NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Shawnee, 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 Shawnee, Oklahoma since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Erin in 2007. Since 1950, 214 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 32 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 3
- Tornadoes
- 214
- EF3 or stronger
- 32
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
26 deaths in all
What the records show for Shawnee
None of the 3 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Shawnee; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 43 mph winds when its centre passed 43 miles away. The record near Shawnee begins with an unnamed storm in 1900; the most recent system was Erin in 2007, a tropical storm 46 miles away. Shawnee has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 64% of the 216 Oklahoma cities on this site. The strongest of the 214 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F5 on May 5, 1960; its path came within 4 miles, and it killed 5 people. Of the 214, 21 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 99 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 91. The most recent tornado was on November 3, 2024. Shawnee has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 81% of the 216 Oklahoma cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 187 times since 1956, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Shawnee has more hail reports within 10 miles than 62% of the 216 Oklahoma cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Shawnee
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | ErinAug 19 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1961 | CarlaSep 13 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 10 | 43 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 Shawnee: 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 Shawnee
By decade
- 2020s49(2 EF3+)
- 2010s29(5 EF3+)
- 2000s21(2 EF3+)
- 1990s18(2 EF3+)
- 1980s25(2 EF3+)
- 1970s21(7 EF3+)
- 1960s30(8 EF3+)
- 1950s21(4 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 5, 1960 | F5 | 4 mi | 71.8 mi | 5 / 81 |
| Oct 5, 1970 | F4 | 1 mi | 25 mi | 4 / 84 |
| May 19, 2013 | EF4 | 6 mi | 23 mi | 2 / 10 |
| May 10, 2010 | EF4 | 15 mi | 24 mi | 2 / 49 |
| Sep 14, 1957 | F4 | 20 mi | 67.5 mi | 2 / 6 |
| May 10, 2010 | EF4 | 9 mi | 22.25 mi | 1 / 32 |
| May 8, 2003 | F4 | 20 mi | 17.3 mi | 0 / 134 |
| May 17, 1981 | F4 | 19 mi | 33.6 mi | 0 / 2 |
| May 4, 1960 | F4 | 24 mi | 8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 1, 1954 | F4 | 15 mi | 59.2 mi | 0 / 65 |
| Apr 2, 1956 | F3 | 11 mi | 42.6 mi | 5 / 68 |
| May 26, 1963 | F3 | 14 mi | 34.3 mi | 1 / 4 |
The strongest 12 of 214, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Shawnee
The Storm Prediction Center has 187 hail reports within 10 miles of Shawnee since 1956, made on 123 separate days. Of these, 108 were 1 inch across or larger, and 17 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2.75 inches (baseball size), was reported on 9 days, most recently May 8, 2015. The most recent report is from November 19, 2025. May has the most reports, 49.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Shawnee
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Meeker 5 W, OK, 11 miles north of Shawnee at 925 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 92°F and low of 71°F; January is the coolest, at 49°F and 27°F. May and June are the wettest at 5.2 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 1.6 inches; the year adds up to 39.4 inches over 56 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 59 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 83 nights a year. That 39.4 inches is more than at 45 of the 82 Oklahoma stations used on this site (55%). Tecumseh, 9 miles south, has its own station (Seminole, OK): 43.2 inches a year, 3.8 more than here, and a July average high of 95°F against 92°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 49 | 27 | 1.6 | 3 |
| Feb | 54 | 30 | 1.8 | 3 |
| Mar | 63 | 38 | 2.9 | 5 |
| Apr | 71 | 47 | 4.0 | 5 |
| May | 78 | 58 | 5.2 | 7 |
| Jun | 86 | 67 | 5.2 | 6 |
| Jul | 92 | 71 | 3.5 | 5 |
| Aug | 91 | 69 | 3.3 | 5 |
| Sep | 84 | 61 | 3.9 | 5 |
| Oct | 73 | 49 | 3.8 | 5 |
| Nov | 62 | 38 | 2.2 | 4 |
| Dec | 51 | 30 | 2.0 | 4 |
| Year | 71 | 49 | 39.4 | 56 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Meeker 5 W, OK (925 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 Shawnee
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 136 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Shawnee: 106 thunderstorm wind reports, 21 flash floods, 8 floods and 1 lightning strike. They killed 0 people and injured 4, and the NWS estimated $5.0 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 84 mph, on April 19, 2023. May has had the most flash floods, 9 of 21. Of the 216 Oklahoma cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 133 have had fewer than Shawnee.
September 21, 1998: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Shawnee — 3 injured, $35,000 damage.
September 16, 2001: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Shawnee — 1 injured, $35,000 damage.
October 4, 1998: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Shawnee — $1.5 million 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 Shawnee's 2 ZIP codes have filed 135 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1979, and were paid $2.1 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Flooding in 1993: 24 claims (18% of all) and $308,000, then Thunderstorms in 2007 with 24 and Early summer storms in 2015 with 12. The year with the most claims was 2007, with 28. 45% 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, 73 have fewer than Shawnee.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Flooding1993 | 24 | $308,000 |
| Thunderstorms2007 | 24 | $713,000 |
| Early summer storms2015 | 12 | $414,000 |
Pottawatomie County, which includes Shawnee, has been named in 44 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1970, 30 of them major disasters (by incident: 16 severe storms, 10 ice storms, 7 fires, 5 tornadoes). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on April 30, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Pottawatomie County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for tornadoes and hail; Relatively Moderate for strong wind, lightning and heat waves; Relatively Low for inland flooding; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $36.7 million a year, the 11th highest of 77 Oklahoma counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $12.5 million (34%), 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 Shawnee
- Tecumseh, OK9 mi
- Mcloud, OK10 mi
- Meeker, OK11 mi
- Newalla, OK15 mi
- Harrah, OK16 mi
- Prague, OK17 mi
- Seminole, OK17 mi
- Choctaw, OK20 mi
- Chandler, OK24 mi
- Wellston, OK25 mi
- Jones, OK25 mi
- Spencer, OK26 mi
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