NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Sallisaw, 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
3 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Sallisaw, Oklahoma since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 139 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 12 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 3
- Tornadoes
- 139
- EF3 or stronger
- 12
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
38 deaths in all
What the records show for Sallisaw
None of the 3 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Sallisaw; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1902, a tropical storm with 40 mph winds when its centre crossed the city. The record near Sallisaw begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm 54 miles away. Sallisaw has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 64% of the 216 Oklahoma cities on this site. The strongest of the 139 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F5 on March 26, 1976; its path came within 19 miles, and it killed 2 people. The deadliest, an F4 on May 5, 1960, killed 16 people. Of the 139, 20 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 69 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 55. The most recent tornado was on June 7, 2025. Of the 216 Oklahoma cities, 70% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Sallisaw. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 130 times since 1956, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Of the 216 Oklahoma cities, 68% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Sallisaw.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Sallisaw
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1961 | CarlaSep 13 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 28 | overhead | 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 Sallisaw: 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 Sallisaw
By decade
- 2020s26
- 2010s29
- 2000s14
- 1990s16(2 EF3+)
- 1980s15
- 1970s9(3 EF3+)
- 1960s13(4 EF3+)
- 1950s17(3 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 26, 1976 | F5 | 19 mi | 11.9 mi | 2 / 64 |
| May 5, 1960 | F4 | 2 mi | 62.4 mi | 16 / 106 |
| Jan 22, 1957 | F4 | 8 mi | 0.1 mi | 10 / 20 |
| May 5, 1960 | F4 | 15 mi | 5.4 mi | 5 / 13 |
| Apr 21, 1996 | F3 | 20 mi | 10.1 mi | 2 / 89 |
| Jun 11, 1970 | F3 | 15 mi | 51.8 mi | 1 / 45 |
| May 5, 1960 | F3 | 4 mi | 23.7 mi | 1 / 0 |
| May 5, 1960 | F3 | 18 mi | 4.5 mi | 1 / 0 |
| May 4, 1999 | F3 | 15 mi | 38.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 26, 1973 | F3 | 9 mi | 18.7 mi | 0 / 6 |
| May 20, 1957 | F3 | in town | 20.4 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Apr 30, 1954 | F3 | 25 mi | 40.7 mi | 0 / 1 |
The strongest 12 of 139, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Sallisaw
The Storm Prediction Center has 130 hail reports within 10 miles of Sallisaw since 1956, made on 100 separate days. Of these, 64 were 1 inch across or larger, and 6 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 3 inches (tea cup size), was reported on 2 days, most recently May 12, 2011. The most recent report is from September 23, 2025. May has the most reports, 32.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Sallisaw
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Sallisaw 2 NW, OK, 1 mile southwest of Sallisaw at 660 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 28°F. May is the wettest at 5.8 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.6 inches; the year adds up to 47.5 inches over 62 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 61 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 67 nights a year. Snowfall averages 1.9 inches a year, most of it in January. That 47.5 inches is more than at 74 of the 82 Oklahoma stations used on this site (90%). Muldrow, 13 miles east, has its own station (Fort Smith Regional Airport, AR): 47.4 inches a year, 0.1 less than here, and a July average high of 94°F against 91°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 48 | 28 | 2.8 | 4 | 1.0 |
| Feb | 53 | 32 | 2.6 | 4 | 0.2 |
| Mar | 61 | 40 | 3.8 | 6 | 0.4 |
| Apr | 70 | 49 | 4.6 | 6 | 0.0 |
| May | 78 | 59 | 5.8 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 86 | 67 | 4.8 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 91 | 71 | 3.5 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 91 | 70 | 3.6 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 84 | 63 | 4.6 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 73 | 50 | 3.9 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 60 | 40 | 3.9 | 4 | 0.1 |
| Dec | 51 | 32 | 3.6 | 5 | 0.2 |
| Year | 71 | 50 | 47.5 | 62 | 1.9 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Sallisaw 2 NW, OK (660 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 Sallisaw
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 128 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Sallisaw: 97 thunderstorm wind reports, 27 flash floods and 4 floods. They killed 0 people and injured 10, and the NWS estimated $1.1 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on May 24, 2005. May has had the most flash floods, 15 of 27. Of the 216 Oklahoma cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 158 have had fewer than Sallisaw.
March 9, 2006: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Sallisaw — 10 injured, $25,000 damage.
NWS: “Thunderstorm winds estimated at 70 miles an hour damaged the roof of a school. Debris from the roof blew into a room where students were sheltering from the storm and injured 10 of the students.”
September 23, 2025: thunderstorm wind in Sallisaw — $250,000 damage.
NWS: “Strong thunderstorm wind blew off much of the metal roof from a hospital, blew down several trees and power poles, and snapped large tree limbs.”
February 17, 2022: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Sallisaw — $125,000 damage.
NWS: “Strong thunderstorm wind destroyed three outbuildings, damaged the roofs of two homes, and blew down several trees.”
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 Sallisaw's ZIP code 74955 have filed 14 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1994, and were paid $332,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 7% 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, 12 have fewer than Sallisaw.
Sequoyah County, which includes Sallisaw, has been named in 31 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1972, 22 of them major disasters (by incident: 15 severe storms, 7 ice storms, 5 floods, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storms, on February 24, 2021. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Sequoyah County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for lightning; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, inland flooding, strong wind 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 $23.5 million a year, the 27th highest of 77 Oklahoma counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $8.9 million (38%), 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 Sallisaw
- Vian, OK11 mi
- Muldrow, OK13 mi
- Keota, OK15 mi
- Roland, OK16 mi
- Spiro, OK18 mi
- Gore, OK19 mi
- Arkoma, OK21 mi
- Park Hill, OK22 mi
- Fort Smith, AR24 mi
- Pocola, OK24 mi
- Van Buren, AR25 mi
- Stigler, OK25 mi
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