NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Salina, 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 Salina, Oklahoma since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Carla in 1961. Since 1950, 182 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 9 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 2
- Tornadoes
- 182
- EF3 or stronger
- 9
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
8 deaths in all
What the records show for Salina
None of the 2 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Salina; the strongest was Carla in 1961, a tropical storm with 40 mph winds when its centre passed 39 miles away. The record near Salina 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 Salina. The highest rating among the 182 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3 or EF3, reached 9 times; the most recent, on May 25, 2024, came within 14 miles. Of the 182, 13 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 98 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 82. The most recent tornado was on June 17, 2025. Salina has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 68% of the 216 Oklahoma cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 114 times since 1959, with stones up to 4.5 inches (grapefruit size). Of the 216 Oklahoma cities, 79% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Salina.
Compare Salina's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Salina
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | CarlaSep 13 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 28 | 48 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 Salina: 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 Salina
By decade
- 2020s18(1 EF3+)
- 2010s69(1 EF3+)
- 2000s11(1 EF3+)
- 1990s23(1 EF3+)
- 1980s13(1 EF3+)
- 1970s21(3 EF3+)
- 1960s16
- 1950s11(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 25, 2024 | EF3 | 14 mi | 23.9 mi | 2 / 23 |
| Jun 1, 1999 | F3 | 24 mi | 2 mi | 2 / 5 |
| Jun 8, 1974 | F3 | 20 mi | 63.6 mi | 2 / 80 |
| May 22, 2011 | EF3 | 17 mi | 17.93 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Mar 12, 2006 | F3 | 12 mi | 29 mi | 0 / 8 |
| Apr 7, 1980 | F3 | 12 mi | 24.8 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Jun 8, 1974 | F3 | 13 mi | 2.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 8, 1974 | F3 | 11 mi | 48.9 mi | 0 / 42 |
| May 9, 1959 | F3 | 9 mi | 23.2 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Aug 10, 2011 | EF2 | 8 mi | 5 mi | 1 / 2 |
| Jun 11, 1970 | F2 | 23 mi | 15.4 mi | 1 / 1 |
| May 22, 2019 | EF2 | 19 mi | 16.59 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 182, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Salina
The Storm Prediction Center has 114 hail reports within 10 miles of Salina since 1959, made on 81 separate days. Of these, 65 were 1 inch across or larger, and 12 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4.5 inches (grapefruit size), fell on April 26, 1994. The most recent report is from May 18, 2025. May has the most reports, 39.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Salina
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Spavinaw, OK, 7 miles north of Salina at 685 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 91°F and low of 71°F; January is the coolest, at 48°F and 26°F. May is the wettest at 6.3 inches of precipitation on average and January and February the driest at 2.3 inches; the year adds up to 46.6 inches over 67 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 58 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 69 nights a year. Snowfall averages 5.5 inches a year, most of it in March. That 46.6 inches is more than at 71 of the 82 Oklahoma stations used on this site (87%). Locust Grove, 11 miles south, has its own station (Pryor, OK): 44.8 inches a year, 1.8 less than here, and the same July average high, 91°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 48 | 26 | 2.3 | 4 | 1.7 |
| Feb | 53 | 30 | 2.3 | 4 | 0.8 |
| Mar | 62 | 38 | 3.7 | 6 | 1.8 |
| Apr | 71 | 47 | 4.6 | 7 | 0.0 |
| May | 78 | 58 | 6.3 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 86 | 67 | 5.1 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 91 | 71 | 3.8 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 91 | 70 | 3.8 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 83 | 62 | 4.4 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 73 | 50 | 4.1 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 61 | 39 | 3.7 | 5 | 0.3 |
| Dec | 51 | 30 | 2.5 | 4 | 0.9 |
| Year | 71 | 49 | 46.6 | 67 | 5.5 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Spavinaw, OK (685 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 Salina
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 78 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Salina: 61 thunderstorm wind reports, 11 flash floods, 4 floods and 2 lightning strikes. They killed 2 people and injured 3, and the NWS estimated $860,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 86 mph, on June 17, 2023. May has had the most flash floods, 5 of 11. Of the 216 Oklahoma cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 76 have had fewer than Salina.
August 5, 2023: lightning strike 3 miles from the centre of Salina — 1 killed, 3 injured.
NWS: “Lightning struck and injured four girls who were swimming. All of the girls were taken to local hospitals.”
June 14, 2026: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Salina — 1 killed, $50,000 damage.
April 9, 2008: flash flood 7 miles from the centre of Salina — $200,000 damage.
NWS: “Heavy rain flooded numerous roads and some homes and businesses. Several bridges were washed out.”
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 Salina's ZIP code 74365 have filed 19 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1985, and were paid $305,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 16% 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, 26 have fewer than Salina.
Mayes County, which includes Salina, has been named in 31 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 23 of them major disasters (by incident: 15 severe storms, 7 ice storms, 3 floods, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on June 14, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Mayes County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind and lightning; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, inland flooding and heat waves; Relatively Low for hail; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $26.2 million a year, the 23rd highest of 77 Oklahoma counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $11.5 million (44%), 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 Salina
- Locust Grove, OK11 mi
- Pryor, OK11 mi
- Adair, OK13 mi
- Eucha, OK13 mi
- Chouteau, OK15 mi
- Kansas, OK19 mi
- Jay, OK21 mi
- Hulbert, OK23 mi
- Vinita, OK23 mi
- Afton, OK24 mi
- Colcord, OK24 mi
- Inola, OK25 mi
All Oklahoma cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare Salina with another place →