NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Wister, 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 Wister, Oklahoma since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 101 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 7 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 3
- Tornadoes
- 101
- EF3 or stronger
- 7
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
36 deaths in all
What the records show for Wister
None of the 3 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Wister; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1902, a tropical storm with 40 mph winds when its centre passed 20 miles away. The record near Wister begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm 40 miles away. Wister has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 64% of the 216 Oklahoma cities on this site. The strongest of the 101 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F5 on March 26, 1976; its path came within 19 miles, and it killed 2 people. The deadliest, an F4 on May 5, 1961, killed 16 people. Of the 101, 7 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 51 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 45. The most recent tornado was on May 19, 2025. Of the 216 Oklahoma cities, 92% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Wister. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 70 times since 1960, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Of the 216 Oklahoma cities, 99% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Wister.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Wister
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 40 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1961 | CarlaSep 13 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 28 | 20 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 Wister: 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 Wister
By decade
- 2020s13
- 2010s23
- 2000s15
- 1990s15
- 1980s10(2 EF3+)
- 1970s7(2 EF3+)
- 1960s9(3 EF3+)
- 1950s9
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 26, 1976 | F5 | 19 mi | 11.9 mi | 2 / 64 |
| May 5, 1961 | F4 | 5 mi | 26.4 mi | 16 / 58 |
| May 5, 1960 | F4 | 20 mi | 62.4 mi | 16 / 106 |
| Mar 26, 1976 | F4 | 9 mi | 10.7 mi | 1 / 4 |
| May 5, 1960 | F3 | 16 mi | 23.7 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Nov 22, 1983 | F3 | 24 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Apr 7, 1980 | F3 | 20 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 9 |
| Apr 28, 2017 | EF2 | 17 mi | 8.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 25, 2015 | EF2 | 9 mi | 15.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 25, 2015 | EF2 | 22 mi | 13.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 10, 2015 | EF2 | 18 mi | 15 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 24, 2011 | EF2 | 9 mi | 12 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 101, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Wister
The Storm Prediction Center has 70 hail reports within 10 miles of Wister since 1960, made on 60 separate days. Of these, 37 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on June 3, 1983. The most recent report is from May 15, 2022. April has the most reports, 15.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Wister
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Wilburton 9 ENE, OK, 20 miles west of Wister at 635 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 94°F and low of 70°F; January is the coolest, at 52°F and 30°F. May is the wettest at 7.4 inches of precipitation on average and July the driest at 2.7 inches; the year adds up to 50.9 inches over 72 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 71 nights a year. That 50.9 inches is more than at 77 of the 82 Oklahoma stations used on this site (94%). Poteau, 13 miles northeast, has its own station (Fort Smith Regional Airport, AR): 47.4 inches a year, 3.5 less than here, and the same July average high, 94°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 52 | 30 | 3.1 | 5 |
| Feb | 57 | 33 | 2.8 | 5 |
| Mar | 65 | 41 | 3.9 | 6 |
| Apr | 74 | 48 | 5.0 | 7 |
| May | 81 | 59 | 7.4 | 8 |
| Jun | 88 | 66 | 5.6 | 8 |
| Jul | 94 | 70 | 2.7 | 5 |
| Aug | 94 | 68 | 3.2 | 5 |
| Sep | 86 | 62 | 4.3 | 6 |
| Oct | 75 | 52 | 4.7 | 6 |
| Nov | 63 | 40 | 4.0 | 6 |
| Dec | 54 | 32 | 4.2 | 6 |
| Year | 74 | 50 | 50.9 | 72 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Wilburton 9 ENE, OK (635 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 Wister
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 49 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Wister: 39 thunderstorm wind reports, 7 flash floods and 3 floods. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $85,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 86 mph, on June 19, 1998. May has had the most flash floods, 4 of 7. Of the 216 Oklahoma cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 40 have had fewer than Wister.
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
Le Flore County, which includes Wister, has been named in 32 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1968, 22 of them major disasters (by incident: 12 severe storms, 7 ice storms, 4 floods, 4 tornadoes). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storms, on February 24, 2021. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Le Flore County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, inland flooding, strong wind, lightning 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 $32.0 million a year, the 17th highest of 77 Oklahoma counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $15.9 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.
Cities near Wister
- Howe, OK10 mi
- Poteau, OK13 mi
- Heavener, OK14 mi
- Talihina, OK19 mi
- Cameron, OK21 mi
- Keota, OK23 mi
- Spiro, OK24 mi
- Wilburton, OK28 mi
- Hackett, AR28 mi
- Pocola, OK28 mi
- Stigler, OK30 mi
- Mansfield, AR34 mi
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