NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Morris, 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 Morris, Oklahoma since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Carla in 1961. Since 1950, 173 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 10 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 2
- Tornadoes
- 173
- EF3 or stronger
- 10
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
16 deaths in all
What the records show for Morris
None of the 2 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Morris; the strongest was Carla in 1961, a tropical storm with 40 mph winds when its centre passed 26 miles away. The record near Morris 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 Morris. The strongest of the 173 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on May 17, 1981; its path came within 14 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on April 26, 1984, killed 8 people. Of the 173, 15 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 82 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 80. The most recent tornado was on June 6, 2025. Morris has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 61% of the 216 Oklahoma cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 132 times since 1961, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 216 Oklahoma cities, 67% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Morris.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Morris
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | CarlaSep 13 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 28 | 54 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 Morris: 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 Morris
By decade
- 2020s20
- 2010s45
- 2000s17
- 1990s37(1 EF3+)
- 1980s13(3 EF3+)
- 1970s16(2 EF3+)
- 1960s14(4 EF3+)
- 1950s11
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 17, 1981 | F4 | 14 mi | 33.6 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Apr 26, 1984 | F3 | in town | 22 mi | 8 / 95 |
| Apr 19, 1981 | F3 | 20 mi | 9.9 mi | 5 / 49 |
| May 5, 1960 | F3 | 9 mi | 0.8 mi | 2 / 15 |
| Jun 1, 1999 | F3 | 22 mi | 4.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 5, 1975 | F3 | 8 mi | 27 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 5, 1971 | F3 | 15 mi | 37 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 11, 1966 | F3 | 20 mi | 7.3 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Mar 26, 1961 | F3 | 21 mi | 21.4 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Feb 17, 1961 | F3 | 12 mi | 73 mi | 0 / 11 |
| Apr 23, 1953 | F2 | 22 mi | 1.5 mi | 1 / 4 |
| May 18, 2017 | EF2 | 21 mi | 13.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 173, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Morris
The Storm Prediction Center has 132 hail reports within 10 miles of Morris since 1961, made on 102 separate days. Of these, 65 were 1 inch across or larger, and 7 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on May 22, 2019. The most recent report is from May 18, 2025. May has the most reports, 40.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Floods, thunderstorm wind and lightning near Morris
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 114 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Morris: 74 thunderstorm wind reports, 34 flash floods and 6 floods. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $1.3 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 85 mph, on June 24, 2018. May has had the most flash floods, 15 of 34. Of the 216 Oklahoma cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 174 have had fewer than Morris.
August 19, 2007: flash flood 7 miles from the centre of Morris — $400,000 damage.
January 17, 1996: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Morris — $200,000 damage.
June 17, 2023: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Morris — $111,000 damage.
NWS: “Thunderstorm wind resulted in at least $111,000 in debris removal and damage to the utility infrastructure across the county during this severe thunderstorm.”
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
Okmulgee County, which includes Morris, has been named in 40 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1971, 31 of them major disasters (by incident: 19 severe storms, 8 ice storms, 5 tornadoes, 3 floods). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on April 30, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Okmulgee County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, hail, strong wind and heat waves; Relatively Low for inland flooding and lightning; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $23.4 million a year, the 28th highest of 77 Oklahoma counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $7.8 million (33%), 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 Morris
- Okmulgee, OK7 mi
- Henryetta, OK13 mi
- Beggs, OK15 mi
- Haskell, OK16 mi
- Mounds, OK19 mi
- Taft, OK20 mi
- Checotah, OK21 mi
- Bixby, OK23 mi
- Glenpool, OK25 mi
- Porter, OK25 mi
- Coweta, OK26 mi
- Kiefer, OK26 mi
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