NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Choctaw, 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 Choctaw, Oklahoma since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Erin in 2007. Since 1950, 300 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 36 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 3
- Tornadoes
- 300
- EF3 or stronger
- 36
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
89 deaths in all
What the records show for Choctaw
None of the 3 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Choctaw; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 43 mph winds when its centre passed 23 miles away. The record near Choctaw begins with an unnamed storm in 1900; the most recent system was Erin in 2007, a tropical storm 26 miles away. Choctaw has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 64% of the 216 Oklahoma cities on this site. The highest rating among the 300 tornadoes within 25 miles is F5 or EF5, reached 3 times; the most recent, on May 20, 2013, came within 11 miles. The deadliest, an F5 on May 3, 1999, killed 36 people. Of the 300, 18 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 140 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 128. The most recent tornado was on July 12, 2025. Choctaw has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 92% of the 216 Oklahoma cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 319 times since 1955, with stones up to 4 inches (softball size). Choctaw has more hail reports within 10 miles than 86% of the 216 Oklahoma cities.
Compare Choctaw's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Choctaw
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | ErinAug 19 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1961 | CarlaSep 13 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 10 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 4 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Choctaw: 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 Choctaw
By decade
- 2020s49(4 EF3+)
- 2010s58(9 EF3+)
- 2000s33(2 EF3+)
- 1990s25(1 EF3+)
- 1980s31(2 EF3+)
- 1970s33(8 EF3+)
- 1960s44(7 EF3+)
- 1950s27(3 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 3, 1999 | F5 | 9 mi | 37 mi | 36 / 583 |
| May 20, 2013 | EF5 | 11 mi | 13.85 mi | 24 / 212 |
| May 5, 1960 | F5 | 23 mi | 71.8 mi | 5 / 81 |
| Oct 5, 1970 | F4 | 21 mi | 25 mi | 4 / 84 |
| May 19, 2013 | EF4 | 11 mi | 23 mi | 2 / 10 |
| May 10, 2010 | EF4 | 3 mi | 24 mi | 2 / 49 |
| May 24, 2011 | EF4 | 20 mi | 33.3 mi | 1 / 48 |
| May 10, 2010 | EF4 | 17 mi | 22.25 mi | 1 / 32 |
| May 8, 2003 | F4 | in town | 17.3 mi | 0 / 134 |
| May 1, 1954 | F4 | 1 mi | 59.2 mi | 0 / 65 |
| Nov 19, 1973 | F3 | 11 mi | 24.2 mi | 5 / 36 |
| Apr 2, 1956 | F3 | 15 mi | 42.6 mi | 5 / 68 |
The strongest 12 of 300, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Choctaw
The Storm Prediction Center has 319 hail reports within 10 miles of Choctaw since 1955, made on 178 separate days. Of these, 195 were 1 inch across or larger, and 28 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 4 inches (softball size), was reported on 3 days, most recently May 17, 2025. The most recent report is from November 19, 2025. May has the most reports, 104.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Choctaw
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Meeker 5 W, OK, 17 miles east of Choctaw at 925 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 92°F and low of 71°F; January is the coolest, at 49°F and 27°F. May and June are the wettest at 5.2 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 1.6 inches; the year adds up to 39.4 inches over 56 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 59 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 83 nights a year. That 39.4 inches is more than at 45 of the 82 Oklahoma stations used on this site (55%). Spencer, 6 miles northwest, has its own station (Oklahoma City Post Airport, OK): 30.8 inches a year, 8.6 less than here, and a July average high of 95°F against 92°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 49 | 27 | 1.6 | 3 |
| Feb | 54 | 30 | 1.8 | 3 |
| Mar | 63 | 38 | 2.9 | 5 |
| Apr | 71 | 47 | 4.0 | 5 |
| May | 78 | 58 | 5.2 | 7 |
| Jun | 86 | 67 | 5.2 | 6 |
| Jul | 92 | 71 | 3.5 | 5 |
| Aug | 91 | 69 | 3.3 | 5 |
| Sep | 84 | 61 | 3.9 | 5 |
| Oct | 73 | 49 | 3.8 | 5 |
| Nov | 62 | 38 | 2.2 | 4 |
| Dec | 51 | 30 | 2.0 | 4 |
| Year | 71 | 49 | 39.4 | 56 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Meeker 5 W, OK (925 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 Choctaw
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 171 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Choctaw: 142 thunderstorm wind reports, 23 flash floods, 3 floods and 3 lightning strikes. They killed 3 people and injured 15, and the NWS estimated $2.9 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 102 mph, on July 3, 2005. June has had the most flash floods, 11 of 23. Of the 216 Oklahoma cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 143 have had fewer than Choctaw.
September 21, 1998: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Choctaw — 1 killed, 10 injured, $2.0 million damage.
May 31, 2013: flash flood 9 miles from the centre of Choctaw — 1 killed, $15,000 damage.
July 6, 2010: flash flood 6 miles from the centre of Choctaw — 1 killed.
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
Flood insurance policyholders in Choctaw's ZIP code 73020 have filed 33 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1985, and were paid $543,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The year with the most claims was 2013, with 17. 3% of the claims carry the name of a storm or flood event; the rest have no event name. Of the 92 Oklahoma cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 40 have fewer than Choctaw.
Oklahoma County, which includes Choctaw, has been named in 52 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1974, 30 of them major disasters (by incident: 17 fires, 15 severe storms, 10 ice storms, 4 floods). The latest major disaster declaration was Wildfires and Straight-Line Winds, on May 21, 2025. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Oklahoma County a Relatively High rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Very High for tornadoes and hail; Relatively High for inland flooding, lightning and heat waves; Relatively Moderate for strong wind; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $297.5 million a year, the highest of 77 Oklahoma counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $127.5 million (43%), 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).
Choctaw in the notable storm records: The May 20, 2013 EF5 Tornado in Oklahoma, near Moore
What counts as a pass, the distances and the sources: how this storm history is built.