Le Flore County, Oklahoma

County storm and disaster record · FIPS 40079 · population 48,014 · 1,589 sq mi

NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 1,459 records for Le Flore County, Oklahoma from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 735 days; the most frequent are hail reports (551 records). The deadliest single record is the May 5, 1961 tornado: 16 deaths and 58 injuries. FEMA has issued 32 declarations naming the county since 1968, 30 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
1,459on 735 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
Deaths recorded
22167 injuries
Damage, 2025 dollars
$60Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
Tornadoes
78strongest F5
FEMA declarations
32latest 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 Le Flore County most?

The most frequent records are hail reports: 551 since 1956. 52% 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.

Le Flore County: records by hazard, 1950 to June 30, 2026
HazardRecordsDaysFirst, lastKilledInjuredDamageRank in state
Hail 551 286 1956-2026 0 0 $6.7M 67 of 77
Severe thunderstorm wind 473 270 1957-2026 0 14 $3.8M 51 of 77
Floods 184 116 1996-2025 2 0 $1.2M 16 of 77
Tornadoes 78 61 1953-2025 19 153 $47M 62 of 77
Drought 50 50 1998-2024 0 0 – 75 of 77
Heat 46 46 1998-2024 1 0 – 69 of 77
Winter storms 45 44 1996-2026 0 0 $974K 74 of 77
Wildfires 24 24 2005-2026 0 0 – 11 of 77
High wind and dust storms 4 4 1998-2008 0 0 $48K 75 of 77
Lightning 2 2 2002-2005 0 0 $222K 63 of 77
Fog, smoke and funnel clouds 2 2 1998-1998 0 0 – 63 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 Le Flore County had?

NOAA records 78 tornadoes in Le Flore County from 1953 to 2025, the strongest rated F5, with 19 deaths and 153 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 78 tornadoes whose track touched Le Flore County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 78, the same count); along their whole tracks they killed 20 people, 19 of them in Le Flore County.

The deadliest and strongest tornadoes that touched Le Flore County, whole tracks
DateTornadoRatingPathKilled
1961-05-05 17:20, as SPC files itTalihina to HoweF426.4 mi16
1976-03-26 15:28, as SPC files itSpiroF511.9 mi2
1976-03-26 14:50, as SPC files itTalihina to Le FloreF410.7 mi1
1960-05-05 21:30, as SPC files itBokosheF323.7 mi1
1983-11-22 17:40, as SPC files itWestvilleF319 mi0
1980-04-07 16:30, as SPC files itCameronF30.5 mi0

Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Oklahoma.

Every tornado record filed for Le Flore County (78)
The 60 most recent of 78 tornadoes in Le Flore County
DatePlaceCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2025-05-19 Williams, Le Flore County EF1 8.5 mi x 1,000 yd 0 0 –
2025-05-19 Calhoun, Le Flore County EF1 11.9 mi x 1,100 yd 0 0 –
2024-04-28 Hodgen, Le Flore County EF0 4.3 mi x 200 yd 0 0 –
2022-11-04 Ludlow, Le Flore County EF1 7.3 mi x 1,600 yd 0 0 $71K
2022-11-04 Heavener, Le Flore County EF1 6.5 mi x 900 yd 0 0 $76K
2022-05-02 Heavener Airport, Le Flore County EF1 5.6 mi x 1,400 yd 0 0 $101K
2022-04-11 Compton, Le Flore County EFU 0.75 mi x 100 yd 0 0 –
2020-11-24 Oak Lodge, Le Flore County EF1 4 mi x 250 yd 0 0 $6K
2020-05-22 Heavener Airport, Le Flore County EFU 1.7 mi x 75 yd 0 0 –
2020-05-22 Whitesboro, Le Flore County EF1 2.7 mi x 200 yd 0 0 –
2020-05-22 Whitesboro, Le Flore County EF1 3 mi x 225 yd 0 0 $34K
2020-05-22 Talihina, Le Flore County EF1 0.9 mi x 100 yd 0 0 –
2019-05-18 Arkoma, Le Flore County EF0 0.3 mi x 400 yd 0 0 $12K
2019-04-30 Fanshawe, Le Flore County EF1 4.4 mi x 1,000 yd 0 0 $29K
2017-04-28 Neff, Le Flore County EF2 8.1 mi x 750 yd 0 0 $181K
2015-07-07 Milton, Le Flore County EF1 0.3 mi x 75 yd 0 0 $19K
2015-05-28 Talihina, Le Flore County EF1 0.5 mi x 75 yd 0 0 $62K
2015-05-25 Smacker, Le Flore County EF2 15.5 mi x 1,700 yd 0 0 $623K
2015-05-25 Fanshawe, Le Flore County EF1 7.5 mi x 250 yd 0 0 –
2015-05-25 Whitesboro, Le Flore County EF1 6.4 mi x 600 yd 0 0 $12K
2014-10-06 Stony Pt, Le Flore County EF1 0.8 mi x 75 yd 0 0 $62K
2014-04-27 Octavia, Le Flore County EF1 1.5 mi x 250 yd 0 0 –
2013-05-20 Neff, Le Flore County EF1 8.5 mi x 500 yd 0 0 $6K
2013-05-20 Milton, Le Flore County EF0 0.7 mi x 260 yd 0 0 –
2011-05-24 Reichert, Le Flore County EF2 12 mi x 1,760 yd 0 0 $131K
2011-05-24 Talihina, Le Flore County EF0 1.5 mi x 100 yd 0 0 –
2011-04-24 Monroe, Le Flore County EF0 0.3 mi x 150 yd 0 0 $7K
2011-04-19 Zafra, Le Flore County EF0 3 mi x 125 yd 0 0 –
2011-04-19 Zafra, Le Flore County EF0 0.1 mi x 75 yd 0 0 –
2011-04-19 Ludlow, Le Flore County EF1 2 mi x 100 yd 0 0 –
2011-04-14 Howe, Le Flore County EF1 1.5 mi x 300 yd 0 0 $13K
2011-04-14 Wister, Le Flore County EF1 7 mi x 440 yd 0 3 $52K
2011-04-14 Talihina, Le Flore County EF1 0.5 mi x 250 yd 0 0 –
2009-04-09 Page, Le Flore County EF2 6.5 mi x 550 yd 0 4 $138K
2009-04-09 Caston, Le Flore County EF1 7.5 mi x 400 yd 0 0 $28K
2008-04-09 Braden, Le Flore County EF0 0.1 mi x 75 yd 0 0 –
2006-03-11 Shady Pt, Le Flore County F1 1.5 mi x 100 yd 0 0 $1.0M
2003-05-16 Bokoshe, Le Flore County F1 0.2 mi x 70 yd 0 0 –
2003-05-08 Summerfield, Le Flore County F1 4 mi x 100 yd 0 0 $40K
2003-05-04 Heavener, Le Flore County F0 1 mi x 30 yd 0 0 –
2003-05-01 Heavener, Le Flore County F0 0.5 mi x 75 yd 0 0 –
2001-05-20 Talihina, Le Flore County F1 1 mi x 200 yd 0 0 $2K
2001-05-20 Spiro, Le Flore County F0 0.3 mi x 25 yd 0 0 –
2000-04-23 Fanshawe, Le Flore County F0 0.2 mi x 50 yd 0 0 –
2000-03-26 Hodgen, Le Flore County F2 4 mi x 300 yd 0 0 $2.1M
1999-05-04 Cowlington, Le Flore County F1 0.5 mi x 75 yd 0 0 $195K
1998-11-10 Pocola, Le Flore County F1 1 mi x 200 yd 0 0 $9K
1998-06-08 Shady Pt, Le Flore County F0 0.5 mi x 30 yd 0 0 –
1998-05-06 Calhoun, Le Flore County F1 0.8 mi x 150 yd 0 2 $181K
1997-02-20 Pocola, Le Flore County F0 0.1 mi x 30 yd 0 0 –
1996-06-06 Heavener, Le Flore County F0 0.1 mi x 25 yd 0 0 –
1995-05-26 Colcord, Le Flore County F0 0.1 mi x 30 yd 0 0 $97K
1995-05-24 McAlester, Le Flore County F0 0.1 mi x 30 yd 0 0 $10K
1991-03-21 Le Flore County F1 2 mi x 50 yd 0 1 –
1983-11-22 Le Flore County F3 19 mi x 100 yd 0 0 $250K step
1983-11-22 Le Flore County F3 16 mi x 100 yd 0 6 $2.5M step
1982-12-23 Le Flore County F1 0.5 mi x 50 yd 0 0 $250 step
1982-05-28 Le Flore County F2 5 mi x 450 yd 0 0 $250K step
1980-04-07 Le Flore County F3 0.5 mi x 127 yd 0 9 $2.5M step
1976-03-26 Le Flore County F5 11.9 mi x 440 yd 2 64 $2.5M 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 Le Flore County?

The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the June 22, 2026 thunderstorm wind ($2,000 in damage in 2025 dollars).

The 12 most recent records kept for Le Flore County
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2026-06-22 Thunderstorm WindLoving, Le Flore County 56 kt wind 0 0 $2K
2026-06-22 Thunderstorm WindPanama, Le Flore County 56 kt wind 0 0 $2K
2026-06-22 Thunderstorm WindShady Pt, Le Flore County 56 kt wind 0 0 $2K
2026-06-22 Thunderstorm WindPoteau, Le Flore County 56 kt wind 0 0 $2K
2026-06-22 Thunderstorm WindWhitesboro, Le Flore County 65 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-06-22 Thunderstorm WindTalihina, Le Flore County 56 kt wind 0 0 $2K
2026-05-08 HailPoteau, Le Flore County 1.00 in hail 0 0 –
2026-04-25 HailPoteau, Le Flore County 2.50 in hail 0 0 $100K
2026-04-25 HailCameron, Le Flore County 1.75 in hail 0 0 $30K
2026-04-25 HailLoving, Le Flore County 1.00 in hail 0 0 –
2026-04-25 HailLark, Le Flore County 2.00 in hail 0 0 $30K
2026-04-25 HailWister, Le Flore County 2.50 in hail 0 0 $100K

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 Le Flore County, most deaths first
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
1961-05-05 TornadoLe Flore County F4 26.4 mi x 400 yd 16 58 $250K step
1976-03-26 TornadoLe Flore County F5 11.9 mi x 440 yd 2 64 $2.5M step
1976-03-26 TornadoLe Flore County F4 8.8 mi x 440 yd 1 4 $250K step
2019-06-23 Flash FloodNeff, Le Flore County Portions of several county roads were flooded. A motorist drove into flood water on Gilmore Road east of Poteau and was drowned. 1 0 –
2015-05-10 FloodCoal Creek, Le Flore County The Poteau River near Panama rose above its flood stage of 29 feet at 2:15 am CDT on May 10th. The river crested at 43.54 feet at 1:00 am CDT on the 12th, resulting in major flooding. Very severe agricultural flooding occurred and many county roads were totally impassable. One flood-related fatality occurred at around ... 1 0 –
2007-08-02 HeatLe Flore County · forecast zone Le Flore A 47 year old railroad worker collapsed of heat exhaustion after working all day in the summer heat. Temperatures were in the upper 90s and heat indices were around 103. The man died shortly after being transported to a hospital. 1 0 –
1980-04-07 TornadoLe Flore County F3 0.5 mi x 127 yd 0 9 $2.5M step
1983-11-22 TornadoLe Flore County F3 16 mi x 100 yd 0 6 $2.5M 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 Le Flore County since 1993, damage in 2025 dollars
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
1999-01-21 HailPoteau, Le Flore County 1.75 in hail 0 0 $4.6M
2000-03-26 TornadoHodgen, Le Flore County F2 4 mi x 300 yd 0 0 $2.1M
2006-03-11 TornadoShady Pt, Le Flore County F1 1.5 mi x 100 yd 0 0 $1.0M
1997-02-20 Thunderstorm WindPocola, Le Flore County 0 4 $993K
2013-12-05 Ice StormLe Flore County · forecast zone Le Flore 0 0 $950K
2015-05-25 TornadoSmacker, Le Flore County EF2 15.5 mi x 1,700 yd 0 0 $623K
1997-02-20 Thunderstorm WindCameron, Le Flore County 0 2 $221K
1999-05-04 TornadoCowlington, Le Flore County F1 0.5 mi x 75 yd 0 0 $195K

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: March 26, 1976 (tornado, Le Flore County, 2 killed); April 7, 1980 (tornado, Le Flore County); November 22, 1983 (tornado, Le Flore 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 Le Flore 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).

Le Flore County: records per decade (the 2020s to June 30, 2026)
Hazard1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020-26
Hail2109441651679559
Severe thunderstorm wind11072810212215449
Floods––––26518225
Tornadoes57759122112
Drought––––1122611
Heat––––171820

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

What time of year?

52% of its hail reports since 1956 fell in April and May. The two busiest months are in violet.

The values, month by month

Jan 56 · Feb 68 · Mar 180 · Apr 263 · May 326 · Jun 167 · Jul 118 · Aug 84 · Sep 47 · Oct 45 · Nov 66 · Dec 39 (records).

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

Federal disaster declarations for Le Flore County

FEMA's register lists 32 declarations that include Le Flore County: 22 major disasters, 10 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for severe storm (12) and severe ice storm (7).

Declarations including Le Flore 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
2019-06-01DR-4438Severe StormSevere Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding
2019-05-25EM-3411FloodFlooding
2017-07-25DR-4324TornadoSevere Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding
2015-05-26DR-4222Severe StormSevere Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding
2014-01-30DR-4164Severe StormSevere Winter Storm
2013-05-20DR-4117TornadoSevere Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding
2011-06-06DR-1989Severe StormSevere Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding
2011-05-27DR-1988Severe StormSevere Storms 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
2008-05-05DR-1752Severe StormSevere Storms, Tornadoes, 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
2001-06-29DR-1384Severe StormSevere Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes
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
1990-05-18DR-866Severe StormSevere Storms, Tornadoes & Flooding
1977-01-18EM-3020FireUrban Fire
1976-04-01DR-497TornadoSevere Storms & Tornadoes
1973-12-10DR-409FloodSevere Storms & Flooding
1973-06-13DR-392Severe StormSevere Storms, Flooding, & Tornadoes
1972-01-14DR-317FloodSevere Storms & Flooding
1968-05-29DR-241FloodHeavy Rains & 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 Le Flore County had?

NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 184 flood or flash flood records for Le Flore County from 1996 to 2025, on 116 days, with 2 deaths. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Le Flore County ranks 1731st of 2,942 U.S. counties.

The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $1.3 million on 43 claims filed in Le Flore County; the most in one year was 9 in 2015. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.

The values, year by year

1984: 2 · 1989: 1 · 1990: 1 · 1996: 1 · 2001: 2 · 2009: 2 · 2011: 5 · 2013: 7 · 2015: 9 · 2016: 1 · 2017: 2 · 2018: 1 · 2019: 1 · 2020: 7 · 2023: 1; 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 Le Flore County

FEMA's National Risk Index rates Le Flore County Relatively Moderate overall, with an expected annual loss of $32.0 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 Le Flore County (December 2025 release), by FEMA's rating, then score
HazardRisk ratingExpected annual lossModeled frequency
Ice StormVery High$1.5M1.3 a year (modeled)
DroughtRelatively High$1.8M23 modeled event-days a year
WildfireRelatively Moderate$3.2Monce in about 79 years (modeled)
Heat WaveRelatively Moderate$2.5M25 modeled event-days a year
TornadoRelatively Moderate$4.1M1.2 a year (modeled)
Riverine FloodingRelatively Moderate$16M4.1 a year (modeled)
LightningRelatively Moderate$419K62 a year (modeled)
Winter WeatherRelatively Moderate$112K6.5 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 Le Flore County

  1. Le Flore County 1,459
  2. McCurtain County 1,236
  3. Sebastian County, AR 1,218
  4. Sequoyah County 860
  5. Pushmataha County 738
  6. Polk County, AR 703
  7. Haskell County 596
  8. Latimer County 592
  9. Scott County, AR 470

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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