Seminole County, Oklahoma

County storm and disaster record · FIPS 40133 · population 23,530 · 633 sq mi

NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 745 records for Seminole County, Oklahoma from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 532 days; the most frequent are hail reports (271 records). The deadliest single record is the May 19, 2017 flash flood: 1 death and $6,020 in damage in 2025 dollars. FEMA has issued 33 declarations naming the county since 1970, 31 of them for natural hazards; the latest for a natural hazard was “Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding” on April 30, 2024.

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
745on 532 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
Deaths recorded
463 injuries
Damage, 2025 dollars
$95Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
Tornadoes
61strongest F4
FEMA declarations
33latest 2024

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 Seminole County most?

The most frequent records are hail reports: 271 since 1957. 44% of its hail reports since 1957 fell in March and April. 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.

Seminole County: records by hazard, 1950 to June 30, 2026
HazardRecordsDaysFirst, lastKilledInjuredDamageRank in state
Hail 271 158 1957-2026 0 0 $10K 40 of 77
Severe thunderstorm wind 146 124 1956-2026 0 0 $2.9M 42 of 77
Heat 82 82 1998-2025 1 0 – 13 of 77
Drought 75 74 2000-2026 0 0 $14M 30 of 77
Tornadoes 61 49 1954-2026 0 63 $74M 10 of 77
Winter storms 40 40 1996-2026 1 0 $3.5M 36 of 77
Floods 27 20 1996-2025 2 0 $708K 43 of 77
Extreme cold 12 12 1996-2025 0 0 – 9 of 77
High wind and dust storms 10 10 1996-2002 0 0 $13K 47 of 77
Fog, smoke and funnel clouds 10 10 1998-2004 0 0 – 5 of 77
Wildfires 6 6 2016-2025 0 0 $6K 28 of 77
Lightning 5 5 1998-2003 0 0 $390K 16 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 Seminole County had?

NOAA records 61 tornadoes in Seminole County from 1954 to 2026, the strongest rated F4, with 0 deaths and 63 injuries recorded in the county. That is 10th of 77 Oklahoma counties and 121st 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 63 tornadoes whose track touched Seminole County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 61: they file a crossing tornado once per county segment, and the two databases differ on some tracks); along their whole tracks they killed 2 people, 0 of them in Seminole County.

The deadliest and strongest tornadoes that touched Seminole County, whole tracks
DateTornadoRatingPathKilled
1957-09-14 17:30, as SPC files itSt. Louis to WewokaF467.5 mi2
1981-05-17 19:00, as SPC files itCastleF433.6 mi0
1960-05-04 20:05, as SPC files itKonawaF48 mi0
2010-05-10 16:56, as SPC files itTecumseh to EarlsboroEF337.2 mi0
1998-10-04 21:08, as SPC files itPragueF310 mi0
1981-05-17 20:10, as SPC files itBearden to OkemahF315.4 mi0
1974-06-08 18:05, as SPC files itPadenF329.9 mi0
1968-05-13 13:45, as SPC files itUnnamedF311.6 mi0
1968-04-19 15:45, as SPC files itUnnamedF36.6 mi0
1963-05-26 18:15, as SPC files itBowlegsF30.1 mi0
1961-02-17 18:15, as SPC files itWewoka to HenryettaF373 mi0
1958-11-17 09:23, as SPC files itBowlegsF318.3 mi0

Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Oklahoma.

Every tornado record filed for Seminole County (61)
The 60 most recent of 61 tornadoes in Seminole County
DatePlaceCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2026-04-03 Little, Seminole County EF1 4 mi x 200 yd 0 0 $20K
2026-03-06 Little, Seminole County EF0 0.2 mi x 20 yd 0 0 –
2024-11-03 Vamoosa, Seminole County EF1 1 mi x 30 yd 0 0 $19K
2022-05-04 Cromwell, Seminole County EF1 1.76 mi x 150 yd 0 0 $30K
2022-05-04 Cromwell, Seminole County EF1 4.7 mi x 700 yd 0 0 $101K
2022-05-04 Seminole County EF0 3.52 mi x 150 yd 0 0 –
2022-05-04 Seminole County EF0 2 mi x 175 yd 0 0 –
2022-05-04 Seminole County EF2 12.5 mi x 1,760 yd 0 0 $303K
2022-05-02 Seminole County EF1 6.3 mi x 700 yd 0 0 $151K
2019-10-20 Vamoosa, Seminole County EF1 2.8 mi x 100 yd 0 0 $12K
2019-06-19 Konawa, Seminole County EF1 1 mi x 50 yd 0 0 $115K
2019-05-22 Cromwell, Seminole County EF1 1 mi x 50 yd 0 0 $3K
2017-10-21 Seminole County EF1 2 mi x 150 yd 0 0 $60K
2015-05-23 Sasakwa, Seminole County EF1 2.75 mi x 100 yd 0 0 –
2010-05-10 Seminole County EF3 20 mi x 2,200 yd 0 26 –
2009-04-29 Wewoka, Seminole County EF1 2 mi x 30 yd 0 0 –
2007-05-06 Little, Seminole County EF0 0.2 mi x 20 yd 0 0 $21K
2007-05-06 Seminole County EF0 0.2 mi x 20 yd 0 0 $57K
2005-03-21 Cromwell, Seminole County F0 0.1 mi x 20 yd 0 0 $8K
2004-04-22 Bowlegs, Seminole County F0 0.1 mi x 20 yd 0 0 –
2000-03-26 Cromwell, Seminole County F0 0.1 mi x 75 yd 0 0 –
1998-10-04 Little, Seminole County F2 6 mi x 880 yd 0 0 $136K
1998-06-08 Wewoka, Seminole County F2 6 mi x 440 yd 0 0 –
1998-06-08 Wewoka, Seminole County F1 1 mi x 50 yd 0 0 –
1997-05-26 Cromwell, Seminole County F0 1.5 mi x 50 yd 0 0 –
1997-05-26 Cromwell, Seminole County F0 0.1 mi x 50 yd 0 0 $28K
1995-06-09 S Seminole, Seminole County F2 5.25 mi x 350 yd 0 0 $9.7M
1995-05-07 Saskawa, Seminole County F0 0.25 mi x 70 yd 0 0 –
1985-04-29 Seminole County F1 0.1 mi x 3 yd 0 0 $25K step
1984-11-01 Seminole County F1 0.1 mi x 3 yd 0 0 $3K step
1984-03-03 Seminole County F0 13 mi x 30 yd 0 0 $30 step
1983-06-27 Seminole County F0 0.1 mi x 10 yd 0 0 $30 step
1983-05-13 Seminole County F0 0.1 mi x 50 yd 0 0 $30 step
1982-03-15 Seminole County F1 0.5 mi x 10 yd 0 0 $25K step
1981-05-17 Seminole County F3 15.4 mi x 350 yd 0 0 $25K step
1981-05-17 Seminole County F4 9.7 mi x 600 yd 0 0 $2.5M step
1981-05-17 Seminole County F2 2.7 mi x 200 yd 0 0 $250K step
1974-06-08 Seminole County F3 12.5 mi x 1,300 yd 0 0 $250K step
1974-06-08 Seminole County F2 11.8 mi x 450 yd 0 0 $2.5M step
1974-03-10 Seminole County F1 3.3 mi x 33 yd 0 0 $3K step
1973-05-06 Seminole County F2 9.1 mi x 70 yd 0 0 $250K step
1973-01-18 Seminole County F2 5.1 mi x 30 yd 0 4 $250K step
1971-04-19 Seminole County F1 1.5 mi x 50 yd 0 6 $25K step
1968-04-19 Seminole County F3 6.6 mi x 150 yd 0 0 $25K step
1967-06-16 Seminole County F0 0 0 –
1967-04-16 Seminole County F2 11.5 mi x 33 yd 0 3 $250K step
1965-05-26 Seminole County F2 0 0 $25K step
1963-05-26 Seminole County F3 0 2 $3K step
1961-02-17 Seminole County F3 25 mi x 300 yd 0 7 $2.5M step
1959-05-10 Seminole County F2 2 mi x 300 yd 0 0 $3K step
1958-11-17 Seminole County F3 18.3 mi x 300 yd 0 15 $250K step
1958-05-17 Seminole County F0 0 0 $30 step
1957-09-14 Seminole County F4 40.7 mi x 440 yd 0 0 $250K step
1956-06-08 Seminole County F2 12.4 mi x 150 yd 0 0 $250 step
1956-06-08 Seminole County F2 7.4 mi x 150 yd 0 0 $3K step
1956-05-31 Seminole County F2 1.5 mi x 77 yd 0 0 $25K step
1956-04-28 Seminole County F0 1 mi x 50 yd 0 0 $3K step
1955-04-23 Seminole County F1 0 0 –
1954-07-15 Seminole County F1 0.8 mi x 880 yd 0 0 $25K step
1954-05-01 Seminole County F2 5.7 mi x 220 yd 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 Seminole County?

The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the April 24, 2026 hail ($10,000 in damage in 2025 dollars).

The 12 most recent records kept for Seminole County
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2026-06-22 Thunderstorm WindSeminole County 56 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-06-22 Thunderstorm WindCromwell, Seminole County 61 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-04-24 HailWewoka, Seminole County 1.50 in hail 0 0 $10K
2026-04-24 HailVamoosa, Seminole County 1.50 in hail 0 0 –
2026-04-24 HailKonawa, Seminole County 2.27 in hail 0 0 –
2026-04-24 HailKonawa, Seminole County 2.50 in hail 0 0 –
2026-04-24 HailKonawa, Seminole County 1.00 in hail 0 0 –
2026-04-03 TornadoLittle, Seminole County EF1 4 mi x 200 yd 0 0 $20K
2026-04-03 Thunderstorm WindLittle, Seminole County 70 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-04-01 DroughtSeminole County · forecast zone Seminole 0 0 –
2026-03-06 TornadoLittle, Seminole County EF0 0.2 mi x 20 yd 0 0 –
2026-03-01 DroughtSeminole County · forecast zone Seminole 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 Seminole County, most deaths first
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2017-05-19 Flash FloodSasakwa, Seminole County Indirect fatality due to blunt force from a washed out 6' tin horn on NS3630 about 1/4 to 1/2 South of EW 1440. Car was traveling at a high rate of speed. It looked like water never went across road. Debris clogged the tin horn. 1 0 $6K
2009-12-24 BlizzardSeminole County · forecast zone Seminole Five to eight inches of snow accumulated, with isolated totals up to ten inches. Konowa measured seven inches. Frequent wind gusts of 50 to 60+ mph created considerable blowing and drifting snow, and greatly reduced visibilities. 1 0 –
2007-08-19 Flash FloodSeminole County Three to four feet of water accumulated at the Seminole Ford/Mercury car dealership. Numerous city and county roads were closed due to the high water. A 67-year old woman drowned as her car was washed off the roadway into Magnolia Creek. 1 0 $71K
1998-07-11 HeatSeminole County · forecast zone Seminole A 51 year-old woman died in her home in Wewoka due to the excessive heat. 1 0 –
2010-05-10 TornadoSeminole County This tornado continued from Pottawatomie county, moved through Seminole county and continued into Okfuskee County just east of Cromwell. This tornado lasted at least 30 miles, with significant damage along its entire path. At times, the tornado damage path widened up to a mile. The most significant damage was located ... EF3 20 mi x 2,200 yd 0 26 –
1958-11-17 TornadoSeminole County F3 18.3 mi x 300 yd 0 15 $250K step
1961-02-17 TornadoSeminole County F3 25 mi x 300 yd 0 7 $2.5M step
1971-04-19 TornadoSeminole County F1 1.5 mi x 50 yd 0 6 $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.

The costliest records in Seminole County since 1993, damage in 2025 dollars
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
1995-06-09 TornadoS Seminole, Seminole County F2 5.25 mi x 350 yd 0 0 $9.7M
2000-12-26 Ice StormSeminole County · forecast zone Seminole 0 0 $3.4M
1999-08-26 Thunderstorm WindKonawa, Seminole County 0 0 $886K
1999-05-16 Thunderstorm WindSeminole County 0 0 $354K
2022-05-04 TornadoSeminole County EF2 12.5 mi x 1,760 yd 0 0 $303K
1998-04-26 Flash FloodCountywide, Seminole County 0 0 $299K
2012-05-29 Thunderstorm WindSeminole County 65 kt wind 0 0 $193K
2022-05-02 TornadoSeminole County EF1 6.3 mi x 700 yd 0 0 $151K

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: February 17, 1961 (tornado, Seminole County); June 8, 1974 (tornado, Seminole County); May 17, 1981 (tornado, Seminole 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 Seminole 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).

Seminole County: records per decade (the 2020s to June 30, 2026)
Hazard1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020-26
Hail3454086603736
Severe thunderstorm wind44122342301219
Heat––––23077
Drought––––0163524
Tornadoes126697669
Winter storms––––715117

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

What time of year?

44% of its hail reports since 1957 fell in March and April. The two busiest months are in violet.

The values, month by month

Jan 49 · Feb 32 · Mar 84 · Apr 106 · May 113 · Jun 95 · Jul 78 · Aug 64 · Sep 39 · Oct 28 · Nov 36 · Dec 21 (records).

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

Federal disaster declarations for Seminole County

FEMA's register lists 33 declarations that include Seminole County: 24 major disasters, 8 emergencies and one fire management assistance declaration. Most were for severe storm (14) and severe ice storm (8).

Declarations including Seminole County, newest first
DeclaredNumberTypeTitle
2024-04-30DR-4776TornadoSevere Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding
2022-06-29DR-4657Severe StormSevere Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding
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
2015-05-26DR-4222Severe StormSevere Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding
2013-05-20DR-4117TornadoSevere Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding
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
2008-05-09DR-1754FloodSevere Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding
2007-12-18DR-1735Severe Ice StormSevere Winter Storms
2007-12-10EM-3280Severe Ice StormSevere Winter Storms
2007-08-31DR-1723Severe StormSevere Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes
2007-08-24DR-1718Severe StormSevere Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding
2007-07-07DR-1712Severe StormSevere Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes
2007-06-07DR-1707Severe StormSevere Storms, Tornadoes and Flooding
2007-02-01DR-1678Severe StormSevere Winter Storms
2007-01-14EM-3272Severe Ice StormSevere Winter Storms and Flooding
2006-01-10DR-1623FireExtreme Wildfire Threat
2005-12-28FM-2592FireHughes County Fire Complex
2005-09-05EM-3219HurricaneHurricane Katrina Evacuation
2003-05-10DR-1465Severe StormSevere Storms and Tornadoes
2001-01-05DR-1355Severe Ice StormSevere Winter Ice Storm
2000-12-28EM-3158Severe Ice StormSevere Winter and Ice Storm
1995-06-26DR-1058TornadoTornadoes, Severe Storms and Flooding
1990-05-18DR-866Severe StormSevere Storms, Tornadoes & Flooding
1974-06-10DR-441FloodSevere Storms & Flooding
1973-12-10DR-409FloodSevere Storms & Flooding
1970-10-14DR-297Severe StormHeavy Rains, Tornadoes & 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 Seminole County had?

NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 27 flood or flash flood records for Seminole County from 1996 to 2025, on 20 days, with 2 deaths. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Seminole County ranks 1723rd of 2,942 U.S. counties.

The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $1.1 million on 44 claims filed in Seminole County; the most in one year was 11 in 2015. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.

The values, year by year

1979: 1 · 1980: 1 · 1981: 1 · 1983: 3 · 1984: 1 · 1985: 2 · 1992: 2 · 1993: 1 · 1996: 4 · 2007: 4 · 2013: 2 · 2015: 11 · 2017: 1 · 2023: 1 · 2024: 6 · 2025: 2 · 2026: 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 Seminole County

FEMA's National Risk Index rates Seminole County Relatively Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $13.4 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 Seminole County (December 2025 release), by FEMA's rating, then score
HazardRisk ratingExpected annual lossModeled frequency
HailRelatively High$1.9M9.9 a year (modeled)
Ice StormRelatively High$520K1.3 a year (modeled)
WildfireRelatively Moderate$1.1Monce in about 89 years (modeled)
Heat WaveRelatively Moderate$1.8M20 modeled event-days a year
TornadoRelatively Moderate$2.6Mabout once a year (modeled)
DroughtRelatively Moderate$348K29 modeled event-days a year
Winter WeatherRelatively Moderate$85K8 a year (modeled)
Strong WindRelatively Moderate$459K4.9 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 Seminole County

  1. Pontotoc County 1,043
  2. Pottawatomie County 961
  3. Seminole County 745
  4. Okfuskee County 734
  5. Hughes County 638

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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