Tornadoes · United States · Oklahoma

Tornadoes in McCurtain County, Oklahoma

71 tornadoes have crossed McCurtain County since 1950, 1 of them surveyed so far this year and still preliminary, 29th of the 77 counties in Oklahoma with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.1 years. They have killed 3 people and injured 119. 2 were rated F4 or EF4 and above, 1 at the top of the scale.

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
71
Deaths
3
Injuries
119
F4 and above
2
Worst on record
F5, April 2, 1982

The deadliest in McCurtain County

  1. F2, McCurtain County, OklahomaApril 23, 19531 killed, 14 injured
  2. F3, Red River, Bowie, McCurtain and Little River counties, Texas and Oklahoma and ArkansasApril 2, 19821 killed, 4 injured
  3. EF2, McCurtain County, OklahomaNovember 4, 20221 killed, 1 injured

The strongest

  1. F5 Broken Bow tornado, OklahomaApril 2, 1982F5, 53.0 mi (85 km)
  2. EF4 Clarksville–Idabel tornado, Texas and OklahomaNovember 4, 2022EF4, 60.2 mi (97 km)
  3. F3, Red River, Bowie, McCurtain and Little River counties, Texas and Oklahoma and ArkansasApril 2, 1982F3, 52.0 mi (84 km)
  4. EF3, Sevier, McCurtain, Howard and Pike counties, Oklahoma and ArkansasApril 9, 2009EF3, 37.2 mi (60 km)
  5. F3, McCurtain County, OklahomaOctober 22, 1972F3, 1.5 mi (2 km)
  6. F2, McCurtain, Bowie and Cass counties, Oklahoma and TexasMay 14, 2003F2, 78.3 mi (126 km)
  7. F2, McCurtain, Sevier and Polk counties, Oklahoma and ArkansasApril 11, 1979F2, 42.0 mi (68 km)
  8. F2, McCurtain County, OklahomaApril 12, 1967F2, 28.7 mi (46 km)
  9. F2, McCurtain County, OklahomaApril 23, 2000F2, 20.1 mi (32 km)
  10. EF2, McCurtain and Sevier counties, Oklahoma and ArkansasApril 28, 2020EF2, 19.4 mi (31 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 35 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in McCurtain County. Each year links to every tornado in Oklahoma that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
202611EF2
20251EF1
20242EF1
20231EF1
20223114EF4
20204EF2
20192EF1
201533EF2
201325EF2
20116EF1
200917EF3
20084EF1
20033F2
200022F2
199927F2
19931F0
198514F1
19842F1
19823134F5
1979120F2
197714F2
197431F1
19732F1
197222F3
19713F2
19701F0
19672F2
19621F2
19612F2
19601F1
19592F2
19571F1
19561F0
19541F1
19533115F2

Every tornado that crossed McCurtain County

71 tornadoes, newest first. 5 of them touched down in a neighboring state and ran in, so the record files them under that state rather than Oklahoma. 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 10, 202612:30 AM CDTEF2McCurtain2.52401
April 4, 20253:37 PM CDTEF1McCurtain24.4303$100,000
November 4, 20245:01 PM CSTEF1McCurtain3.1150
March 14, 202411:00 PM CDTEF1McCurtain0.5200$50,000
March 2, 20239:05 PM CSTEF1McCurtain4.8390$10,000
November 4, 20226:15 PM CDTEF4Clarksville–Idabel tornado60.21,05613$37 million
November 4, 20225:51 PM CDTEF1McCurtain11.31,600$70,000
November 4, 20225:46 PM CDTEF2McCurtain2.880011$300,000
May 16, 20205:20 PM CDTEF0McCurtain0.120
May 16, 20202:35 PM CDTUnratedLittle River to OK2.220
April 28, 202010:20 PM CDTEF2McCurtain to AR19.4350$700,000
April 28, 202010:05 PM CDTEF1McCurtain3.2100$100,000
June 19, 20196:24 PM CDTEF1McCurtain0.475$50,000
May 29, 20194:21 PM CDTEF0McCurtain1.175
December 12, 20157:17 PM CSTEF2McCurtain7.36003$2.0 million
November 5, 20159:18 PM CSTEF1McCurtain4.3256$10,000
June 17, 20152:25 PM CDTEF0McCurtain0.166$150,000
May 30, 20133:35 PM CDTEF2Polk to AR8.68005$295,000
May 30, 20133:35 PM CDTEF1Garland to OK8.7300$100,000
November 8, 20111:45 PM CSTEF1McCurtain6.250$25,000
April 25, 20115:18 PM CDTEF0McCurtain2.550$5,000
April 25, 20112:02 PM CDTEF0McCurtain9.275
April 14, 201111:37 PM CDTEF0McCurtain1.275
April 14, 201111:02 PM CDTEF0McCurtain4.675$10,000
April 14, 201110:33 PM CDTEF0McCurtain1.775$500
April 9, 20098:01 PM CDTEF3Sevier to AR37.28507$5.1 million
May 10, 20087:05 PM CDTEF0McCurtain0.450
April 9, 20088:42 PM CDTEF0McCurtain1.0150
April 9, 20088:26 PM CDTEF0McCurtain1.0100
March 31, 20087:31 PM CDTEF1McCurtain4.9450$10,000
May 14, 20038:10 PM CDTF2McCurtain to TX78.3100$250,000
May 1, 20038:15 PM CDTF2McCurtain13.0300$260,000
May 1, 20037:30 PM CDTF0McCurtain2.050
April 23, 20003:58 PM CDTF1McCurtain17.270
April 23, 20003:08 PM CDTF2McCurtain20.1502$40,000
May 4, 199912:45 PM CDTF2Red River to OK14.61007$600,000
February 11, 199910:30 AM CSTF1McCurtain0.90$60,000
November 13, 19933:48 PM CSTF0McCurtain0.240$500 to $5,000
November 18, 19855:00 PM CSTF1McCurtain3.01004$50,000 to $500,000
October 31, 19848:30 PM CSTF1McCurtain0.110$5,000 to $50,000
May 2, 19843:55 PM CDTF1McCurtain8.0200$50,000 to $500,000
December 23, 198211:45 PM CSTF2McCurtain3.01001$50,000 to $500,000
April 2, 19824:40 PM CSTF3Red River to OK, AR52.023314$500,000 to $5 million
April 2, 19823:50 PM CSTF5Broken Bow tornado53.050029$500,000 to $5 million
April 11, 197911:15 AM CSTF2McCurtain to AR42.044020$50,000 to $500,000
February 23, 19774:20 AM CSTF2McCurtain3.3774$50,000 to $500,000
May 14, 19748:30 PM CDTF1McCurtain1.050under $50
May 14, 19743:30 PM CDTF1McCurtain1.0100$5,000 to $50,000
May 1, 197410:00 PM CDTF1McCurtain5.21001$5,000 to $50,000
November 24, 19734:35 PM CSTF1McCurtain11.840$5,000 to $50,000
July 6, 19736:20 PM CDTF1McCurtain0.550$5,000 to $50,000
October 22, 19723:24 AM CDTF3McCurtain1.5331$5,000 to $50,000
October 22, 19723:24 AM CDTF2McCurtain0.5101$5,000 to $50,000
December 14, 19718:30 PM CSTF2McCurtain9.9200$5,000 to $50,000
June 1, 19712:30 AM CDTF0McCurtain0.170$500 to $5,000
February 4, 197110:05 AM CSTF1McCurtain0.5220$500 to $5,000
October 6, 19705:30 PM CDTF0McCurtain0.3100$500 to $5,000
April 28, 19674:05 PM GMT-6F0McCurtain0.110
April 12, 19675:45 PM GMT-6F2McCurtain28.777$5,000 to $50,000
April 30, 19626:00 PM GMT-5F2McCurtain0.110$500 to $5,000
July 23, 19617:30 AM GMT-5F2McCurtain1.023$500 to $5,000
May 5, 19619:00 PM GMT-5F2McCurtain9.5400
May 20, 19607:00 AM GMT-5F1McCurtain0.8100$500 to $5,000
November 3, 19596:00 PM GMT-6F1McCurtain0.110$500 to $5,000
March 4, 195911:00 PM GMT-6F2McCurtain0.850$5,000 to $50,000
April 2, 19579:30 PM GMT-6F1McCurtain11.2880$5,000 to $50,000
February 25, 195612:01 AM GMT-6F0McCurtain6.6400
May 2, 19548:40 AM GMT-5F1McCurtain2.050$500 to $5,000
April 23, 19538:30 PM GMT-6F2McCurtain0.817114under $50
April 23, 19538:10 PM GMT-6F1McCurtain0.110$500 to $5,000
April 23, 19538:00 PM GMT-6F2McCurtain1.02001$50,000 to $500,000

Nearby

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