Tornadoes · United States · Oklahoma

Tornadoes in Murray County, Oklahoma

46 tornadoes have crossed Murray County since 1950, 60th 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 45. 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
8
Injuries
45
F4 and above
1
Worst on record
F4, April 19, 1972

The deadliest in Murray County

  1. F4, Carter, Garvin and Murray counties, OklahomaApril 19, 19725 killed, 6 injured
  2. EF3 Sulphur tornado, OklahomaApril 27, 20241 killed, 30 injured
  3. F2, Murray County, OklahomaApril 2, 19571 killed, 2 injured
  4. F1, Murray County, OklahomaJuly 15, 19551 killed, 2 injured

The strongest

  1. F4, Carter, Garvin and Murray counties, OklahomaApril 19, 1972F4, 28.2 mi (45 km)
  2. F3, Garvin and Murray counties, OklahomaJune 5, 1953F3, 16.9 mi (27 km)
  3. EF3, Murray and Pontotoc counties, OklahomaMay 9, 2016EF3, 16.6 mi (27 km)
  4. EF3 Sulphur tornado, OklahomaApril 27, 2024EF3, 9.9 mi (16 km)
  5. F2, Murray and Garvin counties, OklahomaApril 2, 1957F2, 11.7 mi (19 km)
  6. F2, Murray County, OklahomaMay 13, 1983F2, 7.0 mi (11 km)
  7. EF2, Murray and Carter counties, OklahomaApril 22, 2020EF2, 4.7 mi (8 km)
  8. F2, Murray County, OklahomaNovember 17, 1958F2, 3.6 mi (6 km)
  9. F2, Murray and Pontotoc counties, OklahomaMay 11, 1992F2, 3.0 mi (5 km)
  10. F2, Murray County, OklahomaJune 11, 1970F2, 2.0 mi (3 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 29 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Murray County. Each year links to every tornado in Oklahoma that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20251Unrated
20244130EF3
20201EF2
20192EF1
20181EF0
20171Unrated
20161EF3
20152EF0
20112EF1
20101EF1
19971F0
19965F1
19954F1
19921F2
19841F0
198311F2
19811F1
19791F2
19761F0
19741F1
1972156F4
197111F1
19701F2
19631F2
19581F2
1957213F2
1955112F1
19541F1
195342F3

Every tornado that crossed Murray County

46 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
April 19, 20259:40 PM CDTUnratedMurray0.5100
November 4, 202411:49 AM CSTEF0Murray0.210
April 27, 202411:21 PM CDTEF1Murray3.5100$2,000
April 27, 202411:07 PM CDTEF1Murray5.9250$200,000
April 27, 202410:23 PM CDTEF3Sulphur tornado9.9440130$10 million
April 22, 20204:24 PM CDTEF2Murray4.7600
April 30, 201912:22 PM CDTEF1Murray1.930$1,000
April 30, 201912:09 PM CDTUnratedMurray0.350
October 7, 20185:38 PM CDTEF0Murray1.020
May 27, 201710:17 PM CDTUnratedMurray2.850
May 9, 20164:34 PM CDTEF3Murray16.61,500$4.0 million
May 23, 20156:10 PM CDTEF0Murray0.550
May 23, 20155:59 PM CDTEF0Murray3.040
May 21, 20117:39 PM CDTEF1Murray7.2880$8,000
May 21, 20117:00 PM CDTEF0Murray0.230
May 19, 20108:31 PM CDTEF1Garvin17.5375
May 25, 19977:07 PM CDTF0Murray0.123
April 21, 19967:50 PM CDTF0Murray0.550$1,000
April 21, 19967:49 PM CDTF0Murray0.550$1,000
April 21, 19967:28 PM CDTF1Murray3.0150$280,000
April 21, 19967:25 PM CDTF0Murray1.0100
April 21, 19966:51 PM CDTF0Murray0.125
May 7, 19955:53 PM CDTF1Murray0.120$5,000 to $50,000
May 7, 19955:29 PM CDTF1Murray3.0200$50,000 to $500,000
May 7, 19954:00 PM CDTF1Murray2.0100
April 17, 19957:45 PM CDTF0Murray2.020
May 11, 19921:50 PM CDTF2Murray3.0150$5,000 to $50,000
September 8, 19848:48 PM CDTF0Murray0.110
May 13, 198310:55 PM CDTF2Murray7.02001$50,000 to $500,000
May 23, 19816:05 PM CDTF1Murray0.110
October 21, 19799:10 PM CDTF2Murray1.060$5,000 to $50,000
May 26, 19762:23 PM CDTF0Murray0.110under $50
May 1, 19746:40 PM CDTF1Murray1.0100$500 to $5,000
April 19, 19725:00 PM CSTF4Carter28.21056$5,000 to $50,000
April 22, 19714:30 PM CSTF1Murray2.01001$50,000 to $500,000
June 11, 19706:05 PM CDTF2Murray2.0100$5,000 to $50,000
November 19, 196312:00 PM GMT-6F2Murray1.0440
November 17, 19588:30 AM GMT-6F2Murray3.6300$5,000 to $50,000
April 2, 19574:55 PM GMT-6F2Murray2.060012$50,000 to $500,000
April 2, 19574:50 PM GMT-6F2Murray11.74001$5,000 to $50,000
July 15, 19553:20 PM GMT-5F1Murray1.530012$5,000 to $50,000
June 7, 19549:35 PM GMT-5F1Murray13.0880$50 to $500
December 2, 19537:30 PM GMT-6F1Carter31.48802$500 to $5,000
November 19, 195310:20 AM GMT-6F1Murray2.033$5,000 to $50,000
June 5, 195310:15 PM GMT-5F3Garvin16.910$5,000 to $50,000
February 19, 19539:15 PM GMT-6F1Murray4.767$500 to $5,000

Nearby

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