Pontotoc County

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Pontotoc County: 8.
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. Mar 4, 2025Tornado$10.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The Ada Tornado developed on the west side of Ada just west of State Highway 1 near Reeves Road, and moved generally east-northeast down Main Street through central and dissipated on the northeast side of Ada northeast of East Central University and Arlington Center. Numerous homes, businesses, trees and utility poles were damaged along the path. A motel suffered significant roof damage along Main Street. An apartment complex northeast of East Central University received roof damage. One person was injured outside of the motel when the tornado hit.

2. Dec 26, 2000Ice Storm, Pontotoc$3.9 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. Mar 14, 2024Hail$2.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Numerous images from various sources showing hailstones of up to 4-inches in diameter across the community of Ada. Widespread damage to vehicles and buildings reported. Time of event is estimated, with majority of hailfall occurring between 1650-1700 LST.

4. Jun 18, 2007Flash Flood$1.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A pickup truck washed into the Bois D' Arc Creek. All three passengers were rescued. Two persons were injured and treated at the scene, while another person was injured and transported to a nearby hospital. A number of businesses and homes had standing water inside. One home was flooded in Roff.

5. Apr 19, 2025Tornado$750,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   For the second time this spring, a tornado struck the city of Ada. This tornado began on the north side of Ada, near the intersection of North Broadway Avenue and NW JA Richardson Loop. Several homes suffered roof damage along Cottage street as the tornado moved east and northeast. EF1 damage was noted at a hotel along the Loop, where damage to roofs and awnings were observed and one person was injured. The tornado moved across the North Hills Shopping Center, damaging several businesses before moving to the northeast and dissipating northeast of Ada.

6. May 16, 2003Thunderstorm Wind$300,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Estimated straight-line wind gusts ranging from 60 to 70 mph caused sporadic damage along a path approximately 17 miles long, with Ada receiving the worst damage. One home was damaged in Latta, which is 2.5 miles SW of Ada. The Red Cross reported 85 homes damaged along the path with lots of shingle and roof damage. Several businesses in Ada were also damaged. Numerous trees were damaged with large limbs downed near the courthouse. A nursing home lost a portion of its roof. Several garage doors were blown in across the area. Some debris from factories in Ada were found approximately 4 miles east of town.

7. Mar 4, 2025Tornado$300,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   The Union Valley Tornado developed just east of State Highway 3 along County Road E1600 and moved east-northeast. One home received roof damage, the Union Valley Volunteer Fire Station was heavily damaged and numerous trees were damaged along the path. The tornado dissipated soon after hitting the Union Valley fire station.

8. Apr 27, 2024Tornado$250,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   After the Sulphur tornado dissipated, the storm produced another tornado in western Pontotoc County from west of Roff north and then northeast before it dissipated northwest of Fitzhugh. At least two mobile homes were rolled off of their foundation and at least one barn had roof damage. Trees and power poles were also damaged by this tornado along this path.

9. Mar 4, 2025Tornado$200,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   The Fittstown tornado developed just southwest of the Fittstown mesonet station about 7 miles southwest of the town of Fittstown. (The Fittstown mesonet station measured an 87 mph is listed separately) An RV was blown over and an outbuilding damaged near the beginning of the path. The tornado moved northeast damaging trees and producing shingle damage to a home. One other outbuilding was damaged just west of US Highway 377 as the tornado was dissipating.

10. Jun 9, 2004Thunderstorm Wind$150,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    Wind gusts destroyed a 40 foot by 175 foot lumber warehouse (metal/outbuilding structure) at the Ace Hardware in town.

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.

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.
• 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.