Oklahoma lightning
Every recorded lightning record since 1996 · 69 counties with a record
NOAA's Storm Events Database records 377 lightning records in Oklahoma from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 8.5 a year since 2000. The deadliest was the August 5, 2023 lightning in Mayes County: 1 death and 3 injuries. Oklahoma ranks 20th of 52 states and territories by count and 31st of 51 per square mile.
Lightning in Oklahoma, 1996 to 2026
Lightning 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
- 3771996 to June 30, 2026
- A year since 2000
- 8.5average
- Deaths
- 1361 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $37Mas filed
- Busiest year
- 199977 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 lightning records common in Oklahoma?
Oklahoma averages about 8.5 lightning records a year since 2000, 20th of 52 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 1999 (77). Per 10,000 square miles of land, Oklahoma records 55 lightning records since 1996, 31st of 51 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 lightning records?
Per square mile, Oklahoma County leads Oklahoma: 41 days with a lightning record since 1996, 57.8 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Oklahoma County has the most lightning records (50 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).
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 lightning season in Oklahoma?
Oklahoma's lightning records by month. The busiest month is August (76 records).
The values, month by month
Jan 11 · Feb 9 · Mar 16 · Apr 31 · May 55 · Jun 65 · Jul 43 · Aug 76 · Sep 30 · Oct 28 · Nov 8 · Dec 5 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began, since 1996.
What were the deadliest lightning records in Oklahoma?
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-08-05 | LightningSpavinaw, Mayes County Lightning struck and injured four girls who were swimming. All of the girls were taken to local hospitals. One of the girls died from her injuries on August 7th. | 1 | 3 | – | |
| 2025-07-26 | LightningMcBride, Marshall County One person was killed and another critically injured when they were struck by lightning while playing horseshoes on Lake Texoma's North Island. The location is approximate, and the event time is estimated based on fire/ambulance dispatch times provided by emergency management. | 1 | 1 | – | |
| 1999-04-24 | LightningMuldrow, Sequoyah County A 36-year old Muldrow man was killed by lightning while fishing in a tournament on the Arkansas River near Lock and Dam 14. A 24-year old companion was also struck by lightning, suffering severe burns on his right arm, shoulder and foot. | 1 | 1 | – | |
| 2005-07-23 | LightningBroken Arrow, Tulsa County Two teenagers were struck by lightning when it struck a tree under which they were playing. Both teenagers went into cardiac arrest as a result of the strike but were revived and taken to the hospital. One of the teenagers later died (on October 11, 2005) from injuries and complications of those injuries. The other ... | 1 | 1 | – | |
| 2002-07-06 | LightningHulbert, Cherokee County Lightning struck a 32 year old woman and her 14 year old daughter while they were standing under a tree. They were in Wildwood Park on the shores of Ft. Gibson Lake near Hulbert. Both were taken by Lifeflight helicopter to Hillcrest Medical Center in Tulsa. The daughter fully recovered. The woman died at 530 am CDT ... | 1 | 1 | – | |
| 2012-07-13 | LightningAda, Pontotoc County A brief thunderstorm impacted Ada, Oklahoma just before midnight. No structural damage was reported, but one fatality occurred when a man was struck by lightning in the driveway of his home. | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 1997-07-21 | LightningClaremore, Rogers County A 42 year old man was struck and killed by lightning when he went outdoors to roll up his car windows. | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 1997-08-18 | LightningBoise City, Cimarron County A man was riding a horse at Black Mesa StatePark around Lake Carl Etling and were struck by lightning.Both the man and the horse were killed instantly. | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-06-27 | LightningEufaula, McIntosh County A woman was walking through Greenwood cemetery, and took shelter under a tree when a thunderstorm moved into the area. She was struck and killed by lightning. | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2003-08-01 | LightningEufaula, McIntosh County A man was struck by lightning while standing in a parking lot near Eufaula Cove on Lake Eufaula. The man was attending a festival at the time. He was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead. | 1 | 0 | – |
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 lightning records in Oklahoma
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007-04-27 | LightningWynnewood, Garvin County | 0 | 0 | $4.3M | |
| 2014-07-09 | LightningNichols Hills, Oklahoma County One storm episode: 2 records; the totals are the episode's. | 0 | 0 | $3.8M | |
| 2006-06-12 | LightningGlenpool, Tulsa County | 0 | 0 | $2.9M | |
| 2001-08-25 | LightningOklahoma City, Oklahoma County | 0 | 0 | $2.5M | |
| 2008-06-17 | LightningOklahoma City, Oklahoma County | 0 | 0 | $2.1M | |
| 2019-08-26 | LightningShawnee, Pottawatomie County | 0 | 0 | $1.2M | |
| 2001-03-30 | LightningOklahoma City, Oklahoma County | 0 | 0 | $833K | |
| 2010-06-03 | LightningVinita, Craig County | 0 | 0 | $677K |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: property and crop damage as estimated by the National Weather Service, in 2025 dollars.
Are lightning 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.
| Decade | Oklahoma | United States | Oklahoma's share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996-99 | 188 | 3,521 | 5.3% |
| 2000s | 148 | 8,052 | 1.8% |
| 2010s | 29 | 5,103 | 0.6% |
| 2020-26 | 12 | 1,544 | 0.8% |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.
The most recent lightning records in Oklahoma
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-01-08 | LightningEdmond, Oklahoma County | 0 | 1 | $25K | |
| 2025-07-26 | LightningMcBride, Marshall County | 1 | 1 | – | |
| 2025-06-27 | LightningEufaula, McIntosh County | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2023-08-08 | LightningMustang, Canadian County | 0 | 0 | $438K | |
| 2023-08-05 | LightningSpavinaw, Mayes County | 1 | 3 | – | |
| 2023-07-11 | LightningEdmond, Oklahoma County | 0 | 1 | $484K | |
| 2020-08-31 | LightningNewcastle, McClain County | 0 | 0 | $456K | |
| 2019-08-26 | LightningShawnee, Pottawatomie County | 0 | 0 | $1.2M | |
| 2017-05-27 | LightningTurner Falls, Murray County | 0 | 1 | – | |
| 2014-07-09 | LightningNichols Hills, Oklahoma County | 0 | 0 | $3.5M | |
| 2014-07-09 | LightningForest Park, Oklahoma County | 0 | 0 | $312K | |
| 2013-07-23 | LightningTulsa County | 0 | 0 | $317K |
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.
Next
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