NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Okemah, 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 Okemah, Oklahoma since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Carla in 1961. Since 1950, 164 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 16 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 2
- Tornadoes
- 164
- EF3 or stronger
- 16
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
30 deaths in all
What the records show for Okemah
None of the 2 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Okemah; the strongest was Carla in 1961, a tropical storm with 40 mph winds when its centre passed 34 miles away. The record near Okemah 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 Okemah. The strongest of the 164 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F5 on May 5, 1960; its path came within 18 miles, and it killed 5 people. The deadliest, an F3 on April 26, 1984, killed 8 people. Of the 164, 23 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 73 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 73. The most recent tornado was on March 4, 2025. Okemah has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 53% of the 216 Oklahoma cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 137 times since 1962, with stones up to 4.5 inches (grapefruit size). Of the 216 Oklahoma cities, 64% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Okemah.
Compare Okemah's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Okemah
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | CarlaSep 13 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 28 | 68 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 Okemah: 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 Okemah
By decade
- 2020s21(1 EF3+)
- 2010s34(1 EF3+)
- 2000s18
- 1990s29(1 EF3+)
- 1980s14(3 EF3+)
- 1970s12(3 EF3+)
- 1960s18(4 EF3+)
- 1950s18(3 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 5, 1960 | F5 | 18 mi | 71.8 mi | 5 / 81 |
| Apr 28, 1950 | F4 | 22 mi | 4.5 mi | 5 / 32 |
| Oct 5, 1970 | F4 | 16 mi | 25 mi | 4 / 84 |
| Sep 14, 1957 | F4 | 14 mi | 67.5 mi | 2 / 6 |
| May 17, 1981 | F4 | 3 mi | 33.6 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Apr 26, 1984 | F3 | 15 mi | 22 mi | 8 / 95 |
| Apr 27, 2024 | EF3 | 4 mi | 27.9 mi | 2 / 4 |
| May 10, 2010 | EF3 | 5 mi | 37.2 mi | 0 / 28 |
| Oct 4, 1998 | F3 | 22 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 1 |
| May 17, 1981 | F3 | 1 mi | 15.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 5, 1975 | F3 | 25 mi | 27 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 8, 1974 | F3 | 13 mi | 29.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 164, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Okemah
The Storm Prediction Center has 137 hail reports within 10 miles of Okemah since 1962, made on 92 separate days. Of these, 79 were 1 inch across or larger, and 13 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4.5 inches (grapefruit size), fell on May 15, 2022. The most recent report is from June 14, 2025. May has the most reports, 37.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Okemah
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Okemah, OK, 1 mile south of Okemah at 935 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 93°F and low of 71°F; January is the coolest, at 50°F and 30°F. May is the wettest at 5.7 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 1.8 inches; the year adds up to 43.5 inches over 62 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 75 days a year, almost all from May to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 50 nights a year. Snowfall averages 5.0 inches a year, most of it in January. That 43.5 inches is more than at 60 of the 82 Oklahoma stations used on this site (73%). Prague, 22 miles west, has its own station (Meeker 5 W, OK): 39.4 inches a year, 4.1 less than here, and a July average high of 92°F against 93°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 50 | 30 | 1.8 | 4 | 2.9 |
| Feb | 55 | 34 | 2.1 | 4 | 0.4 |
| Mar | 65 | 43 | 3.2 | 5 | 0.6 |
| Apr | 73 | 51 | 4.4 | 6 | 0.0 |
| May | 80 | 60 | 5.7 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 88 | 68 | 5.2 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 93 | 71 | 3.3 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 93 | 70 | 3.3 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 85 | 63 | 4.9 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 74 | 52 | 3.9 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 61 | 41 | 3.1 | 5 | 0.3 |
| Dec | 52 | 33 | 2.6 | 5 | 0.8 |
| Year | 72 | 51 | 43.5 | 62 | 5.0 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Okemah, OK (935 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 Okemah
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 91 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Okemah: 76 thunderstorm wind reports, 9 flash floods and 6 floods. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $720,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 85 mph, on June 19, 1996. May has had the most flash floods, 3 of 9. Of the 216 Oklahoma cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 55 have had fewer than Okemah.
August 19, 2007: flash flood in Okemah — $250,000 damage.
NWS: “Heavy rain caused severe flooding in and around Okemah. Six people were evacuated from homes isolated by high water.”
March 10, 2026: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Okemah — $100,000 damage.
NWS: “Strong thunderstorm wind damaged outbuildings and rolled over horse trailers.”
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
Okfuskee County, which includes Okemah, has been named in 40 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1974, 31 of them major disasters (by incident: 19 severe storms, 8 ice storms, 5 floods, 3 tornadoes). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on March 18, 2025. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Okfuskee County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for hail; Relatively Low for tornadoes, strong wind, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes and inland flooding. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $7.5 million a year, the 62nd highest of 77 Oklahoma counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $1.6 million (21%), 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 Okemah
- Wetumka, OK15 mi
- Henryetta, OK20 mi
- Prague, OK22 mi
- Wewoka, OK22 mi
- Okmulgee, OK23 mi
- Seminole, OK24 mi
- Holdenville, OK25 mi
- Beggs, OK26 mi
- Bristow, OK28 mi
- Morris, OK29 mi
- Stroud, OK29 mi
- Mounds, OK33 mi
All Oklahoma cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare Okemah with another place →