Payne County, Oklahoma: hazard risk
FEMA rates Payne County's overall risk Relatively Moderate (score 83.9 of 100, higher than 83% of rated U.S. counties); 4 of its 14 hazards are rated Relatively High or Very High, led by ice storm, cold wave, hail. Its storm record holds 1,143 events since 1950.
FEMA's rating for each hazard
These are FEMA's county-wide model ratings and this county's storm record. They are not an assessment of any property, address or building, and not insurance advice: a property's risk depends on its own elevation, construction and location.
FEMA gives each hazard its own rating, and a rating does not follow the score from one hazard to the next: a hazard with a higher score can carry a lower rating than another. The table sorts by FEMA's rating, then by score (0 to 100, the county against every other county for that hazard).
| Hazard | Risk rating | Score | Expected annual loss |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ice Storm | Very High | 97.3 | $2.4M |
| Cold Wave | Relatively High | 97.0 | $15M |
| Hail | Relatively High | 96.4 | $3.6M |
| Tornado | Relatively High | 94.7 | $11M |
| Wildfire | Relatively Moderate | 89.6 | $1.3M |
| Heat Wave | Relatively Moderate | 86.7 | $2.3M |
| Winter Weather | Relatively Moderate | 83.0 | $234K |
| Strong Wind | Relatively Moderate | 81.0 | $1.3M |
| Drought | Relatively Moderate | 71.8 | $565K |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively Low | 67.6 | $12M |
| Lightning | Relatively Low | 41.9 | $168K |
| Landslide | Very Low | 61.7 | $3K |
| Earthquake | Very Low | 58.3 | $404K |
| Hurricane | Very Low | 30.5 | $14K |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025 release. A model of future loss, not a count of past events. FEMA's National Risk Index map.
What the record holds
| Hazard | Records | Deaths | Damage | Rank in state | Rank in U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 412 | 0 | $212K | 8th of 77 | 50th of 3,080 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 335 | 0 | $2.2M | 12th of 77 | 792nd of 3,080 |
| Heat | 89 | 2 | – | 11th of 77 | 218th of 3,076 |
| Drought | 83 | 0 | $14M | 24th of 77 | 182nd of 3,063 |
| Winter storms | 65 | 1 | $213K | 6th of 77 | 1611th of 3,077 |
| Tornadoes | 59 | 2 | $49M | 22nd of 77 | 205th of 3,080 |
| Floods | 39 | 1 | $361K | 30th of 77 | 1653rd of 3,080 |
| High wind and dust storms | 17 | 0 | $80K | 34th of 77 | 1709th of 3,080 |
| Lightning | 15 | 0 | $358K | 4th of 77 | 331st of 3,080 |
| Extreme cold | 13 | 0 | – | 8th of 77 | 1180th of 3,076 |
| Wildfires | 4 | 0 | $15M | 49th of 77 | 556th of 2,972 |
| Heavy rain | 3 | 0 | – | 33rd of 77 | 2097th of 3,080 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, 1950 to 2026-06-30; damage in 2025 dollars. Search the record at NCEI.
The full Payne County record: every hazard by year and month, the deadliest events and FEMA's declarations.