NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Vian, 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 Vian, Oklahoma since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 131 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 10 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 3
- Tornadoes
- 131
- EF3 or stronger
- 10
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
35 deaths in all
What the records show for Vian
None of the 3 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Vian; the strongest was Carla in 1961, a tropical storm with 40 mph winds when its centre passed 8 miles away. The record near Vian begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm 65 miles away. Vian has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 64% of the 216 Oklahoma cities on this site. The highest rating among the 131 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 3 times; the most recent, on May 26, 1973, came within 17 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on May 5, 1960, killed 16 people. Of the 131, 9 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 62 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 58. The most recent tornado was on June 7, 2025. Of the 216 Oklahoma cities, 78% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Vian. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 145 times since 1975, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Of the 216 Oklahoma cities, 56% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Vian.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Vian
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1961 | CarlaSep 13 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 28 | 11 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 Vian: 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 Vian
By decade
- 2020s24
- 2010s23
- 2000s15
- 1990s16(1 EF3+)
- 1980s14(1 EF3+)
- 1970s8(3 EF3+)
- 1960s13(3 EF3+)
- 1950s18(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 5, 1960 | F4 | 10 mi | 62.4 mi | 16 / 106 |
| Jan 22, 1957 | F4 | 19 mi | 0.1 mi | 10 / 20 |
| May 26, 1973 | F4 | 17 mi | 3.6 mi | 5 / 25 |
| Jun 11, 1970 | F3 | 15 mi | 51.8 mi | 1 / 45 |
| May 5, 1960 | F3 | 15 mi | 23.7 mi | 1 / 0 |
| May 4, 1999 | F3 | 23 mi | 38.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 22, 1983 | F3 | 24 mi | 19 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 26, 1973 | F3 | 3 mi | 18.7 mi | 0 / 6 |
| May 10, 1964 | F3 | 23 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 20, 1957 | F3 | 10 mi | 20.4 mi | 0 / 1 |
| May 5, 1960 | F2 | 23 mi | 11.7 mi | 2 / 6 |
| Nov 4, 2024 | EF2 | 18 mi | 32.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 131, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Vian
The Storm Prediction Center has 145 hail reports within 10 miles of Vian since 1975, made on 95 separate days. Of these, 60 were 1 inch across or larger, and 10 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on May 8, 2009. The most recent report is from September 23, 2025. May has the most reports, 45.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Vian
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Sallisaw 2 NW, OK, 11 miles southeast of Vian 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%). Gore, 7 miles west, has its own station (Webbers Falls 5 WSW, OK): 47.4 inches a year, the same as here, and a July average high of 96°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 Vian
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 149 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Vian: 119 thunderstorm wind reports, 24 flash floods and 6 floods. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $1.3 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 86 mph, on May 31, 2013. May has had the most flash floods, 7 of 24. Of the 216 Oklahoma cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 149 have had fewer than Vian.
May 11, 2016: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Vian — 1 injured, $250,000 damage.
March 18, 2008: flash flood 7 miles from the centre of Vian — $300,000 damage.
April 5, 2005: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Vian — $100,000 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
Sequoyah County, which includes Vian, 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 Vian
- Gore, OK7 mi
- Sallisaw, OK11 mi
- Park Hill, OK14 mi
- Warner, OK20 mi
- Keota, OK20 mi
- Stigler, OK22 mi
- Porum, OK22 mi
- Fort Gibson, OK23 mi
- Muldrow, OK24 mi
- Muskogee, OK26 mi
- Stilwell, OK26 mi
- Tahlequah, OK26 mi
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