Harmon County, Oklahoma

County storm and disaster record · FIPS 40057 · population 2,486 · 537 sq mi

NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 798 records for Harmon County, Oklahoma from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 521 days; the most frequent are hail reports (286 records). The most damaging was the October 8, 1999 hail ($1.1 million in 2025 dollars). FEMA has issued 20 declarations naming the county since 1995, 18 of them for natural hazards; the latest for a natural hazard was “Severe Winter Storms” on February 24, 2021.

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
798on 521 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
Deaths recorded
06 injuries
Damage, 2025 dollars
$26Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
Tornadoes
38strongest F2
FEMA declarations
20latest 2021

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 Harmon County most?

The most frequent records are hail reports: 286 since 1960. 67% of its hail reports since 1960 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.

Harmon County: records by hazard, 1950 to June 30, 2026
HazardRecordsDaysFirst, lastKilledInjuredDamageRank in state
Hail 286 161 1960-2026 0 0 $1.6M 18 of 77
Severe thunderstorm wind 171 107 1959-2026 0 0 $1.5M 41 of 77
Drought 144 144 2000-2026 0 0 $15M 1 of 77
Heat 60 60 2001-2026 0 0 – 18 of 77
High wind and dust storms 44 38 1996-2025 0 0 $63K 1 of 77
Tornadoes 38 25 1952-2024 0 6 $7.6M 55 of 77
Winter storms 36 36 1997-2023 0 0 $693K 27 of 77
Extreme cold 9 9 1996-2025 0 0 – 12 of 77
Floods 5 5 2003-2016 0 0 – 71 of 77
Fog, smoke and funnel clouds 3 3 1999-2001 0 0 – 34 of 77
Heavy rain 2 2 2007-2008 0 0 – 7 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 Harmon County had?

NOAA records 38 tornadoes in Harmon County from 1952 to 2024, the strongest rated F2, with 0 deaths and 6 injuries recorded in the county. 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 36 tornadoes whose track touched Harmon County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 38: they file a crossing tornado once per county segment, and the two databases differ on some tracks); along their whole tracks they killed 0 people.

Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Oklahoma.

Every tornado record filed for Harmon County (38)
Every tornado recorded in Harmon County, newest first
DatePlaceCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2024-11-18 Mc Queen, Harmon County EFU 1.52 mi x 30 yd 0 0 –
2024-11-18 Gould, Harmon County EF1 4 mi x 150 yd 0 0 $14K
2024-11-18 Gould, Harmon County EF1 2.31 mi x 50 yd 0 0 $5K
2024-05-23 Gould, Harmon County EF0 0.85 mi x 20 yd 0 0 –
2023-02-26 Mc Knight, Harmon County EFU 7.5 mi x 200 yd 0 0 –
2022-05-31 Mc Knight, Harmon County EF0 0.44 mi x 100 yd 0 0 –
2022-05-31 Hollis, Harmon County EFU 0.3 mi x 20 yd 0 0 –
2022-05-31 Hollis, Harmon County EF0 0.5 mi x 20 yd 0 0 –
2021-03-13 Mc Queen, Harmon County EFU 0.2 mi x 20 yd 0 0 –
2019-05-20 Hollis, Harmon County EFU 0.3 mi x 30 yd 0 0 –
2019-05-20 Gould, Harmon County EFU 0.1 mi x 20 yd 0 0 –
2019-05-20 Hollis, Harmon County EFU 0.5 mi x 50 yd 0 0 –
2010-05-12 Vinson, Harmon County EF0 2.73 mi x 50 yd 0 0 –
2003-04-15 Gould, Harmon County F1 4.5 mi x 300 yd 0 0 $48K
1999-05-25 Madge, Harmon County F0 0.1 mi x 25 yd 0 0 –
1999-05-25 Vinson, Harmon County F0 0.2 mi x 25 yd 0 0 –
1999-04-02 Vinson, Harmon County F0 0.5 mi x 150 yd 0 0 –
1995-06-03 Gould, Harmon County F0 0.1 mi x 25 yd 0 0 –
1986-10-01 Harmon County F1 10 mi x 50 yd 0 0 –
1983-05-13 Harmon County F2 2 mi x 500 yd 0 0 $250K step
1983-05-13 Harmon County F0 0.1 mi x 50 yd 0 0 $30 step
1983-05-13 Harmon County F2 3 mi x 500 yd 0 0 $250K step
1983-05-13 Harmon County F2 10 mi x 500 yd 0 0 $250K step
1983-03-03 Harmon County F0 5 mi x 10 yd 0 0 $30 step
1982-05-15 Harmon County F0 0 0 $30 step
1982-05-11 Harmon County F1 0 0 $25K step
1982-05-11 Harmon County F1 0.5 mi x 50 yd 0 0 $25K step
1982-05-11 Harmon County F0 0 0 $30 step
1976-04-17 Harmon County F1 23.5 mi x 50 yd 0 2 $25K step
1968-05-06 Harmon County F1 0 0 –
1968-05-06 Harmon County F2 4.7 mi x 33 yd 0 0 $250K step
1965-05-06 Harmon County F2 16.9 mi x 33 yd 0 2 $250K step
1958-09-23 Harmon County 0 0 $30 step
1957-04-18 Harmon County F1 1.5 mi x 200 yd 0 0 $25K step
1955-06-01 Harmon County F1 11.8 mi x 400 yd 0 2 $3K step
1953-06-05 Harmon County F0 0.1 mi x 27 yd 0 0 –
1953-05-10 Harmon County F1 3.6 mi x 440 yd 0 0 $3K step
1952-04-20 Harmon County F1 0 0 $25K step

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.

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 Harmon County?

The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the November 18, 2024 tornado ($14,000 in damage in 2025 dollars).

This tornado began south of Gould, along or just west of State Highway 5 and north of E1660 Road. The tornado moved to the north and then northwest, before dissipating just to the west of the city of Gould. Numerous power poles were snapped and broken along E1650 road, while several central pivot irrigation units sustained damage.
National Weather Service event narrative, NOAA Storm Events Database (search the full record, event 1221992)
The 12 most recent records kept for Harmon County
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2026-06-28 HeatHarmon County · forecast zone Harmon 0 0 –
2026-06-23 HailMc Knight, Harmon County 0.75 in hail 0 0 –
2026-06-23 Thunderstorm WindMc Queen, Harmon County 52 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-06-23 HailMadge, Harmon County 1.00 in hail 0 0 –
2026-06-21 HeatHarmon County · forecast zone Harmon 0 0 –
2026-06-17 Excessive HeatHarmon County · forecast zone Harmon 0 0 –
2026-06-13 HeatHarmon County · forecast zone Harmon 0 0 –
2026-06-11 HeatHarmon County · forecast zone Harmon 0 0 –
2026-06-08 HeatHarmon County · forecast zone Harmon 0 0 –
2026-06-01 DroughtHarmon County · forecast zone Harmon 0 0 –
2026-05-29 Thunderstorm WindGould, Harmon County 55 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-05-01 DroughtHarmon County · forecast zone Harmon 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 Harmon County, most deaths first
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
1976-04-17 TornadoHarmon County F1 23.5 mi x 50 yd 0 2 $25K step
1965-05-06 TornadoHarmon County F2 16.9 mi x 33 yd 0 2 $250K step
1955-06-01 TornadoHarmon County F1 11.8 mi x 400 yd 0 2 $3K step

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 Harmon County since 1993, damage in 2025 dollars
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
1999-10-08 HailGould, Harmon County 1.25 in hail 0 0 $1.1M
1993-12-12 Thunderstorm WindHollis, Harmon County 0 0 $1.0M
2015-12-27 Ice StormHarmon County · forecast zone Harmon 0 0 $639K
2006-04-28 HailVinson, Harmon County 2.75 in hail 0 0 $512K
2006-09-01 DroughtHarmon County · forecast zone Harmon 0 0 $395K
1994-06-29 Thunderstorm WindE Hollis, Harmon County 0 0 $100K
2015-07-29 Thunderstorm WindGould, Harmon County 70 kt wind 0 0 $56K
2003-04-15 TornadoGould, Harmon County F1 4.5 mi x 300 yd 0 0 $48K

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 $250K, in the dollars of the day) holds: May 6, 1965 (tornado, Harmon County); May 6, 1968 (tornado, Harmon County); May 13, 1983 (tornado, Harmon 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 Harmon 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).

Harmon County: records per decade (the 2020s to June 30, 2026)
Hazard1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020-26
Hail01374868835413
Severe thunderstorm wind1521536493924
Drought––––01667 z61
Heat––––03057
High wind and dust storms––––6161012
Tornadoes631104149

Drought in the 2010s: 67 records against 16 in the decade before, 67 of them forecast-zone records. Cells marked z rose mostly through zone records. The local National Weather Service office files these once per forecast zone, so a change in how it draws its zones or splits a storm into records moves this count as much as the weather does; read it beside the Harmon County days with a record above.

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records per calendar decade; zone records from the CZ_TYPE field (Z).

What time of year?

67% of its hail reports since 1960 fell in April and May. The two busiest months are in violet.

The values, month by month

Jan 32 · Feb 38 · Mar 60 · Apr 121 · May 206 · Jun 127 · Jul 50 · Aug 66 · Sep 28 · Oct 25 · Nov 23 · Dec 22 (records).

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.

Federal disaster declarations for Harmon County

FEMA's register lists 20 declarations that include Harmon County: 13 major disasters, 7 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for severe ice storm (7) and severe storm (7).

Declarations including Harmon County, newest first
DeclaredNumberTypeTitle
2021-02-24DR-4587Severe Ice StormSevere Winter Storms
2021-02-17EM-3555Severe Ice StormSevere Winter Storm
2020-04-05DR-4530BiologicalCovid-19 Pandemic
2020-03-13EM-3462BiologicalCovid-19
2018-06-25DR-4373FireWildfires
2016-02-10DR-4256Severe StormSevere Winter Storms and Flooding
2015-05-26DR-4222Severe StormSevere Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding
2011-02-02EM-3316Severe StormSevere Winter Storm
2010-03-05DR-1883Severe Ice StormSevere Winter Storm
2010-02-25DR-1876Severe StormSevere Winter Storm
2010-01-30EM-3308Severe StormSevere Winter Storm
2008-07-09DR-1775Severe StormSevere Storms and Flooding
2007-12-10EM-3280Severe Ice 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
2002-02-01DR-1401Severe Ice StormSevere Winter Ice Storm
2001-01-05DR-1355Severe Ice StormSevere Winter Ice Storm
1995-09-01DR-1066Severe StormSevere Storms and Flooding
1995-06-26DR-1058TornadoTornadoes, Severe Storms and Flooding

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 Harmon County had?

NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 5 flood or flash flood records for Harmon County from 2003 to 2016, on 5 days, with 0 deaths. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Harmon County ranks 1960th of 2,942 U.S. counties.

The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $195,000 on 27 claims filed in Harmon County; the most in one year was 5 in 1987. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.

The values, year by year

1979: 3 · 1983: 2 · 1984: 1 · 1986: 3 · 1987: 5 · 1990: 1 · 1995: 4 · 2004: 1 · 2007: 4 · 2015: 1 · 2016: 2; 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 Harmon County

FEMA's National Risk Index rates Harmon County Very Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $3.3 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 Harmon County (December 2025 release), by FEMA's rating, then score
HazardRisk ratingExpected annual lossModeled frequency
DroughtRelatively High$1.3M140 modeled event-days a year
Strong WindRelatively Moderate$473K3.6 a year (modeled)
HailRelatively Low$272K8.1 a year (modeled)
Ice StormRelatively Low$80Kabout once a year (modeled)
TornadoRelatively Low$426Konce in about 2 years (modeled)
Winter WeatherRelatively Low$17K7.3 a year (modeled)
WildfireVery Low$50Konce in about 464 years (modeled)
Heat WaveVery Low$70K9.9 modeled event-days a year

Source: FEMA National Risk Index, county table, December 2025 release. FEMA's National Risk Index map.

Counties that share a border with Harmon County

  1. Jackson County 1,457
  2. Beckham County 1,138
  3. Greer County 844
  4. Harmon County 798
  5. Childress County, TX 687
  6. Hardeman County, TX 686
  7. Collingsworth County, TX 592

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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