Pawnee County, Oklahoma severe weather history spans 592 recorded events between 1954 and 2026. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 46.8% of all recorded events. It ranks #610 nationally and #54 in Oklahoma.
592
Recorded events
5
Direct deaths
68
Direct injuries
$63.8M
Property damage
The record
What the Pawnee County, Oklahoma severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Pawnee County, Oklahoma severe weather history averages 8.2 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 1990s, with 196 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 87 events fall before 1990 and 505 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Pawnee County, Oklahoma record is tornado, responsible for 4 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $58.8M in reported property damage. In total, 6 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Pawnee County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 277 | 0 | $385K | 3 | 1955–2026 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 240 | 1 | $3.8M | 87 | 1956–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 35 | 0 | $768K | 0 | 1997–2025 |
| Tornado | 34 | 4 | $58.8M | F4 | 1954–2016 |
| Flood | 5 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2017–2019 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–1998 |
Decade by decade
Pawnee County, Oklahoma severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
33 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 27 touched down inside it and 6 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974-06-08 | EF4 | 14 | 150 | 29.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1984-04-26 | EF4 | 3 | 37 | 22.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1991-04-26 | EF4 | 1 | 24 | 32.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1984-04-29 | EF4 | 1 | 60 | 27.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2015-03-25 | EF2 | 1 | 30 | 11.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1983-04-27 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1956-04-02 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 12.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 1954-05-01 | EF2 | 0 | 7 | 7.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 2016-04-26 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 7.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2008-05-01 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Pawnee County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 27, 1984 | Tornado | 3 | 37 | $2.5M | |
| Apr 27, 1991 | Tornado | 1 | 5 | $2.5M | |
| Sep 20, 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | PAWNEE ARPT | 1 | 2 | $100K |
| Apr 29, 1984 | Tornado | 0 | 15 | $25.0M | |
| Apr 29, 1984 | Tornado | 0 | 5 | $25.0M | |
| Jul 9, 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | Westport | 0 | 1 | $2.0M |
| May 16, 1988 | Hail | 0 | 1 | $0 | |
| Mar 31, 1959 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $250 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
An isolated severe thunderstorm moved south from Kansas into Osage County during the evening of July 8th. The storm produced 60 mph winds at Burbank, where a few large tree limbs were blown down. The storm then weakened as it moved south into Pawnee County, but a dry microburst occurred at Westport. Winds estimated at greater than 100 mph resulted in severe damage at the Westport Marina. A large boat dock, with 43 people on the dock, was lifted over 50 feet in the air. There was one minor injury to a person on the dock, and 20 boats that were tied to the dock were damaged. Damage at the Westport Marina was estimated at around $2 million. Another dry microburst occurred to the east of the main storm in Washington County. Winds gusted to 62 mph in Dewey, where a mobile home was blown off its foundation and windows were blown out of a few homes and businesses. Windows were also blown out of a van on U.S. Highway 75 just south of Dewey.
Strong winds (known as a rear flank downdraft) associated with a nearby F1 tornado blew the roof off of the high school auditorium, causing over $1 million in damage to the high school. Debris was scattered throughout the high school campus. An adjacent metal-style bus garage was also damaged. Many trees and power lines were downed or snapped by the winds throughout Pawnee. Specifically, several big oak trees were blown down at the Pawnee Agency, including one blown onto the pre-school. Near the Pawnee Municipal Hospital, large trees along Boulder Street were blown down, one falling onto a mobile unit. Tree damage was also reported in the Lusk Addition. A trailer home just northwest of Pawnee was scattered about by the storm, and a nearby cattle trailer was overturned. Damage from the wind and the tornado combined are nearly $2 million. For more information on the nearby tornado, see the separate preceding Tornado entry.
The City of Pawnee received 3.25 inches of rain during the 24 hours ending 7 am CDT. This excessive rainfall caused substantial flooding of county roads, which resulted in major damage to several of them. Three bridges were also washed out.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
15,795
Population (ACS)
$132K
Median home value
36
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 21, 2025 | Fire | WILDFIRES AND STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS | DR |
| Mar 19, 2025 | Fire | 328 FIRE | FM |
| Mar 15, 2025 | Fire | KEYSTONE FIRE | FM |
| Mar 15, 2025 | Fire | BARN FIRE | FM |
| Jul 19, 2023 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND TORNADOES | DR |
| Feb 24, 2021 | Severe Ice Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORMS | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Pawnee 175
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Pawnee County, Oklahoma?
592 events are on record between 1954 and 2026, causing 5 direct deaths and $63.8M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Pawnee County?
Hail, with 277 recorded events — 46.8% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Pawnee County?
33 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 27 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Pawnee County?
36 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Pawnee County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Pawnee County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Pawnee County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 48 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Pawnee 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
- Ottawa County 611
- Payne County 847
- Osage County 1,489
- Pittsburg County 934
- Okmulgee County 749
- Pontotoc County 795
Cite this page
“Pawnee County, Oklahoma.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/oklahoma/pawnee-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.