NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Locust Grove, 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 Locust Grove, Oklahoma since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Carla in 1961. Since 1950, 187 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 11 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 2
- Tornadoes
- 187
- EF3 or stronger
- 11
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
7 deaths in all
What the records show for Locust Grove
None of the 2 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Locust Grove; the strongest was Carla in 1961, a tropical storm with 40 mph winds when its centre passed 33 miles away. The record near Locust Grove 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 Locust Grove. The highest rating among the 187 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3 or EF3, reached 11 times; the most recent, on May 25, 2024, came within 15 miles. Of the 187, 12 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 107 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 78. The most recent tornado was on June 18, 2025. Locust Grove has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 70% of the 216 Oklahoma cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 117 times since 1961, with stones up to 4.25 inches. Of the 216 Oklahoma cities, 76% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Locust Grove.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Locust Grove
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | CarlaSep 13 | 33 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 28 | 44 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 Locust Grove: 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 Locust Grove
By decade
- 2020s24(1 EF3+)
- 2010s67
- 2000s16(1 EF3+)
- 1990s23(1 EF3+)
- 1980s15(2 EF3+)
- 1970s18(4 EF3+)
- 1960s16(1 EF3+)
- 1950s8(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 25, 2024 | EF3 | 15 mi | 23.9 mi | 2 / 23 |
| Jun 1, 1999 | F3 | 13 mi | 2 mi | 2 / 5 |
| Jun 8, 1974 | F3 | 24 mi | 63.6 mi | 2 / 80 |
| Mar 12, 2006 | F3 | 5 mi | 29 mi | 0 / 8 |
| Apr 19, 1981 | F3 | 16 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 7, 1980 | F3 | 21 mi | 24.8 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Jun 8, 1974 | F3 | 21 mi | 2.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 8, 1974 | F3 | 8 mi | 48.9 mi | 0 / 42 |
| May 5, 1971 | F3 | 16 mi | 37 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 10, 1964 | F3 | 23 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 9, 1959 | F3 | 20 mi | 23.2 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Aug 10, 2011 | EF2 | 2 mi | 5 mi | 1 / 2 |
The strongest 12 of 187, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Locust Grove
The Storm Prediction Center has 117 hail reports within 10 miles of Locust Grove since 1961, made on 83 separate days. Of these, 65 were 1 inch across or larger, and 10 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4.25 inches, fell on May 22, 2011. The most recent report is from March 14, 2024. May has the most reports, 42.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Locust Grove
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Pryor, OK, 14 miles northwest of Locust Grove at 625 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 91°F and low of 70°F; January is the coolest, at 47°F and 25°F. May is the wettest at 5.5 inches of precipitation on average and January and February the driest at 2.0 inches; the year adds up to 44.8 inches over 67 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 60 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 95 nights a year. Snowfall averages 7.5 inches a year, most of it in January. That 44.8 inches is more than at 64 of the 82 Oklahoma stations used on this site (78%). Salina, 11 miles north, has its own station (Spavinaw, OK): 46.6 inches a year, 1.8 more than here, and the same July average high, 91°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 47 | 25 | 2.0 | 4 | 2.6 |
| Feb | 53 | 29 | 2.0 | 4 | 0.7 |
| Mar | 61 | 37 | 3.2 | 5 | 1.8 |
| Apr | 71 | 46 | 4.7 | 7 | 0.0 |
| May | 79 | 57 | 5.5 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 87 | 66 | 4.9 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 91 | 70 | 4.6 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 92 | 68 | 3.6 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 84 | 60 | 4.4 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 73 | 47 | 3.7 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 61 | 37 | 3.7 | 6 | 0.5 |
| Dec | 51 | 28 | 2.5 | 5 | 1.9 |
| Year | 71 | 47 | 44.8 | 67 | 7.5 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Pryor, OK (625 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 Locust Grove
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 80 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Locust Grove: 63 thunderstorm wind reports, 15 flash floods and 2 floods. They killed 2 people and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $636,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 86 mph, on June 17, 2023. Of the 216 Oklahoma cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 100 have had fewer than Locust Grove.
June 14, 2026: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Locust Grove — 1 killed, $50,000 damage.
NWS: “Strong thunderstorm wind blew down a tree, which fell onto a recreational vehicle, killing a man inside.”
March 31, 2008: flash flood 7 miles from the centre of Locust Grove — 1 killed.
NWS: “Heavy rain caused Highway 82 to be flooded at Peggs and several rural roads to be flooded across the northern part of Cherokee County. A woman drove a vehicle into a flooded low water crossing and the vehicle became stranded.”
April 9, 2008: flash flood 9 miles from the centre of Locust Grove — $200,000 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
Mayes County, which includes Locust Grove, has been named in 31 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 23 of them major disasters (by incident: 15 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 Mayes County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind and lightning; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, inland flooding 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 $26.2 million a year, the 23rd highest of 77 Oklahoma counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $11.5 million (44%), 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 Locust Grove
- Chouteau, OK9 mi
- Salina, OK11 mi
- Hulbert, OK13 mi
- Pryor, OK13 mi
- Wagoner, OK17 mi
- Tahlequah, OK19 mi
- Inola, OK19 mi
- Adair, OK20 mi
- Kansas, OK21 mi
- Eucha, OK23 mi
- Fort Gibson, OK24 mi
- Claremore, OK25 mi
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