NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Cordell, 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 Cordell, Oklahoma since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Erin in 2007. Since 1950, 145 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 12 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 2
- Tornadoes
- 145
- EF3 or stronger
- 12
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
2 deaths in all
What the records show for Cordell
None of the 2 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Cordell; the strongest was Erin in 2007, a tropical storm with 52 mph winds when its centre passed 12 miles away. The record near Cordell begins with an unnamed storm in 1900; the most recent system was Erin in 2007. Of the 216 Oklahoma cities on this site, 36% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Cordell. The strongest of the 145 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on May 25, 1962; its path came within 7 miles. The deadliest, an EF2 on May 16, 2017, killed 1 person. Of the 145, 8 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 46 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 61. The most recent tornado was on November 18, 2024. Of the 216 Oklahoma cities, 65% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Cordell. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 142 times since 1955, with stones up to 4 inches (softball size). Of the 216 Oklahoma cities, 59% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Cordell.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Cordell
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | ErinAug 19 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 10 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 4 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Cordell: 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 Cordell
By decade
- 2020s8
- 2010s13
- 2000s25(3 EF3+)
- 1990s7
- 1980s32(2 EF3+)
- 1970s19(2 EF3+)
- 1960s17(2 EF3+)
- 1950s24(3 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 25, 1962 | F4 | 7 mi | 7.2 mi | 0 / 9 |
| Apr 28, 1950 | F3 | 16 mi | 20.8 mi | 1 / 1 |
| Oct 9, 2001 | F3 | 14 mi | 13 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Oct 9, 2001 | F3 | 3 mi | 6 mi | 0 / 9 |
| Oct 9, 2001 | F3 | 23 mi | 11.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 11, 1982 | F3 | 20 mi | 7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 22, 1981 | F3 | 14 mi | 10.3 mi | 0 / 12 |
| May 2, 1975 | F3 | 5 mi | 4.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 18, 1973 | F3 | 18 mi | 16.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 25, 1962 | F3 | 21 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Apr 22, 1957 | F3 | 23 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jun 8, 1951 | F3 | 11 mi | 10.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 145, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Cordell
The Storm Prediction Center has 142 hail reports within 10 miles of Cordell since 1955, made on 92 separate days. Of these, 90 were 1 inch across or larger, and 17 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4 inches (softball size), fell on May 16, 1961. The most recent report is from May 25, 2024. May has the most reports, 51.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Cordell
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Clinton Sherman Airport, OK, 11 miles southwest of Cordell at 1,922 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 94°F and low of 71°F; January is the coolest, at 49°F and 28°F. May is the wettest at 3.6 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 0.6 inches; the year adds up to 24.0 inches over 38 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 90 days a year, almost all from May to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 75 nights a year. That 24.0 inches is more than at 2 of the 82 Oklahoma stations used on this site (2%). Clinton, 16 miles north, has its own station (Clinton, OK): 31.1 inches a year, 7.1 more than here, and a July average high of 95°F against 94°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 49 | 28 | 0.6 | 2 |
| Feb | 53 | 30 | 0.8 | 2 |
| Mar | 62 | 39 | 1.4 | 3 |
| Apr | 70 | 46 | 2.6 | 4 |
| May | 80 | 57 | 3.6 | 5 |
| Jun | 90 | 67 | 3.3 | 5 |
| Jul | 94 | 71 | 2.0 | 3 |
| Aug | 93 | 70 | 3.1 | 4 |
| Sep | 84 | 62 | 2.6 | 4 |
| Oct | 72 | 49 | 2.3 | 4 |
| Nov | 59 | 38 | 0.9 | 2 |
| Dec | 49 | 30 | 0.8 | 2 |
| Year | 71 | 49 | 24.0 | 38 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Clinton Sherman Airport, OK (1,922 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 Cordell
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 48 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Cordell: 41 thunderstorm wind reports, 6 flash floods and 1 heavy rain event. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $254,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 92 mph, on June 12, 2005. Of the 216 Oklahoma cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 26 have had fewer than Cordell.
May 27, 2001: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Cordell — $100,000 damage.
NWS: “Considerable structural damage was sustained to the Pauls Valley Municipal Airport.”
May 26, 2004: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Cordell — $100,000 damage.
NWS: “A wind gust, possibly from a wet microburst, caused some damage in Bessie. Three empty grain cars of a train were toppled onto their side.”
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
Washita County, which includes Cordell, has been named in 37 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 30 of them major disasters (by incident: 18 severe storms, 10 ice storms, 3 tornadoes, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on March 18, 2025. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Washita County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for hail and strong wind; Relatively Low for tornadoes and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes, inland flooding and lightning. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $6.8 million a year, the 64th highest of 77 Oklahoma counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $1.6 million (23%), 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 Cordell
- Clinton, OK16 mi
- Hobart, OK20 mi
- Weatherford, OK22 mi
- Carnegie, OK24 mi
- Hydro, OK26 mi
- Elk City, OK28 mi
- Hinton, OK37 mi
- Sayre, OK40 mi
- Apache, OK42 mi
- Anadarko, OK43 mi
- Mangum, OK44 mi
- Fort Sill, OK49 mi
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