Adair County

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Adair County: 0.
2. Weak tornadoes were under-recorded before Doppler radar coverage became national in the early 1990s, so earlier decades read low. Ratings use the Fujita scale before February 2007 and the Enhanced Fujita scale after.

Storm Prediction Center severe weather database, 1950 to 2025.

Every storm within 100 miles

1. Tropical storms and hurricanes (34 kt or more, still tropical) at closest approach. Post-tropical remnants with gale-force winds are listed but not counted. Direct: track within 50 miles; near: within 100 miles. Distance is measured to the county boundary for counties and to the city centre for cities, using positions interpolated hourly between HURDAT2 fixes.

National Hurricane Center HURDAT2, 1851 to 2025.

Every large fire

1. Large fires mapped by the Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity program since 1984: 1,000 acres or more in the West, 500 or more in the East. Prescribed burns are excluded. Acres here are the part of each perimeter inside this place.

Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity (USGS and U.S. Forest Service), 1984 to 2026.

Smoke overhead

1. A smoke day is a date on which a smoke plume traced by NOAA Hazard Mapping System analysts from satellite imagery covered this place's point (the county's population centre or the city centre). Counts here are of medium or heavy smoke. Since 2018 analysts have often drawn light smoke as one area over most of the continent, so light-smoke counts are not comparable from year to year. The plumes show smoke anywhere in the air above, not air quality at the ground, and smoke hidden by cloud is missed.

NOAA Hazard Mapping System smoke analysis, 2011 to 2026, retrieved October 30, 2026.

Claims by ZIP code

This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).

OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims v3, refreshed August 4, 2026. NOAA Storm Events through 2026.

River crests

River gauges

1. Crests are the highest and the recent crests the National Weather Service lists for each river gauge in the county that has a flood stage, not every flood. Flood categories use each gauge's current flood stages; crests from before levees, dams or channel changes may not be comparable. Crests measured on an old datum are left out of the rankings.

NOAA National Water Prediction Service gauge records, retrieved October 30, 2026.

1. The Palmer Drought Severity Index is computed by NOAA each month from the county's average temperature and precipitation, relative to the county's own climate. Zero is normal; -3 or lower is severe drought and -4 or lower extreme drought. It describes the long-term balance of moisture, not water supply or crop losses.

NOAA NCEI nClimDiv county Palmer Drought Severity Index, 1895 to September 2026, issued October 6, 2026.

1. Earthquakes of magnitude 2.5 or more in the USGS Comprehensive Catalog since 1900. Within 50 miles means the epicentre lies within 50 miles of the county boundary (or inside the county).
2. Small earthquakes were under-recorded before the modern seismic networks of the 1970s and are still missed in remote areas, so early decades read low. Magnitudes are as the catalogue reports them and mix scales (moment, local and body-wave).

USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog, 1900 to present, retrieved October 30, 2026.

Mapped landslides

Mapped by East OK, West AR (Regmi and Walter, 2020) (1).

1. Landslides mapped in the USGS compilation of landslide inventories across the United States (version 3.0, 2025), rated probable or better. The compilation joins inventories made by federal and state agencies for different purposes and areas, so the number mapped in a county reflects how closely it has been surveyed as much as how often its slopes fail. An area with few records may simply not have been mapped. Deaths are as recorded in the inventories; a slide listed in two inventories is counted once.

USGS Landslide Inventories across the United States, version 3.0, retrieved October 27, 2026.

Costliest events since 1996

1. Jan 26, 2009Ice Storm, Adair$3.3 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Upper level disturbances passing through the Southern Plains resulted in precipitation development north of a stationary arctic front located in North Texas. Freezing rain began across the area during the late morning hours of the 26th and became more widespread and heavy during the afternoon and evening hours. Freezing rain changed to sleet north of a Okemah-Wagoner-Colcord line during the morning of the 27th with heavy freezing rain continuing south of that line. The heaviest icing and most widespread power outages and tree damage occurred across portions of Cherokee, Sequoyah, Muskogee, and Adair Counties where one to one and a half inches of ice accumulated. More than 100,000…

2. Nov 28, 2001Ice Storm, Adair$1.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Freezing Rain accural totaled 1/2 to 1 inch that downed trees and utility lines across parts of the county. Power outages were common across this area.

3. Jun 21, 2000Flash Flood$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Heavy thunderstorm rains caused flooding of numerous rural roads. One of the major roads which were flooded was Highway 62 between Westville and Proctor. The flooding did substantial damage to gravel roads and bridges. The rising water in streams also flooded a few homes in Proctor and Chewey. Three homes were also flooded near where Shell Branch Creek flows into Baron Fork Creek.

4. Apr 13, 2022Tornado$300,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   This tornado developed south of the E 820 Road and west of the S 4700 Road, where large tree limbs were snapped and homes were damaged. It moved east-northeast across the cemetery snapping softwood trees. The tornado then moved across the northwest and north sides of Stilwell, where the roofs of a number of apartment buildings were damaged, homes were damaged, outbuildings were destroyed, trees were uprooted, and power poles were blown down. Several businesses were damaged as it crossed Highway 59, a semi truck was blown over, and trees were uprooted. As the tornado moved east-northeast from Stilwell, numerous trees were uprooted, outbuildings were damaged, and some trees and…

5. Nov 30, 2018Tornado$250,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   This is the fifth segment of a six segment tornado. This long-track tornado moved back into Adair County south-southwest of Proctor and moved north-northeast snapping and uprooting trees on the 754 Road. The tornado crossed Highway 62 near Proctor where homes were severely damaged, large outbuildings were destroyed, farm equipment was thrown large distances, and many trees were snapped and uprooted. It snapped and uprooted numerous trees and destroyed barns between Highway 62 and Chewey Road. Some of the tree damage in this heavily-wooded, rural area was extensive. The tornado continued to move north-northeast across heavily wooded terrain and then crossed River Road where…

6. Nov 4, 2024Tornado$150,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   This is the second segment of a four-segment tornado. The tornado moved into Adair County north of Caney Creek and south of the E 808 Road. Numerous trees were snapped or uprooted, outbuildings were damaged, homes were damaged, and utility poles were snapped between the county line and Christie. Extensive tree damage occurred northeast of Christie along Highway 62, and continued to near the S 4720 Road. A manufactured home was destroyed and outbuildings were damaged. The tornado widened to about 1200 yards for several miles as it approached the state line. Based on this damage, maximum estimated wind in this segment of the tornado was 110 to 120 mph. The tornado continued into…

7. May 20, 2013Tornado$125,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   This is the first segment of a two segment tornado. In Adair County, this tornado destroyed two barns and damaged a third barn. It also snapped or uprooted numerous trees as it moved northeast. Based on this damage, maximum estimated wind in this segment of the tornado was 100 to 110 mph. The tornado continued into Washington County, Arkansas, where it dissipated north of the town of Cincinnati.

8. Apr 10, 2008Tornado$100,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   An NWS storm survey determined that a strong tornado destroyed several mobile homes, caused extensive tree damage, destroyed barns and other outbuildings, and snapped power poles.

9. Apr 11, 2001Thunderstorm Wind$100,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Very strong thunderstorm winds associated with a downburst damaged seven dwellings including 4 mobile homes and three wood framed houses. Another house was damaged as a large tree fell on it. Two barns were competely destroyed and a small shed was overturned. Numerous other trees and power lines were blown down as well.

10. Mar 6, 2017Tornado$100,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    This tornado destroyed several outbuildings, damaged several homes, uprooted numerous trees, and blew down power poles. Based on this damage, estimated maximum wind in the tornado was 90 to 100 mph.

1. Storm Events records before 1996 cover only tornadoes, thunderstorm wind and hail. Damage figures are as reported by the National Weather Service at the time, not adjusted for inflation.

NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, 1950 to 2026, issued October 26, 2026.

All-time high

110°F2 times, most recently Aug 3, 2011

All-time low

−20°FFeb 16, 2021

Warmest night

83°FAug 5, 2011

Coldest day

2°FDec 24, 1983

Wettest day

7.45 inSep 26, 1996

Snowiest day

14.6 inFeb 9, 2011

Hottest year

2024mean 61.8°F

Coldest year

2014mean 55.4°F

Wettest year

199075.01 in

Driest year

196321.03 in

Snowiest season

33.0 in2009-10

Station Fayetteville Drake Field (USW00093993), 1,237 ft elevation, 27.5 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1949 to October 26, 2026; 99.3% of days in the last 30 years are complete. Records at a single station can differ from a city’s official threaded record, which may combine several stations.

NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network Daily.

This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).

OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries, retrieved October 30, 2026. Statewide declarations are not listed.

Neighbouring counties

• Tornadoes NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather database, through 2025.
• Tropical cyclones NOAA National Hurricane Center HURDAT2 (Atlantic; Northeast and Central Pacific), through 2025.
• Wildfire USGS/USFS Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity, through 2026.
• Storm events NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, through 2026.
• Flood insurance OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims v3, refreshed August 4, 2026.
• Declarations OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Weather records NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network Daily, station USW00093993.
• River crests NOAA National Weather Service, National Water Prediction Service river gauges, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Drought NOAA NCEI nClimDiv county Palmer Drought Severity Index, through September 2026.
• Smoke NOAA NESDIS Hazard Mapping System smoke analysis, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Landslides USGS Landslide Inventories across the United States, version 3.0 (2025).
• Earthquakes USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog (ComCat), retrieved October 30, 2026.

Joins, thresholds and known limits are set out in the methodology. Found an error? Report it. Page built October 30, 2026.