NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Sulphur, 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 Sulphur, Oklahoma since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Carla in 1961. Since 1950, 175 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 17 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 3
- Tornadoes
- 175
- EF3 or stronger
- 17
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
34 deaths in all
What the records show for Sulphur
None of the 3 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Sulphur; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 47 mph winds when its centre passed 46 miles away. The record near Sulphur begins with an unnamed storm in 1900; the most recent system was Carla in 1961, a tropical storm 10 miles away. Sulphur has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 64% of the 216 Oklahoma cities on this site. The highest rating among the 175 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 5 times; the most recent, on April 27, 2024, came within 16 miles. The deadliest, an EF4 on February 10, 2009, killed 8 people. Of the 175, 16 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 64 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 78. The most recent tornado was on June 3, 2025. Sulphur has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 62% of the 216 Oklahoma cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 172 times since 1956, with stones up to 4.25 inches. Sulphur has more hail reports within 10 miles than 55% of the 216 Oklahoma cities.
Compare Sulphur's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Sulphur
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | CarlaSep 13 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 28 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 10 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 4 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Sulphur: 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 Sulphur
By decade
- 2020s26(2 EF3+)
- 2010s31(4 EF3+)
- 2000s7(1 EF3+)
- 1990s35(3 EF3+)
- 1980s17
- 1970s25(2 EF3+)
- 1960s11(2 EF3+)
- 1950s23(3 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 10, 2009 | EF4 | 18 mi | 36.99 mi | 8 / 46 |
| May 9, 1959 | F4 | 25 mi | 6.2 mi | 7 / 12 |
| Apr 19, 1972 | F4 | 12 mi | 28.2 mi | 5 / 6 |
| Apr 27, 2024 | EF4 | 16 mi | 26.8 mi | 1 / 6 |
| May 9, 2016 | EF4 | 14 mi | 8.9 mi | 1 / 0 |
| May 7, 1995 | F3 | 23 mi | 34.1 mi | 3 / 6 |
| Oct 30, 1979 | F3 | 17 mi | 8.4 mi | 3 / 2 |
| Mar 13, 1953 | F3 | 21 mi | 45.3 mi | 2 / 11 |
| Apr 27, 2024 | EF3 | in town | 9.91 mi | 1 / 30 |
| May 9, 2016 | EF3 | 21 mi | 9.06 mi | 1 / 0 |
| May 9, 2016 | EF3 | 6 mi | 16.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 10, 2010 | EF3 | 21 mi | 4.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 175, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Sulphur
The Storm Prediction Center has 172 hail reports within 10 miles of Sulphur since 1956, made on 113 separate days. Of these, 118 were 1 inch across or larger, and 14 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4.25 inches, fell on April 14, 2011. The most recent report is from May 25, 2025. May has the most reports, 58.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Sulphur
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Chickasaw Nra, OK, in Sulphur at 1,047 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 93°F and low of 71°F; January is the coolest, at 52°F and 28°F. May is the wettest at 5.6 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 1.9 inches; the year adds up to 41.8 inches over 56 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 73 days a year, almost all from May to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 76 nights a year. Snowfall averages 1.7 inches a year, most of it in January. That 41.8 inches is more than at 52 of the 82 Oklahoma stations used on this site (63%). Wynnewood, 14 miles northwest, has its own station (Pauls Valley 4 WSW, OK): 38.3 inches a year, 3.5 less than here, and a July average high of 95°F against 93°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 52 | 28 | 2.0 | 4 | 1.0 |
| Feb | 56 | 32 | 1.9 | 4 | 0.3 |
| Mar | 65 | 41 | 3.6 | 5 | 0.1 |
| Apr | 73 | 49 | 3.7 | 5 | 0.0 |
| May | 79 | 59 | 5.6 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 88 | 68 | 4.4 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 93 | 71 | 3.7 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 94 | 70 | 3.0 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 86 | 62 | 4.4 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 75 | 50 | 4.0 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 63 | 39 | 2.8 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 54 | 31 | 2.7 | 4 | 0.3 |
| Year | 73 | 50 | 41.8 | 56 | 1.7 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Chickasaw Nra, OK (1,047 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 Sulphur
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 128 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Sulphur: 96 thunderstorm wind reports, 30 flash floods and 2 floods. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $1.2 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 100 mph, on October 20, 1996. May has had the most flash floods, 8 of 30. Of the 216 Oklahoma cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 166 have had fewer than Sulphur.
April 5, 2025: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Sulphur — 1 injured, $250,000 damage.
NWS: “S. Highway 177, approximately seven miles north of Sulphur.”
February 6, 1999: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Sulphur — $300,000 damage.
February 10, 2009: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Sulphur — $250,000 damage.
NWS: “The conveyor system of a rock plant near Mill Creek was destroyed by thunderstorms winds. The plant was out of service for 2 months while repairs were made.”
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
Murray County, which includes Sulphur, has been named in 26 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1970, 15 of them major disasters (by incident: 7 ice storms, 6 severe storms, 5 fires, 3 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 Murray County a Very 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 $7.9 million a year, the 59th highest of 77 Oklahoma counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $2.8 million (35%), 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 Sulphur
- Davis, OK9 mi
- Roff, OK13 mi
- Wynnewood, OK14 mi
- Stratford, OK21 mi
- Pauls Valley, OK22 mi
- Ardmore, OK23 mi
- Tishomingo, OK24 mi
- Elmore City, OK25 mi
- Ada, OK26 mi
- Stonewall, OK26 mi
- Lone Grove, OK28 mi
- Madill, OK31 mi
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