Tornadoes · United States · Oklahoma

Tornadoes in Delaware County, Oklahoma

70 tornadoes have crossed Delaware County since 1950, 1 of them surveyed so far this year and still preliminary, 31st of the 77 counties in Oklahoma with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.1 years. They have killed 0 people and injured 54. 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
70
Deaths
0
Injuries
54
F4 and above
0
Worst on record
EF3, May 25, 2024

The strongest

  1. F3, Cherokee and Delaware counties, OklahomaMarch 12, 2006F3, 29.0 mi (47 km)
  2. F3, Delaware and Benton counties, Oklahoma and ArkansasMarch 12, 2006F3, 25.0 mi (40 km)
  3. F3, Mayes, Craig, Delaware and Ottawa counties, OklahomaApril 7, 1980F3, 24.8 mi (40 km)
  4. F3, Mayes and Delaware counties, OklahomaMay 9, 1959F3, 23.2 mi (37 km)
  5. F3, Mayes and Delaware counties, OklahomaMay 20, 1957F3, 20.4 mi (33 km)
  6. EF3, Delaware and McDonald counties, Oklahoma and MissouriMay 22, 2011EF3, 17.9 mi (29 km)
  7. EF3 Decatur tornado, Oklahoma and ArkansasMay 25, 2024EF3, 7.9 mi (13 km)
  8. F3, Delaware County, OklahomaJune 8, 1974F3, 2.7 mi (4 km)
  9. F2, Delaware, Mayes and Ottawa counties, OklahomaDecember 29, 1972F2, 31.2 mi (50 km)
  10. EF2, Cherokee and Delaware counties, OklahomaMay 20, 2019EF2, 21.0 mi (34 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 31 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Delaware County. Each year links to every tornado in Oklahoma that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20261Unrated
20254EF1
202432EF3
20211EF1
20203EF1
201951EF2
20161EF1
201541EF1
20132EF2
20111319EF3
20101EF1
2006220F3
200312F1
20001F0
19952F0
19932F0
19921F0
19912F1
198921F2
19842F2
19811F2
198024F3
19743F3
19721F2
19711F2
19691F1
19661F1
195923F3
195721F3
19542F2
19511F2

Every tornado that crossed Delaware County

70 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 6, 20269:55 PM CSTUnratedDelaware0.5100
June 17, 202512:59 AM CDTEF1Delaware3.7700$20,000
April 29, 20258:07 AM CDTEF1Delaware2.3450
April 29, 20258:02 AM CDTEF1Delaware7.9950$100,000
April 29, 20257:55 AM CDTEF1Delaware8.71,000$150,000
July 21, 20244:50 PM CDTUnratedDelaware0.175
May 25, 202412:59 AM CDTEF3Decatur tornado7.93,2002$6.2 million
May 25, 202412:36 AM CDTEF1Delaware1.8650
October 10, 202112:10 AM CDTEF1Delaware5.9200
May 25, 20208:13 PM CDTEF0Delaware2.2300
May 25, 20207:45 PM CDTEF1Delaware0.375
May 25, 20207:34 PM CDTEF0Delaware0.150
May 22, 201912:48 AM CDTEF1Craig8.61,100$100,000
May 22, 20199:34 PM CDTEF2Delaware to MO16.61,100$500,000
May 20, 201910:54 PM CDTEF1Delaware6.9600$50,000
May 20, 201910:29 PM CDTEF2Cherokee21.02,7001$950,000
April 30, 20195:33 PM CDTEF1Ottawa4.11,100$75,000
April 26, 201611:58 PM CDTEF1Delaware10.1850$100,000
May 29, 20152:27 PM CDTEF1Mayes9.51,500$60,000
May 16, 201512:30 AM CDTEF1Ottawa6.71,100$20,000
May 16, 201512:24 AM CDTEF1Delaware4.6550$100,000
April 2, 20159:59 PM CDTEF1Craig12.38001$275,000
May 31, 201311:23 PM CDTEF1Delaware1.8500
April 18, 20131:30 AM CDTEF2Delaware8.0800$400,000
May 24, 201110:06 PM CDTEF1Delaware6.0150
May 24, 20119:48 PM CDTEF1Delaware7.0150
May 22, 20118:44 PM CDTEF1Delaware0.5100
May 22, 20118:36 PM CDTEF1Delaware1.7150
May 22, 20118:30 PM CDTEF2Delaware2.935012$400,000
May 22, 20118:29 PM CDTEF0Delaware1.0100
May 22, 20118:14 PM CDTEF2Adair4.5200$250,000
May 22, 20118:13 PM CDTEF1Delaware4.7400$25,000
May 22, 20116:52 PM CDTEF3Delaware to MO17.91,5504$2.0 million
May 22, 20116:33 PM CDTEF2Delaware6.7800$1.0 million
May 11, 20116:47 PM CDTEF1Delaware1.5200$250,000
April 22, 20116:16 PM CDTEF0Delaware0.150
April 14, 20117:47 PM CDTEF2Delaware0.51003$100,000
May 13, 20106:05 AM CDTEF1Ottawa8.0500$25,000
March 12, 20069:37 PM CSTF3Delaware to AR25.070012$5.8 million
March 12, 20069:09 PM CSTF3Cherokee29.04408$3.0 million
May 16, 20035:41 AM CDTF1Delaware3.22002$1.0 million
May 24, 20008:24 PM CDTF0Delaware0.250
May 26, 199512:15 PM CDTF0Delaware0.130$5,000 to $50,000
April 17, 199512:10 AM CDTF0Delaware0.140$500 to $5,000
October 8, 19935:45 PM CDTF0Delaware2.573
May 30, 19931:50 PM CDTF0Delaware3.0100$50,000 to $500,000
July 30, 19924:05 PM CDTF0Delaware0.123
October 28, 19915:10 AM CSTF1Delaware to AR17.0400$50,000 to $500,000
October 28, 19914:45 AM CSTF0Delaware1.5100$500 to $5,000
June 12, 19895:50 AM CDTF1Delaware3.080
May 8, 19897:30 PM CDTF2Delaware5.0501$50,000 to $500,000
April 27, 19841:00 AM CSTF2Delaware2.020$500,000 to $5 million
March 15, 19844:02 PM CSTF1Delaware0.120under $50
May 23, 19818:18 PM CDTF2Delaware0.110
April 7, 19805:00 PM CSTF2Delaware1.0200$50,000 to $500,000
April 7, 19804:50 PM CSTF3Mayes24.84404$500,000 to $5 million
June 8, 197410:30 PM CDTF2Craig3.8100$500,000 to $5 million
June 8, 197410:14 PM CDTF3Delaware2.7150$50,000 to $500,000
May 23, 197412:30 PM CDTF1Delaware1.050$5,000 to $50,000
December 29, 197211:15 PM CSTF2Delaware31.230$50,000 to $500,000
May 22, 19713:45 AM CDTF2Delaware3.8100$50,000 to $500,000
April 4, 19695:05 PM GMT-6F1Delaware0.1100$5,000 to $50,000
May 11, 19668:30 PM GMT-5F1Delaware1.01,200$500 to $5,000
May 9, 19597:00 PM GMT-5F2Delaware0.8880$5,000 to $50,000
May 9, 19596:25 PM GMT-5F3Mayes23.28803$50,000 to $500,000
August 14, 19577:00 PM GMT-5F1Delaware4.3880$500 to $5,000
May 20, 195712:10 AM GMT-5F3Mayes20.42001$500 to $5,000
March 24, 195410:18 PM GMT-6F2Mayes5.650$5,000 to $50,000
March 24, 195410:00 PM GMT-6F1Delaware23.910$5,000 to $50,000
September 9, 19515:20 PM GMT-5F2Craig2.067$500 to $5,000

Nearby

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