NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Jay, 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 Jay, Oklahoma since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Carla in 1961. Since 1950, 160 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 10 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 2
- Tornadoes
- 160
- EF3 or stronger
- 10
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
2 deaths in all
What the records show for Jay
None of the 2 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Jay; the strongest was Carla in 1961, a tropical storm with 40 mph winds when its centre passed 37 miles away. The record near Jay 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 Jay. The strongest of the 160 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on April 3, 1956; its path came within 25 miles. The deadliest, an EF2 on August 10, 2011, killed 1 person. Of the 160, 10 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 86 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 68. The most recent tornado was on June 18, 2025. Jay has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 50% of the 216 Oklahoma cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 101 times since 1961, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Of the 216 Oklahoma cities, 84% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Jay.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Jay
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | CarlaSep 13 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 28 | 42 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 Jay: 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 Jay
By decade
- 2020s24(1 EF3+)
- 2010s54(1 EF3+)
- 2000s8(2 EF3+)
- 1990s17
- 1980s11(1 EF3+)
- 1970s19(3 EF3+)
- 1960s13
- 1950s14(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3, 1956 | F4 | 25 mi | 41.8 mi | 0 / 59 |
| May 25, 2024 | EF3 | 14 mi | 7.9 mi | 0 / 2 |
| May 22, 2011 | EF3 | 4 mi | 17.93 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Mar 12, 2006 | F3 | 17 mi | 25 mi | 0 / 12 |
| Mar 12, 2006 | F3 | 13 mi | 29 mi | 0 / 8 |
| Apr 7, 1980 | F3 | 15 mi | 24.8 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Jun 8, 1974 | F3 | 6 mi | 2.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 24, 1973 | F3 | 24 mi | 20.8 mi | 0 / 14 |
| Oct 8, 1970 | F3 | 14 mi | 6.9 mi | 0 / 4 |
| May 9, 1959 | F3 | 8 mi | 23.2 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Aug 10, 2011 | EF2 | 24 mi | 5 mi | 1 / 2 |
| Jun 11, 1970 | F2 | 24 mi | 15.4 mi | 1 / 1 |
The strongest 12 of 160, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Jay
The Storm Prediction Center has 101 hail reports within 10 miles of Jay since 1961, made on 73 separate days. Of these, 45 were 1 inch across or larger, and 6 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 3 inches (tea cup size), was reported on 2 days, most recently March 27, 2020. The most recent report is from May 8, 2024. May has the most reports, 30.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Jay
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Spavinaw, OK, 16 miles west of Jay at 685 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 91°F and low of 71°F; January is the coolest, at 48°F and 26°F. May is the wettest at 6.3 inches of precipitation on average and January and February the driest at 2.3 inches; the year adds up to 46.6 inches over 67 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 58 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 69 nights a year. Snowfall averages 5.5 inches a year, most of it in March. That 46.6 inches is more than at 71 of the 82 Oklahoma stations used on this site (87%). Grove, 11 miles north, has its own station (Anderson, MO): 44.3 inches a year, 2.3 less than here, and a July average high of 88°F against 91°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 48 | 26 | 2.3 | 4 | 1.7 |
| Feb | 53 | 30 | 2.3 | 4 | 0.8 |
| Mar | 62 | 38 | 3.7 | 6 | 1.8 |
| Apr | 71 | 47 | 4.6 | 7 | 0.0 |
| May | 78 | 58 | 6.3 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 86 | 67 | 5.1 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 91 | 71 | 3.8 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 91 | 70 | 3.8 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 83 | 62 | 4.4 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 73 | 50 | 4.1 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 61 | 39 | 3.7 | 5 | 0.3 |
| Dec | 51 | 30 | 2.5 | 4 | 0.9 |
| Year | 71 | 49 | 46.6 | 67 | 5.5 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Spavinaw, OK (685 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 Jay
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 77 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Jay: 68 thunderstorm wind reports, 7 flash floods and 2 floods. They killed 1 person and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $425,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 85 mph, on June 18, 2023. June has had the most flash floods, 2 of 7. Of the 216 Oklahoma cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 40 have had fewer than Jay.
February 16, 2008: flash flood 2 miles from the centre of Jay — 1 killed.
NWS: “Runoff from locally heavy rainfall resulted in the flooding of several low water crossings to the east and north of Jay. A man was drowned when he tried to drive through flood waters flowing through one of these low water crossings.”
September 5, 2023: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Jay — $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
Delaware County, which includes Jay, has been named in 33 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 26 of them major disasters (by incident: 18 severe storms, 7 ice storms, 3 floods, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on June 14, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Delaware County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, inland flooding, 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 $29.9 million a year, the 19th highest of 77 Oklahoma counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $17.3 million (58%), 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 Jay
- Eucha, OK8 mi
- Grove, OK11 mi
- Afton, OK15 mi
- Colcord, OK16 mi
- Kansas, OK18 mi
- Noel, MO19 mi
- Gravette, AR19 mi
- Decatur, AR19 mi
- Salina, OK21 mi
- Fairland, OK21 mi
- Gentry, AR22 mi
- Wyandotte, OK24 mi
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