NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Howe, 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 Howe, Oklahoma since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 89 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 5 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 3
- Tornadoes
- 89
- EF3 or stronger
- 5
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
20 deaths in all
What the records show for Howe
None of the 3 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Howe; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1902, a tropical storm with 40 mph winds when its centre passed 28 miles away. The record near Howe begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm 31 miles away. Howe has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 64% of the 216 Oklahoma cities on this site. The strongest of the 89 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F5 on March 26, 1976; its path came within 17 miles, and it killed 2 people. The deadliest, an F4 on May 5, 1961, killed 16 people. Of the 89, 9 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 47 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 33. The most recent tornado was on May 19, 2025. Of the 216 Oklahoma cities, 94% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Howe. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 173 times since 1957, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Howe has more hail reports within 10 miles than 56% of the 216 Oklahoma cities.
Compare Howe's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Howe
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1961 | CarlaSep 13 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 28 | 28 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 Howe: 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 Howe
By decade
- 2020s13
- 2010s20
- 2000s14
- 1990s14
- 1980s5(1 EF3+)
- 1970s7(2 EF3+)
- 1960s8(2 EF3+)
- 1950s8
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 26, 1976 | F5 | 17 mi | 11.9 mi | 2 / 64 |
| May 5, 1961 | F4 | 1 mi | 26.4 mi | 16 / 58 |
| Mar 26, 1976 | F4 | 19 mi | 10.7 mi | 1 / 4 |
| May 5, 1960 | F3 | 18 mi | 23.7 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Apr 7, 1980 | F3 | 13 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 9 |
| Apr 28, 2017 | EF2 | 11 mi | 8.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 25, 2015 | EF2 | 3 mi | 15.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 24, 2011 | EF2 | in town | 12 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 9, 2009 | EF2 | 24 mi | 10.7 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Mar 26, 2000 | F2 | 7 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 21, 1981 | F2 | 18 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 7, 1980 | F2 | 19 mi | 5.4 mi | 0 / 8 |
The strongest 12 of 89, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Howe
The Storm Prediction Center has 173 hail reports within 10 miles of Howe since 1957, made on 123 separate days. Of these, 91 were 1 inch across or larger, and 13 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 3 inches (tea cup size), was reported on 2 days, most recently June 3, 1983. The most recent report is from September 15, 2025. May has the most reports, 42.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Floods, thunderstorm wind and lightning near Howe
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 175 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Howe: 135 thunderstorm wind reports, 23 flash floods and 17 floods. They killed 1 person and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $628,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 86 mph, on June 19, 1998. Of the 216 Oklahoma cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 143 have had fewer than Howe.
June 23, 2019: flash flood 9 miles from the centre of Howe — 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
Le Flore County, which includes Howe, has been named in 32 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1968, 22 of them major disasters (by incident: 12 severe storms, 7 ice storms, 4 floods, 4 tornadoes). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storms, on February 24, 2021. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Le Flore County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, inland flooding, strong wind, lightning and heat waves; Relatively Low for hail; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $32.0 million a year, the 17th highest of 77 Oklahoma counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $15.9 million (50%), 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 Howe
- Poteau, OK7 mi
- Heavener, OK7 mi
- Wister, OK10 mi
- Cameron, OK14 mi
- Hackett, AR19 mi
- Spiro, OK20 mi
- Pocola, OK22 mi
- Mansfield, AR24 mi
- Keota, OK26 mi
- Talihina, OK28 mi
- Greenwood, AR28 mi
- Waldron, AR28 mi
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