Oklahoma heat

Every recorded heat record since 1996 · 74 counties with a record

NOAA's Storm Events Database records 4,699 heat records in Oklahoma from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 187 a year since 2000. The deadliest was the July 16, 2006 heat: 10 deaths and 100 injuries across 4 records. Oklahoma ranks 2nd of 51 states and territories by count and 4th of 50 per square mile.

Heat in Oklahoma, 1996 to 2026

Heat records per year (NOAA Storm Events); 2026 to June 30, 2026.

recorded, no damage figure
under $1 million
$1 million or more
$10 million or more
$100 million or more, or 10 deaths
$1 billion or more, or 100 deaths
a year's colour: its recorded damage or deaths
a year with a death

Records: 4,6991996 to June 30, 2026
A year since 2000: 187average
Deaths: 1061,742 injuries
Damage, 2025 dollars: $15Kas filed
Busiest year: 20241,479 records

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; deaths and damage as filed, damage in 2025 dollars. Search the record at NCEI.

Are heat records common in Oklahoma?

Oklahoma averages about 187 heat records a year since 2000, 2nd of 51 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 2024 (1,479). Per 10,000 square miles of land, Oklahoma records 685 heat records since 1996, 4th of 50 states and territories by that measure.

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1996, per 10,000 square miles of land area (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer; places under 1,000 square miles not ranked). Damage colours: Storm Events damage, 2025 dollars.

Which counties in Oklahoma have the most heat records?

Per square mile, Marshall County leads Oklahoma: 92 days with a heat record since 1996, 247.7 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Oklahoma County has the most heat records (127 since 1996); large counties collect more records simply by covering more ground, so the ranking counts days with a record per unit of area (a storm filed for several forecast zones adds several records but one day).

Marshall County 247.7 (92)
Murray County 192.1 (80)
Love County 188.7 (97)
Coal County 183.8 (95)
Oklahoma County 174.9 (127)
Tulsa County 157.8 (91)
McClain County 150.7 (86)
Washington County 144.4 (60)
Jefferson County 135.7 (103)
Johnston County 130.6 (84)
Payne County 129.9 (89)
Cleveland County 129.9 (70)

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, days with a record in the county since 1996 per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer); in brackets, the count of records.

When is the heat season in Oklahoma?

80% of its heat records since 1996 fell in July and August. The busiest month is August (2,004 records).

The values, month by month

Jan 0 · Feb 2 · Mar 0 · Apr 0 · May 13 · Jun 808 · Jul 1,739 · Aug 2,004 · Sep 126 · Oct 1 · Nov 3 · Dec 3 (records).

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began, since 1996.

What were the deadliest heat records in Oklahoma?

Oklahoma: the storms with the most deaths since 1996
Date	Record	Killed	Injured	Damage
2006-07-16	HeatOklahoma County · forecast zone Oklahoma One storm episode: 4 records in 4 places; the totals are the episode's.	10	100	–
1999-07-27	HeatCleveland County · forecast zone Cleveland One storm episode: 3 records in 3 places, 1999-07-27 to 1999-07-30; the totals are the episode's. 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 ...	8	1	–
2006-08-01	HeatOklahoma County · forecast zone Oklahoma One storm episode: 6 records in 6 places; the totals are the episode's.	8	0	–
2001-07-04	HeatOklahoma County · forecast zone Oklahoma One storm episode: 3 records in 3 places; the totals are the episode's. An extended period of excessive heat affected all of western and central Oklahoma in July. Daily mean temperatures ranged from the mid 80s to near 90 degrees, which is four to five degrees above normal. Most areas regularly experienced high temperatures at or above 100 degrees, particularly western and north central ...	8	0	–
1996-07-01	HeatOklahoma County · forecast zone Oklahoma One storm episode: 5 records in 5 places; the totals are the episode's. High temperatures topped the century mark in central Oklahoma through the first week of July. On July 1, the high in Oklahoma City (at OKC) reached 102 degrees, then 104 on the 2nd, 103 on the 3rd, 105 on the 4th, 108 on the 5th, 110 on the 6th, and 106 on the 7th. During this prolonged period of hot temperatures, 7 ...	7	0	–
1998-07-06	HeatTulsa County · forecast zone Tulsa One storm episode: 3 records in 3 places; the totals are the episode's. A blistering heat wave struck the south-central part of the nation during July 1998, including much of eastern Oklahoma. A drought also accompanied the heat wave in southeast Oklahoma, combining with the heat wave to cause devastating crop damage. (For specific information on the drought aspect and crop damage, see ...	5	0	–
2011-08-01	Excessive HeatTulsa County · forecast zone Tulsa One storm episode: 4 records in 4 places; the totals are the episode's. A strong ridge of high pressure that dominated the weather across the south central United States for much of July, continued through the first couple weeks of August. Unseasonably hot weather resulted across the region with official records at the Tulsa International Airport indicating that August 2011 was the 5th ...	4	101	–
1998-07-19	HeatOklahoma County · forecast zone Oklahoma Three people died on the 19th due to the excessive heat. The first fatality occurred to a man of unknown age. He was found dead in his vehicle in Oklahoma City (Oklahoma County). A 55 year-old woman was found dead in her Guthrie (Logan County) home, and a 78 year-old woman was found dead in her Oklahoma City apartment.	3	0	–
2006-07-17	HeatMcIntosh County · forecast zone McIntosh A strong upper level ridge of high pressure that was anchored over the Southern Plains and a humid air mass over the region combined to produce excessive heat conditions over much of eastern Oklahoma with daytime heat indices as high as 115 degrees and morning low temperatures in the mid 70s to lower 80s. The ...	3	0	–
2007-08-06	Excessive HeatTulsa County · forecast zone Tulsa A 72 year old man died in Tulsa from heat exposure on the 9th. A 65 year old man died in Tulsa from heat exposure on the 10th.	2	200	–

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: deaths direct and indirect, as filed by the National Weather Service, summed over each storm (one episode, or one named storm filed by several offices). Storm names from the titles of FEMA declarations that name the storm's counties.

Are heat records becoming more frequent in Oklahoma?

Oklahoma's count per decade against the whole country's, and its share. NOAA recorded every event type only from 1996, so earlier decades are not comparable; the share of the national total is the fairer comparison across decades.

Heat: Oklahoma and the United States by decade (2020s to June 30, 2026)
Decade	Oklahoma	United States	Oklahoma's share
1996-99	86	4,355	2.0%
2000s	310	9,163	3.4%
2010s	534	16,445	3.2%
2020-26	3,769	26,796	14.1%

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.

The most recent heat records in Oklahoma

The 12 most recent records, to June 30, 2026
Date	Record	Damage
2026-06-28	HeatWoodward County · forecast zone Woodward	–
2026-06-28	HeatWoods County · forecast zone Woods	–
2026-06-28	HeatTillman County · forecast zone Tillman	–
2026-06-28	HeatMajor County · forecast zone Major	–
2026-06-28	HeatKiowa County · forecast zone Kiowa	–
2026-06-28	HeatJackson County · forecast zone Jackson	–
2026-06-28	HeatHarper County · forecast zone Harper	–
2026-06-28	HeatHarmon County · forecast zone Harmon	–
2026-06-28	HeatGreer County · forecast zone Greer	–
2026-06-28	HeatGrant County · forecast zone Grant	–
2026-06-28	HeatDewey County · forecast zone Dewey	–
2026-06-28	HeatCuster County · forecast zone Custer	–

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; the newest months are revised by NCEI as reports arrive. Search the record at NCEI.