NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Pawnee, 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 Pawnee, Oklahoma since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Erin in 2007. Since 1950, 132 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 10 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 2
- Tornadoes
- 132
- EF3 or stronger
- 10
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
21 deaths in all
What the records show for Pawnee
None of the 2 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Pawnee; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 40 mph winds when its centre passed 52 miles away. The record near Pawnee begins with an unnamed storm in 1900; the most recent system was Erin in 2007, a tropical storm 74 miles away. Of the 216 Oklahoma cities on this site, 36% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Pawnee. The highest rating among the 132 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 5 times; the most recent, on May 6, 2024, came within 23 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on June 8, 1974, killed 14 people. Of the 132, 13 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 48 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 52. Of the 216 Oklahoma cities, 77% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Pawnee. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 117 times since 1960, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Of the 216 Oklahoma cities, 76% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Pawnee.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Pawnee
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | ErinAug 19 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 10 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Pawnee: 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 Pawnee
By decade
- 2020s6(1 EF3+)
- 2010s26
- 2000s16(1 EF3+)
- 1990s29(3 EF3+)
- 1980s13(1 EF3+)
- 1970s13(3 EF3+)
- 1960s11
- 1950s18(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 8, 1974 | F4 | 25 mi | 29 mi | 14 / 150 |
| Apr 26, 1984 | F4 | 21 mi | 22 mi | 3 / 37 |
| May 6, 2024 | EF4 | 23 mi | 40.8 mi | 2 / 33 |
| Apr 26, 1991 | F4 | 19 mi | 32 mi | 1 / 24 |
| Apr 26, 1991 | F4 | 17 mi | 66 mi | 0 / 6 |
| May 15, 1990 | F3 | 20 mi | 7 mi | 1 / 12 |
| May 8, 2003 | F3 | 16 mi | 45 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 13, 1975 | F3 | 24 mi | 5.1 mi | 0 / 8 |
| Jun 18, 1973 | F3 | 25 mi | 2.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 31, 1959 | F3 | 23 mi | 3.8 mi | 0 / 3 |
| May 9, 2016 | EF2 | 20 mi | 6.35 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 24, 2011 | EF2 | 13 mi | 17 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 132, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Pawnee
The Storm Prediction Center has 117 hail reports within 10 miles of Pawnee since 1960, made on 84 separate days. Of these, 60 were 1 inch across or larger, and 9 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on June 26, 1981. The most recent report is from September 19, 2024. April has the most reports, 32.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Pawnee
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Ralston, OK, 10 miles north of Pawnee at 825 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 94°F and low of 71°F; January is the coolest, at 49°F and 24°F. May is the wettest at 5.4 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 1.2 inches; the year adds up to 37.7 inches over 56 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 74 days a year, almost all from May to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 97 nights a year. Snowfall averages 7.1 inches a year, most of it in December. That 37.7 inches is more than at 38 of the 82 Oklahoma stations used on this site (46%). Yale, 18 miles south, has its own station (Cushing, OK): 37.9 inches a year, 0.2 more than here, and a July average high of 93°F against 94°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 49 | 24 | 1.2 | 3 | 1.4 |
| Feb | 55 | 28 | 1.6 | 3 | 1.7 |
| Mar | 64 | 37 | 2.8 | 4 | 1.6 |
| Apr | 73 | 47 | 4.1 | 6 | 0.0 |
| May | 80 | 58 | 5.4 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 89 | 67 | 4.5 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 94 | 71 | 3.8 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 93 | 69 | 4.0 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 86 | 60 | 3.4 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 75 | 48 | 3.1 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 62 | 36 | 1.9 | 3 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 51 | 27 | 1.9 | 3 | 2.4 |
| Year | 73 | 48 | 37.7 | 56 | 7.1 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Ralston, OK (825 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 Pawnee
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 105 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Pawnee: 92 thunderstorm wind reports, 11 flash floods and 2 floods. They killed 1 person and injured 3, and the NWS estimated $5.4 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 86 mph, on July 8, 1998. Of the 216 Oklahoma cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 76 have had fewer than Pawnee.
September 19, 2024: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Pawnee — 1 killed, 2 injured, $100,000 damage.
NWS: “Strong thunderstorm wind overturned multiple recreational vehicles (RV) at a campground on the east shore of Pawnee Lake. Two people were injured and a man was killed when the RV they were in overturned.”
June 2, 2004: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Pawnee — 1 injured, $4.0 million damage.
NWS: “Thunderstorm winds estimated near 80 miles an hour blew glass windows out of the the Adams Mark Hotel downtown. Not too far away the Wiltel building received structural damage to its northeast facade including several broken glass windows.”
October 4, 1998: thunderstorm wind 3 miles from the centre of Pawnee — $1.1 million damage.
NWS: “Strong winds (known as a rear flank downdraft) associated with a nearby F1 tornado blew the roof off of the high school auditorium, causing over $1 million in damage to the high school. Debris was scattered throughout the high school campus.”
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
Pawnee County, which includes Pawnee, has been named in 36 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1974, 22 of them major disasters (by incident: 10 ice storms, 9 severe storms, 8 fires, 4 floods). The latest major disaster declaration was Wildfires and Straight-Line Winds, on May 21, 2025. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Pawnee County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes and strong wind; Relatively Low for hail, inland flooding and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes and lightning. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $11.2 million a year, the 47th highest of 77 Oklahoma counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $3.0 million (27%), 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 Pawnee
- Yale, OK18 mi
- Jennings, OK18 mi
- Hominy, OK22 mi
- Cleveland, OK22 mi
- Terlton, OK23 mi
- Stillwater, OK23 mi
- Cushing, OK27 mi
- Drumright, OK28 mi
- Mannford, OK28 mi
- Perry, OK29 mi
- Ponca City, OK29 mi
- Perkins, OK31 mi
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