Tornadoes · United States · Oklahoma

Tornadoes in Cotton County, Oklahoma

45 tornadoes have crossed Cotton County since 1950, 62nd of the 77 counties in Oklahoma with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.7 years. They have killed 8 people and injured 20. 2 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
45
Deaths
8
Injuries
20
F4 and above
2
Worst on record
F4, May 24, 1957

The deadliest in Cotton County

  1. F4, Cotton and Comanche counties, OklahomaMay 24, 19574 killed, 5 injured
  2. F3, Cotton and Tillman counties, OklahomaMay 1, 19543 killed, 3 injured
  3. F2, Wilbarger, Wichita, Tillman, Cotton, Comanche and Stephens counties, Texas and OklahomaApril 10, 19791 killed, 3 injured

The strongest

  1. F4, Cotton and Comanche counties, OklahomaMay 24, 1957F4, 21.6 mi (35 km)
  2. F4, Cotton County, OklahomaMay 26, 1962F4, 10.1 mi (16 km)
  3. F3, Cotton County, OklahomaNovember 17, 1958F3, 65.8 mi (106 km)
  4. F3, Cotton and Tillman counties, OklahomaMay 1, 1954F3, 12.3 mi (20 km)
  5. F3, Cotton and Jefferson counties, OklahomaMay 1, 1954F3, 8.0 mi (13 km)
  6. F3, Cotton County, OklahomaAugust 30, 1959F3, 2.0 mi (3 km)
  7. F2, Wilbarger, Wichita, Tillman, Cotton, Comanche and Stephens counties, Texas and OklahomaApril 10, 1979F2, 74.1 mi (119 km)
  8. F2, Cotton County, OklahomaApril 16, 1969F2, 24.2 mi (39 km)
  9. F2, Cotton County, OklahomaMay 4, 1960F2, 4.9 mi (8 km)
  10. F2, Comanche and Cotton counties, OklahomaJune 2, 1973F2, 3.6 mi (6 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 30 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Cotton County. Each year links to every tornado in Oklahoma that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20252EF0
20241EF1
20231EF0
20181EF1
20171Unrated
20153EF0
20061F1
20041F0
20031F0
20001F0
19961F1
19956F1
19931F0
19881F0
19851F0
19831F0
1979213F2
19761F1
197322F2
196911F2
19681F0
19671F1
19651F0
196221F4
19603F2
195921F3
195814F3
1957145F4
1954233F3
19511F1

Every tornado that crossed Cotton County

45 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
August 28, 20254:10 PM CDTEF0Cotton0.110
May 2, 20251:53 AM CDTEF0Cotton0.630$25,000
April 27, 20246:43 PM CDTEF1Wichita to OK6.5100$32,000
June 15, 20235:10 PM CDTEF0Cotton1.250$10,000
May 2, 20187:07 PM CDTEF1Tillman3.0250$4,000
May 10, 20178:36 PM CDTUnratedCotton2.0100
May 9, 20156:09 PM CDTEF0Cotton1.0100
May 8, 20156:16 PM CDTEF0Cotton0.250
May 8, 20156:04 PM CDTEF0Cotton0.250
April 24, 20068:23 PM CDTF1Cotton to TX6.3200$10,000
October 6, 20043:38 PM CDTF0Cotton1.025
April 23, 20035:16 PM CDTF0Cotton2.070
October 21, 20005:41 PM CDTF0Cotton4.030$2,000
August 11, 19966:15 PM CDTF1Cotton0.150$100,000
July 23, 19959:17 PM CDTF0Cotton0.223
July 23, 19959:16 PM CDTF0Cotton0.330
July 23, 19959:10 PM CDTF0Cotton0.430
April 17, 19955:56 PM CDTF1Cotton2.0100$5,000 to $50,000
April 17, 19955:35 PM CDTF0Cotton0.120
April 17, 19955:28 PM CDTF0Cotton0.120
May 8, 19935:05 PM CDTF0Cotton0.850
March 28, 19885:35 PM CSTF0Cotton0.120
March 22, 19859:05 PM CSTF0Cotton0.110
June 27, 19837:40 PM CDTF0Cotton0.110under $50
September 2, 19794:55 AM CDTF0Cotton0.110$50 to $500
April 10, 19793:55 PM CSTF2Wilbarger to OK74.11,05613$500,000 to $5 million
April 19, 19762:35 PM CSTF1Cotton0.1200
June 2, 19731:15 AM CDTF2Comanche3.61002$50,000 to $500,000
March 13, 197312:35 PM CSTF1Cotton6.633$5,000 to $50,000
April 16, 19693:30 PM GMT-6F2Cotton24.2101$5,000 to $50,000
May 16, 19685:43 PM GMT-5F0Cotton0.110
April 12, 19671:45 AM GMT-6F1Cotton6.610$500 to $5,000
May 8, 19653:00 PM GMT-5F0Cotton0.110$500 to $5,000
May 26, 19629:00 PM GMT-5F4Cotton10.14001$50,000 to $500,000
April 27, 196212:20 AM GMT-6F0Cotton0.110
August 9, 19601:00 PM GMT-5F0Cotton0.110under $50
May 4, 19607:43 PM GMT-5F1Cotton0.110
May 4, 19607:00 PM GMT-5F2Cotton4.9150$5,000 to $50,000
August 30, 19597:30 PM GMT-5F2Cotton0.110$5,000 to $50,000
August 30, 19597:20 PM GMT-5F3Cotton2.01001$50,000 to $500,000
November 17, 19587:35 AM GMT-6F3Cotton65.8504
May 24, 19576:30 PM GMT-5F4Cotton21.688045$50,000 to $500,000
May 1, 19546:45 PM GMT-5F3Cotton8.0300$50,000 to $500,000
May 1, 19545:00 PM GMT-5F3Cotton12.31033$50,000 to $500,000
May 9, 19517:30 PM GMT-5F1Cotton0.110$500 to $5,000

Nearby

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