Tornadoes · United States · Oklahoma
Tornadoes in Adair County, Oklahoma
42 tornadoes have crossed Adair County since 1950, 1 of them surveyed so far this year and still preliminary, 66th of the 77 counties in Oklahoma with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.8 years. They have killed 5 people and injured 65. None was rated F4 or above.
The rating scale
Tracks are drawn in the color of the rating. The United States rated tornadoes on Ted Fujita’s F scale until 31 January 2007 and on the Enhanced Fujita scale after it. Both run from 0 to 5, and both rate the damage rather than measure the wind: the speeds are what that damage is taken to imply.
F0 / EF040 to 72 mph on the F scale, 65 to 85 mph on the EF scale
Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.
F1 / EF173 to 112 mph on the F scale, 86 to 110 mph on the EF scale
Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.
F2 / EF2113 to 157 mph on the F scale, 111 to 135 mph on the EF scale
Considerable damage. Roofs torn off well-built houses, frame homes shifted on their foundations, mobile homes destroyed, large trees snapped or uprooted, cars lifted off the ground.
F3 / EF3158 to 206 mph on the F scale, 136 to 165 mph on the EF scale
Severe damage. Whole stories of well-built houses destroyed, large buildings badly damaged, trains overturned, trees debarked, heavy cars lifted and thrown.
F4 / EF4207 to 260 mph on the F scale, 166 to 200 mph on the EF scale
Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.
F5 / EF5261 to 318 mph on the F scale, over 200 mph on the EF scale
Incredible damage. Strong frame houses swept off their foundations, car-sized missiles thrown more than 100 meters, steel-reinforced concrete badly damaged, high-rise buildings deformed.
Unrated
The survey recorded a tornado but could not put a number on it, most often because it crossed open country and damaged nothing a rating can be read from.
Now
- Tornadoes
- 42
- Deaths
- 5
- Injuries
- 65
- F4 and above
- 0
- Worst on record
- EF3, December 31, 2010
The deadliest in Adair County
The strongest
- F3, Adair, Washington and Benton counties, Oklahoma and ArkansasJune 11, 1970
- F3, Sequoyah, Crawford, Adair and Washington counties, Oklahoma and ArkansasMay 4, 1999
- EF3, Adair, Washington and Benton counties, Oklahoma and ArkansasDecember 31, 2010
- EF2, Sequoyah, Cherokee and Adair counties, OklahomaNovember 30, 2018
- EF2, Cherokee, Adair, Washington and Benton counties, Oklahoma and ArkansasNovember 4, 2024
- EF2, Adair and Washington counties, Oklahoma and ArkansasMay 7, 2024
- EF2, Adair, Crawford and Washington counties, Oklahoma and ArkansasMarch 23, 2016
- F2, Adair and Benton counties, Oklahoma and ArkansasJune 1, 1968
- EF2, Adair and Washington counties, Oklahoma and ArkansasApril 10, 2008
- EF2, Adair and Delaware counties, OklahomaMay 22, 2011
Every year with a tornado
The 25 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Adair County. Each year links to every tornado in Oklahoma that year.
Every tornado that crossed Adair County
42 tornadoes, newest first. 1 of them touched down in a neighboring state and ran in, so the record files it under that state rather than Oklahoma. The 1 at the top is this year's, from the surveying office rather than SPC's published database, and its rating is marked as preliminary.
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 14, 2026 | 11:54 PM CDT | EF1 | Adair to AR | 7.5 | 700 | |||
| June 18, 2025 | 1:14 AM CDT | EF1 | Adair | 8.8 | 750 | $100,000 | ||
| June 18, 2025 | 1:04 AM CDT | EF1 | Cherokee | 7.7 | 1,000 | $50,000 | ||
| May 19, 2025 | 7:11 PM CDT | EF1 | Adair to AR | 8.2 | 1,000 | |||
| May 19, 2025 | 6:55 PM CDT | EF1 | Adair to AR | 16.7 | 2,200 | $50,000 | ||
| May 19, 2025 | 6:55 PM CDT | EF1 | St. Clair to OK, AR | 4.6 | 50 | $150,000 | ||
| May 19, 2025 | 6:47 PM CDT | EF1 | Cherokee | 10.4 | 1,300 | |||
| May 19, 2025 | 6:44 PM CDT | EF1 | Cherokee | 12.3 | 1,100 | $50,000 | ||
| November 4, 2024 | 3:21 PM CST | EF2 | Cherokee to AR | 32.9 | 1,200 | $280,000 | ||
| May 7, 2024 | 2:23 AM CDT | EF2 | Adair to AR | 11.7 | 800 | $75,000 | ||
| April 13, 2022 | 8:50 AM CDT | EF1 | Adair | 6.5 | 700 | 1 | $300,000 | |
| April 28, 2021 | 6:06 AM CDT | EF1 | Adair | 7.1 | 225 | $50,000 | ||
| April 28, 2021 | 6:01 AM CDT | Unrated | Adair | 1.5 | 100 | |||
| May 25, 2020 | 7:11 PM CDT | EF1 | Adair | 0.6 | 120 | |||
| October 20, 2019 | 12:00 AM CDT | EF1 | Adair to AR | 9.1 | 900 | $225,000 | ||
| November 30, 2018 | 9:43 PM CST | EF2 | Sequoyah | 47.0 | 1,100 | 5 | $2.0 million | |
| March 6, 2017 | 9:44 PM CST | EF1 | Adair | 6.1 | 650 | $100,000 | ||
| March 23, 2016 | 9:51 PM CDT | EF2 | Adair to AR | 11.1 | 800 | 4 | $375,000 | |
| July 9, 2015 | 5:18 PM CDT | EF1 | Adair | 3.7 | 500 | |||
| March 25, 2015 | 8:06 PM CDT | EF0 | Adair | 0.1 | 50 | |||
| May 20, 2013 | 6:40 PM CDT | EF1 | Adair to AR | 8.0 | 500 | $225,000 | ||
| May 20, 2013 | 6:35 PM CDT | EF1 | Adair | 2.5 | 300 | $15,000 | ||
| May 20, 2013 | 6:32 PM CDT | EF1 | Adair to MO | 2.0 | 150 | |||
| April 15, 2012 | 9:22 AM CDT | EF1 | Cherokee | 14.5 | 500 | $75,000 | ||
| May 22, 2011 | 8:14 PM CDT | EF2 | Adair | 4.5 | 200 | $250,000 | ||
| December 31, 2010 | 6:05 AM CST | EF3 | Adair to AR | 21.1 | 500 | 4 | 10 | $1.9 million |
| April 10, 2008 | 5:26 AM CDT | EF2 | Adair to AR | 9.0 | 400 | $125,000 | ||
| April 10, 2008 | 5:15 AM CDT | EF2 | Adair | 2.8 | 300 | $100,000 | ||
| January 7, 2008 | 8:08 PM CST | EF0 | Adair | 0.1 | 50 | |||
| May 10, 1999 | 3:11 AM CDT | F0 | Adair | 0.5 | 50 | $1,000 | ||
| May 4, 1999 | 12:54 PM CDT | F3 | Sequoyah to AR | 38.2 | 0 | $100,000 | ||
| May 4, 1999 | 3:11 AM CDT | F1 | Adair | 0.5 | 50 | $1,000 | ||
| October 26, 1995 | 7:46 PM CDT | F0 | Adair | 3.0 | 73 | $5,000 to $50,000 | ||
| April 17, 1995 | 12:02 AM CDT | F1 | Adair | 1.0 | 73 | $50,000 to $500,000 | ||
| April 24, 1993 | 9:15 PM CDT | F0 | Adair | 0.1 | 10 | |||
| October 28, 1991 | 4:15 AM CST | F1 | Adair | 10.3 | 800 | $50,000 to $500,000 | ||
| June 16, 1973 | 8:20 PM CDT | F1 | Adair | 0.1 | 40 | $500 to $5,000 | ||
| June 11, 1970 | 9:15 PM CDT | F3 | Adair to AR | 51.8 | 250 | 1 | 45 | $500,000 to $5 million |
| June 1, 1968 | 3:15 PM GMT-5 | F2 | Adair to AR | 10.1 | 500 | $5,000 to $50,000 | ||
| June 30, 1966 | 5:15 PM GMT-5 | F1 | Adair | 0.2 | 33 | $500 to $5,000 | ||
| May 8, 1961 | 4:40 AM GMT-5 | F2 | Adair | 0.1 | 200 | $5,000 to $50,000 | ||
| May 6, 1961 | 4:00 PM GMT-5 | F1 | Adair | 0.8 | 10 | $500 to $5,000 |
Nearby
Warnings in force in Adair CountyThe forecast for Adair CountyThe live radar over Adair CountyEvery county in Oklahoma
What this means
Ratings are the survey's, read off the damage rather than measured; the rating scale is above. Tornado counts rise through the record as reporting improved, so a year in the 1950s is not comparable with one today except for the strongest tornadoes, which were always noticed.
Sources
NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database, 1950-2025, the official record kept by NOAA's Storm Prediction Center.