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Oklahoma · County tornado history

Tulsa County, Oklahoma tornadoes

NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center has recorded 98 tornadoes in Tulsa County, Oklahoma from 1950 through 2024, about 1.3 a year. That ranks it 7 of 77 counties in Oklahoma with a recorded tornado. The most recent was an EF1 on July 28, 2022.

By Twisters.us · Updated · How we count

Tornadoes since 1950
98
Since 2000
33
Strongest
F4, April 24, 1993
Most recent
EF1, July 28, 2022
Peak month
May (30)
Per 1,000 sq mi
167
FEMA tornado risk
Very High

F0/EF0 1 2 3 4 5 · Lines run from where each tornado touched down to where it lifted; dots are short paths. Neighboring counties are outlined.

When tornadoes hit Tulsa County

May has brought the most, 30 of 98. About 53% touched down between 3 pm and 9 pm (Central Standard Time, as the Storm Prediction Center records it).

By decade

More tornadoes in recent decades mostly reflects better detection and reporting (Doppler radar, storm spotters, damage surveys), especially for weak EF0 tornadoes, not necessarily more storms. The 2020s bar covers only 2020 to 2024.

How strong they were

Rating Estimated 3-second gust Tornadoes
F0 / EF0 Light damage: 65 to 85 mph (EF scale) 37
F1 / EF1 Moderate: 86 to 110 mph 29
F2 / EF2 Considerable: 111 to 135 mph 21
F3 / EF3 Severe: 136 to 165 mph 8
F4 / EF4 Devastating: 166 to 200 mph 2
F5 / EF5 Incredible: over 200 mph 0
EF-U Unknown: no damage to rate (mostly since 2016) 1

Tornadoes before February 2007 were rated on the original Fujita (F) scale; since then the National Weather Service uses the Enhanced Fujita (EF) scale. Wind speeds above are EF-scale estimates from damage, not measurements. See what the EF scale means.

The strongest tornadoes in Tulsa County

Date Rating Path length Path width Deaths Injuries
June 8, 1974 F4 29 mi 400 yd 14 150
April 24, 1993 F4 5.5 mi 250 yd 7 100
April 19, 1981 F3 9.9 mi 880 yd 5 49
June 8, 1974 F3 63.6 mi 100 yd 2 80
June 8, 1974 F3 48.9 mi 100 yd 42
December 5, 1975 F3 1.5 mi 700 yd 38
April 19, 1981 F3 4.9 mi 200 yd 7
April 19, 1981 F3 0.5 mi 10 yd 1
July 2, 1992 F3 4 mi 100 yd 1
May 5, 1960 F3 101.9 mi 400 yd

Deaths and injuries are for each tornado’s whole path, which can cross other counties.

The deadliest

The deadliest tornado to touch Tulsa County was an F4 on June 8, 1974. It killed 14 people and injured 150 along its 29-mile path.

Most recent tornadoes

Date Rating Path length Path width Deaths Injuries
July 28, 2022 EF1 4 mi 800 yd
November 10, 2021 EF0 0.5 mi 150 yd
October 10, 2021 EF-U 0.7 mi 100 yd
December 28, 2019 EF0 1.2 mi 160 yd
May 25, 2019 EF0 1.8 mi 400 yd
May 25, 2019 EF1 12.3 mi 2,200 yd
May 25, 2019 EF1 12.5 mi 1,400 yd
May 22, 2019 EF0 0.2 mi 75 yd

The official database ends with 2024. For storms since then, see the Storm Prediction Center’s reports and your local National Weather Service office.

FEMA’s tornado risk rating

FEMA’s National Risk Index rates the tornado risk in Tulsa County as very high, with a score of 99 out of 100 compared with every other U.S. county. It estimates about 0.68 tornadoes a year here and an expected annual loss of about $37,149,562 to buildings, people and farming. The index mixes how often tornadoes strike with what is exposed and how well a community can recover, so a busy rural county can rate lower than a less active city.

Neighboring counties

Staying safe

When a tornado warning is issued, act at once. Go to a basement, storm shelter or safe room. With none, use a small windowless room on the lowest floor, as far from outside walls as you can, and cover your head and neck. Mobile homes and cars are not safe places to ride out a tornado: leave early for a sturdy building or shelter. Read the full tornado safety guide and the National Weather Service advice linked below.

Sources

Sources last checked 1 November 2026.

Frequently asked questions

How many tornadoes has Tulsa County had?

98 from 1950 through 2024 in NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center database, 33 of them since 2000.

When was the last tornado in Tulsa County?

The most recent in the official record was an EF1 on July 28, 2022. Later storms are not yet in the final database.

What was the strongest tornado in Tulsa County?

An F4 on April 24, 1993, with a 5.5-mile path.

When is tornado season in Tulsa County?

May has had the most tornadoes here. Across the U.S. the peak runs from spring into early summer, and the South also sees tornadoes in late fall and winter.