NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Waurika, 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 Waurika, Oklahoma since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Carla in 1961. Since 1950, 117 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 8 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 2
- Tornadoes
- 117
- EF3 or stronger
- 8
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
43 deaths in all
What the records show for Waurika
None of the 2 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Waurika; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 48 mph winds when its centre passed 11 miles away. The record near Waurika begins with an unnamed storm in 1900; the most recent system was Carla in 1961, a tropical storm 53 miles away. Of the 216 Oklahoma cities on this site, 36% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Waurika. The highest rating among the 117 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on April 10, 1979, passed within a mile of the city centre. Of the 117, 9 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 35 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 47. The most recent tornado was on November 3, 2024. Of the 216 Oklahoma cities, 86% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Waurika. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 138 times since 1955, with stones up to 5 inches. Of the 216 Oklahoma cities, 63% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Waurika.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Waurika
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | CarlaSep 13 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 10 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 4 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Waurika: 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 Waurika
By decade
- 2020s9(1 EF3+)
- 2010s17
- 2000s9
- 1990s20(1 EF3+)
- 1980s8
- 1970s18(2 EF3+)
- 1960s19(1 EF3+)
- 1950s17(3 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 10, 1979 | F4 | in town | 46.9 mi | 42 / 1740 |
| May 26, 1962 | F4 | 23 mi | 10.1 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Apr 2, 1958 | F3 | 20 mi | 16.4 mi | 1 / 14 |
| Nov 3, 2024 | EF3 | 9 mi | 21.7 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Mar 13, 1990 | F3 | 16 mi | 22 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Apr 20, 1974 | F3 | 4 mi | 6.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 17, 1958 | F3 | 19 mi | 65.8 mi | 0 / 4 |
| May 1, 1954 | F3 | 8 mi | 8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 15, 2023 | EF2 | 22 mi | 4.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 8, 2003 | F2 | 19 mi | 6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 19, 1976 | F2 | 7 mi | 3.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 22, 1975 | F2 | 23 mi | 6.1 mi | 0 / 4 |
The strongest 12 of 117, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Waurika
The Storm Prediction Center has 138 hail reports within 10 miles of Waurika since 1955, made on 90 separate days. Of these, 83 were 1 inch across or larger, and 21 reached 2 inches. The largest, 5 inches, fell on May 10, 1975. The most recent report is from April 5, 2025. April has the most reports, 53.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Waurika
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Waurika, OK, in Waurika at 912 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 97°F and low of 73°F; January is the coolest, at 55°F and 31°F. May is the wettest at 4.3 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 1.6 inches; the year adds up to 32.3 inches over 45 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 100 days a year, almost all from May to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 57 nights a year. Snowfall averages 1.9 inches a year, most of it in January. That 32.3 inches is more than at 20 of the 82 Oklahoma stations used on this site (24%). Comanche, 15 miles north, has its own station (Duncan, OK): 37.2 inches a year, 4.9 more than here, and a July average high of 94°F against 97°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 55 | 31 | 1.6 | 3 | 0.7 |
| Feb | 60 | 35 | 1.8 | 3 | 0.4 |
| Mar | 69 | 43 | 2.5 | 4 | 0.1 |
| Apr | 77 | 51 | 3.1 | 4 | 0.0 |
| May | 83 | 61 | 4.3 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 91 | 69 | 3.9 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 97 | 73 | 2.3 | 3 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 96 | 72 | 3.0 | 3 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 88 | 65 | 3.1 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 77 | 53 | 2.9 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 65 | 42 | 2.1 | 4 | 0.5 |
| Dec | 56 | 33 | 1.7 | 3 | 0.2 |
| Year | 76 | 52 | 32.3 | 45 | 1.9 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Waurika, OK (912 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 Waurika
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 53 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Waurika: 39 thunderstorm wind reports, 10 flash floods, 2 floods and 2 heavy rain events. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $162,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 79 mph, on August 27, 2002. May has had the most flash floods, 4 of 10. Of the 216 Oklahoma cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 68 have had fewer than Waurika.
August 21, 1996: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Waurika — 1 injured, $20,000 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
Jefferson County, which includes Waurika, has been named in 30 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1970, 21 of them major disasters (by incident: 17 severe storms, 6 ice storms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 fires). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on March 18, 2025. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Jefferson County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for strong wind; Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes, inland flooding and lightning. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $4.8 million a year, the 73rd highest of 77 Oklahoma counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $1.1 million (23%), 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 Waurika
- Comanche, OK15 mi
- Duncan, OK24 mi
- Walters, OK24 mi
- Nocona, TX29 mi
- Healdton, OK30 mi
- Henrietta, TX30 mi
- Sheppard Afb, TX31 mi
- Wilson, OK32 mi
- Marlow, OK33 mi
- Burkburnett, TX34 mi
- Wichita Falls, TX35 mi
- Lawton, OK40 mi
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