NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Commerce, 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
2 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Commerce, Oklahoma since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Carla in 1961. Since 1950, 173 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 14 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 2
- Tornadoes
- 173
- EF3 or stronger
- 14
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
192 deaths in all
What the records show for Commerce
None of the 2 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Commerce; the strongest was Carla in 1961, a tropical storm with 40 mph winds when its centre passed 68 miles away. The record near Commerce begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Carla in 1961. Of the 216 Oklahoma cities on this site, 36% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Commerce. The strongest of the 173 tornadoes within 25 miles was an EF5 on May 22, 2011; its path came within 17 miles, and it killed 158 people. Of the 173, 14 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 74 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 62. The most recent tornado was on April 29, 2025. Commerce has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 61% of the 216 Oklahoma cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 152 times since 1956, with stones up to 4.25 inches. Of the 216 Oklahoma cities, 53% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Commerce.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Commerce
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | CarlaSep 13 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 28 | 69 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 Commerce: 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 Commerce
By decade
- 2020s14
- 2010s33(2 EF3+)
- 2000s27(2 EF3+)
- 1990s15
- 1980s15(2 EF3+)
- 1970s17(3 EF3+)
- 1960s28(2 EF3+)
- 1950s24(3 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 22, 2011 | EF5 | 17 mi | 21.62 mi | 158 / 1150 |
| May 10, 2008 | EF4 | 2 mi | 75.51 mi | 21 / 350 |
| Apr 24, 1975 | F4 | 18 mi | 11.9 mi | 3 / 22 |
| Sep 27, 1959 | F4 | 17 mi | 20.4 mi | 1 / 1 |
| Apr 3, 1956 | F4 | 5 mi | 41.8 mi | 0 / 59 |
| May 4, 2003 | F3 | 11 mi | 25 mi | 5 / 34 |
| Mar 15, 1982 | F3 | 18 mi | 30 mi | 1 / 6 |
| May 5, 1971 | F3 | 20 mi | 13.1 mi | 1 / 60 |
| May 22, 2019 | EF3 | 18 mi | 9.22 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 7, 1980 | F3 | 18 mi | 24.8 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Sep 24, 1973 | F3 | 6 mi | 20.8 mi | 0 / 14 |
| May 7, 1961 | F3 | 7 mi | 8.9 mi | 0 / 1 |
The strongest 12 of 173, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Commerce
The Storm Prediction Center has 152 hail reports within 10 miles of Commerce since 1956, made on 101 separate days. Of these, 86 were 1 inch across or larger, and 14 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4.25 inches, fell on May 4, 2003. The most recent report is from March 22, 2025. May has the most reports, 53.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Commerce
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Columbus, KS, 17 miles north of Commerce at 893 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 90°F and low of 69°F; January is the coolest, at 44°F and 23°F. May is the wettest at 7.1 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 1.7 inches; the year adds up to 46.2 inches over 68 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 46 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 95 nights a year. Snowfall averages 7.2 inches a year, most of it in January and December. That 46.2 inches is more than at 70 of the 82 Oklahoma stations used on this site (85%). Fairland, 13 miles south, has its own station (Anderson, MO): 44.3 inches a year, 1.9 less than here, and a July average high of 88°F against 90°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 44 | 23 | 1.7 | 4 | 2.3 |
| Feb | 49 | 27 | 2.0 | 4 | 1.1 |
| Mar | 58 | 36 | 3.4 | 6 | 1.3 |
| Apr | 68 | 46 | 5.1 | 7 | 0.0 |
| May | 76 | 56 | 7.1 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 85 | 65 | 5.2 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 90 | 69 | 4.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 89 | 68 | 3.8 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 81 | 59 | 4.5 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 70 | 48 | 3.8 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 58 | 36 | 3.0 | 5 | 0.2 |
| Dec | 47 | 28 | 2.4 | 4 | 2.3 |
| Year | 68 | 47 | 46.2 | 68 | 7.2 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Columbus, KS (893 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 Commerce
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 242 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Commerce: 127 thunderstorm wind reports, 72 floods, 42 flash floods and 1 heavy rain event. They killed 1 person and injured 6, and the NWS estimated $26.2 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 107 mph, on April 28, 1996. May has had the most flash floods, 12 of 42. Of the 216 Oklahoma cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 184 have had fewer than Commerce.
September 7, 2012: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Commerce — 1 killed, $25,000 damage.
May 23, 2011: flash flood 4 miles from the centre of Commerce — 4 injured, $50,000 damage.
September 7, 2012: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Commerce — 1 injured, $25,000 damage.
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
Ottawa County, which includes Commerce, has been named in 34 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1974, 27 of them major disasters (by incident: 15 severe storms, 7 ice storms, 4 floods, 4 tornadoes). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on April 30, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Ottawa County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, inland flooding and heat waves; Relatively Low for hail and lightning; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $23.6 million a year, the 26th highest of 77 Oklahoma counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $12.0 million (51%), 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 Commerce
- Miami, OK4 mi
- Quapaw, OK8 mi
- Baxter Springs, KS9 mi
- Fairland, OK13 mi
- Wyandotte, OK15 mi
- Galena, KS16 mi
- Columbus, KS17 mi
- Seneca, MO17 mi
- Afton, OK22 mi
- Joplin, MO22 mi
- Oswego, KS23 mi
- Grove, OK24 mi
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