NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Duncan, 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 Duncan, Oklahoma since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Carla in 1961. Since 1950, 134 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 12 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 2
- Tornadoes
- 134
- EF3 or stronger
- 12
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
49 deaths in all
What the records show for Duncan
None of the 2 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Duncan; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 47 mph winds when its centre passed 9 miles away. The record near Duncan begins with an unnamed storm in 1900; the most recent system was Carla in 1961, a tropical storm 56 miles away. Of the 216 Oklahoma cities on this site, 36% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Duncan. The highest rating among the 134 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on April 10, 1979, came within 22 miles. Of the 134, 21 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 42 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 46. The most recent tornado was on November 3, 2024. Of the 216 Oklahoma cities, 75% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Duncan. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 331 times since 1955, with stones up to 4.5 inches (grapefruit size). Duncan has more hail reports within 10 miles than 87% of the 216 Oklahoma cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Duncan
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | CarlaSep 13 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 10 | 9 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 4 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Duncan: 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 Duncan
By decade
- 2020s16(1 EF3+)
- 2010s16
- 2000s10
- 1990s14(1 EF3+)
- 1980s7
- 1970s26(6 EF3+)
- 1960s23(1 EF3+)
- 1950s22(3 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 10, 1979 | F4 | 22 mi | 46.9 mi | 42 / 1740 |
| Apr 19, 1972 | F4 | 24 mi | 28.2 mi | 5 / 6 |
| May 15, 1977 | F3 | 19 mi | 0.8 mi | 1 / 2 |
| Nov 3, 2024 | EF3 | 8 mi | 21.7 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Mar 13, 1990 | F3 | 20 mi | 22 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Apr 10, 1979 | F3 | 23 mi | 12.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 2, 1977 | F3 | 11 mi | 4.3 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Apr 20, 1974 | F3 | 16 mi | 6.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 4, 1960 | F3 | 9 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 17, 1958 | F3 | 20 mi | 65.8 mi | 0 / 4 |
| May 1, 1954 | F3 | 23 mi | 8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 1, 1954 | F3 | 9 mi | 6.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 134, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Duncan
The Storm Prediction Center has 331 hail reports within 10 miles of Duncan since 1955, made on 165 separate days. Of these, 232 were 1 inch across or larger, and 28 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 4.5 inches (grapefruit size), was reported on 2 days, most recently October 20, 1996. The most recent report is from May 22, 2025. May has the most reports, 111.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Duncan
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Duncan, OK, in Duncan at 1,125 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 94°F and low of 72°F; January is the coolest, at 52°F and 28°F. May is the wettest at 5.6 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 1.5 inches; the year adds up to 37.2 inches over 53 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 76 days a year, almost all from May to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 69 nights a year. Snowfall averages 2.8 inches a year, most of it in January. That 37.2 inches is more than at 35 of the 82 Oklahoma stations used on this site (43%). Rush Springs, 20 miles north, has its own station (Lindsay 2 W, OK): 34.2 inches a year, 3.0 less than here, and a July average high of 95°F against 94°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 52 | 28 | 1.5 | 3 | 1.1 |
| Feb | 57 | 32 | 1.8 | 3 | 0.4 |
| Mar | 65 | 41 | 2.8 | 5 | 0.2 |
| Apr | 73 | 49 | 3.5 | 5 | 0.0 |
| May | 81 | 59 | 5.6 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 89 | 68 | 4.5 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 94 | 72 | 2.6 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 93 | 71 | 2.9 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 86 | 63 | 3.8 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 76 | 51 | 3.9 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 64 | 39 | 2.3 | 4 | 0.3 |
| Dec | 54 | 31 | 2.0 | 3 | 0.8 |
| Year | 73 | 50 | 37.2 | 53 | 2.8 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Duncan, OK (1,125 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 Duncan
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 141 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Duncan: 102 thunderstorm wind reports, 34 flash floods, 4 floods and 1 heavy rain event. They killed 1 person and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $772,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 86 mph, on May 16, 2015. May has had the most flash floods, 13 of 34. Of the 216 Oklahoma cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 174 have had fewer than Duncan.
June 12, 2016: flash flood in Duncan — 1 killed.
NWS: “High water rescue due to heavy rain. One foot of water was over US 81 in central part of Duncan.”
July 14, 2012: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Duncan — $200,000 damage.
May 9, 2015: flash flood 9 miles from the centre of Duncan — $100,000 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
Flood insurance policyholders in Duncan's ZIP code 73533 have filed 67 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $549,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The year with the most claims was 2007, with 22. 7% 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, 62 have fewer than Duncan.
Stephens County, which includes Duncan, has been named in 35 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 25 of them major disasters (by incident: 15 severe storms, 9 ice storms, 4 fires, 3 floods). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on March 18, 2025. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Stephens County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, hail and heat waves; Relatively Low for inland flooding and lightning; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $22.5 million a year, the 29th highest of 77 Oklahoma counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $6.7 million (30%), 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 Duncan
- Comanche, OK9 mi
- Marlow, OK9 mi
- Rush Springs, OK20 mi
- Waurika, OK24 mi
- Walters, OK25 mi
- Elgin, OK25 mi
- Fletcher, OK25 mi
- Lawton, OK28 mi
- Lindsay, OK31 mi
- Healdton, OK32 mi
- Fort Sill, OK32 mi
- Elmore City, OK33 mi
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