Tornadoes · United States · Oklahoma

Tornadoes in Johnston County, Oklahoma

46 tornadoes have crossed Johnston County since 1950, 1 of them surveyed so far this year and still preliminary, 59th of the 77 counties in Oklahoma with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.7 years. They have killed 3 people and injured 19. 1 was 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
46
Deaths
3
Injuries
19
F4 and above
1
Worst on record
F4, April 27, 1966

The deadliest in Johnston County

  1. F3, Love, Carter and Johnston counties, OklahomaMarch 13, 19532 killed, 11 injured
  2. EF3, Johnston and Coal counties, OklahomaMay 9, 20161 killed

The strongest

  1. F4, Johnston and Atoka counties, OklahomaApril 27, 1966F4, 10.2 mi (16 km)
  2. F3, Love, Carter and Johnston counties, OklahomaMarch 13, 1953F3, 45.3 mi (73 km)
  3. EF3, Johnston and Coal counties, OklahomaMay 9, 2016EF3, 9.1 mi (15 km)
  4. F2, Johnston and Atoka counties, OklahomaApril 11, 2001F2, 19.0 mi (31 km)
  5. F2, Marshall, Bryan and Johnston counties, OklahomaMay 9, 1951F2, 14.8 mi (24 km)
  6. EF2, Johnston and Atoka counties, OklahomaMay 10, 2010EF2, 1.9 mi (3 km)
  7. F2, Johnston County, OklahomaMay 25, 1957F2, 1.0 mi (2 km)
  8. F2, Johnston County, OklahomaJune 28, 1983F2, 0.1 mi (0 km)
  9. F2, Johnston County, OklahomaMay 29, 1962F2, 0.1 mi (0 km)
  10. F2, Johnston County, OklahomaMay 24, 1954F2, 0.1 mi (0 km)

Every year with a tornado

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

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20261EF1
20253EF1
20242EF1
20221EF1
20201EF1
20191EF1
20181EF0
20174Unrated
201621EF3
20113EF1
20102EF2
20051F1
200114F2
19973F0
19952F1
19932F0
19912F1
19881F1
19841F0
19831F2
19821F1
197011F1
196612F4
19641F0
19621F2
19611F0
19571F2
19561F1
19541F2
19531211F3
195111F2

Every tornado that crossed Johnston County

46 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
April 28, 20263:26 PM CDTEF1Johnston7.8100
April 19, 202511:06 PM CDTEF1Johnston12.0300$150,000
April 19, 202510:10 PM CDTUnratedJohnston0.550
March 4, 20255:37 AM CSTEF1Johnston1.6100$200,000
April 27, 202412:22 AM CDTUnratedJohnston1.1200
April 27, 20249:16 PM CDTEF1Johnston4.7150$50,000
March 21, 20226:43 PM CDTEF1Johnston7.1200$100,000
April 22, 20205:26 PM CDTEF1Johnston5.0100$100,000
April 30, 201912:22 PM CDTEF1Murray1.930$1,000
November 30, 20188:58 PM CSTEF0Johnston0.960$6,000
May 27, 201710:39 PM CDTUnratedJohnston1.550
May 19, 20179:56 PM CDTUnratedJohnston6.050
May 19, 20179:44 PM CDTUnratedJohnston2.050
May 19, 20179:32 PM CDTUnratedJohnston1.550
May 9, 20165:18 PM CDTUnratedJohnston1.520
May 9, 20165:18 PM CDTEF3Johnston9.17001$250,000
May 24, 20117:30 PM CDTEF1Johnston5.51,200
April 14, 20116:25 PM CDTEF0Johnston0.2100
April 14, 20116:03 PM CDTEF1Marshall14.0300
May 10, 20108:42 PM CDTEF2Johnston1.9400$2.6 million
May 10, 20108:05 PM CDTEF0Johnston3.580
April 25, 20058:50 PM CDTF1Johnston3.0100$120,000
April 11, 20014:45 AM CDTF2Johnston19.05004$2.5 million
May 26, 19979:20 PM CDTF0Johnston0.123
May 26, 19979:05 PM CDTF0Johnston0.123
May 25, 19978:20 PM CDTF0Johnston0.123
July 4, 19957:05 PM CDTF1Johnston0.130$500 to $5,000
May 7, 19954:20 PM CDTF1Johnston0.250$500 to $5,000
September 13, 19934:28 PM CDTF0Johnston1.530$500 to $5,000
April 24, 199311:35 PM CDTF0Johnston0.120
March 21, 19916:14 PM CSTF0Johnston0.120
March 21, 19914:30 PM CSTF1Johnston1.0100$5,000 to $50,000
May 2, 19885:15 PM CDTF1Carter16.080$5,000 to $50,000
May 2, 19846:34 PM CDTF0Johnston0.110
June 28, 19836:40 PM CDTF2Johnston0.110$5,000 to $50,000
April 2, 19822:30 PM CSTF1Johnston0.510$50,000 to $500,000
June 11, 19707:00 PM CDTF1Johnston0.1101
April 27, 19668:00 PM GMT-5F4Johnston10.23002$50,000 to $500,000
May 10, 19647:15 PM GMT-5F0Johnston6.9100$50 to $500
May 29, 19625:15 AM GMT-5F2Johnston0.110$5,000 to $50,000
March 5, 19616:30 PM GMT-6F0Johnston0.110
May 25, 19571:05 AM GMT-5F2Johnston1.0200$5,000 to $50,000
April 2, 19569:29 PM GMT-6F1Johnston8.023$500 to $5,000
May 24, 19545:55 PM GMT-5F2Johnston0.110
March 13, 19537:30 PM GMT-6F3Love45.3200211$5,000 to $50,000
May 9, 19519:20 PM GMT-5F2Marshall14.81001$5,000 to $50,000

Nearby

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