NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Yale, 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 Yale, Oklahoma since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Erin in 2007. Since 1950, 141 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 16 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 2
- Tornadoes
- 141
- EF3 or stronger
- 16
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
28 deaths in all
What the records show for Yale
None of the 2 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Yale; the strongest was Erin in 2007, a tropical storm with 40 mph winds when its centre passed 66 miles away. The record near Yale begins with an unnamed storm in 1900; the most recent system was Erin in 2007. Of the 216 Oklahoma cities on this site, 36% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Yale. The highest rating among the 141 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 5 times; the most recent, on May 6, 2024, came within 25 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on June 8, 1974, killed 14 people. Of the 141, 6 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 47 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 61. Of the 216 Oklahoma cities, 67% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Yale. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 133 times since 1958, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 216 Oklahoma cities, 66% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Yale.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Yale
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | ErinAug 19 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 10 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 4 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Yale: 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 Yale
By decade
- 2020s6(1 EF3+)
- 2010s23(1 EF3+)
- 2000s18(1 EF3+)
- 1990s19(3 EF3+)
- 1980s13(2 EF3+)
- 1970s21(3 EF3+)
- 1960s16(3 EF3+)
- 1950s25(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 8, 1974 | F4 | 10 mi | 29 mi | 14 / 150 |
| Apr 26, 1984 | F4 | 6 mi | 22 mi | 3 / 37 |
| May 6, 2024 | EF4 | 25 mi | 40.8 mi | 2 / 33 |
| Apr 26, 1991 | F4 | 11 mi | 32 mi | 1 / 24 |
| Apr 29, 1984 | F4 | 16 mi | 27 mi | 1 / 60 |
| Apr 2, 1956 | F3 | 11 mi | 42.6 mi | 5 / 68 |
| May 15, 1990 | F3 | 20 mi | 7 mi | 1 / 12 |
| May 19, 2013 | EF3 | 22 mi | 20.84 mi | 0 / 4 |
| May 29, 2004 | F3 | 20 mi | 7.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 3, 1999 | F3 | 24 mi | 16 mi | 0 / 13 |
| Jun 13, 1975 | F3 | 18 mi | 5.1 mi | 0 / 8 |
| Jun 8, 1974 | F3 | 23 mi | 6.8 mi | 0 / 8 |
The strongest 12 of 141, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Yale
The Storm Prediction Center has 133 hail reports within 10 miles of Yale since 1958, made on 94 separate days. Of these, 76 were 1 inch across or larger, and 10 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2.75 inches (baseball size), was reported on 5 days, most recently May 24, 2016. The most recent report is from April 30, 2022. May has the most reports, 40.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Yale
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Cushing, OK, 10 miles southwest of Yale at 950 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 93°F and low of 71°F; January is the coolest, at 49°F and 26°F. May is the wettest at 6.1 inches of precipitation on average and January and February the driest at 1.4 inches; the year adds up to 37.9 inches over 50 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 69 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 76 nights a year. Snowfall averages 4.1 inches a year, most of it in January. That 37.9 inches is more than at 39 of the 82 Oklahoma stations used on this site (48%). Jennings, 9 miles northeast, has its own station (Mannford 6 NW, OK): 41.9 inches a year, 4.0 more than here, and the same July average high, 93°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 49 | 26 | 1.4 | 2 | 1.7 |
| Feb | 54 | 30 | 1.4 | 3 | 0.8 |
| Mar | 63 | 39 | 2.5 | 4 | 0.2 |
| Apr | 72 | 48 | 3.6 | 5 | 0.0 |
| May | 79 | 58 | 6.1 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 88 | 67 | 4.8 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 93 | 71 | 3.3 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 93 | 70 | 3.2 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 85 | 62 | 3.9 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 74 | 49 | 3.4 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 62 | 38 | 2.2 | 3 | 0.2 |
| Dec | 51 | 29 | 2.1 | 3 | 1.2 |
| Year | 72 | 49 | 37.9 | 50 | 4.1 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Cushing, OK (950 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 Yale
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 94 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Yale: 85 thunderstorm wind reports, 6 flash floods, 2 lightning strikes and 1 flood. They killed 1 person and injured 3, and the NWS estimated $429,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 98 mph, on June 17, 2023. May has had the most flash floods, 3 of 6. Of the 216 Oklahoma cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 26 have had fewer than Yale.
June 17, 2023: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Yale — 1 killed, 3 injured, $50,000 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
Payne County, which includes Yale, has been named in 39 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1974, 24 of them major disasters (by incident: 11 fires, 10 severe storms, 9 ice storms, 4 floods). The latest major disaster declaration was Wildfires and Straight-Line Winds, on May 21, 2025. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Payne County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for tornadoes and hail; Relatively Moderate for strong wind and heat waves; Relatively Low for inland flooding and lightning; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $50.3 million a year, the 7th highest of 77 Oklahoma counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $11.5 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 Yale
- Jennings, OK9 mi
- Cushing, OK10 mi
- Drumright, OK11 mi
- Terlton, OK15 mi
- Pawnee, OK18 mi
- Mannford, OK18 mi
- Cleveland, OK20 mi
- Stillwater, OK20 mi
- Perkins, OK21 mi
- Stroud, OK25 mi
- Bristow, OK26 mi
- Hominy, OK28 mi
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