258
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
1
Direct injuries
$3.8M
Property damage
Thunderstorm Wind in Washington County, Oklahoma: 258 recorded events between 1957 and 2025. The strongest on record measured 88. That places the county #646 nationally and #36 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Thunderstorm Wind in Washington County, Oklahoma: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for thunderstorm wind in Washington County is the 2010s, when 82 of the county's 258 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 Washington County archive, thunderstorm wind makes up 41.3% of all recorded severe weather across 7 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #646 for this hazard and #36 within Oklahoma, putting it in the 79.4 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
May is the peak month for thunderstorm wind in Washington County with 57 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 29, 2012 | OCHELATA | 61 | 0 | 1 | $5K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 18, 2025 | COPAN | 56 | $0 |
| Jun 18, 2025 | COPAN | 52 | $0 |
| Jun 18, 2025 | DEWEY | 65 | $15K |
| Jun 18, 2025 | BARTLESVILLE | 56 | $2K |
| Jun 18, 2025 | BARTLESVILLE | 52 | $0 |
| May 24, 2025 | BARTLESVILLE | 70 | $20K |
| May 19, 2025 | COPAN | 54 | $0 |
| May 19, 2025 | BARTLESVILLE | 56 | $0 |
| Aug 17, 2022 | OWEN | 56 | $0 |
| May 27, 2021 | VERA | 61 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Washington County
- Hail 284
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Emergency management personnel measured thunderstorm wind gusts to 80 mph. A hospital, a school, and an apartment complex sustained major damage to their roofs due to the strong wind. Nearly 600 homes were also damaged by the wind, about 100 of which had major damage. Numerous trees and large tree limbs were blown down along with many power poles. Over 10,000 people were without power in Bartlesville at the height of the storm. School was canceled the following day due to the prolonged power outage in the area and due to storm debris covering many roads used by the school buses.
Thunderstorm winds estimated at 80 miles an hour associated with a line of thundestorms referred to as a bow echo did serious damage to homes and businesses, especially in the Oak Park neighborhood. Light to moderate damage was reported for 129 homes. This included shingles and gutters blown off roofs and broken windows. Severe damage was done to two homes whose roofs were blown off making them uninhabitable. Of the businesses which were damaged two were considered to have light to moderate damage and one was reported to have severe damage. One building that received roof damage was the Lighthouse Outreach Center where a flat tar roof was pealed back by the wind. After the roof was damaged rainfall caused water damage. Total damage to the building was estimated at $100,000. In addition to the damage to buildings, trees and power lines were also knocked down resulting in power outages.
Significant damage was reported at several farms and residences on the south side of Copan. There were a total of four houses that received chimney and roof damage. Three barns were either heavily damaged or destroyed. A well house was destroyed, and a well's utility pole was broken. Several outbuildings and sheds were either heavily damaged or destroyed, and numerous trees were snapped or uprooted. One tree fell on a pasture fence, destroying it. A travel trailer and pop-up trailer at separate residences were destroyed.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many thunderstorm wind events are on record in Washington County, Oklahoma?
258 thunderstorm wind events are recorded in Washington County between 1957 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest thunderstorm wind recorded in Washington County?
The strongest thunderstorm wind on record in Washington County measured 88.
Where does the thunderstorm wind data for Washington 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 Washington County, Oklahoma.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/oklahoma/washington-county/thunderstorm-wind/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.