Woods County, Oklahoma

County storm and disaster record · FIPS 40151 · population 8,623 · 1,286 sq mi

NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 1,179 records for Woods County, Oklahoma from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 728 days; the most frequent are hail reports (393 records). The deadliest single record is the October 31, 1998 flash flood: 1 death. FEMA has issued 25 declarations naming the county since 1993, 23 of them for natural hazards; the latest for a natural hazard was “Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding” on June 14, 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
1,179on 728 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
Deaths recorded
114 injuries
Damage, 2025 dollars
$24Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
Tornadoes
57strongest F3
FEMA declarations
25latest 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 Woods County most?

The most frequent records are hail reports: 393 since 1958. 53% of its hail reports since 1958 fell in May and June. 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.

Woods County: records by hazard, 1950 to June 30, 2026
HazardRecordsDaysFirst, lastKilledInjuredDamageRank in state
Hail 393 224 1958-2025 0 0 $387K 70 of 77
Severe thunderstorm wind 364 218 1956-2026 0 7 $1.1M 52 of 77
Drought 120 120 2000-2026 0 0 $14M 47 of 77
High wind and dust storms 77 52 1996-2026 0 0 $108K 10 of 77
Winter storms 68 67 1996-2026 0 2 $1.5M 53 of 77
Tornadoes 57 44 1951-2025 0 5 $4.7M 69 of 77
Heat 50 50 2001-2026 0 0 – 62 of 77
Floods 21 18 1996-2019 1 0 $8K 66 of 77
Extreme cold 13 13 1996-2025 0 0 – 45 of 77
Wildfires 7 7 2016-2026 0 0 $1.4M 42 of 77
Lightning 4 3 1996-2004 0 0 $126K 53 of 77
Heavy rain 3 2 2007-2008 0 0 – 31 of 77
Fog, smoke and funnel clouds 2 2 1999-2001 0 0 – 58 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 Woods County had?

NOAA records 57 tornadoes in Woods County from 1951 to 2025, the strongest rated F3, with 0 deaths and 5 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 57 tornadoes whose track touched Woods County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 57, the same count); along their whole tracks they killed 0 people.

The deadliest and strongest tornadoes that touched Woods County, whole tracks
DateTornadoRatingPathKilled
2008-05-23 19:59, as SPC files itUnnamedCrossed KS, OKEF311 mi0
1956-04-02 19:05, as SPC files itBurlingtonF320 mi0

Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Oklahoma.

Every tornado record filed for Woods County (57)
Every tornado recorded in Woods County, newest first
DatePlaceCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2025-06-07 Capron, Woods County EF0 0.5 mi x 30 yd 0 0 $1K
2025-04-24 Camp Houston, Woods County EFU 0.3 mi x 30 yd 0 0 –
2024-05-19 Waynoka, Woods County EF1 1.5 mi x 40 yd 0 0 $9K
2024-05-19 Waynoka, Woods County EF1 2.7 mi x 300 yd 0 0 $9K
2018-05-29 Waynoka, Woods County EF1 2.5 mi x 20 yd 0 0 $12K
2017-05-18 Waynoka, Woods County EFU 4 mi x 200 yd 0 0 –
2017-05-18 Alva, Woods County EFU 0.2 mi x 50 yd 0 0 –
2015-11-16 Camp Houston, Woods County EF1 3.25 mi x 200 yd 0 0 –
2015-04-18 Dacoma, Woods County EF1 0.5 mi x 40 yd 0 0 –
2012-04-14 Waynoka, Woods County EF1 3.3 mi x 150 yd 0 0 –
2012-04-14 Waynoka, Woods County EF0 9 mi x 400 yd 0 0 –
2012-04-14 Waynoka, Woods County EF0 1 mi x 75 yd 0 0 –
2012-04-14 Camp Houston, Woods County EF0 0.3 mi x 30 yd 0 0 –
2008-05-23 Camp Houston, Woods County EF2 4 mi x 440 yd 0 0 $27K
2002-04-17 Waynoka, Woods County F2 15 mi x 880 yd 0 1 $57K
2001-09-20 Camp Houston, Woods County F0 0.1 mi x 25 yd 0 0 –
2000-05-25 Dacoma, Woods County F2 8 mi x 250 yd 0 0 $86K
1998-10-04 Dacoma, Woods County F1 8 mi x 440 yd 0 0 $45K
1995-06-07 Waynoka, Woods County F0 0.1 mi x 25 yd 0 0 –
1991-04-02 Woods County F2 5 mi x 100 yd 0 0 $25K step
1991-04-02 Woods County F1 4 mi x 30 yd 0 0 –
1985-09-22 Woods County F0 0.2 mi x 10 yd 0 0 –
1985-09-22 Woods County F0 0.1 mi x 10 yd 0 0 –
1985-07-31 Woods County F0 0.2 mi x 3 yd 0 0 –
1982-05-16 Woods County F1 0 0 $25K step
1981-07-08 Woods County F1 0.5 mi x 20 yd 0 0 $25K step
1979-05-02 Woods County F0 0.3 mi x 13 yd 0 0 –
1975-06-06 Woods County F1 0.5 mi x 50 yd 0 0 –
1975-06-06 Woods County F1 0.5 mi x 40 yd 0 0 –
1975-06-06 Woods County F1 0.5 mi x 40 yd 0 0 –
1975-06-06 Woods County F1 1.5 mi x 50 yd 0 0 –
1970-07-28 Woods County F0 0.8 mi x 440 yd 0 0 $3K step
1969-09-15 Woods County F0 0 0 –
1965-06-23 Woods County F0 0 0 –
1965-06-04 Woods County F2 1.5 mi x 150 yd 0 0 $25K step
1964-11-14 Woods County F1 2 mi x 440 yd 0 0 $3K step
1964-08-13 Woods County F2 0 0 $25K step
1964-05-05 Woods County F1 0 0 $30 step
1964-05-05 Woods County F0 0 0 $30 step
1964-05-05 Woods County F0 0 0 –
1964-04-16 Woods County F0 0 0 –
1960-05-28 Woods County F1 0 0 –
1959-03-25 Woods County F0 2 mi x 50 yd 0 0 $3K step
1958-08-23 Woods County 0 0 $30 step
1958-06-24 Woods County F1 0.5 mi x 30 yd 0 0 –
1957-04-18 Woods County F0 0 0 $30 step
1956-05-30 Woods County F0 0 0 –
1956-04-02 Woods County F3 10.8 mi x 400 yd 0 2 $250K step
1955-06-18 Woods County F2 3.6 mi x 100 yd 0 0 $25K step
1955-06-17 Woods County F2 3.6 mi x 500 yd 0 0 $25K step
1955-06-04 Woods County F1 2 mi x 100 yd 0 0 $25K step
1954-06-14 Woods County F0 0 0 –
1953-06-19 Woods County F1 1.9 mi x 30 yd 0 0 $3K step
1953-06-19 Woods County F1 0 0 $3K step
1952-04-30 Woods County F2 13.7 mi x 200 yd 0 0 $3K step
1951-08-31 Woods County F1 0.5 mi x 440 yd 0 0 $3K step
1951-04-05 Woods County F2 3.6 mi x 33 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.

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 Woods County?

The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the June 16, 2026 wildfire ($11,000 in damage in 2025 dollars).

The 12 most recent records kept for Woods County
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2026-06-28 HeatWoods County · forecast zone Woods 0 0 –
2026-06-21 Thunderstorm WindCamp Houston, Woods County 51 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-06-21 Thunderstorm WindCamp Houston, Woods County 52 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-06-16 WildfireWoods County · forecast zone Woods 0 0 $11K
2026-06-13 Thunderstorm WindCamp Houston, Woods County 52 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-06-13 HeatWoods County · forecast zone Woods 0 0 –
2026-06-10 HeatWoods County · forecast zone Woods 0 0 –
2026-06-08 Excessive HeatWoods County · forecast zone Woods 0 0 –
2026-06-01 DroughtWoods County · forecast zone Woods 0 0 –
2026-06-01 Thunderstorm WindHopeton, Woods County 54 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-06-01 Thunderstorm WindCamp Houston, Woods County 50 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-05-09 Thunderstorm WindHopeton, Woods County 50 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 Woods County, most deaths first
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
1998-10-31 Flash FloodCountywide, Woods County Very heavy rainfall fell over the northern half of the NWSO Norman, OK Hydrologic Services Area (HSA) during late October and early November. Precipitation totals between 3 and 11 inches were recorded during the three-day period of October 31-November 2, 1998 at locations in west-central, northwestern, central and ... 1 0 –
1995-07-20 Thunderstorm WindFreedom, Woods County Evening and late night thunderstorms in northwest Oklahoma dropped hail as large as quarters one mile east of Catesby in Ellis County. A few hours later a wind gust was measured at 84 mph at the Oklahoma Mesonet site in west of Freedom in Woodward County. Some damage from the strong winds was reported in Freedom, ... 0 4 –
2009-01-26 Winter WeatherWoods County · forecast zone Woods Several accidents were reported due to very slick roadways. Luckily, only two people received minor injuries. Monetary damages were not given. 0 2 –
1956-04-02 TornadoWoods County F3 10.8 mi x 400 yd 0 2 $250K step
1951-04-05 TornadoWoods County F2 3.6 mi x 33 yd 0 2 $3K step
2008-06-03 Thunderstorm WindCamp Houston, Woods County One barn, several outbuildings, and numerous trees were destroyed near the Highway 64 and 34 intersections. One injury was reported with the destroyed barn. Monetary damages were estimated. 61 kt wind 0 1 $69K
2002-04-17 TornadoWaynoka, Woods County This tornado is a continuation of the tornado that moved out of Major County at 0032 CST. The tornado curved to the right as it crossed the Cimarron River and moved northeastward for 15 miles before entering Alfalfa County at 0005 CST on April 18th. In Woods County, about 2 miles southwest of the intersection of State ... F2 15 mi x 880 yd 0 1 $57K
1998-05-25 Thunderstorm WindAlva, Woods County A large complex of severe thunderstorms moved from southern Kansas into northern and central Oklahoma during the evening of May 24th and the early morning of May 25th, resulting in 16 tornadoes, most of which occurred in Grant County. The strongest tornado, an F3, occurred near Lamont in Grant County. There were also ... 0 1 $100K

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 Woods County since 1993, damage in 2025 dollars
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2016-03-23 WildfireWoods County · forecast zone Woods 0 0 $1.3M
2017-01-14 Ice StormWoods County · forecast zone Woods 0 0 $1.2M
1999-05-31 HailAlva, Woods County 4.50 in hail 0 0 $354K
1998-05-25 Thunderstorm WindAlva, Woods County 0 1 $100K
1995-06-08 Thunderstorm WindPlainview, Woods County 0 1 $97K
2000-05-25 TornadoDacoma, Woods County F2 8 mi x 250 yd 0 0 $86K
2008-06-03 Thunderstorm WindCamp Houston, Woods County 61 kt wind 0 1 $69K
2002-04-17 TornadoWaynoka, Woods County F2 15 mi x 880 yd 0 1 $57K

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: April 2, 1956 (tornado, Woods 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 Woods 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).

Woods County: records per decade (the 2020s to June 30, 2026)
Hazard1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020-26
Hail3185861151094512
Severe thunderstorm wind76535751018154
Drought––––02060 z40
High wind and dust storms––––6211238 z
Winter storms––––1130198
Tornadoes1510654494

Drought in the 2010s: 60 records against 20 in the decade before, 60 of them forecast-zone records. High wind and dust storms in the 2020-26: 38 records against 12 in the decade before, 38 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 Woods 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?

53% of its hail reports since 1958 fell in May and June. The two busiest months are in violet.

The values, month by month

Jan 46 · Feb 45 · Mar 82 · Apr 142 · May 209 · Jun 269 · Jul 126 · Aug 110 · Sep 57 · Oct 36 · Nov 26 · Dec 31 (records).

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

Federal disaster declarations for Woods County

FEMA's register lists 25 declarations that include Woods County: 16 major disasters, 8 emergencies and one fire management assistance declaration. Most were for severe storm (13) and severe ice storm (6).

Declarations including Woods County, newest first
DeclaredNumberTypeTitle
2024-06-14DR-4791Severe StormSevere Storms, Straight-Line Winds, 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
2019-06-01DR-4438Severe StormSevere Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding
2017-03-07FM-5177FireNw Oklahoma Wildfire Outbreak Complex
2017-02-10DR-4299Severe StormSevere Winter Storm
2016-02-10DR-4256Severe StormSevere Winter Storms and Flooding
2015-12-29DR-4247Severe Ice StormSevere Winter Storms and Flooding
2013-04-08DR-4109Severe StormSevere Winter Storm and Snowstorm
2011-02-02EM-3316Severe StormSevere Winter Storm
2010-01-30EM-3308Severe StormSevere Winter Storm
2009-06-23EM-3305SnowstormRecord Snow and Near Record Snow
2008-10-09DR-1803Severe StormSevere Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding
2008-07-09DR-1775Severe StormSevere Storms and Flooding
2007-12-10EM-3280Severe Ice StormSevere Winter Storms
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
2002-02-01DR-1401Severe Ice StormSevere Winter Ice Storm
1995-09-01DR-1066Severe StormSevere Storms and Flooding
1993-05-12DR-991Severe StormSevere Storms, 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 Woods County had?

NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 21 flood or flash flood records for Woods County from 1996 to 2019, on 18 days, with 1 death. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Woods County ranks 2321st of 2,942 U.S. counties.

The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $118,000 on 11 claims filed in Woods County; the most in one year was 3 in 1985. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.

The values, year by year

1985: 3 · 1998: 3 · 2000: 3 · 2002: 1 · 2008: 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 Woods County

FEMA's National Risk Index rates Woods County Very Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $11.7 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 Woods County (December 2025 release), by FEMA's rating, then score
HazardRisk ratingExpected annual lossModeled frequency
Cold WaveRelatively Moderate$5.8M2.7 a year (modeled)
DroughtRelatively Moderate$1.3M77 modeled event-days a year
Ice StormRelatively Moderate$334Kabout once a year (modeled)
WildfireRelatively Low$322Konce in about 154 years (modeled)
LandslideRelatively Low$5Konce in about 2 years (modeled)
HailRelatively Low$563K8.4 a year (modeled)
Heat WaveRelatively Low$330K9.5 modeled event-days a year
TornadoRelatively Low$793K1.1 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 Woods County

  1. Woodward County 1,364
  2. Woods County 1,179
  3. Alfalfa County 943
  4. Harper County 893
  5. Major County 890
  6. Barber County, KS 881
  7. Comanche County, KS 713

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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