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.

Cleveland County: records by hazard, 1950 to June 30, 2026
HazardRecordsDaysFirst, lastKilledInjuredDamageRank 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.

The deadliest and strongest tornadoes that touched Cleveland County, whole tracks
DateTornadoRatingPathKilled
1999-05-03 17:26, as SPC files itBridge Creek/MooreF537 mi36
2013-05-20 13:56, as SPC files itMooreEF513.85 mi24
1973-11-19 19:30, as SPC files itOklahomaF324.2 mi5
1960-04-28 23:45, as SPC files itCromwell to BoleyF26.1 mi3
2013-05-19 17:00, as SPC files itNormanEF423 mi2
2010-05-10 16:20, as SPC files itOklahomaEF424 mi2
1957-09-14 17:30, as SPC files itSt. Louis to WewokaF467.5 mi2
2011-05-24 16:06, as SPC files itOklahomaEF433.3 mi1
2010-05-10 16:32, as SPC files itNormanEF422.25 mi1
2003-05-08 16:10, as SPC files itOklahomaF417.3 mi0
2024-11-03 00:20, as SPC files itOklahomaEF32.4 mi0
1960-05-05 15:00, as SPC files itShawnee to Sand SpringsF3101.9 mi0

Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Oklahoma.

Every tornado record filed for Cleveland County (113)
The 60 most recent of 113 tornadoes in Cleveland County
DatePlaceCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
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).

The 12 most recent records kept for Cleveland County
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
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

Records with deaths or injuries in Cleveland County, most deaths first
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
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.

The costliest records in Cleveland County since 1993, damage in 2025 dollars
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
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).

Cleveland County: records per decade (the 2020s to June 30, 2026)
Hazard1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020-26
Hail3201772109191167287
Severe thunderstorm wind3516476697105118
Floods––––6175757
Tornadoes6171171162827
Drought––––0163725
Heat––––24064

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).

Declarations including Cleveland County, newest first
DeclaredNumberTypeTitle
2025-05-21DR-4866FireWildfires and Straight-Line Winds
2025-03-15FM-5563FireEast Thunderbird Fire
2023-04-24DR-4706TornadoSevere Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Tornadoes
2021-02-24DR-4587Severe Ice StormSevere Winter Storms
2021-02-17EM-3555Severe Ice StormSevere Winter Storm
2020-12-21DR-4575Severe Ice StormSevere Winter Storm
2020-04-05DR-4530BiologicalCovid-19 Pandemic
2020-03-13EM-3462BiologicalCovid-19
2017-02-12FM-5168FireOkc Fire Complex
2015-05-26DR-4222Severe StormSevere Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding
2013-05-20DR-4117TornadoSevere Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding
2012-08-22DR-4078FireFreedom and Noble Wildfires
2012-08-03FM-2999FireNoble Fire
2011-08-08FM-2948FireCedar Lane Fire
2011-08-02FM-2942FireAnderson Road Fire
2011-02-02EM-3316Severe StormSevere Winter Storm
2010-05-24DR-1917Severe StormSevere Storms, Tornadoes, and Straight-Line Winds
2010-03-05DR-1883Severe Ice StormSevere Winter Storm
2010-02-25DR-1876Severe StormSevere Winter Storm
2010-01-30EM-3308Severe StormSevere Winter Storm
2009-06-19DR-1846FireWildfires
2007-12-18DR-1735Severe Ice StormSevere Winter Storms
2007-12-10EM-3280Severe Ice StormSevere Winter Storms
2007-08-24DR-1718Severe StormSevere Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding
2007-07-07DR-1712Severe StormSevere Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes
2007-02-01DR-1678Severe StormSevere Winter Storms
2007-01-14EM-3272Severe Ice StormSevere Winter Storms and Flooding
2006-01-10DR-1623FireExtreme Wildfire Threat
2005-09-05EM-3219HurricaneHurricane Katrina Evacuation
2003-05-10DR-1465Severe StormSevere Storms and Tornadoes
2002-02-01DR-1401Severe Ice StormSevere Winter Ice Storm
2001-01-05DR-1355Severe Ice StormSevere Winter Ice Storm
2000-12-28EM-3158Severe Ice StormSevere Winter and Ice Storm
1999-05-04DR-1272TornadoOk, Tornadoes 5/3/99
1996-02-27EM-3118FireExtreme Fire Hazard
1993-05-12DR-991Severe StormSevere Storms, Tornadoes & Flooding
1990-05-18DR-866Severe StormSevere Storms, Tornadoes & Flooding
1986-10-14DR-778FloodSevere Storms & Flooding
1983-10-26DR-693FloodSevere Storms & Flooding
1975-07-09DR-474Severe StormSevere 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.

National Risk Index ratings for Cleveland County (December 2025 release), by FEMA's rating, then score
HazardRisk ratingExpected annual lossModeled frequency
Ice StormVery High$6.1M1.3 a year (modeled)
HailRelatively High$11M11 a year (modeled)
Cold WaveRelatively High$20M1.6 a year (modeled)
Heat WaveRelatively High$12M18 modeled event-days a year
TornadoRelatively High$17Mabout once a year (modeled)
Strong WindRelatively High$3.9M5.3 a year (modeled)
Winter WeatherRelatively High$836K8.9 a year (modeled)
Riverine FloodingRelatively Moderate$36M1.6 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

  1. Oklahoma County 2,884
  2. Cleveland County 1,863
  3. Canadian County 1,578
  4. McClain County 1,047
  5. Pottawatomie County 961

Source: U.S. Census Bureau county adjacency file; NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1950. The Census Bureau's adjacency file.

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