Tornadoes · United States · Oklahoma

Tornadoes in Stephens County, Oklahoma

73 tornadoes have crossed Stephens County since 1950, 28th of the 77 counties in Oklahoma with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.0 years. They have killed 2 people and injured 33. 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
73
Deaths
2
Injuries
33
F4 and above
0
Worst on record
F3, May 15, 1977

The deadliest in Stephens County

  1. F2, Wilbarger, Wichita, Tillman, Cotton, Comanche and Stephens counties, Texas and OklahomaApril 10, 19791 killed, 3 injured
  2. F3, Stephens County, OklahomaMay 15, 19771 killed, 2 injured

The strongest

  1. F3, Jefferson, Stephens, Carter and Garvin counties, OklahomaMarch 13, 1990F3, 22.0 mi (35 km)
  2. EF3, Stephens County, OklahomaNovember 3, 2024EF3, 21.7 mi (35 km)
  3. F3, Stephens County, OklahomaMay 1, 1954F3, 6.2 mi (10 km)
  4. F3, Stephens County, OklahomaMarch 2, 1977F3, 4.3 mi (7 km)
  5. F3, Stephens County, OklahomaMay 15, 1977F3, 0.8 mi (1 km)
  6. F2, Wilbarger, Wichita, Tillman, Cotton, Comanche and Stephens counties, Texas and OklahomaApril 10, 1979F2, 74.1 mi (119 km)
  7. F2, Comanche and Stephens counties, OklahomaApril 5, 1978F2, 11.5 mi (19 km)
  8. F2, Stephens County, OklahomaFebruary 8, 1966F2, 10.5 mi (17 km)
  9. F2, Stephens County, OklahomaApril 16, 1969F2, 8.2 mi (13 km)
  10. F2, Stephens County, OklahomaFebruary 22, 1975F2, 6.1 mi (10 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 39 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Stephens County. Each year links to every tornado in Oklahoma that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
202436EF3
20236EF2
20221EF1
20211Unrated
20201EF1
20171EF0
20161Unrated
20142EF0
20132EF1
20102EF1
20061F0
20053F0
20032F1
19981F0
19971F1
19953F1
19932F0
19911F0
199021F3
19831F0
19821F0
1979113F2
19782F2
1977513F3
197526F2
197314F2
197022F2
196911F2
19681F0
196612F2
19631F1
196221F2
19612F1
19602F1
195741F2
195542F1
19542F3
195311F1
19511F1

Every tornado that crossed Stephens County

73 tornadoes, newest first. 1 of them touched down in a neighboring state and ran in, so the record files it under that state rather than Oklahoma.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
November 3, 20241:45 AM CSTEF2Stephens4.8300$250,000
November 3, 20241:28 AM CSTEF1Stephens1.350$50,000
November 3, 20241:05 AM CSTEF3Stephens21.75006$5.0 million
June 15, 20236:16 PM CDTEF2Jefferson4.11,000$250,000
June 15, 20236:03 PM CDTEF1Stephens1.550$10,000
June 15, 20235:37 PM CDTEF1Stephens0.520$30,000
June 15, 20235:34 PM CDTEF0Stephens0.8200
June 15, 20235:11 PM CDTUnratedStephens0.550
March 16, 20232:57 PM CDTEF0Stephens0.120
December 13, 20224:24 AM CSTEF1Stephens0.350$3,000
November 10, 20216:35 PM CSTUnratedStephens4.0100
April 21, 202011:43 PM CDTEF1Stephens1.6100$75,000
May 18, 20177:00 PM CDTEF0Stephens0.250$2,000
May 8, 20167:03 PM CDTUnratedStephens1.340
April 13, 20146:05 PM CDTEF0Stephens0.340
April 13, 20145:58 PM CDTEF0Stephens0.450
May 20, 20133:07 PM CDTEF1Stephens4.0200$20,000
May 20, 20132:58 PM CDTEF0Stephens1.030
May 10, 20105:50 PM CDTEF0Stephens2.050
May 10, 20105:20 PM CDTEF1Stephens6.3700
March 30, 20062:18 PM CSTF0Stephens0.550
June 4, 20057:05 PM CDTF0Stephens0.275$1,000
June 4, 20056:53 PM CDTF0Stephens0.120
June 4, 20056:45 PM CDTF0Stephens0.120
May 8, 20031:17 AM CDTF0Stephens0.530
May 8, 20031:08 AM CDTF1Stephens3.0200$40,000
April 6, 19988:45 PM CDTF0Stephens0.130
May 25, 19976:36 PM CDTF1Stephens0.550$50,000
April 17, 19957:00 PM CDTF1Stephens0.130$500 to $5,000
April 17, 19956:22 PM CDTF1Stephens5.0400$50,000 to $500,000
April 17, 19956:10 PM CDTF1Stephens0.230$50 to $500
May 8, 19935:19 PM CDTF0Stephens8.060$5,000 to $50,000
May 8, 19935:05 PM CDTF0Cotton0.850
April 2, 19915:29 PM CSTF0Stephens0.130
March 13, 19906:58 PM CSTF3Jefferson22.02001$500,000 to $5 million
March 13, 19906:01 PM CSTF1Jefferson21.073
June 27, 198311:00 PM CDTF0Stephens0.110under $50
May 20, 198210:00 PM CDTF0Stephens0.110under $50
April 10, 19793:55 PM CSTF2Wilbarger to OK74.11,05613$500,000 to $5 million
April 5, 19788:22 PM CSTF2Stephens2.050$5,000 to $50,000
April 5, 19787:55 PM CSTF2Comanche11.5150$50,000 to $500,000
May 15, 19777:38 PM CDTF3Stephens0.818012$50,000 to $500,000
May 5, 19778:30 PM CDTF1Stephens0.550$5,000 to $50,000
April 18, 19771:35 PM CSTF1Stephens2.050
April 18, 197712:45 PM CSTF1Stephens0.533
March 2, 19775:05 PM CSTF3Stephens4.32001$50,000 to $500,000
February 22, 19752:15 AM CSTF2Stephens5.4702$50,000 to $500,000
February 22, 19752:15 AM CSTF2Stephens6.1704$50,000 to $500,000
April 19, 197311:00 PM CSTF2Stephens2.0834$5,000 to $50,000
September 7, 19709:30 PM CDTF2Stephens0.2200$5,000 to $50,000
June 11, 19703:45 PM CDTF1Stephens10.11672$5,000 to $50,000
April 16, 19696:00 PM GMT-6F2Stephens8.2101$50,000 to $500,000
May 16, 19685:43 PM GMT-5F0Cotton0.110
February 8, 19665:20 PM GMT-6F2Stephens10.5672$50,000 to $500,000
March 30, 19634:30 PM GMT-6F1Stephens2.050$500 to $5,000
July 28, 19621:20 PM GMT-5F2Stephens1.0501$50,000 to $500,000
May 20, 196212:11 AM GMT-5F0Stephens0.110
May 13, 19618:15 PM GMT-5F1Stephens0.110$500 to $5,000
May 3, 19613:00 AM GMT-5F1Stephens0.133$500 to $5,000
May 23, 196010:00 PM GMT-5F1Stephens0.110$50 to $500
May 19, 19605:50 PM GMT-5F0Stephens0.110
September 20, 195711:00 PM GMT-5F0Stephens0.110under $50
May 24, 195711:25 PM GMT-5F2Stephens2.510$50 to $500
May 24, 195710:00 PM GMT-5F2Stephens0.110$500 to $5,000
April 20, 19576:30 PM GMT-6F1Stephens0.1101$500 to $5,000
May 26, 19553:30 AM GMT-5F0Stephens0.110$5,000 to $50,000
April 22, 19557:00 PM GMT-6F1Stephens0.1102$500 to $5,000
April 11, 19559:30 PM GMT-6F0Stephens2.010$500 to $5,000
April 11, 19559:30 PM GMT-6F0Stephens15.010$500 to $5,000
May 1, 19546:45 PM GMT-5F3Stephens6.2100$5,000 to $50,000
April 29, 195410:45 PM GMT-5F1Comanche0.120under $50
June 19, 19536:20 PM GMT-5F1Stephens0.3501$50 to $500
April 30, 19519:30 PM GMT-5F1Stephens0.110$500 to $5,000

Nearby

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