NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Elk City, 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
1 tropical system has passed within 75 miles of Elk City, Oklahoma since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Erin in 2007. Since 1950, 127 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 11 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 1
- Tornadoes
- 127
- EF3 or stronger
- 11
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
9 deaths in all
What the records show for Elk City
None of the 1 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Elk City; the strongest was Erin in 2007, a tropical storm with 46 mph winds when its centre passed 10 miles away. Of the 216 Oklahoma cities on this site, 83% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Elk City. The highest rating among the 127 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 3 times; the most recent, on June 10, 1967, came within 14 miles. Of the 127, 13 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 37 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 49. The most recent tornado was on November 18, 2024. Of the 216 Oklahoma cities, 81% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Elk City. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 162 times since 1958, with stones up to 4 inches (softball size). Elk City has more hail reports within 10 miles than 49% of the 216 Oklahoma cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Elk City
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | ErinAug 19 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Elk City: 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 Elk City
By decade
- 2020s11
- 2010s12
- 2000s14(2 EF3+)
- 1990s12
- 1980s27(1 EF3+)
- 1970s13(3 EF3+)
- 1960s18(3 EF3+)
- 1950s20(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 10, 1967 | F4 | 14 mi | 8.7 mi | 4 / 1 |
| May 25, 1955 | F4 | 24 mi | 45.1 mi | 2 / 18 |
| May 25, 1962 | F4 | 15 mi | 7.2 mi | 0 / 9 |
| Apr 28, 1950 | F3 | 20 mi | 20.8 mi | 1 / 1 |
| Oct 9, 2001 | F3 | 25 mi | 6 mi | 0 / 9 |
| Oct 9, 2001 | F3 | 3 mi | 11.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 22, 1981 | F3 | 22 mi | 10.3 mi | 0 / 12 |
| May 16, 1977 | F3 | 10 mi | 18.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 16, 1977 | F3 | 23 mi | 6.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 2, 1975 | F3 | 24 mi | 4.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 26, 1962 | F3 | 11 mi | 3.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 26, 2023 | EF2 | 21 mi | 7 mi | 1 / 3 |
The strongest 12 of 127, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Elk City
The Storm Prediction Center has 162 hail reports within 10 miles of Elk City since 1958, made on 100 separate days. Of these, 106 were 1 inch across or larger, and 27 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 4 inches (softball size), was reported on 2 days, most recently May 16, 2017. The most recent report is from June 8, 2025. May has the most reports, 61.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Elk City
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Elk City 4 W, OK, 5 miles west of Elk City at 2,120 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 95°F and low of 70°F; January is the coolest, at 50°F and 26°F. May is the wettest at 4.5 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 0.9 inches; the year adds up to 29.6 inches over 47 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 78 days a year, almost all from May to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 84 nights a year. Snowfall averages 8.6 inches a year, most of it in January. That 29.6 inches is more than at 9 of the 82 Oklahoma stations used on this site (11%). Clinton, 26 miles east, has its own station (Clinton, OK): 31.1 inches a year, 1.5 more than here, and the same July average high, 95°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 50 | 26 | 0.9 | 2 | 2.7 |
| Feb | 55 | 29 | 1.0 | 2 | 2.2 |
| Mar | 64 | 37 | 2.1 | 4 | 0.7 |
| Apr | 72 | 46 | 2.7 | 4 | 0.0 |
| May | 81 | 56 | 4.5 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 89 | 65 | 3.8 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 95 | 70 | 2.5 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 94 | 68 | 3.7 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 85 | 61 | 2.8 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 74 | 48 | 2.9 | 5 | 0.1 |
| Nov | 61 | 37 | 1.4 | 3 | 0.5 |
| Dec | 51 | 29 | 1.3 | 3 | 2.4 |
| Year | 73 | 48 | 29.6 | 47 | 8.6 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Elk City 4 W, OK (2,120 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 Elk City
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 105 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Elk City: 98 thunderstorm wind reports, 5 flash floods, 1 flood and 1 heavy rain event. They killed 0 people and injured 3, and the NWS estimated $1.8 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 85 mph, on June 5, 2008. May has had the most flash floods, 4 of 5. Of the 216 Oklahoma cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 20 have had fewer than Elk City.
April 2, 1999: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Elk City — 3 injured, $30,000 damage.
June 5, 2008: thunderstorm wind in Elk City — $500,000 damage.
NWS: “The roof of the Lincoln Teen Center was mostly removed by the strong winds, with another sustaining major damage. Numerous trees were blown down and several dumpsters were blown over.”
May 23, 2015: flash flood 3 miles from the centre of Elk City — $500,000 damage.
NWS: “Numerous homes flooded with water rescues ongoing.”
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
Beckham County, which includes Elk City, has been named in 28 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1986, 20 of them major disasters (by incident: 11 severe storms, 9 ice storms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 fires). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storms, on February 24, 2021. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Beckham County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, hail and strong wind; Relatively Low for lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes and inland flooding. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $13.0 million a year, the 41st highest of 77 Oklahoma counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $3.8 million (29%), is from tornadoes.
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 Elk City
- Sayre, OK15 mi
- Clinton, OK26 mi
- Cordell, OK28 mi
- Hobart, OK32 mi
- Mangum, OK38 mi
- Weatherford, OK40 mi
- Wheeler, TX44 mi
- Hydro, OK49 mi
- Shamrock, TX50 mi
- Carnegie, OK51 mi
- Altus, OK53 mi
- Hollis, OK57 mi
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