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North and Central Sebastian; Southern Crawford; Central and Southern Franklin; Pushmataha; Choctaw; Washington; Nowata; Tulsa; Rogers; Mayes; Okmulgee; Wagoner; Muskogee; McIntosh; Pittsburg; Southeast Osage
Okmulgee County, Oklahoma severe weather history spans 749 recorded events between 1953 and 2026. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 44.3% of all recorded events. It ranks #348 nationally and #39 in Oklahoma.
749
Recorded events
13
Direct deaths
122
Direct injuries
$42.0M
Property damage
The record
What the Okmulgee County, Oklahoma severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Okmulgee County, Oklahoma severe weather history averages 10.3 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 1990s, with 207 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 91 events fall before 1990 and 658 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Okmulgee County, Oklahoma record is tornado, responsible for 13 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $38.1M 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 Okmulgee County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 332 | 0 | $1.4M | 3 | 1961–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 244 | 0 | $1.0M | 81 | 1956–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 82 | 0 | $1.4M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Tornado | 60 | 13 | $38.1M | F4 | 1953–2026 |
| Flood | 26 | 0 | $50K | 0 | 1999–2025 |
| Funnel Cloud | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–1998 |
| Lightning | 2 | 0 | $34K | 0 | 1998–1999 |
Decade by decade
Okmulgee County, Oklahoma severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
61 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 52 touched down inside it and 9 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981-05-17 | EF4 | 0 | 2 | 33.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 1984-04-26 | EF3 | 8 | 95 | 22.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1960-05-05 | EF3 | 2 | 15 | 0.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1975-12-05 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 27.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1961-02-17 | EF3 | 0 | 11 | 73.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2010-05-13 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 6.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2010-05-10 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 12.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1998-10-04 | EF2 | 0 | 4 | 27.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1997-05-26 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 8.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1990-03-13 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 9.0 mi | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Okmulgee County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 27, 1984 | Tornado | 8 | 95 | $25.0M | |
| May 6, 1960 | Tornado | 2 | 15 | $250K | |
| Mar 6, 2026 | Tornado | BEGGS | 2 | 2 | $3.0M |
| Apr 23, 1953 | Tornado | 1 | 4 | $25K | |
| Sep 13, 1989 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 4 | $0 | |
| May 22, 1989 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 1 | $0 | |
| Feb 18, 1961 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $2.5M |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
This tornado developed west of Schulter and moved northeast across Highway 75 and the Deep Fork National Wildlife Refuge. It widened and strengthened as it moved across the E1000 Road, where numerous trees were uprooted or snapped. The tornado continued to widen as it approached Morris. At least 70 homes and businesses were damaged in Morris, then the tornado turned to the north and dissipated about a mile north of town. Based on this damage, maximum estimated wind in the tornado was 105 to 110 mph.
Very large golfball to baseball-sized hail caused extensive damage throughout the city of Okmulgee. The combination of very large hail and strong thunderstorm winds knocked out numerous windows. Several hundred homes and business sustained roof damage. The Okmulgee Times daily newspaper quoted the police chief as saying that the hailstorm "knocked out about half the windows in town." Windows were knocked out of many cars in the Wal-Mart parking lot, and many city vehicles had their windows knocked out. Two buildings at OSU-Okmulgee were extensively damaged. Other buildings on the campus had broken windows, while the campus greenhouse was nearly destroyed by the large hail and wind. The Okmulgee School District alone had about $300,000 in damage. The middle school suffered extensive roof damage and damage to the floor. The Board building suffered extensive glass breakage and roof damage. Fifteen buses received damage, and the steel roof at Eastside was damaged. Westside and Banneker each sustained roof damage, and the high school had minor roof damage to its new building.
Very heavy rainfall caused severe flooding of roads in and around Okmulgee. Highway 75 was closed in places for several hours. Rural roads were also flooded. In addition, 20 to 30 homes sustained flood damage as well as several businesses. County officials received 200 calls for assistance from stranded motorists and from people isolated by high water in their homes.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
36,899
Population (ACS)
$121K
Median home value
40
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 30, 2024 | Tornado | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Jun 29, 2022 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | 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
- Beggs 167
- Okmulgee 151
- Henryetta 107
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Okmulgee County, Oklahoma?
749 events are on record between 1953 and 2026, causing 13 direct deaths and $42.0M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Okmulgee County?
Hail, with 332 recorded events — 44.3% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Okmulgee County?
61 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 52 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Okmulgee County?
40 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Okmulgee County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Okmulgee County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Okmulgee County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 75 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Okmulgee 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
- Oklahoma County 2,500
- Osage County 1,489
- Okfuskee County 566
- Ottawa County 611
- Nowata County 465
- Pawnee County 592
Cite this page
“Okmulgee County, Oklahoma.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/oklahoma/okmulgee-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.