NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Broken Bow, OK
Every tropical system within 75 miles since 1851 and every tornado within 25 miles since 1950.
Data: NOAA NHC HURDAT2 and NOAA SPC tornado and hail reports, through 2025 · Updated
3 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Broken Bow, Oklahoma since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 71 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 5 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 3
- Tornadoes
- 71
- EF3 or stronger
- 5
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
2 deaths in all
What the records show for Broken Bow
None of the 3 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Broken Bow; the strongest was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm with 40 mph winds when its centre passed 15 miles away. The record near Broken Bow begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Ike in 2008. Broken Bow has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 64% of the 216 Oklahoma cities on this site. The strongest of the 71 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F5 on April 2, 1982; its path came within 8 miles. The deadliest, an EF2 on November 4, 2022, killed 1 person. Of the 71, 7 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 35 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 27. The most recent tornado was on April 4, 2025. Of the 216 Oklahoma cities, 98% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Broken Bow. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 88 times since 1970, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 216 Oklahoma cities, 93% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Broken Bow.
Compare Broken Bow's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Broken Bow
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1918 | Unnamed 1918 stormAug 7 | 14 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 28 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Broken Bow: a hurricane's worst winds sit within a few dozen miles of its centre, and inland cities are usually past that.
Tornadoes within 25 miles of Broken Bow
By decade
- 2020s9(1 EF3+)
- 2010s13
- 2000s13(1 EF3+)
- 1990s4
- 1980s5(1 EF3+)
- 1970s12(1 EF3+)
- 1960s6
- 1950s9(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 2, 1982 | F5 | 8 mi | 53 mi | 0 / 29 |
| Nov 4, 2022 | EF4 | 13 mi | 60.23 mi | 0 / 13 |
| Apr 9, 2009 | EF3 | 21 mi | 37.18 mi | 0 / 7 |
| Oct 22, 1972 | F3 | 17 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Apr 3, 1956 | F3 | 24 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Nov 4, 2022 | EF2 | 20 mi | 2.83 mi | 1 / 1 |
| Apr 23, 1953 | F2 | 15 mi | 0.8 mi | 1 / 14 |
| Apr 28, 2020 | EF2 | 17 mi | 19.38 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 12, 2015 | EF2 | 16 mi | 7.32 mi | 0 / 3 |
| May 30, 2013 | EF2 | 23 mi | 8.6 mi | 0 / 5 |
| May 14, 2003 | F2 | 19 mi | 78.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 1, 2003 | F2 | 4 mi | 13 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 71, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Broken Bow
The Storm Prediction Center has 88 hail reports within 10 miles of Broken Bow since 1970, made on 71 separate days. Of these, 62 were 1 inch across or larger, and 5 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2.75 inches (baseball size), was reported on 3 days, most recently April 23, 2000. The most recent report is from July 12, 2025. May has the most reports, 22.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Broken Bow
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Broken Bow 1 N, OK, 7 miles southeast of Broken Bow at 475 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 93°F and low of 69°F; January is the coolest, at 53°F and 28°F. May is the wettest at 6.3 inches of precipitation on average and August the driest at 3.2 inches; the year adds up to 55.0 inches over 66 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 81 days a year, almost all from May to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 65 nights a year. Snowfall averages 2.2 inches a year, most of it in January. That 55.0 inches is more than at 81 of the 82 Oklahoma stations used on this site (99%). Valliant, 17 miles southwest, has its own station (Idabel, OK): 54.6 inches a year, 0.4 less than here, and a July average high of 94°F against 93°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 53 | 28 | 3.8 | 6 | 1.0 |
| Feb | 58 | 32 | 4.2 | 6 | 0.8 |
| Mar | 66 | 41 | 4.6 | 6 | 0.1 |
| Apr | 74 | 48 | 5.3 | 6 | 0.0 |
| May | 81 | 58 | 6.3 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 89 | 65 | 4.6 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 93 | 69 | 3.9 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 93 | 68 | 3.2 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 87 | 62 | 4.1 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 77 | 49 | 5.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 65 | 39 | 4.5 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 56 | 32 | 5.3 | 6 | 0.3 |
| Year | 74 | 49 | 55.0 | 66 | 2.2 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Broken Bow 1 N, OK (475 ft), from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals. Normals describe the station; the farther a place is from it, and the bigger the difference in height, the more its weather can differ.
Floods, thunderstorm wind and lightning near Broken Bow
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 98 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Broken Bow: 64 thunderstorm wind reports, 32 flash floods and 2 floods. They killed 1 person and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $343,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on May 16, 2003. April has had the most flash floods, 8 of 32. Of the 216 Oklahoma cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 170 have had fewer than Broken Bow.
June 17, 2023: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Broken Bow — 1 killed.
NWS: “A tree was downed onto an RV at Beavers Bend State Park, resulting in the fatality of a female occupant inside.”
June 26, 2024: thunderstorm wind 3 miles from the centre of Broken Bow — 1 injured.
NWS: “Tree downed onto a home in Hochatown, injuring one occupant.”
May 25, 2015: flash flood 6 miles from the centre of Broken Bow — $100,000 damage.
NWS: “Water topped the Broken Bow Lake Dam southeast of Broken Bow Oklahoma. The water rapidly drained into the Mountain Fork River and the river quickly flowed out of its banks.”
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, events whose starting point is on record, 1996 to June 30, 2026. Damage is the NWS estimate in the dollars of the year, not insured losses, and NWS notes that some reports are unverified.
Flood insurance claims, disaster declarations and FEMA risk ratings
McCurtain County, which includes Broken Bow, has been named in 22 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1972, 14 of them major disasters (by incident: 11 severe storms, 6 ice storms, 2 biological emergencies, 1 fire). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Tornadoes, on July 19, 2023. FEMA's National Risk Index gives McCurtain County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, hail, inland flooding, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $18.4 million a year, the 36th highest of 77 Oklahoma counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $10.0 million (54%), is from inland flooding.
Claims: FEMA, OpenFEMA Dataset FIMA NFIP Redacted Claims – v3, summed over ZIP codes; payments in the dollars of each year, not adjusted for inflation. Declarations: Disaster Declarations Summaries – v2, by county. Retrieved October 25, 2026. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
Risk ratings: FEMA, National Risk Index county table, December 2025 (v1.20), retrieved October 26, 2026; ratings compare counties nationwide, are meant for planning and are no substitute for a local risk assessment. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Risk Index dataset API or downloadable datasets but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
What counts as a pass, the distances and the sources: how this storm history is built.
Cities near Broken Bow
- Valliant, OK17 mi
- Idabel, OK18 mi
- Fort Towson, OK27 mi
- De Queen, AR28 mi
- Cove, AR29 mi
- Horatio, AR32 mi
- Foreman, AR37 mi
- Clarksville, TX38 mi
- Lockesburg, AR40 mi
- Avery, TX40 mi
- Hugo, OK42 mi
- Detroit, TX42 mi
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