NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Mcalester, 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 Mcalester, Oklahoma since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Carla in 1961. Since 1950, 100 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 5 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 2
- Tornadoes
- 100
- EF3 or stronger
- 5
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
no recorded deaths
What the records show for Mcalester
None of the 2 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Mcalester; the strongest was Carla in 1961, a tropical storm with 40 mph winds when its centre passed 12 miles away. The record near Mcalester 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 Mcalester. The strongest of the 100 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on May 11, 1992; its path came within 11 miles. Of the 100, 15 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 33 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 44. The most recent tornado was on June 7, 2025. Of the 216 Oklahoma cities, 92% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Mcalester. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 153 times since 1957, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 216 Oklahoma cities, 51% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Mcalester.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Mcalester
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | CarlaSep 13 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 28 | 23 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 Mcalester: 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 Mcalester
By decade
- 2020s12(1 EF3+)
- 2010s8
- 2000s13
- 1990s28(2 EF3+)
- 1980s4
- 1970s10
- 1960s12(2 EF3+)
- 1950s13
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 11, 1992 | F4 | 11 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 3 |
| May 19, 2025 | EF3 | 13 mi | 16 mi | 0 / 1 |
| May 26, 1997 | F3 | 15 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Apr 27, 1966 | F3 | 8 mi | 8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 26, 1961 | F3 | 23 mi | 21.4 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Apr 30, 2019 | EF2 | 12 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 1 |
| May 18, 2017 | EF2 | 23 mi | 13.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 10, 2008 | EF2 | 15 mi | 19 mi | 0 / 4 |
| May 10, 2008 | EF2 | 5 mi | 8.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 20, 2001 | F2 | 24 mi | 11 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 2, 1994 | F2 | 12 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 11, 1992 | F2 | 20 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 100, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Mcalester
The Storm Prediction Center has 153 hail reports within 10 miles of Mcalester since 1957, made on 110 separate days. Of these, 84 were 1 inch across or larger, and 6 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2.75 inches (baseball size), was reported on 4 days, most recently June 13, 2009. The most recent report is from May 24, 2025. April has the most reports, 44.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Mcalester
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Mcalester Regional Airport, OK, 5 miles south of Mcalester at 770 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 93°F and low of 72°F; January is the coolest, at 52°F and 30°F. May is the wettest at 5.3 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 2.2 inches; the year adds up to 42.7 inches over 59 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 73 days a year, almost all from May to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 66 nights a year. That 42.7 inches is more than at 56 of the 82 Oklahoma stations used on this site (68%). Wilburton, 26 miles east, has its own station (Wilburton 9 ENE, OK): 50.9 inches a year, 8.2 more than here, and a July average high of 94°F against 93°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 52 | 30 | 2.2 | 4 |
| Feb | 57 | 34 | 2.4 | 4 |
| Mar | 65 | 42 | 3.4 | 6 |
| Apr | 73 | 50 | 4.6 | 6 |
| May | 80 | 60 | 5.3 | 7 |
| Jun | 88 | 68 | 4.5 | 6 |
| Jul | 93 | 72 | 3.4 | 5 |
| Aug | 93 | 71 | 3.0 | 4 |
| Sep | 86 | 63 | 3.7 | 5 |
| Oct | 75 | 52 | 4.2 | 6 |
| Nov | 63 | 41 | 3.0 | 4 |
| Dec | 54 | 33 | 3.0 | 4 |
| Year | 73 | 51 | 42.7 | 59 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Mcalester Regional Airport, OK (770 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 Mcalester
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 111 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Mcalester: 83 thunderstorm wind reports, 22 flash floods and 6 floods. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $820,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 86 mph, on May 18, 2019. Of the 216 Oklahoma cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 137 have had fewer than Mcalester.
April 9, 2008: thunderstorm wind 1 mile from the centre of Mcalester — $100,000 damage.
NWS: “Thunderstorm winds estimated at 70 miles an hour and golfball size hail broke windows and damaged roofs throughout McAlester. The winds also damaged signs and caused tree damage.”
June 7, 2025: thunderstorm wind 1 mile from the centre of Mcalester — $100,000 damage.
NWS: “Strong thunderstorm wind damaged multiple buildings in downtown McAlester.”
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 Mcalester's ZIP code 74501 have filed 17 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1988, and were paid $179,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 29% 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, 22 have fewer than Mcalester.
Pittsburg County, which includes Mcalester, has been named in 33 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1970, 25 of them major disasters (by incident: 16 severe storms, 6 ice storms, 4 floods, 3 tornadoes). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on April 30, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Pittsburg County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, hail, strong wind, lightning and heat waves; Relatively Low for inland flooding; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $22.0 million a year, the 30th highest of 77 Oklahoma counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $8.0 million (36%), 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 Mcalester
- Hartshorne, OK13 mi
- Eufaula, OK25 mi
- Wilburton, OK26 mi
- Wetumka, OK34 mi
- Henryetta, OK36 mi
- Checotah, OK37 mi
- Holdenville, OK37 mi
- Coalgate, OK38 mi
- Porum, OK39 mi
- Stigler, OK41 mi
- Talihina, OK43 mi
- Wewoka, OK45 mi
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