NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Oklahoma City, 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 Oklahoma City, Oklahoma since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Erin in 2007. Since 1950, 340 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 39 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 2
- Tornadoes
- 340
- EF3 or stronger
- 39
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
95 deaths in all
What the records show for Oklahoma City
None of the 2 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Oklahoma City; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 43 mph winds when its centre passed 7 miles away. The record near Oklahoma City begins with an unnamed storm in 1900; the most recent system was Erin in 2007, a tropical storm 11 miles away. Of the 216 Oklahoma cities on this site, 36% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Oklahoma City. The highest rating among the 340 tornadoes within 25 miles is F5 or EF5, reached 3 times; the most recent, on May 20, 2013, came within 11 miles. The deadliest, an F5 on May 3, 1999, killed 36 people. Of the 340, 45 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 155 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 150. The most recent tornado was on July 12, 2025. Oklahoma City has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 98% of the 216 Oklahoma cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 866 times since 1955, with stones up to 5 inches. Oklahoma City has more hail reports within 10 miles than 99% of the 216 Oklahoma cities.
Compare Oklahoma City's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Oklahoma City
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | ErinAug 19 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 10 | 7 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 4 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Oklahoma City: 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 Oklahoma City
By decade
- 2020s49(3 EF3+)
- 2010s70(12 EF3+)
- 2000s36(2 EF3+)
- 1990s38(2 EF3+)
- 1980s25(1 EF3+)
- 1970s42(9 EF3+)
- 1960s51(8 EF3+)
- 1950s29(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 3, 1999 | F5 | 6 mi | 37 mi | 36 / 583 |
| May 20, 2013 | EF5 | 11 mi | 13.85 mi | 24 / 212 |
| May 24, 2011 | EF5 | 20 mi | 63.1 mi | 9 / 181 |
| May 19, 2013 | EF4 | 21 mi | 23 mi | 2 / 10 |
| May 10, 2010 | EF4 | 12 mi | 24 mi | 2 / 49 |
| May 24, 1973 | F4 | 17 mi | 13.3 mi | 2 / 4 |
| May 24, 2011 | EF4 | 11 mi | 33.3 mi | 1 / 48 |
| May 10, 2010 | EF4 | 21 mi | 22.25 mi | 1 / 32 |
| May 24, 2011 | EF4 | 23 mi | 23.1 mi | 0 / 61 |
| May 8, 2003 | F4 | 9 mi | 17.3 mi | 0 / 134 |
| Apr 30, 1978 | F4 | 13 mi | 9.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 1, 1954 | F4 | 11 mi | 59.2 mi | 0 / 65 |
The strongest 12 of 340, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Oklahoma City
The Storm Prediction Center has 866 hail reports within 10 miles of Oklahoma City since 1955, made on 342 separate days. Of these, 582 were 1 inch across or larger, and 85 reached 2 inches. The largest, 5 inches, fell on May 16, 1960. The most recent report is from November 19, 2025. May has the most reports, 298.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Oklahoma City
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Oklahoma City Will Rogers Airport, OK, 6 miles southwest of Oklahoma City at 1,285 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 93°F and low of 70°F; January is the coolest, at 49°F and 27°F. May is the wettest at 5.3 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 1.3 inches; the year adds up to 36.4 inches over 53 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 74 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 72 nights a year. Snowfall averages 6.7 inches a year. That 36.4 inches is more than at 31 of the 82 Oklahoma stations used on this site (38%). Warr Acres, 5 miles northwest, has its own station (Oklahoma City Post Airport, OK): 30.8 inches a year, 5.6 less than here, and a July average high of 95°F against 93°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 49 | 27 | 1.3 | 2 | 1.8 |
| Feb | 54 | 31 | 1.4 | 3 | 1.8 |
| Mar | 63 | 40 | 2.6 | 5 | 0.8 |
| Apr | 71 | 48 | 3.6 | 5 | 0.0 |
| May | 79 | 58 | 5.3 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 88 | 66 | 4.5 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 93 | 70 | 3.6 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 92 | 69 | 3.6 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 84 | 62 | 3.7 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 73 | 49 | 3.3 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 61 | 38 | 1.7 | 3 | 0.5 |
| Dec | 50 | 30 | 1.8 | 3 | 1.8 |
| Year | 71 | 49 | 36.4 | 53 | 6.7 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Oklahoma City Will Rogers Airport, OK (1,285 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 Oklahoma City
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 565 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Oklahoma City: 411 thunderstorm wind reports, 130 flash floods, 15 floods, 6 lightning strikes and 3 heavy rain events. They killed 14 people and injured 147, and the NWS estimated $20.9 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 105 mph, on June 13, 1998. May has had the most flash floods, 39 of 130. Of the 216 Oklahoma cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 212 have had fewer than Oklahoma City.
May 31, 2013: flash flood 4 miles from the centre of Oklahoma City — 7 killed.
May 31, 2013: flash flood 5 miles from the centre of Oklahoma City — 5 killed, $50,000 damage.
August 8, 2013: flash flood 8 miles from the centre of Oklahoma City — 1 killed, $50,000 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
Flood insurance policyholders in Oklahoma City's 35 ZIP codes have filed 1,398 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $17.5 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Flooding in 1993: 304 claims (22% of all) and $3.0 million, then Early summer storms in 2015 with 11. 23% 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, 90 have fewer than Oklahoma City.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Flooding1993 | 304 | $3.0 million |
| Early summer storms2015 | 11 | $147,000 |
Oklahoma County, which includes Oklahoma City, has been named in 52 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1974, 30 of them major disasters (by incident: 17 fires, 15 severe storms, 10 ice storms, 4 floods). The latest major disaster declaration was Wildfires and Straight-Line Winds, on May 21, 2025. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Oklahoma County a Relatively High rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Very High for tornadoes and hail; Relatively High for inland flooding, lightning and heat waves; Relatively Moderate for strong wind; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $297.5 million a year, the highest of 77 Oklahoma counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $127.5 million (43%), 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).
Oklahoma City in the notable storm records: The May 20, 2013 EF5 Tornado in Oklahoma, near Moore
What counts as a pass, the distances and the sources: how this storm history is built.