NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Watts, 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 Watts, Oklahoma since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 133 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 10 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 3
- Tornadoes
- 133
- EF3 or stronger
- 10
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
5 deaths in all
What the records show for Watts
None of the 3 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Watts; the strongest was Carla in 1961, a tropical storm with 40 mph winds when its centre passed 14 miles away. The record near Watts begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm 67 miles away. Watts has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 64% of the 216 Oklahoma cities on this site. The highest rating among the 133 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3 or EF3, reached 10 times; the most recent, on May 25, 2024, came within 13 miles. The deadliest, an EF3 on December 31, 2010, killed 4 people. Of the 133, 12 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 83 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 56. The most recent tornado was on June 18, 2025. Of the 216 Oklahoma cities, 76% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Watts. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 143 times since 1957, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 216 Oklahoma cities, 58% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Watts.
Compare Watts's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Watts
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1961 | CarlaSep 13 | 14 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 28 | 21 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 Watts: 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 Watts
By decade
- 2020s33(1 EF3+)
- 2010s41(1 EF3+)
- 2000s9(2 EF3+)
- 1990s21(1 EF3+)
- 1980s7(1 EF3+)
- 1970s12(3 EF3+)
- 1960s9(1 EF3+)
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 31, 2010 | EF3 | 9 mi | 21.1 mi | 4 / 10 |
| Jun 11, 1970 | F3 | 16 mi | 51.8 mi | 1 / 45 |
| May 25, 2024 | EF3 | 13 mi | 7.9 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Mar 12, 2006 | F3 | 8 mi | 25 mi | 0 / 12 |
| Mar 12, 2006 | F3 | 11 mi | 29 mi | 0 / 8 |
| May 4, 1999 | F3 | 23 mi | 38.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 22, 1983 | F3 | 7 mi | 19 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 8, 1974 | F3 | 22 mi | 2.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 8, 1970 | F3 | 9 mi | 6.9 mi | 0 / 4 |
| May 10, 1964 | F3 | 24 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 4, 2024 | EF2 | 5 mi | 32.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 26, 2024 | EF2 | 21 mi | 2.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 133, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Watts
The Storm Prediction Center has 143 hail reports within 10 miles of Watts since 1957, made on 91 separate days. Of these, 61 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on June 14, 1957. The most recent report is from May 18, 2025. May has the most reports, 33.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Watts
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Fayetteville NW Ar Airport, AR, 22 miles northeast of Watts at 1,287 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 90°F and low of 69°F; January is the coolest, at 48°F and 27°F. May is the wettest at 5.9 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.2 inches; the year adds up to 45.4 inches over 67 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 45 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 92 nights a year. That 45.4 inches is more than at 66 of the 82 Oklahoma stations used on this site (80%). Colcord, 8 miles north, has its own station (Gravette, AR): 48.7 inches a year, 3.3 more than here, and a July average high of 93°F against 90°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 48 | 27 | 2.5 | 4 |
| Feb | 52 | 30 | 2.2 | 5 |
| Mar | 61 | 38 | 3.5 | 6 |
| Apr | 70 | 46 | 5.0 | 7 |
| May | 77 | 55 | 5.9 | 8 |
| Jun | 86 | 64 | 4.3 | 6 |
| Jul | 90 | 69 | 4.2 | 6 |
| Aug | 90 | 67 | 3.3 | 5 |
| Sep | 82 | 59 | 3.9 | 4 |
| Oct | 72 | 47 | 4.0 | 6 |
| Nov | 60 | 37 | 3.7 | 5 |
| Dec | 50 | 29 | 2.9 | 5 |
| Year | 70 | 47 | 45.4 | 67 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Fayetteville NW Ar Airport, AR (1,287 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 Watts
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 178 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Watts: 116 thunderstorm wind reports, 41 floods, 20 flash floods and 1 lightning strike. They killed 1 person and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $562,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 86 mph, on October 13, 2012. April has had the most flash floods, 7 of 20. Of the 216 Oklahoma cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 127 have had fewer than Watts.
May 2, 2008: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Watts — 1 killed, 1 injured, $200,000 damage.
April 11, 2001: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Watts — $100,000 damage.
NWS: “Very strong thunderstorm winds associated with a downburst damaged seven dwellings including 4 mobile homes and three wood framed houses. Another house was damaged as a large tree fell on it.”
May 16, 2003: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Watts — $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
Flood insurance policyholders in Watts's ZIP code 74964 have filed 12 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 2010, and were paid $569,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 33% 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, 5 have fewer than Watts.
Adair County, which includes Watts, has been named in 29 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1970, 21 of them major disasters (by incident: 15 severe storms, 6 ice storms, 4 floods, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on March 18, 2025. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Adair County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes and heat waves; Relatively Low for hail, inland flooding, strong wind and lightning; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $12.3 million a year, the 44th highest of 77 Oklahoma counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $6.2 million (50%), 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.