Tornadoes · United States · Oklahoma

Tornadoes in Beckham County, Oklahoma

75 tornadoes have crossed Beckham County since 1950, 26th of the 77 counties in Oklahoma with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.0 years. They have killed 1 person and injured 14. 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
75
Deaths
1
Injuries
14
F4 and above
0
Worst on record
EF3, May 5, 2007

The deadliest in Beckham County

  1. EF2, Beckham and Washita counties, OklahomaMay 16, 20171 killed, 10 injured

The strongest

  1. F3, Beckham and Roger Mills counties, OklahomaMay 16, 1977F3, 18.2 mi (29 km)
  2. F3, Beckham, Washita and Custer counties, OklahomaOctober 9, 2001F3, 11.5 mi (19 km)
  3. F3, Beckham County, OklahomaMay 16, 1977F3, 6.5 mi (10 km)
  4. F3, Beckham County, OklahomaApril 26, 1962F3, 3.6 mi (6 km)
  5. EF3, Beckham County, OklahomaMay 5, 2007EF3, 2.5 mi (4 km)
  6. EF2, Beckham and Washita counties, OklahomaMay 16, 2017EF2, 18.0 mi (29 km)
  7. F2, Beckham County, OklahomaMay 4, 1959F2, 9.6 mi (15 km)
  8. F2, Beckham County, OklahomaMay 4, 1950F2, 5.6 mi (9 km)
  9. F2, Beckham County, OklahomaApril 2, 1968F2, 1.4 mi (2 km)
  10. F2, Beckham County, OklahomaMay 16, 1982F2, 0.5 mi (1 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 43 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Beckham County. Each year links to every tornado in Oklahoma that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20231EF1
20221Unrated
20211EF0
20193Unrated
20181EF0
20173110EF2
20153EF0
20131EF0
20121EF0
200711EF3
200311F1
20022F1
20016F3
19993F1
19951F0
19941F1
19933F0
19921F0
19912F0
19894F0
19881F0
19861F1
19841F1
19833F1
19822F2
198011F1
19772F3
19752F1
19731F1
19722F1
19692F0
19681F2
19671F1
19651F0
19641F0
19621F3
19611F0
195911F2
19553F1
19531F1
19522F1
19513F1
19501F2

Every tornado that crossed Beckham County

75 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
February 26, 20237:13 PM CSTEF1Beckham6.0100$75,000
December 13, 202212:13 AM CSTUnratedBeckham0.240
October 12, 20216:48 PM CDTEF0Beckham0.110
May 25, 20197:14 PM CDTUnratedBeckham0.250
May 7, 201910:10 PM CDTUnratedBeckham0.530
May 7, 20198:12 PM CDTUnratedBeckham2.0100
May 25, 20187:26 PM CDTEF0Beckham0.110
May 16, 20176:46 PM CDTEF2Beckham18.01,000110$25 million
May 16, 20176:23 PM CDTUnratedBeckham1.150
May 16, 20176:08 PM CDTUnratedBeckham1.020
May 16, 20155:47 PM CDTEF0Beckham0.230
May 9, 20158:24 PM CDTEF0Roger Mills2.0100
April 16, 20158:00 PM CDTEF0Beckham4.5150
May 29, 20137:21 PM CDTEF0Beckham0.8150
March 18, 20127:37 PM CDTEF0Beckham1.075
May 5, 20078:04 PM CDTEF3Beckham2.51501$5.0 million
April 15, 20036:55 PM CDTF1Beckham1.52001$1.0 million
May 16, 200212:05 AM CDTF0Beckham0.5100
April 17, 200210:15 PM CDTF1Beckham0.350$40,000
October 9, 20014:30 PM CDTF3Beckham11.5600$60,000
October 9, 20013:12 PM CDTF1Beckham3.050$20,000
October 9, 20012:50 PM CDTF0Beckham0.125
October 9, 20012:42 PM CDTF0Beckham0.125
October 9, 20012:42 PM CDTF0Beckham4.5200$2,000
October 9, 20012:39 PM CDTF0Beckham1.050$1,000
May 31, 19997:18 PM CDTF0Beckham0.550
May 31, 19996:58 PM CDTF0Beckham0.10
April 2, 19998:13 PM CSTF1Greer6.050$50,000
May 22, 19959:11 PM CDTF0Beckham0.130
August 17, 19947:16 PM CDTF1Beckham2.040$50,000 to $500,000
May 7, 19938:22 PM CDTF0Beckham0.113$5,000 to $50,000
April 28, 19936:40 PM CDTF0Beckham0.120
March 29, 19934:12 PM CSTF0Beckham0.123
September 21, 19924:45 PM CDTF0Beckham0.130
May 15, 199111:30 PM CDTF0Beckham0.550
May 15, 19919:30 PM CDTF0Beckham0.350
June 12, 19892:57 PM CDTF0Beckham0.120
June 6, 19899:56 PM CDTF0Beckham2.930
April 25, 19898:31 PM CDTF0Beckham0.120
March 27, 19892:12 PM CSTF0Beckham0.210
November 15, 19888:40 AM CSTF0Beckham0.123under $50
March 17, 19865:55 PM CSTF1Beckham34.0100$50,000 to $500,000
April 29, 19848:40 AM CDTF1Beckham12.0100$5,000 to $50,000
June 13, 19834:56 PM CDTF0Beckham0.110under $50
June 10, 19837:20 PM CDTF1Beckham28.040$5,000 to $50,000
April 22, 19833:15 PM CSTF1Beckham0.150under $50
May 16, 19827:45 AM CDTF2Beckham0.550$50,000 to $500,000
May 11, 19828:18 PM CDTF0Beckham0.110under $50
April 24, 19807:00 PM CSTF1Beckham0.3501$50,000 to $500,000
May 16, 19776:24 PM CDTF3Beckham18.21,320$50,000 to $500,000
May 16, 19776:00 PM CDTF3Beckham6.5800$5,000 to $50,000
May 21, 19757:43 PM CDTF1Beckham0.550$500 to $5,000
March 27, 19753:30 AM CDTF1Beckham20.4150$50,000 to $500,000
October 10, 19738:30 AM CDTF1Beckham35.810$50,000 to $500,000
June 24, 19723:00 AM CDTF1Beckham0.120
May 22, 19728:00 PM CDTF1Beckham0.130$500 to $5,000
May 15, 19691:01 AM GMT-5F0Beckham0.110
May 2, 19699:52 PM GMT-5F0Beckham0.110
April 2, 19689:00 PM GMT-6F2Beckham1.410$5,000 to $50,000
May 5, 196710:00 AM GMT-5F1Beckham0.3200$50 to $500
June 1, 19657:15 PM GMT-5F0Beckham0.110
June 4, 19645:30 PM GMT-5F0Beckham0.110
April 26, 19626:30 PM GMT-6F3Beckham3.6300$50,000 to $500,000
June 2, 19617:25 PM GMT-5F0Beckham0.110
May 4, 19598:30 PM GMT-5F2Beckham9.62001$500 to $5,000
June 8, 195512:30 PM GMT-5F1Beckham1.0500$50,000 to $500,000
June 2, 19554:00 PM GMT-5F0Beckham0.110
May 25, 19557:05 PM GMT-5F0Beckham3.8300$50 to $500
July 7, 19536:00 PM GMT-5F1Beckham0.110$500 to $5,000
April 20, 19523:30 PM GMT-6F1Harmon0.120$5,000 to $50,000
April 8, 19524:45 PM GMT-6F0Beckham45.9100$50 to $500
May 19, 19519:12 PM GMT-5F0Beckham0.1220
May 19, 19518:15 PM GMT-5F1Beckham0.110$500 to $5,000
May 16, 195111:00 AM GMT-5F0Beckham0.110
May 4, 195010:30 PM GMT-5F2Beckham5.6293$5,000 to $50,000

Nearby

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