Tornadoes · United States · Oklahoma

Tornadoes in Carter County, Oklahoma

66 tornadoes have crossed Carter County since 1950, 35th of the 77 counties in Oklahoma with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.2 years. They have killed 22 people and injured 128. 3 were rated F4 or EF4 and 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
66
Deaths
22
Injuries
128
F4 and above
3
Worst on record
EF4, February 10, 2009

The deadliest in Carter County

  1. EF4, Jefferson, Montague, Love and Carter counties, Texas and OklahomaFebruary 10, 20098 killed, 46 injured
  2. F4, Carter, Garvin and Murray counties, OklahomaApril 19, 19725 killed, 6 injured
  3. F3, Love, Cooke and Carter counties, Texas and OklahomaMay 7, 19953 killed, 6 injured
  4. F3, Carter County, OklahomaOctober 30, 19793 killed, 2 injured
  5. F3, Love, Carter and Johnston counties, OklahomaMarch 13, 19532 killed, 11 injured
  6. EF4, Love and Carter counties, OklahomaApril 27, 20241 killed, 6 injured

The strongest

  1. EF4, Jefferson, Montague, Love and Carter counties, Texas and OklahomaFebruary 10, 2009EF4, 37.0 mi (60 km)
  2. F4, Carter, Garvin and Murray counties, OklahomaApril 19, 1972F4, 28.2 mi (45 km)
  3. EF4, Love and Carter counties, OklahomaApril 27, 2024EF4, 26.8 mi (43 km)
  4. F3, Love, Carter and Johnston counties, OklahomaMarch 13, 1953F3, 45.3 mi (73 km)
  5. F3, Love, Cooke and Carter counties, Texas and OklahomaMay 7, 1995F3, 34.1 mi (55 km)
  6. F3, Jefferson, Stephens, Carter and Garvin counties, OklahomaMarch 13, 1990F3, 22.0 mi (35 km)
  7. F3, Carter County, OklahomaApril 10, 1979F3, 12.8 mi (21 km)
  8. F3, Carter County, OklahomaOctober 30, 1979F3, 8.4 mi (14 km)
  9. EF3, Carter County, OklahomaMay 10, 2010EF3, 4.9 mi (8 km)
  10. F3, Carter County, OklahomaMay 26, 1959F3, 3.3 mi (5 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 34 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Carter County. Each year links to every tornado in Oklahoma that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
202523EF1
20243125EF4
20202EF2
20175Unrated
20152EF0
201212EF1
20104EF3
20091846EF4
20012F1
19966F1
1995436F3
19941F0
199331F1
19921F0
19911F1
199025F3
19881F1
19871F0
198521F2
19841F0
19831F0
19821F1
1979332F3
197725F2
197311F1
1972156F4
19691F0
19681F0
19631F1
19621F1
195928F3
195814F1
19572F2
19533213F3

Every tornado that crossed Carter County

66 tornadoes, newest first. 2 of them touched down in a neighboring state and ran in, so the record files them under that state rather than Oklahoma.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
March 4, 20254:43 AM CSTEF0Carter1.240$100,000
March 4, 20254:28 AM CSTEF1Carter0.51203$500,000
April 27, 202411:08 PM CDTEF4Love26.890016$151 million
April 27, 202410:45 PM CDTEF0Carter0.530
April 27, 20249:42 PM CDTEF2Carter11.340019$20 million
April 22, 20204:24 PM CDTEF2Murray4.7600
April 22, 20204:23 PM CDTEF0Carter0.120$2,000
May 27, 201710:17 PM CDTUnratedMurray2.850
May 19, 20177:47 PM CDTUnratedCarter2.0400
May 19, 20177:31 PM CDTUnratedCarter0.250
May 19, 20177:24 PM CDTUnratedCarter0.250
May 19, 20177:22 PM CDTUnratedCarter0.250
May 19, 20159:35 PM CDTEF0Carter1.550
May 19, 20158:55 PM CDTEF0Carter0.330
October 13, 20125:46 PM CDTEF1Carter5.1752
September 8, 20107:00 PM CDTEF0Carter0.125$20,000
May 10, 20106:25 PM CDTEF0Carter0.530
May 10, 20106:22 PM CDTEF3Carter4.9400
May 10, 20106:04 PM CDTEF2Carter4.5400
February 10, 20096:45 PM CSTEF4Jefferson to OK37.0880846$3.0 million
May 27, 200111:03 PM CDTF1Carter9.0320$120,000
May 6, 20013:58 PM CDTF0Carter1.0220
April 21, 19966:45 PM CDTF0Carter2.5500
April 21, 19966:35 PM CDTF0Carter0.125
April 21, 19966:35 PM CDTF0Carter0.125
April 21, 19966:30 PM CDTF1Carter4.5150
April 21, 19965:42 PM CDTF1Carter0.550$10,000
March 24, 199612:55 PM CSTF0Carter0.125
May 7, 19955:29 PM CDTF1Murray3.0200$50,000 to $500,000
May 7, 19954:20 PM CDTF3Love to OK34.188036$50 million to $500 million
April 19, 19958:32 PM CDTF0Carter0.120
April 19, 19958:27 PM CDTF0Carter0.120
April 26, 19941:30 PM CDTF0Carter0.130
May 8, 19937:25 PM CDTF1Carter5.0600$5,000 to $50,000
May 6, 19934:45 PM CDTF0Carter0.120
May 6, 19933:42 PM CDTF1Carter8.0501$5,000 to $50,000
March 8, 199210:03 PM CSTF0Carter0.5100
March 21, 19915:30 PM CSTF1Carter2.0100$5,000 to $50,000
April 9, 199012:10 AM CDTF2Carter11.04404$50,000 to $500,000
March 13, 19906:58 PM CSTF3Jefferson22.02001$500,000 to $5 million
May 2, 19885:15 PM CDTF1Carter16.080$5,000 to $50,000
May 24, 19873:20 PM CDTF0Carter0.323$500 to $5,000
April 29, 19857:54 PM CDTF2Love14.08801$500,000 to $5 million
April 22, 19854:00 AM CSTF1Carter0.110$5,000 to $50,000
April 20, 19843:45 PM CSTF0Carter0.110under $50
May 13, 19837:09 PM CDTF0Carter0.110under $50
June 3, 19826:35 PM CDTF1Carter0.527under $50
October 30, 197910:05 AM CSTF3Carter8.453032$50,000 to $500,000
August 31, 19798:55 PM CDTF1Carter0.110$5,000 to $50,000
April 10, 19797:55 PM CSTF3Carter12.8170$50,000 to $500,000
March 2, 19776:40 PM CSTF2Carter1.0335$5,000 to $50,000
March 2, 19776:30 PM CSTF2Carter8.8100$5,000 to $50,000
June 4, 197312:30 AM CDTF1Carter0.5171$5,000 to $50,000
April 19, 19725:00 PM CSTF4Carter28.21056$5,000 to $50,000
April 16, 19699:00 PM GMT-6F0Carter0.110
May 16, 19683:15 PM GMT-5F0Carter0.110
November 19, 196310:20 AM GMT-6F1Carter0.320$50 to $500
June 9, 19624:20 AM GMT-5F1Carter0.110$5,000 to $50,000
May 26, 19598:18 PM GMT-5F3Carter3.3608$5,000 to $50,000
March 25, 19594:10 PM GMT-6F2Carter3.850$50 to $500
November 17, 19588:47 AM GMT-6F1Carter0.1204under $50
July 20, 195710:00 PM GMT-5F2Carter0.110under $50
April 22, 195711:40 PM GMT-6F1Carter0.110
December 2, 19537:30 PM GMT-6F1Carter31.48802$500 to $5,000
May 18, 19539:30 PM GMT-5F1Carter0.110
March 13, 19537:30 PM GMT-6F3Love45.3200211$5,000 to $50,000

Nearby

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