoma severe weather history averages 14.2 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 1990s, with 235 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 195 events fall before 1990 and 842 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the McCurtain County, Oklahoma record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $48.3M 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 McCurtain County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 439 | 0 | $26K | 4.5 | 1956–2026 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 394 | 2 | $756K | 91 | 1956–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 107 | 1 | $750K | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Tornado | 71 | 2 | $48.3M | F5 | 1953–2026 |
| Flood | 11 | 1 | $0 | 0 | 2009–2025 |
| Funnel Cloud | 7 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2003–2020 |
| Lightning | 4 | 0 | $40K | 0 | 1996–2009 |
| Heavy Rain | 4 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1997–2019 |
Decade by decade
McCurtain County, Oklahoma severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
72 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 65 touched down inside it and 7 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 | Crossed in |
| 2022-11-04 | EF4 | 0 | 13 | 60.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 1999-05-04 | EF3 | 1 | 22 | 71.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 1982-04-02 | EF3 | 1 | 4 | 52.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2009-04-09 | EF3 | 0 | 7 | 37.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1972-10-22 | EF3 | 0 | 1 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2022-11-04 | EF2 | 1 | 1 | 2.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1953-04-23 | EF2 | 1 | 14 | 0.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2020-04-28 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 19.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2015-12-12 | EF2 | 0 | 3 | 7.3 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in McCurtain County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 24, 1953 | Tornado | 1 | 14 | $30 | |
| Nov 4, 2022 | Tornado | PICKENS | 1 | 1 | $300K |
| Oct 21, 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | VALLIANT | 1 | 1 | $0 |
| Jun 18, 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | HOCHATOWN | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Apr 1, 2022 | Flood | SMITHVILLE | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Mar 9, 2016 | Flash Flood | HOLLY CREEK | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Nov 4, 2022 | Tornado | BOSS | 0 | 6 | $35.0M |
| Nov 18, 1985 | Tornado | 0 | 4 | $250K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
An EF-2 tornado with estimated maximum winds near 125 mph touched down in extreme Northwest McCurtain County near the Pickens community. The tornado touched down off of Pickens Road where it completed destroyed a chicken house, removed large sections of a roof of a home, and snapped multiple hardwood trees. The tornado then impacted a double-wide mobile home that was tied down with straps, which were snapped or footings pulled out of the ground. The mobile home was vaulted to the northwest and led to a fatality of a 90 year old male inside. A vehicle was also tossed and rolled at this location as well. The tornado continued moving northeast and uprooted multiple hardwood and softwood trees as it crossed Mount Zion Church Road, Glover Road, and Cedarwood Lane, before lifting near Coleman Road.
Several large trees fell onto a mobile home west of Valliant on Sandpiper Road near the Choctaw County line. One fatality occurred at the scene when a 48 year old female was killed by a fallen tree. One injury was also reported to a male resident in the home.
A 30 year old male drowned after his SUV drove through a low water crossing and was swept into a flooded Lukfata Creek on Tebo Jones Road south of Broken Bow. A 36 year old male passenger was able to exit the vehicle and swim to shore.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
30,863
Population (ACS)
$145K
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 |
| Feb 10, 2016 | Severe Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Broken Bow 130
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in McCurtain County, Oklahoma?
1,037 events are on record between 1953 and 2026, causing 6 direct deaths and $49.9M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in McCurtain County?
Hail, with 439 recorded events — 42.3% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed McCurtain County?
72 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 65 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover McCurtain County?
22 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include McCurtain County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is McCurtain County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates McCurtain County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 72 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the McCurtain 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
- McClain County 773
- McIntosh County 674
- Love County 455
- Major County 595
- Logan County 796
- Marshall County 399
Cite this page
“McCurtain County, Oklahoma.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/oklahoma/mccurtain-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.