Coal County

Every recorded tornado

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

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.

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. Dec 26, 2000Ice Storm, Coal$600,000
   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…

2. Apr 11, 2001Tornado$400,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   This tornado formed in Pontotoc County and crossed into Coal County at approximately 0349 CST, then re-entered Pontotoc County at approximately 0356 CST. Nineteen power transmission towers, 3 for major trunk power lines, were downed across this area.

3. Jan 12, 2007Winter Storm, Coal$248,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A strong winter storm crippled much of Oklahoma from January 12th through the 14th, spreading snow, freezing rain and sleet across the state. The snow and sleet was confined to northern and western Oklahoma. The freezing rain and sleet occurred mainly over central and southwest Oklahoma, with mainly freezing rain over the southeast. The hardest hit areas with freezing rain were Atoka, Bryan, Coal, Cotton, Hughes, Seminole, and Johnston counties. The wintry precipitation caused numerous traffic accidents with numerous indirect injuries and 14 indirect fatalities. Many trees and powers lines were downed with thousands of residents without power, mainly over southern and eastern…

4. Aug 3, 2003Thunderstorm Wind$100,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Shingles were blown off many roofs. Some sheds and porches were damaged. Numerous trees were downed and some trees were blown onto homes. A few barns were also destroyed. Some power poles were snapped. A mobile home was also destroyed. The roof and one end of the mobile home was ripped off. The metal roof of a chicken pen was ripped off along with dog pens blown away. One of the roosters in the chicken pen was plucked of all feathers.

5. Feb 10, 2009Thunderstorm Wind$85,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   The Coal County Emergency Manager reported four large barns destroyed and several outbuildings destroyed, including a dog kennel and home. An unanchored mobile home was moved off its fame and its windows were broken. Monetary damages were estimated.

6. Jun 9, 1998Thunderstorm Wind$80,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Severe thunderstorm winds estimated at 60 mph caused widespread damage across Coal County. Trees and power poles were downed throughout the county. The most extensive structural damage occured in Coalgate where several roofs were blown off houses, barns were damaged or destroyed, a restaurant lost its roof, and a lumberyard sustained $25,000 in damage to its roof. Countless trees and power poles were toppled, including several large trees that landed on buildings. Other structural damage was reported in Lehigh and Centrahoma. In Lehigh a porch was destroyed and the roof was torn off an office building. In Centrahoma an unoccupied mobile home was literally wrapped around a tree and…

7. Apr 11, 2001Tornado$75,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   This tornado formed 4 miles southeast of Coalgate and tracked northeastward for 8 miles before crossing into northwest Atoka County at 0434 CST (See following entry for information about the Atoka County segment). The tornado then continued for another 5 miles before dissipating at 0440 CST. In Coal County, 1 fatalilty and injuries to another person occurred when a mobile home was thrown approximately 200 yards and disintegrated 4 miles east of Coalgate. In addition, a well-constructed frame home suffered severe roof damage and exterior wall damage in extreme eastern Coal County.

8. Apr 19, 2025Tornado$75,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   The roof of a home was damaged, a shed destroyed and numerous trees were damaged just west of the Coal-Atoka County line near E1770 Road.

9. Aug 3, 2003Thunderstorm Wind$60,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Several businesses suffered roof damage along with a front plate glass window broken out. Several signs and billboards were damaged. A storage shed was also lifted and moved, landing upside down in a driveway. Privacy fence was downed. The ticket booth at the football field was turned over. The baseball park also suffered damage. A dugout made of concrete blocks, a metal frame and roof was destroyed. Light poles were also downed.

10. Feb 10, 2009Thunderstorm Wind$40,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    Several large signs were blown down. Minor roof damage was reported to some homes and business'. Reported by the Coal County Emergency Management. Monetary damages were estimated.

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

116°FAug 10, 1936

All-time low

−14°FJan 10, 1977

Warmest night

87°FJun 12, 1897

Coldest day

7°FDec 24, 1983

Wettest day

8.06 inOct 13, 1981

Snowiest day

12.0 inFeb 18, 1921

Hottest year

1911mean 65.7°F

Coldest year

1979mean 58.6°F

Wettest year

201578.65 in

Driest year

196320.71 in

Snowiest season

21.3 in1977-78

Station Mcalester Regional Airport (USW00093950), 753 ft elevation, 36.5 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1893 to October 26, 2026; 99.2% 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 USW00093950.
• 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.