PlainHazard

Oklahoma high wind and dust storms

Every recorded high wind record since 1996 · 77 counties with a record

NOAA's Storm Events Database records 2,209 high wind and dust records in Oklahoma from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 71 a year since 2000. The deadliest was Road Fire and Logan Fire (March 14, 2025): 1 death, 6 injuries and $425,000 in damage in 2025 dollars across 104 records. Oklahoma ranks 25th of 52 states and territories by count and 33rd of 51 per square mile.

High wind and dust storms in Oklahoma, 1996 to 2026

Wind 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
2,2091996 to June 30, 2026
A year since 2000
71average
Deaths
122 injuries
Damage, 2025 dollars
$4.9Mas filed
Busiest year
2025254 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 high wind and dust records common in Oklahoma?

Oklahoma averages about 71 high wind and dust records a year since 2000, 25th of 52 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 2025 (254). Per 10,000 square miles of land, Oklahoma records 322 high wind and dust records since 1996, 33rd of 51 states and territories by that measure.

  1. 1. Rhode Island 7061
  2. 2. New Jersey 4882
  3. 3. Massachusetts 4776
  4. 4. Delaware 3705
  5. 5. Maryland 1330
  6. 6. Connecticut 1301
  7. 7. Vermont 1178
  8. 8. Hawaii 1067
  9. 9. New York 1028
  10. 10. Wyoming 900
  11. 33. Oklahoma 322

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 high wind and dust records?

Per square mile, Harmon County leads Oklahoma: 38 days with a high wind record since 1996, 70.7 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Texas County has the most wind records (311 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).

  1. Harmon County 70.7 (44)
  2. Texas County 63.7 (311)
  3. Cimarron County 56.1 (204)
  4. Tillman County 52.8 (55)
  5. Comanche County 52.4 (73)
  6. Oklahoma County 48.0 (47)
  7. Dewey County 45.0 (61)
  8. Jackson County 44.9 (44)
  9. Custer County 40.5 (61)
  10. Woods County 40.4 (77)
  11. Cleveland County 39.0 (27)
  12. Woodward County 37.8 (69)

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 windy season in Oklahoma?

49% of its high wind and dust records since 1996 fell in March and April. The busiest month is March (604 records).

The values, month by month

Jan 180 · Feb 278 · Mar 604 · Apr 469 · May 167 · Jun 169 · Jul 10 · Aug 19 · Sep 39 · Oct 53 · Nov 133 · Dec 88 (records).

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

What were the deadliest high wind and dust records in Oklahoma?

Oklahoma: the storms with the most deaths since 1996
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2025-03-14 Road Fire and Logan Fire · Dust StormGarfield County · forecast zone Garfield One storm episode: 104 records in 31 places; the totals are the episode's. An intense upper system produced a historic wildfire outbreak and synoptic windstorm across the WFO Norman Forecast Area on the 14th. As a note, the first, last and highest magnitude wind gusts are those included in this episode for a particular zone (county). 1 6 $425K

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.

The costliest high wind and dust records in Oklahoma

Oklahoma: the most damaging storms since 1993, 2025 dollars
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2011-06-09 High WindGarfield County · forecast zone Garfield 57 kt wind 0 0 $492K
2025-03-14 Road Fire and Logan Fire · Dust StormGarfield County · forecast zone Garfield One storm episode: 104 records in 31 places; the totals are the episode's. 1 6 $425K
2014-04-27 Dust StormTexas County · forecast zone Texas 0 5 $249K
2025-05-18 High WindMarshall County · forecast zone Marshall One storm episode: 3 records in 3 places; the totals are the episode's. 56 kt wind 0 0 $200K
2025-03-14 High WindOsage County · forecast zone Osage One storm episode: 14 records in 14 places; the totals are the episode's. 58 kt wind 0 0 $95K
1999-05-04 High WindCuster County · forecast zone Custer 0 3 $27K
2023-03-31 High WindTulsa County · forecast zone Tulsa 56 kt wind 0 1 $19K
2007-02-24 High WindCleveland County · forecast zone Cleveland 50 kt wind 0 1 $17K

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: property and crop damage as estimated by the National Weather Service, in 2025 dollars.

Are high wind and dust 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.

High wind and dust storms: Oklahoma and the United States by decade (2020s to June 30, 2026)
DecadeOklahomaUnited StatesOklahoma's share
1996-9929514,0262.1%
2000s84637,2542.3%
2010s43441,7481.0%
2020-2663436,3001.7%

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.

The most recent high wind and dust records in Oklahoma

The 12 most recent records, to June 30, 2026
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2026-06-22 High WindBryan County · forecast zone Bryan 50 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-06-22 High WindOklahoma County · forecast zone Oklahoma 51 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-06-22 High WindWoodward County · forecast zone Woodward 52 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-06-22 High WindWoodward County · forecast zone Woodward 50 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-06-22 High WindWoodward County · forecast zone Woodward 51 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-05-18 High WindBeaver County · forecast zone Beaver 51 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-05-15 High WindTulsa County · forecast zone Tulsa 60 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-05-14 High WindTexas County · forecast zone Texas 78 kt wind 0 0 $5K
2026-03-27 High WindComanche County · forecast zone Comanche 50 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-03-15 High WindTexas County · forecast zone Texas 61 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-03-15 High WindCleveland County · forecast zone Cleveland 52 kt wind 0 0 $10K
2026-03-15 Dust StormComanche County · forecast zone Comanche 0 0 –

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.

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