Cleveland County, Oklahoma
County storm and disaster record · FIPS 40027 · population 295,221 · 539 sq mi
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 1,863 records for Cleveland County, Oklahoma from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 788 days; the most frequent are hail reports (866 records). The deadliest single record is the May 20, 2013 tornado: 24 deaths, 207 injuries and $2.5 billion in damage in 2025 dollars. FEMA has issued 43 declarations naming the county since 1970, 41 of them for natural hazards; the latest for a natural hazard was “Wildfires and Straight-Line Winds” on May 21, 2025.
The record, 1950 to 2026
Storm records filed for the county each year (2026 to June 30, 2026). Before 1996 NOAA recorded only tornadoes (from 1950), thunderstorm wind and hail (from 1955).
- recorded, no damage figure
- under $100,000
- $100,000 or more
- $1 million or more
- $10 million or more, or a death
- $100 million or more, or 10 deaths
- a year's colour: its recorded damage or deaths
- a year with a death
- 1955: wind and hail recorded from 1955
- 1996: all 48 event types from 1996
- Storm records
- 1,863on 788 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
- Deaths recorded
- 53686 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $3.9Bas filed (scale steps before 1993)
- Tornadoes
- 113strongest EF5
- FEMA declarations
- 43latest 2025
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026 (file revision 20260918); damage converted to 2025 dollars with the BLS CPI-U. Search the record at NCEI. BLS consumer price index.
What hazards hit Cleveland County most?
The most frequent records are hail reports: 866 since 1956. 54% of its hail reports since 1956 fell in April and May. The rank column places the county among Oklahoma's counties by days with a record per 1,000 square miles of land over each hazard's complete period.
| Hazard | Records | Days | First, last | Killed | Injured | Damage | Rank in state |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 866 | 300 | 1956-2026 | 0 | 0 | $59M | 3 of 77 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 457 | 247 | 1956-2026 | 0 | 0 | $14M | 3 of 77 |
| Floods | 137 | 53 | 1996-2025 | 3 | 3 | $2.1M | 8 of 77 |
| Tornadoes | 113 | 73 | 1951-2026 | 42 | 681 | $3.8B | 1 of 77 |
| Drought | 78 | 78 | 2000-2026 | 0 | 0 | $14M | 14 of 77 |
| Heat | 70 | 70 | 1996-2026 | 6 | 0 | – | 12 of 77 |
| Winter storms | 63 | 61 | 1996-2026 | 1 | 0 | $3.8M | 2 of 77 |
| High wind and dust storms | 27 | 21 | 1996-2026 | 0 | 1 | $68K | 11 of 77 |
| Lightning | 19 | 17 | 1997-2024 | 0 | 1 | $1.6M | 2 of 77 |
| Extreme cold | 12 | 12 | 1996-2025 | 0 | 0 | – | 3 of 77 |
| Fog, smoke and funnel clouds | 12 | 12 | 1998-2007 | 0 | 0 | – | 2 of 77 |
| Wildfires | 7 | 3 | 2012-2025 | 1 | 0 | $3.3M | 40 of 77 |
| Heavy rain | 2 | 1 | 2007-2007 | 0 | 0 | – | 23 of 77 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (county and forecast-zone records attributed to the county; a zone record shows its own totals on each county it covers). Days: dates with at least one record of the hazard in the county. Ranks: days with a record per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer), since 1950 for tornadoes, 1955 for hail and thunderstorm wind, 1996 for the rest.
How many tornadoes has Cleveland County had?
NOAA records 113 tornadoes in Cleveland County from 1951 to 2026, the strongest rated EF5, with 42 deaths and 681 injuries recorded in the county. That is 1st of 77 Oklahoma counties and 6th of 3,080 U.S. counties by days with tornadoes per 1,000 square miles since 1950. A tornado that crossed a county line is counted in each county it touched, with the length of its path inside the county.
Counted as whole tornadoes rather than county records, the Storm Prediction Center's database holds 110 tornadoes whose track touched Cleveland County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 113: they file a crossing tornado once per county segment, and the two databases differ on some tracks); along their whole tracks they killed 76 people, 42 of them in Cleveland County.
| Date | Tornado | Rating | Path | Killed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999-05-03 17:26, as SPC files it | Bridge Creek/Moore | F5 | 37 mi | 36 |
| 2013-05-20 13:56, as SPC files it | Moore | EF5 | 13.85 mi | 24 |
| 1973-11-19 19:30, as SPC files it | Oklahoma | F3 | 24.2 mi | 5 |
| 1960-04-28 23:45, as SPC files it | Cromwell to Boley | F2 | 6.1 mi | 3 |
| 2013-05-19 17:00, as SPC files it | Norman | EF4 | 23 mi | 2 |
| 2010-05-10 16:20, as SPC files it | Oklahoma | EF4 | 24 mi | 2 |
| 1957-09-14 17:30, as SPC files it | St. Louis to Wewoka | F4 | 67.5 mi | 2 |
| 2011-05-24 16:06, as SPC files it | Oklahoma | EF4 | 33.3 mi | 1 |
| 2010-05-10 16:32, as SPC files it | Norman | EF4 | 22.25 mi | 1 |
| 2003-05-08 16:10, as SPC files it | Oklahoma | F4 | 17.3 mi | 0 |
| 2024-11-03 00:20, as SPC files it | Oklahoma | EF3 | 2.4 mi | 0 |
| 1960-05-05 15:00, as SPC files it | Shawnee to Sand Springs | F3 | 101.9 mi | 0 |
Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Oklahoma.
Every tornado record filed for Cleveland County (113)
| Date | Place | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-01-08 | Stella, Cleveland County | EF0 0.25 mi x 75 yd | 0 | 0 | $20K |
| 2026-01-08 | Lake Thunderbird Dam, Cleveland County | EF0 1.8 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $5K |
| 2026-01-08 | Lexington, Cleveland County | EF0 2.9 mi x 150 yd | 0 | 0 | $10K |
| 2025-06-06 | Lexington, Cleveland County | EF0 2.4 mi x 200 yd | 0 | 0 | $50K |
| 2024-11-04 | Lexington, Cleveland County | EF0 1.3 mi x 30 yd | 0 | 0 | $2K |
| 2024-11-03 | Norman Westheimer Airport, Cleveland County | EF0 1.05 mi x 30 yd | 0 | 0 | $5K |
| 2024-11-03 | Moore, Cleveland County | EF3 1 mi x 400 yd | 0 | 0 | $941K |
| 2024-04-27 | Norman Westheimer Airport, Cleveland County | EF1 3.5 mi x 200 yd | 0 | 0 | $94K |
| 2024-04-26 | Stella, Cleveland County | EF1 0.05 mi x 30 yd | 0 | 0 | $941 |
| 2024-04-26 | Stella, Cleveland County | EF0 0.54 mi x 30 yd | 0 | 0 | $9K |
| 2023-05-11 | Lake Thunderbird Dam, Cleveland County | EF0 0.2 mi x 25 yd | 0 | 0 | $10K |
| 2023-05-11 | Noble, Cleveland County | EF1 2.25 mi x 300 yd | 0 | 0 | $194K |
| 2023-04-19 | Lake Thunderbird Dam, Cleveland County | EF0 1 mi x 75 yd | 0 | 0 | $10K |
| 2023-04-19 | Stella, Cleveland County | EF1 1.3 mi x 550 yd | 0 | 0 | $5K |
| 2023-04-19 | Lake Thunderbird Dam, Cleveland County | EF0 0.35 mi x 60 yd | 0 | 0 | $5K |
| 2023-04-19 | Lake Thunderbird Dam, Cleveland County | EF2 3.5 mi x 2,200 yd | 0 | 0 | $726K |
| 2023-04-19 | Lake Thunderbird Dam, Cleveland County | EF1 1.64 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $48K |
| 2023-04-19 | Slaughterville, Cleveland County | EF2 5.4 mi x 700 yd | 0 | 0 | $484K |
| 2023-04-19 | Slaughterville, Cleveland County | EF1 2.1 mi x 150 yd | 0 | 0 | $10K |
| 2023-04-19 | Slaughterville, Cleveland County | EF0 2.3 mi x 700 yd | 0 | 0 | $969 |
| 2023-04-19 | Moore, Cleveland County | EF0 0.32 mi x 200 yd | 0 | 0 | $5K |
| 2023-02-26 | Stella, Cleveland County | EF1 0.25 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $29K |
| 2023-02-26 | Norman, Cleveland County | EF2 20 mi x 900 yd | 0 | 12 | $48M |
| 2022-12-13 | Lexington, Cleveland County | EF1 0.9 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $5K |
| 2021-10-26 | Norman, Cleveland County | EF1 6.6 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $27K |
| 2020-07-11 | Stanley Draper Lake Dam, Cleveland County | EF0 0.2 mi x 10 yd | 0 | 0 | $23K |
| 2020-05-04 | Lexington, Cleveland County | EF1 2 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $23K |
| 2019-05-25 | Norman Westheimer Airport, Cleveland County | EF0 0.7 mi x 30 yd | 0 | 0 | $12K |
| 2019-05-21 | Stella, Cleveland County | EF1 1.4 mi x 30 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2019-05-21 | Stanley Draper Lake Dam, Cleveland County | EF0 0.3 mi x 20 yd | 0 | 0 | $3K |
| 2019-05-21 | Norman, Cleveland County | EF1 4.1 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $7K |
| 2019-05-21 | Noble, Cleveland County | EF0 0.75 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $1K |
| 2018-10-09 | Stanley Draper Lake Dam, Cleveland County | EF1 2.5 mi x 40 yd | 0 | 0 | $88K |
| 2018-10-09 | Lake Thunderbird Dam, Cleveland County | EF0 3.5 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $24K |
| 2018-05-02 | Lexington, Cleveland County | EF0 1.3 mi x 40 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2018-05-02 | Norman, Cleveland County | EF1 8 mi x 400 yd | 0 | 0 | $12K |
| 2017-10-21 | Norman, Cleveland County | EF0 1.4 mi x 20 yd | 0 | 0 | $2K |
| 2016-05-09 | Lake Thunderbird Dam, Cleveland County | EFU 0.1 mi x 10 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2015-05-19 | Lexington, Cleveland County | EF0 0.1 mi x 20 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2015-05-06 | Norman Westheimer Airport, Cleveland County | EF1 3.25 mi x 1,000 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2015-05-06 | Norman Westheimer Airport, Cleveland County | EF0 0.5 mi x 25 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2015-03-25 | Moore, Cleveland County | EF2 11.21 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 7 | $62M |
| 2013-05-31 | Moore, Cleveland County | EF1 1 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $127K |
| 2013-05-29 | Norman, Cleveland County | EF1 0.1 mi x 10 yd | 0 | 0 | $51K |
| 2013-05-20 | Moore, Cleveland County | EF5 12 mi x 1,900 yd | 24 | 207 | $2.5B |
| 2013-05-19 | Lake Thunderbird Dam, Cleveland County | EF3 10.5 mi x 1,150 yd | 0 | 4 | – |
| 2012-04-13 | Norman, Cleveland County | EF1 5 mi x 600 yd | 0 | 20 | – |
| 2011-05-24 | Moore, Cleveland County | EF0 2.7 mi x 200 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2010-05-10 | Lexington, Cleveland County | EF0 2 mi x 80 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2010-05-10 | Slaughterville, Cleveland County | EF2 12 mi x 440 yd | 0 | 3 | – |
| 2010-05-10 | Norman, Cleveland County | EF1 5.5 mi x 250 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2010-05-10 | Norman, Cleveland County | EF4 17 mi x 880 yd | 1 | 32 | – |
| 2010-05-10 | Stanley Draper Lake Dam, Cleveland County | EF1 0.5 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2010-05-10 | Moore, Cleveland County | EF1 3.75 mi x 250 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2010-05-10 | Norman Westheimer Airport, Cleveland County | EF3 13 mi x 2,000 yd | 0 | 20 | – |
| 2009-06-12 | Norman, Cleveland County | EF1 2.2 mi x 200 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2009-05-13 | Stanley Draper Lake Dam, Cleveland County | EF0 0.49 mi x 80 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2008-05-07 | Noble, Cleveland County | EF0 2.8 mi x 25 yd | 0 | 0 | $14K |
| 2004-06-09 | Moore, Cleveland County | F0 0.3 mi x 20 yd | 0 | 0 | $8K |
| 2003-05-08 | Moore, Cleveland County | F3 3.8 mi x 440 yd | 0 | 45 | $337M |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, tornado records by county (path length in the county, maximum width); ratings as published: F scale before February 1, 2007, EF scale after. Whole-track figures: NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database (1950-2025). SPC severe weather database.
When was the last damaging storm in Cleveland County?
The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the June 23, 2026 thunderstorm wind ($25,000 in damage in 2025 dollars).
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-23 | Thunderstorm WindNorman, Cleveland County | 56 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-23 | Thunderstorm WindNorman, Cleveland County | 61 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $25K |
| 2026-06-23 | Thunderstorm WindNorman, Cleveland County | 51 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-23 | Thunderstorm WindNorman, Cleveland County | 56 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-22 | Thunderstorm WindLake Thunderbird Dam, Cleveland County | 52 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-22 | Thunderstorm WindNoble, Cleveland County | 61 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-22 | Thunderstorm WindNorman Westheimer Airport, Cleveland County | 52 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-22 | HailStanley Draper Lake Dam, Cleveland County | 0.75 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-22 | HailMoore, Cleveland County | 1.00 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-13 | HeatCleveland County · forecast zone Cleveland | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-06-01 | DroughtCleveland County · forecast zone Cleveland | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-05-08 | Thunderstorm WindNorman Westheimer Airport, Cleveland County | 52 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database; every record of 2025-2026 is listed, earlier ones when they caused deaths, injuries or $250,000 of damage (2025 dollars), and every tornado.
The deadliest and costliest records
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013-05-20 | TornadoMoore, Cleveland County The violent Newcastle-Moore tornado moved into Cleveland County from McClain County as it moved northeast across the Canadian River near Interstate 44. The tornado then turned more east and then east-northeast after crossing Interstate 44. Violent EF4 damage was again observed as it began to move into progressively ... | EF5 12 mi x 1,900 yd | 24 | 207 | $2.5B |
| 1999-05-03 | TornadoMoore, Cleveland County Tornado A9 (Cleveland County portion). See summary at end of May 3rd storm reports. | F5 10 mi x 1,320 yd | 11 | 293 | $797M |
| 1999-07-27 | HeatCleveland County · forecast zone Cleveland A period of very hot temperatures with highs ranging from the upper 90s to near 105 and lows ranging from the lower 70s to near 80, affected portions of central and southwest Oklahoma from July 26th through July 31st. Eight persons died, and 1 serious injury resulted from the excessive heat. The first fatality from ... | 5 | 0 | – | |
| 1973-11-19 | TornadoCleveland County | F3 7.1 mi x 500 yd | 3 | 28 | $2.5M step |
| 1960-04-28 | TornadoCleveland County | F2 6.1 mi x 800 yd | 3 | 1 | $25K step |
| 2025-04-19 | Flash FloodMoore, Cleveland County Significant roadway flooding occurred near the intersection of Southeast 12th Street and Eastern Avenue due to water rise from a nearby small creek. Two vehicles were swept off the road and pinned beneath the Eastern Avenue bridge. Two fatalities were reported as a result of this incident. Event time is approximate. | 2 | 0 | $100K | |
| 2010-05-10 | TornadoNorman, Cleveland County This tornado is labeled #J1, and moved into Pottawatomie County near state highway 9. The tornado a few hundred yards east of the National Weather Center in Norman, Oklahoma. The damage intensity increased gradually along the path with significant damage beginning as the tornado approached Lake Thunderbird. This ... | EF4 17 mi x 880 yd | 1 | 32 | – |
| 2015-05-06 | Flash FloodStanley Draper Lake Dam, Cleveland County One woman perished while seeking shelter from a tornado in a below ground storm cellar. Heavy rains flooded the cellar, and the woman drowned. | 1 | 0 | – |
A damage figure marked "step" is a record from before 1993: NOAA then filed damage by category, and the figure is the category as entered, in the dollars of that year, not an estimate of the loss.
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013-05-20 | TornadoMoore, Cleveland County | EF5 12 mi x 1,900 yd | 24 | 207 | $2.5B |
| 1999-05-03 | TornadoMoore, Cleveland County | F5 10 mi x 1,320 yd | 11 | 293 | $797M |
| 2003-05-08 | TornadoMoore, Cleveland County | F3 3.8 mi x 440 yd | 0 | 45 | $337M |
| 2015-03-25 | TornadoMoore, Cleveland County | EF2 11.21 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 7 | $62M |
| 2008-11-05 | HailNorman, Cleveland County | 1.75 in hail | 0 | 0 | $55M |
| 2023-02-26 | TornadoNorman, Cleveland County | EF2 20 mi x 900 yd | 0 | 12 | $48M |
| 2020-07-11 | Thunderstorm WindLexington, Cleveland County | 65 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $9.1M |
| 2000-12-26 | Ice StormCleveland County · forecast zone Cleveland | 0 | 0 | $3.8M |
Before 1993 NOAA filed damage by category, not amount, so the list above starts in 1993. The highest category filed here before then (entered as $2.5M, in the dollars of the day) holds: November 19, 1973 (tornado, Cleveland County, 3 killed); November 19, 1973 (tornado, Cleveland County); March 13, 1990 (tornado, Cleveland County).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: deaths and injuries direct and indirect; damage is property plus crops as estimated by the National Weather Service, converted to 2025 dollars.
Is it getting more frequent?
Records per decade for Cleveland County's most frequent hazards. Counts rose everywhere after 1996, when NOAA began recording every event type, so compare decades within a hazard's complete period only (the shaded cells come before it).
| Hazard | 1950s | 1960s | 1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020-26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 3 | 20 | 17 | 72 | 109 | 191 | 167 | 287 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 3 | 5 | 16 | 47 | 66 | 97 | 105 | 118 |
| Floods | – | – | – | – | 6 | 17 | 57 | 57 |
| Tornadoes | 6 | 17 | 11 | 7 | 11 | 6 | 28 | 27 |
| Drought | – | – | – | – | 0 | 16 | 37 | 25 |
| Heat | – | – | – | – | 2 | 4 | 0 | 64 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records per calendar decade; zone records from the CZ_TYPE field (Z).
What time of year?
54% of its hail reports since 1956 fell in April and May. The two busiest months are in violet.
The values, month by month
Jan 53 · Feb 53 · Mar 137 · Apr 286 · May 456 · Jun 278 · Jul 154 · Aug 188 · Sep 93 · Oct 61 · Nov 77 · Dec 27 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.
Federal disaster declarations for Cleveland County
FEMA's register lists 43 declarations that include Cleveland County: 29 major disasters, 9 emergencies and 5 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for severe storm (14) and fire (10).
| Declared | Number | Type | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-05-21 | DR-4866 | Fire | Wildfires and Straight-Line Winds |
| 2025-03-15 | FM-5563 | Fire | East Thunderbird Fire |
| 2023-04-24 | DR-4706 | Tornado | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Tornadoes |
| 2021-02-24 | DR-4587 | Severe Ice Storm | Severe Winter Storms |
| 2021-02-17 | EM-3555 | Severe Ice Storm | Severe Winter Storm |
| 2020-12-21 | DR-4575 | Severe Ice Storm | Severe Winter Storm |
| 2020-04-05 | DR-4530 | Biological | Covid-19 Pandemic |
| 2020-03-13 | EM-3462 | Biological | Covid-19 |
| 2017-02-12 | FM-5168 | Fire | Okc Fire Complex |
| 2015-05-26 | DR-4222 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding |
| 2013-05-20 | DR-4117 | Tornado | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding |
| 2012-08-22 | DR-4078 | Fire | Freedom and Noble Wildfires |
| 2012-08-03 | FM-2999 | Fire | Noble Fire |
| 2011-08-08 | FM-2948 | Fire | Cedar Lane Fire |
| 2011-08-02 | FM-2942 | Fire | Anderson Road Fire |
| 2011-02-02 | EM-3316 | Severe Storm | Severe Winter Storm |
| 2010-05-24 | DR-1917 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Straight-Line Winds |
| 2010-03-05 | DR-1883 | Severe Ice Storm | Severe Winter Storm |
| 2010-02-25 | DR-1876 | Severe Storm | Severe Winter Storm |
| 2010-01-30 | EM-3308 | Severe Storm | Severe Winter Storm |
| 2009-06-19 | DR-1846 | Fire | Wildfires |
| 2007-12-18 | DR-1735 | Severe Ice Storm | Severe Winter Storms |
| 2007-12-10 | EM-3280 | Severe Ice Storm | Severe Winter Storms |
| 2007-08-24 | DR-1718 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding |
| 2007-07-07 | DR-1712 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes |
| 2007-02-01 | DR-1678 | Severe Storm | Severe Winter Storms |
| 2007-01-14 | EM-3272 | Severe Ice Storm | Severe Winter Storms and Flooding |
| 2006-01-10 | DR-1623 | Fire | Extreme Wildfire Threat |
| 2005-09-05 | EM-3219 | Hurricane | Hurricane Katrina Evacuation |
| 2003-05-10 | DR-1465 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms and Tornadoes |
| 2002-02-01 | DR-1401 | Severe Ice Storm | Severe Winter Ice Storm |
| 2001-01-05 | DR-1355 | Severe Ice Storm | Severe Winter Ice Storm |
| 2000-12-28 | EM-3158 | Severe Ice Storm | Severe Winter and Ice Storm |
| 1999-05-04 | DR-1272 | Tornado | Ok, Tornadoes 5/3/99 |
| 1996-02-27 | EM-3118 | Fire | Extreme Fire Hazard |
| 1993-05-12 | DR-991 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes & Flooding |
| 1990-05-18 | DR-866 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes & Flooding |
| 1986-10-14 | DR-778 | Flood | Severe Storms & Flooding |
| 1983-10-26 | DR-693 | Flood | Severe Storms & Flooding |
| 1975-07-09 | DR-474 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Flooding & Tornadoes |
The 40 most recent of 43 are listed; the CSV has every one.
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2), declarations through October 2, 2026; one declaration is counted once however many areas it names. OpenFEMA dataset page.
How many floods has Cleveland County had?
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 137 flood or flash flood records for Cleveland County from 1996 to 2025, on 53 days, with 3 deaths. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Cleveland County ranks 599th of 2,942 U.S. counties.
The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $7.3 million on 400 claims filed in Cleveland County; the most in one year was 90 in 2015. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.
The values, year by year
1978: 2 · 1979: 4 · 1980: 1 · 1981: 1 · 1982: 9 · 1983: 9 · 1984: 4 · 1985: 9 · 1986: 14 · 1987: 20 · 1988: 1 · 1989: 8 · 1990: 5 · 1991: 2 · 1992: 3 · 1993: 33 · 1995: 22 · 1996: 3 · 1997: 4 · 1998: 1 · 1999: 5 · 2000: 2 · 2004: 2 · 2005: 1 · 2007: 58 · 2008: 2 · 2009: 1 · 2010: 10 · 2011: 2 · 2013: 27 · 2015: 90 · 2016: 5 · 2017: 3 · 2018: 4 · 2019: 4 · 2020: 1 · 2021: 6 · 2022: 5 · 2023: 2 · 2024: 7 · 2025: 8; the other years: 0.
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims, as of September 8, 2026; claims by year of loss, payments in the dollars of the year paid. OpenFEMA dataset page.
FEMA's modeled risk for Cleveland County
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Cleveland County Relatively Moderate overall, with an expected annual loss of $112 million. These are FEMA's model estimates of future loss from 18 hazards, not a count of what happened; they can differ from the record above.
| Hazard | Risk rating | Expected annual loss | Modeled frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ice Storm | Very High | $6.1M | 1.3 a year (modeled) |
| Hail | Relatively High | $11M | 11 a year (modeled) |
| Cold Wave | Relatively High | $20M | 1.6 a year (modeled) |
| Heat Wave | Relatively High | $12M | 18 modeled event-days a year |
| Tornado | Relatively High | $17M | about once a year (modeled) |
| Strong Wind | Relatively High | $3.9M | 5.3 a year (modeled) |
| Winter Weather | Relatively High | $836K | 8.9 a year (modeled) |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively Moderate | $36M | 1.6 a year (modeled) |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index, county table, December 2025 release. FEMA's National Risk Index map.
Counties that share a border with Cleveland County
Source: U.S. Census Bureau county adjacency file; NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1950. The Census Bureau's adjacency file.
Next
- Tornadoes in OklahomaEvery Oklahoma tornado since 1950 and the counties with the most per square mile
- Hail in OklahomaThe state's hail reports, by county, year and month
- The Oklahoma recordEvery hazard in the state, its deadliest events and its federal declarations
- FEMA's risk rating for each hazard in Cleveland CountyThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
- Download Cleveland County's FEMA declarations (CSV)43 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis