NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Tahlequah, 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 Tahlequah, Oklahoma since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Carla in 1961. Since 1950, 153 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 9 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 2
- Tornadoes
- 153
- 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 Tahlequah
None of the 2 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Tahlequah; the strongest was Carla in 1961, a tropical storm with 40 mph winds when its centre passed 14 miles away. The record near Tahlequah 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 Tahlequah. The highest rating among the 153 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3 or EF3, reached 9 times; the most recent, on December 31, 2010, came within 23 miles. Of the 153, 10 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 89 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 61. The most recent tornado was on June 18, 2025. Of the 216 Oklahoma cities, 57% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Tahlequah. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 137 times since 1964, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Of the 216 Oklahoma cities, 64% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Tahlequah.
Compare Tahlequah's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Tahlequah
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | CarlaSep 13 | 14 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 28 | 26 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 Tahlequah: 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 Tahlequah
By decade
- 2020s26
- 2010s46(1 EF3+)
- 2000s17(1 EF3+)
- 1990s25(1 EF3+)
- 1980s13(2 EF3+)
- 1970s11(3 EF3+)
- 1960s10(1 EF3+)
- 1950s5
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 31, 2010 | EF3 | 23 mi | 21.1 mi | 4 / 10 |
| Jun 1, 1999 | F3 | 16 mi | 2 mi | 2 / 5 |
| Jun 11, 1970 | F3 | 20 mi | 51.8 mi | 1 / 45 |
| Mar 12, 2006 | F3 | 14 mi | 29 mi | 0 / 8 |
| Nov 22, 1983 | F3 | 13 mi | 19 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 19, 1981 | F3 | 4 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 26, 1973 | F3 | 24 mi | 18.7 mi | 0 / 6 |
| May 5, 1971 | F3 | 7 mi | 37 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 10, 1964 | F3 | 4 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 10, 2011 | EF2 | 18 mi | 5 mi | 1 / 2 |
| Nov 4, 2024 | EF2 | 11 mi | 32.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 7, 2024 | EF2 | 25 mi | 11.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 153, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Tahlequah
The Storm Prediction Center has 137 hail reports within 10 miles of Tahlequah since 1964, made on 107 separate days. Of these, 62 were 1 inch across or larger, and 6 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on October 2, 2014. The most recent report is from May 18, 2025. May has the most reports, 36.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Tahlequah
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Tahlequah, OK, 1 mile northeast of Tahlequah at 850 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 93°F and low of 69°F; January is the coolest, at 51°F and 28°F. May is the wettest at 6.3 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 2.5 inches; the year adds up to 51.0 inches over 67 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 52 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 74 nights a year. Snowfall averages 4.3 inches a year, most of it in January. That 51.0 inches is more than at 78 of the 82 Oklahoma stations used on this site (95%). Fort Gibson, 17 miles southwest, has its own station (Muskogee, OK): 43.2 inches a year, 7.8 less than here, and the same July average high, 93°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 51 | 28 | 2.5 | 4 | 1.7 |
| Feb | 56 | 32 | 3.0 | 4 | 1.5 |
| Mar | 65 | 40 | 4.4 | 6 | 0.5 |
| Apr | 74 | 48 | 4.7 | 6 | 0.0 |
| May | 80 | 57 | 6.3 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 88 | 65 | 5.5 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 93 | 69 | 4.4 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 92 | 68 | 4.1 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 85 | 61 | 4.9 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 75 | 49 | 4.2 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 63 | 39 | 4.2 | 6 | 0.3 |
| Dec | 53 | 31 | 2.8 | 4 | 0.3 |
| Year | 73 | 49 | 51.0 | 67 | 4.3 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Tahlequah, OK (850 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 Tahlequah
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 204 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Tahlequah: 146 thunderstorm wind reports, 33 floods and 25 flash floods. They killed 0 people and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $865,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 85 mph, on April 18, 2013. May has had the most flash floods, 7 of 25. Of the 216 Oklahoma cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 154 have had fewer than Tahlequah.
May 29, 2016: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Tahlequah — 1 injured, $50,000 damage.
NWS: “Strong thunderstorm wind blew down a tree onto a vehicle and travel trailer at Diamond Head Floats Resort, northeast of Tahlequah. A person was injured by this storm.”
August 21, 2006: thunderstorm wind in Tahlequah — 1 injured, $25,000 damage.
NWS: “Thunderstorm winds estimated at 70 miles an hour blew down several trees. A few of the trees fell on homes.”
May 24, 2005: flash flood in Tahlequah — $100,000 damage.
NWS: “Heavy rains caused flooding in Tahlequah. A few inches of water entered ten business.”
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 Tahlequah's ZIP code 74464 have filed 79 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1986, and were paid $1.1 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Early winter storms in 2015: 13 claims (16% of all) and $354,000. The year with the most claims was 2017, with 17. 20% 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, 67 have fewer than Tahlequah.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Early winter storms2015 | 13 | $354,000 |
Cherokee County, which includes Tahlequah, has been named in 28 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 20 of them major disasters (by incident: 13 severe storms, 7 ice storms, 3 floods, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on June 29, 2022. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Cherokee County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for lightning; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, inland flooding and heat waves; Relatively Low for hail and strong wind; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $28.3 million a year, the 20th highest of 77 Oklahoma counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $13.5 million (48%), 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 Tahlequah
- Hulbert, OK11 mi
- Park Hill, OK12 mi
- Fort Gibson, OK17 mi
- Locust Grove, OK19 mi
- Stilwell, OK19 mi
- Kansas, OK21 mi
- Westville, OK22 mi
- Wagoner, OK22 mi
- Watts, OK23 mi
- Gore, OK26 mi
- Chouteau, OK26 mi
- Muskogee, OK26 mi
All Oklahoma cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare Tahlequah with another place →