McClain County

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within McClain County: 4.
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.

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. May 3, 1999Tornado$10.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Tornado A9 (McClain County portion). See summary at end of May 3rd storm reports.

2. Dec 26, 2000Ice Storm, Mcclain$6.0 million
   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…

3. Nov 3, 2024Tornado$5.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   This tornado touched down in the northern part of Blanchard and moved north-northeast. The tornado initially was EF0 producing some tree limb damage and damage to one house near Northeast 40th Street and Rockwall. After crossing the Norman Spur of the Bailey Turnpike and moving into Newcastle, EF1 damage was noted to trees and homes as it moved through neighborhoods in Newcastle north of SW 24th Avenue. Newcastle Elementary School received significant roof damage as the tornado continued to move north just west of U.S. Highway 62. The tornado finally dissipated in north Newcastle to the northwest of US-62 and Northwest 16th Street.

4. Apr 19, 2023Tornado$4.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The third tornado of the outbreak, the Cole-Goldsby Tornado, was the most destructive of the outbreak. The multiple-vortex tornado touched down near Rockwell Avenue south of 260th Street and moved in an erratic path, generally east and east-northeast through Cole. Many homes and mobile homes were damaged or destroyed near and in Cole. A man was killed in a destroyed mobile home in the far western portion of Cole. A woman was injured in a nearby mobile home, but died of a heart attack on the way to the hospital (indirect fatality). EF3 rated damage was found to at least three homes on Portland Avenue and Main Street in Cole with most exterior walls removed.||After moving through…

5. Jun 5, 2025Thunderstorm Wind$1.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A wide swath of very strong thunderstorm winds moved out of Grady County and into southwestern McClain County. There was extensive damage for a distance of at least 18 miles from the Grady County line to southwest of Wayne. The width of the damage swath was up to 3.5 miles wide in the Payne area. The most significant damage and winds estimated to be near 120 mph were south of Payne along Western Avenue and along 120th Street where a well constructed barn was destroyed, numerous power poles were snapped, and trees snapped and partially debarked.||Elsewhere, power pole and significant tree damage occurred throughout this damage swath. At least six homes suffered roof damage and nine…

6. May 25, 1997Tornado$900,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   This description was taken almost entirely, and with minimal editing, from a damage survey conducted Monday May 26th (Memorial Day), the day after the tornado, by a National Weather Service meteorologist.This tornado, rated F2, began 5 miles east of Criner, or 7 miles west-southwest of downtown Purcell, in southern McClain County. The beginning time of this tornado is not entirely certain but is believed to be near or just after 16:00 CST. This tornado tracked just south of due east for 6 miles, ending about 4 miles northwest of Wayne or 4 miles south of downtown Purcell at around 16:24 CST. At its widest, the damage path was estimated to be 3/4 mile wide. Numerous power lines…

7. Aug 31, 2020Lightning$400,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A large house was destroyed after being struck by lightning. Time of strike estimated from radar and surrounding reports.

8. Jan 8, 2026Tornado$400,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   This tornado developed near 180th Street and Ladd Road southwest of Purcell and moved northeast. One home about 3 miles southwest of Purcell had the roof removed. A semi on Interstate 35 just west of Purcell was pushed over injuring one person. The tornado then moved through Purcell causing roof damage to a few homes and damaging utility poles and trees. Moving out of the northeast side of Purcell, the tornado crossed the Canadian River into Cleveland County.

9. Jul 10, 2007Flash Flood$400,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Numerous city streets and alleys were closed due to high water. One-fourth of 180th Street was washed away. Monetary damages were estimated.

10. May 27, 2001Thunderstorm Wind$200,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    Three church steeples were blown off, and an office building was destroyed.

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

113°FAug 3, 2012

All-time low

−14°FFeb 16, 2021

Warmest night

84°FAug 3, 2012

Coldest day

3°FDec 24, 1983

Wettest day

7.62 inJun 14, 2010

Snowiest day

13.5 inDec 24, 2009

Hottest year

2012mean 64.2°F

Coldest year

1968mean 58.2°F

Wettest year

200756.95 in

Driest year

195417.84 in

Snowiest season

24.4 in1967-68

Station Oklahoma City Will Rogers World (USW00013967), 1,279 ft elevation, 19.9 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1948 to October 26, 2026; 100.0% 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 USW00013967.
• 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.