Tornadoes · United States · Oklahoma

Tornadoes in Alfalfa County, Oklahoma

53 tornadoes have crossed Alfalfa County since 1950, 1 of them surveyed so far this year and still preliminary, 52nd of the 77 counties in Oklahoma with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.4 years. They have killed 0 people and injured 9. 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.

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. 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.

  5. 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.

  6. 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.

  7. 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
53
Deaths
0
Injuries
9
F4 and above
0
Worst on record
F3, April 2, 1956

The strongest

  1. F3, Woods and Alfalfa counties, OklahomaApril 2, 1956F3, 20.0 mi (32 km)
  2. F2, Major, Woods and Alfalfa counties, OklahomaApril 17, 2002F2, 34.0 mi (55 km)
  3. EF2, Alfalfa and Grant counties, OklahomaMarch 5, 2026EF2, 19.1 mi (31 km)
  4. F2, Alfalfa County, OklahomaMarch 11, 1976F2, 16.6 mi (27 km)
  5. F2, Alfalfa County, OklahomaApril 16, 1969F2, 13.8 mi (22 km)
  6. F2, Alfalfa and Grant counties, OklahomaApril 30, 1973F2, 13.4 mi (22 km)
  7. F2, Alfalfa and Woods counties, OklahomaMay 17, 1995F2, 12.0 mi (19 km)
  8. F2, Woods and Alfalfa counties, OklahomaOctober 4, 1998F2, 10.0 mi (16 km)
  9. F2, Alfalfa County, OklahomaMarch 26, 1991F2, 9.0 mi (14 km)
  10. F2, Alfalfa County, OklahomaSeptember 22, 1985F2, 4.0 mi (6 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 32 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Alfalfa County. Each year links to every tornado in Oklahoma that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20261EF2
20253EF1
20241Unrated
20232EF0
20151EF1
20125EF1
20052F0
20031F0
200221F2
20011F0
20002F1
19992F1
19985F2
19951F2
19942F1
19911F2
19861F1
19851F2
19841F1
19831F2
19811F1
19761F2
197316F2
19721F0
19691F2
19622F2
19611F1
19591F2
19571F0
195622F3
19553F2
19542F1

Every tornado that crossed Alfalfa County

53 tornadoes, newest first. 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.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
March 5, 20269:12 PM CSTEF2Alfalfa19.10
November 24, 20252:45 PM CSTEF0Alfalfa0.120
June 17, 20259:39 PM CDTEF0Alfalfa2.240$10,000
June 7, 20251:36 AM CDTEF1Alfalfa0.530$20,000
May 6, 20246:04 PM CDTUnratedMajor3.830
June 17, 20239:24 PM CDTUnratedAlfalfa1.530
February 26, 20238:31 PM CSTEF0Alfalfa0.250$10,000
May 16, 20156:22 PM CDTEF1Major16.0400
April 30, 20127:40 PM CDTEF0Alfalfa3.230
April 30, 20127:34 PM CDTEF0Alfalfa0.120
April 14, 20128:19 PM CDTEF1Alfalfa12.9600
April 14, 20127:57 PM CDTEF0Alfalfa12.0400
April 14, 20127:47 PM CDTEF1Alfalfa10.0400
March 21, 20053:45 PM CSTF0Alfalfa0.3100
March 21, 20053:16 PM CSTF0Alfalfa1.550
April 19, 20034:40 PM CDTF0Alfalfa0.280
April 18, 20021:39 AM CDTF0Alfalfa0.875
April 17, 200212:27 AM CDTF2Major34.01,5001$110,000
September 7, 20013:25 PM CDTF0Alfalfa2.050
May 25, 200011:53 PM CDTF1Alfalfa7.050$10,000
March 15, 20004:52 PM CSTF0Alfalfa2.550
May 31, 199911:07 PM CDTF0Alfalfa2.00$2,000
April 5, 19994:15 AM CDTF1Alfalfa7.0200$60,000
October 4, 19984:05 PM CDTF0Alfalfa0.130
October 4, 19983:25 PM CDTF2Woods10.0440$80,000
May 24, 19986:55 PM CDTF1Alfalfa5.0100$3,000
May 24, 19986:50 PM CDTF0Alfalfa0.130
May 24, 19986:45 PM CDTF0Alfalfa0.130
May 17, 19954:52 PM CDTF2Alfalfa12.0400$5,000 to $50,000
October 17, 19944:50 PM CDTF1Alfalfa0.230$500 to $5,000
October 17, 19944:47 PM CDTF0Alfalfa0.230$500 to $5,000
March 26, 19917:45 PM CSTF2Alfalfa9.0300$50,000 to $500,000
May 16, 19868:18 PM CDTF1Alfalfa5.030$5,000 to $50,000
September 22, 19856:15 PM CDTF2Alfalfa4.0500$50,000 to $500,000
June 8, 19847:00 PM CDTF1Alfalfa0.117$5,000 to $50,000
May 17, 19838:32 PM CDTF2Alfalfa2.5100$50,000 to $500,000
September 11, 19818:30 PM CDTF1Alfalfa0.110$5,000 to $50,000
March 11, 19765:00 PM CSTF2Alfalfa16.6200under $50
April 30, 19739:20 PM CDTF2Alfalfa13.41006$50,000 to $500,000
April 19, 19723:05 PM CSTF0Alfalfa0.110
April 16, 19692:30 PM GMT-6F2Alfalfa13.8200$50,000 to $500,000
May 28, 19624:45 PM GMT-5F2Alfalfa0.110
May 20, 19627:55 PM GMT-5F2Alfalfa0.3100$50,000 to $500,000
October 29, 19617:30 AM GMT-6F1Alfalfa3.650$5,000 to $50,000
May 4, 19596:30 PM GMT-5F2Alfalfa0.110$50 to $500
April 22, 19578:00 PM GMT-6F0Alfalfa0.150$500 to $5,000
July 1, 19567:45 PM GMT-5F1Alfalfa2.010
April 2, 19567:05 PM GMT-6F3Woods20.04002$50,000 to $500,000
June 18, 19556:30 PM GMT-5F1Alfalfa2.0100$5,000 to $50,000
June 18, 19556:30 PM GMT-5F0Alfalfa0.110
June 17, 19559:30 PM GMT-5F2Alfalfa1.0100$500 to $5,000
April 29, 19544:30 PM GMT-5F1Alfalfa0.8100$500 to $5,000
March 24, 19543:15 PM GMT-6F1Alfalfa0.1880

Nearby

Warnings in force in Alfalfa CountyThe forecast for Alfalfa CountyThe live radar over Alfalfa 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.