240
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
3
Direct injuries
$3.8M
Property damage
Thunderstorm Wind in Pawnee County, Oklahoma: 240 recorded events between 1956 and 2026. The strongest on record measured 87. That places the county #743 nationally and #43 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Thunderstorm Wind in Pawnee County, Oklahoma: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for thunderstorm wind in Pawnee County is the 1990s, when 88 of the county's 240 recorded events were logged. Comparing decades is useful for spotting active periods, but the earliest years are thin because systematic reporting for this hazard began later.
Within the Pawnee County archive, thunderstorm wind makes up 40.5% of all recorded severe weather across 6 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #743 for this hazard and #43 within Oklahoma, putting it in the 76.5 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jun is the peak month for thunderstorm wind in Pawnee County with 54 recorded events, while Jan is the quietest. Seasonality here is a property of the archive as much as the climate: reports cluster where population and spotter networks are densest.
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 20, 2024 | PAWNEE ARPT | 70 | 1 | 2 | $100K |
| Jul 9, 1995 | Westport | 87 | 0 | 1 | $2.0M |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 23, 2026 | PAWNEE | 52 | $0 |
| Apr 17, 2026 | HALLETT | 52 | $0 |
| Apr 17, 2026 | MARAMEC | 52 | $0 |
| Apr 1, 2026 | CLEVELAND | 52 | $0 |
| Jun 30, 2025 | PAWNEE | 50 | $0 |
| Jun 7, 2025 | PAWNEE | 50 | $0 |
| May 24, 2025 | PAWNEE | 56 | $0 |
| Sep 20, 2024 | MARAMEC | 65 | $15K |
| Sep 20, 2024 | PAWNEE | 65 | $5K |
| Sep 20, 2024 | PAWNEE ARPT | 70 | $100K |
Other hazards here
More from Pawnee County
- Hail 277
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.
Numerous large trees were blown down in Cleveland. These trees blocked several roads in town, including East Pawnee, East Miami, and East Otoe. The Cleveland American weekly newspaper pictured a large tree blown over in Feyodi Park.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many thunderstorm wind events are on record in Pawnee County, Oklahoma?
240 thunderstorm wind events are recorded in Pawnee County between 1956 and 2026, causing 1 direct deaths.
What is the strongest thunderstorm wind recorded in Pawnee County?
The strongest thunderstorm wind on record in Pawnee County measured 87.
Where does the thunderstorm wind data for Pawnee County come from?
All events come from the NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database, the federal public-domain archive of severe weather reports. Dates are UTC, damage is as reported and not inflation-adjusted, and the most recent entries may still be revised.
Cite this page
“Thunderstorm Wind in Pawnee County, Oklahoma.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/oklahoma/pawnee-county/thunderstorm-wind/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.