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NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database

Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Sayre, 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

1 tropical system has passed within 75 miles of Sayre, Oklahoma since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Erin in 2007. Since 1950, 118 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 12 of them rated EF3 or stronger.

Hurricanes
0

within 75 mi, since 1851

Tropical storms
1

below hurricane strength

Tornadoes
118

within 25 mi, since 1950

EF3 or stronger
12

9 deaths in all

What the records show for Sayre

None of the 1 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Sayre; the strongest was Erin in 2007, a tropical storm with 41 mph winds when its centre passed 14 miles away. Of the 216 Oklahoma cities on this site, 83% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Sayre. The highest rating among the 118 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on June 10, 1967, came within 25 miles. Of the 118, 13 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 38 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 54. The most recent tornado was on November 18, 2024. Of the 216 Oklahoma cities, 85% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Sayre. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 144 times since 1961, with stones up to 4.5 inches (grapefruit size). Of the 216 Oklahoma cities, 57% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Sayre.

Compare Sayre's storm record with another city →

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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Sayre

Tropical systems that passed within 75 miles of Sayre, Oklahoma, newest first
YearStormClosestStrength when closestPeak
2007ErinAug 1914 miTropical storm (41 mph)Tropical storm

Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Sayre: 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 Sayre

By decade

  • 2020s6
  • 2010s17
  • 2000s15(3 EF3+)
  • 1990s14(1 EF3+)
  • 1980s25
  • 1970s9(3 EF3+)
  • 1960s14(3 EF3+)
  • 1950s18(2 EF3+)
Strongest tornadoes near Sayre, Oklahoma
DateRatingDistancePathKilled / injured
Jun 10, 1967F425 mi8.7 mi4 / 1
May 25, 1955F415 mi45.1 mi2 / 18
Jun 4, 1965F321 mi6.8 mi1 / 1
May 5, 2007EF317 mi5.2 mi0 / 0
May 5, 2007EF313 mi2.5 mi0 / 1
Oct 9, 2001F317 mi11.5 mi0 / 0
May 15, 1991F322 mi15 mi0 / 0
May 16, 1977F36 mi18.2 mi0 / 0
May 16, 1977F39 mi6.5 mi0 / 0
May 22, 1972F321 mi9.5 mi0 / 0
Apr 26, 1962F3in town3.6 mi0 / 0
Apr 18, 1955F323 mi8.9 mi0 / 0

The strongest 12 of 118, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.

Hail in Sayre

The Storm Prediction Center has 144 hail reports within 10 miles of Sayre since 1961, made on 88 separate days. Of these, 106 were 1 inch across or larger, and 21 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4.5 inches (grapefruit size), fell on March 29, 1993. The most recent report is from June 6, 2025. May has the most reports, 52.

Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.

Weather by month in Sayre

The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Elk City 4 W, OK, 10 miles northeast of Sayre at 2,120 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 95°F and low of 70°F; January is the coolest, at 50°F and 26°F. May is the wettest at 4.5 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 0.9 inches; the year adds up to 29.6 inches over 47 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 78 days a year, almost all from May to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 84 nights a year. Snowfall averages 8.6 inches a year, most of it in January. That 29.6 inches is more than at 9 of the 82 Oklahoma stations used on this site (11%). Wheeler, TX, 32 miles west, has its own station (Shamrock #2, TX): 25.2 inches a year, 4.4 less than here, and a July average high of 94°F against 95°F.

Monthly climate normals 1991–2020 at Elk City 4 W, OK
MonthHigh °FLow °FPrecip. inDays ≥ 0.1"Snow in
Jan50260.922.7
Feb55291.022.2
Mar64372.140.7
Apr72462.740.0
May81564.570.0
Jun89653.860.0
Jul95702.540.0
Aug94683.750.0
Sep85612.840.0
Oct74482.950.1
Nov61371.430.5
Dec51291.332.4
Year734829.6478.6

Averages for 1991–2020 at Elk City 4 W, OK (2,120 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.

Oklahoma weather by month, station by station →

Floods, thunderstorm wind and lightning near Sayre

Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 62 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Sayre: 53 thunderstorm wind reports, 4 flash floods, 3 floods, 1 heavy rain event and 1 lightning strike. They killed 0 people and injured 4, and the NWS estimated $3.9 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 75 mph, on May 19, 2001.

  • May 17, 2001: lightning strike 2 miles from the centre of Sayre — 3 injured, $25,000 damage.

    NWS: “Two 911 dispatchers and a civilian were struck by lightning. A house was also struck by lightning causing a large fire.”

  • May 8, 1998: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Sayre — 1 injured, $36,000 damage.

  • May 12, 2009: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Sayre — $3.5 million damage.

    NWS: “Signs were blown onto Interstate 40 near exit 26. The west bound lanes had to be closed briefly as a result.”

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

Beckham County, which includes Sayre, has been named in 28 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1986, 20 of them major disasters (by incident: 11 severe storms, 9 ice storms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 fires). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storms, on February 24, 2021. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Beckham County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, hail and strong wind; Relatively Low for 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 $13.0 million a year, the 41st highest of 77 Oklahoma counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $3.8 million (29%), is from tornadoes.

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 Sayre

All Oklahoma cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare Sayre with another place →

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