Blaine County

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Blaine County: 2.
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.

Every earthquake of magnitude 4 or more within 50 miles

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.

More event types since 1996

Costliest events since 1996

1. Jan 30, 2002Ice Storm, Blaine$25.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Freezing rain began across the northwest third of the state during the evening of the 29th with significant accumulations of ice developing shortly after midnight on the 30th. Freezing rain shifted southward during the early morning of the 30th with moderate to occasionally heavy freezing rain occurring in a 50 to 60 mile wide band, extending from north central Oklahoma, near Ponca City and Perry, southwestward toward Enid, Kingfisher, Oklahoma City, Weatherford, Anadarko, and Hobart. In many areas, the freezing rain continued for 12 to 24 hours, with ice accumulations of 1 to 2 inches commonly observed. As the end of the storm neared, freezing rain transitioned to sleet and snow…

2. Dec 27, 2015Ice Storm, Blaine$2.8 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Damage estimates reported by local power companies.

3. May 29, 2004Tornado$1.5 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The second tornado of this storm began 3 miles NE of American Horse Lake, or 9 miles WNW of Geary. This tornado also was obscured by rain for much of its life cycle, but was documented at close range by the Doppler on Wheels (DOW). The center of the tornadic circulation initially moved ESE, approaching American Horse Road around 1824 (all times CST), 6-7 miles WNW of Geary, then turned to the ENE. Damage occurred over a wide swath to the right of the center of circulation, and was the combined result of the tornado and damaging winds from the very strong mesocyclone within which it was embedded. A peak instantaneous wind gust was measured by the DOW at 81 m/s (157 knots, or 181…

4. Aug 19, 2007Flash Flood$1.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Heavy rain and high winds pounded most areas in Blaine county. Rainfall amounts of 5 to 8 inches resulted in widespread flash flooding. In Watonga, the American Horse Road was washed out by the Hal Geyner Farm. One hundred and twenty four residences had minor flood damage, 21 suffered major damage, and five homes were destroyed. At Greenfield, 13 residences had minor flood damage and two had major damage. At Hitchcock, one residence had minor damage. Numerous city and county roads had to be closed due to widespread flash flooding. Monetary damages were estimated.

5. Aug 19, 2007Thunderstorm Wind$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Widespread wind damage was reported in and near Watonga. Prolonged high winds and numerous severe gusts occurred in and around Watonga from 1 am until around 415 am. 82 mph winds were reported at Watonga airport at 254 am before weather instruments stopped reporting. One open hangar and 2 T-hangars were completely destroyed.|Six planes were damaged, some severely. Windows were blown out of numerous businesses. Numerous trees, power poles, and power lines were blown down. A train car was on its side after being blown off the track. Two light towers at the baseball field collapsed and one was bent. Monetary damages were estimated.

6. Nov 27, 2015Ice Storm, Blaine$186,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Damage estimates are from local power cooperatives.

7. May 27, 2001Thunderstorm Wind$150,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Large trees fell on homes and vehicles. A trailer-home was blown over. The VFW building was destroyed, and numerous storage buildings were blown over.

8. May 19, 2024Thunderstorm Wind$125,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A swath of significant straight-line wind damage was identified across portions of far southern Blaine County, associated with the rear-flank downdraft of a nearby tornadic thunderstorm. A mobile home was destroyed about 4 miles east of Hydro that caused two injuries. Numerous wooden power poles were snapped, large trees uprooted, and a center irrigation pivot was overturned along the path. Multiple wood and metal outbuildings were also damaged, including at least one destroyed, and a house near the intersection of County Road 1000 and Oklahoma Highway 58 had shingles removed. Both the wind path and time are estimated.

9. Dec 26, 2000Winter Storm, Blaine$100,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A major winter storm developed during the evening of the 25th across all of western, central, and southeast Oklahoma, with significant accumulations of snow and ice beginning shortly after 0000 CST on the 26th. Mainly snow fell across northwest Oklahoma with accumulations between 8 and 12 inches reported across northern Beckham, Roger Mills, and southern Ellis Counties. Snow amounts varied widely across the rest of northwest Oklahoma with 4 to 8 inches falling across portions of Dewey and Custer Counties, and only 1 to 2 inches across Woods and Alfalfa Counties, however even in areas where snow amounts were light, significant disruptions in travel and power outages were reported.A…

10. Jul 14, 2022Wildfire, Blaine$100,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    The 720 wildfire burned roughly 10,000 acres to the west of the town of Hitchcock on the 14th. 3 houses and 2 barns were destroyed, with no injuries or fatalities reported.

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

112°FAug 2, 2012

All-time low

−16°FFeb 16, 2021

Warmest night

86°FJul 7, 1996

Coldest day

2°FDec 22, 1989

Wettest day

9.07 inAug 19, 2007

Snowiest day

11.0 in2 times, most recently Jan 7, 1988

Hottest year

2024mean 62.8°F

Coldest year

2014mean 57.2°F

Wettest year

200759.23 in

Driest year

195213.01 in

Snowiest season

44.2 in1987-88

Station Watonga (USC00349364), 1,530 ft elevation, 2.1 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1902 to August 31, 2026; 97.1% 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 USC00349364.
• 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.
• 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.