Tornadoes · United States · Oklahoma

Tornadoes in Love County, Oklahoma

36 tornadoes have crossed Love County since 1950, 70th of the 77 counties in Oklahoma with a tornado on record, an average of one every 2.1 years. They have killed 14 people and injured 70. 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
36
Deaths
14
Injuries
70
F4 and above
2
Worst on record
EF4, February 10, 2009

The deadliest in Love County

  1. EF4 Lone Grove tornado, OklahomaFebruary 10, 20098 killed, 46 injured
  2. F3, Love, Cooke and Carter counties, Texas and OklahomaMay 7, 19953 killed, 6 injured
  3. F3, Love, Carter and Johnston counties, OklahomaMarch 13, 19532 killed, 11 injured
  4. EF4 Marietta–Dickson–Baum tornado, OklahomaApril 27, 20241 killed, 6 injured

The strongest

  1. EF4 Lone Grove tornado, OklahomaFebruary 10, 2009EF4, 37.0 mi (60 km)
  2. EF4 Marietta–Dickson–Baum tornado, OklahomaApril 27, 2024EF4, 26.8 mi (43 km)
  3. F3, Love, Carter and Johnston counties, OklahomaMarch 13, 1953F3, 45.3 mi (73 km)
  4. F3, Love, Cooke and Carter counties, Texas and OklahomaMay 7, 1995F3, 34.1 mi (55 km)
  5. F3, Love County, OklahomaApril 2, 1982F3, 0.5 mi (1 km)
  6. F2, Love and Carter counties, OklahomaApril 29, 1985F2, 14.0 mi (23 km)
  7. F2, Love County, OklahomaDecember 14, 1971F2, 6.9 mi (11 km)
  8. F2, Love County, OklahomaApril 19, 1976F2, 6.1 mi (10 km)
  9. F2, Love County, OklahomaApril 19, 1976F2, 5.1 mi (8 km)
  10. F2, Love County, OklahomaMay 8, 2003F2, 4.0 mi (6 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 24 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Love County. Each year links to every tornado in Oklahoma that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20253EF2
2024316EF4
20231EF0
20221EF0
20193EF1
20181EF1
20152EF0
20102EF1
20091846EF4
20031F2
20012F1
1995136F3
19931F0
19861F1
198511F2
19821F3
19762F2
19731F1
19711F2
19682F1
19651F0
19591F0
19571F1
19532211F3

Every tornado that crossed Love County

36 tornadoes, newest first. 3 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
April 20, 20251:24 AM CDTEF0Love0.530
April 19, 20258:44 PM CDTUnratedLove0.720
April 19, 20258:19 PM CDTEF2Love1.3300$300,000
May 25, 20248:06 PM CDTUnratedLove0.550
May 25, 20247:54 PM CDTUnratedLove0.330
April 27, 202411:08 PM CDTEF4Marietta–Dickson–Baum tornado26.890016$151 million
June 15, 20237:26 PM CDTEF0Love0.510
March 21, 20225:17 PM CDTEF0Love6.850$20,000
May 1, 20195:17 PM CDTEF1Love6.8150$50,000
May 1, 20194:46 PM CDTEF0Love0.830$2,000
May 1, 20194:21 PM CDTEF0Love3.250$3,000
October 9, 20187:58 AM CDTEF1Love1.0100$60,000
May 9, 20155:50 PM CDTEF0Love0.330
May 9, 20155:30 PM CDTEF0Love0.330
September 8, 20108:15 PM CDTEF0Love0.110
May 10, 20106:54 PM CDTEF1Love2.0200
February 10, 20096:45 PM CSTEF4Lone Grove tornado37.0880846$3.0 million
May 8, 20032:23 AM CDTF2Love4.0440$150,000
May 6, 20015:04 PM CDTF0Love1.075
April 11, 20013:55 AM CDTF1Cooke to OK19.0150$20,000
May 7, 19954:20 PM CDTF3Love to OK34.188036$50 million to $500 million
June 8, 199310:08 AM CDTF0Love1.540$5,000 to $50,000
March 11, 19864:55 PM CSTF1Love0.110$500 to $5,000
April 29, 19857:54 PM CDTF2Love14.08801$500,000 to $5 million
April 2, 19822:50 PM CSTF3Love0.530$500,000 to $5 million
April 19, 19766:24 PM CSTF2Love6.1100$50,000 to $500,000
April 19, 19766:15 PM CSTF2Love5.160$5,000 to $50,000
June 4, 19731:45 AM CDTF1Love5.9100$5,000 to $50,000
December 14, 19716:00 PM CSTF2Love6.9150$5,000 to $50,000
May 16, 19686:45 PM GMT-5F1Love0.110
May 16, 19684:15 PM GMT-5F0Love0.110
May 8, 196510:10 PM GMT-5F0Love0.110
March 31, 19597:00 PM GMT-6F0Love0.110$50 to $500
April 2, 195711:45 PM GMT-6F1Love0.110
March 13, 19537:30 PM GMT-6F3Love45.3200211$5,000 to $50,000
February 19, 19539:00 PM GMT-6F1Love0.510$500 to $5,000

Nearby

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