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Stephens County, OK Tornadoes Prior to 1950 | |||||||||
# | Date | Time (CST) |
Path Length (miles) |
Path Width (yards) |
F-Scale | Killed | Injured | County | Path |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
04/30/1898 | 2230 | 3 | 1320 | 1 | 19 | Stephens | Near Duncan | ||
05/28/1908 | Aft | 167 | Stephens | Near Duncan and "Nellie" (10 NW Duncan) | |||||
02/21/1925 | 1930 | 1 | 5 | Stephens | Near Loco | ||||
04/04/1928 | 1600 | Stephens | 3 W Stephens | ||||||
05/05/1930 | 2015 | 1320 | 0 | 3 | Stephens | Near Marlow Junction | |||
05/05/1930 | 2030 | 6 | 1760 | 0 | 3 | Stephens | Near Empire | ||
11/19/1930 | 1000 | 1 | 100 | 0 | 1 | Stephens | N of Marlow | ||
06/05/1936 | 2100 | 20 | 880 | 3 | 5 | Jefferson/ Stephens | Near Hastings | ||
04/30/1949 | 1720 | 300 | 0 | 0 | Stephens | 12 S Duncan | |||
Stephens County, OK Tornadoes (1950-Present*) | |||||||||
# | Date | Time (CST) |
Path Length (miles) |
Path Width (yards) |
F-Scale | Killed | Injured | County | Path |
1 | 04/30/1951 | 2030 | 0.1 | 10 | F1 | 0 | 0 | Stephens | Central High and Denton areas |
2 | 06/19/1953 | 1720 | 0.3 | 50 | F1 | 0 | 1 | Stephens | S of Duncan (Meridian school community) |
3 | 04/29/1954 | 2145 | 0.1 | 20 | F1 | 0 | 0 | Comanche/ Stephens | near Lawton - near Marlow |
4 | 05/01/1954 | 1745 | 6 | 100 | F3 | 0 | 0 | Stephens | Near Marlow |
5 | 05/01/1954 | 1745 | 8 | 300 | F3 | 0 | 0 | Cotton/ Jefferson/ Stephens | southern Cotton county - S of Hastings - near Addington - southern Stephens County |
6 | 04/11/1955 | 2130 | 2 | 10 | F0 | 0 | 0 | Stephens | Near Comanche |
7 | 04/11/1955 | 2130 | 15 | 10 | F0 | 0 | 0 | Stephens | Near Duncan |
8 | 04/22/1955 | 1900 | 0.1 | 10 | F1 | 0 | 2 | Stephens | Near Duncan |
9 | 05/26/1955 | 0230 | 0.1 | 10 | F0 | 0 | 0 | Stephens | near Velma |
10 | 04/20/1957 | 1830 | 0.1 | 10 | F1 | 0 | 1 | Stephens | 6 W Duncan |
11 | 05/24/1957 | 2100 | 0.1 | 10 | F2 | 0 | 0 | Stephens | Denton community (just W of Marlow) |
12 | 05/24/1957 | 2225 | 3 | 10 | F2 | 0 | 0 | Stephens | 1.5 SW Duncan - Duncan |
13 | 09/20/1957 | 2200 | 0.1 | 10 | F0 | 0 | 0 | Stephens | 2 E Marlow |
14 | 05/04/1960 | 1858 | 0.1 | 10 | F3 | 0 | 0 | Stephens | 6 SW - 3 SE Marlow |
15 | 05/19/1960 | 1650 | 0.1 | 10 | F? | 0 | 0 | Stephens | 2 E Duncan |
16 | 05/23/1960 | 2100 | 0.1 | 10 | F? | 0 | 0 | Stephens | 6 W Duncan |
17 | 05/03/1961 | 0200 | 0.1 | 33 | F? | 0 | 0 | Stephens | Near Comanche |
18 | 05/13/1961 | 1915 | 0.1 | 10 | F1 | 0 | 0 | Stephens | Duncan |
19 | 05/20/1962 | 2311 | 0.1 | 10 | F? | 0 | 0 | Stephens | 7 N Duncan |
20 | 07/28/1962 | 1220 | 1 | 50 | F2 | 0 | 1 | Stephens | S part of Duncan |
21 | 03/30/1963 | 1630 | 2 | 50 | F? | 0 | 0 | Stephens | 3 NE Duncan |
22 | 02/08/1966 | 1720 | 11 | 67 | F2 | 0 | 2 | Stephens | Duncan - 2 SE Marlow |
23 | 04/16/1969 | 1800 | 8 | 10 | F2 | 0 | 1 | Stephens | 5 S- 6 E Comanche |
24 | 06/11/1970 | 1445 | 10 | 167 | F1 | 0 | 2 | Stephens | S edge of Duncan |
25 | 09/07/1970 | 2030 | 0.2 | 200 | F2 | 0 | 0 | Stephens | Duncan |
26 | 04/19/1973 | 2300 | 2 | 83 | F2 | 0 | 4 | Stephens | Near Velma |
27 | 02/22/1975 | 0215 | 5 | 70 | F2 | 0 | 2 | Stephens | 3 SW Duncan - Duncan Airport |
28 | 02/22/1975 | 0215 | 6 | 70 | F2 | 0 | 4 | Stephens | 3 W Duncan - W part of Duncan |
29 | 03/02/1977 | 1705 | 4 | 200 | F3 | 0 | 1 | Stephens | 3 WSW- ~2 NW Velma |
30 | 04/18/1977 | 1245 | 0.5 | 33 | F1 | 0 | 0 | Stephens | 4 SE Marlow |
31 | 04/18/1977 | 1335 | 2 | 50 | F1 | 0 | 0 | Stephens | 2 E- 4 E Velma |
32 | 05/05/1977 | 1930 | 0.5 | 50 | F1 | 0 | 0 | Stephens | NE part of Duncan |
33 | 05/15/1977 | 1838 | 0.8 | 180 | F3 | 1 | 2 | Stephens | Alma |
34 | 04/05/1978 | 1955 | 12 | 150 | F2 | 0 | 0 | Comanche/ Stephens | 6 SW- ~4 ENE Pumpkin Center |
35 | 04/05/1978 | 2022 | 2 | 50 | F2 | 0 | 0 | Stephens | 5 SW Marlow |
36 | 04/10/1979 | 1555 | 74 | 10 | F2 | 1 | 3 | Wilbarger TX/ Wichita TX/ Tillman OK/ Cotton OK/ Comanche OK/ Stephens OK | Harrold TX- 9 NNE Electra TX- Grandfield OK- Pumpkin Center OK- W of Marlow OK [One Fatality and 0 injuries in Texas. Zero fatalities and 3 injuries in Oklahoma. ] |
37 | 04/10/1979 | 1955 | 13 | 170 | F3 | 0 | 0 | Stephens/ Carter | 9 N Ringling- Pruitt City- E of Ratliff City |
38 | 05/20/1982 | 2100 | 0.1 | 10 | F0 | 0 | 0 | Stephens | Corum |
39 | 06/27/1983 | 2200 | 0.1 | 10 | F0 | 0 | 0 | Stephens | 2 W Duncan |
40 | 03/13/1990 | 1801-1900 | 21 | 73 | F1 | 0 | 0 | Jefferson/ Stephens | 5 W Waurika- 3 SW Loco |
41 | 03/13/1990 | 1858-1937 | 22 | 200 | F3 | 0 | 1 | Jefferson/ Stephens/ Carter | 5 SSW Loco- Ratliff City- 3 NE Ratliff City |
42 | 04/02/1991 | 1729 | 0.1 | 30 | F0 | 0 | 0 | Stephens | 2 W Duncan |
43 | 05/08/1993 | 1605-1609 | 0.8 | 50 | F0 | 0 | 0 | Cotton/ Stephens | 6 SE Hulen- 6 WNW Empire City |
44 | 05/08/1993 | 1619-1640 | 8 | 60 | F0 | 0 | 0 | Stephens | 8 SW- 4 WNW Duncan |
45 | 04/17/1995 | 1710 | 0.2 | 30 | F1 | 0 | 0 | Stephens | 2 W Corum |
46 | 04/17/1995 | 1722 | 5 | 400 | F1 | 0 | 0 | Stephens | 3 WNW- 3 NE Comanche |
47 | 04/17/1995 | 1800 | 0.1 | 30 | F1 | 0 | 0 | Stephens | Velma |
48 | 05/25/1997 | 1736-1744 | 0.5 | 50 | F1 | 0 | 0 | Stephens | 3 S Duncan |
49 | 04/06/1998 | 1945 | 0.1 | 30 | F0 | 0 | 0 | Stephens | 2 SE Velma |
50 | 05/08/2003 | 0008-0012 | 3 | 200 | F1 | 0 | 0 | Stephens | 7 SE - 6 E Duncan |
51 | 05/08/2003 | 0017 | 0.5 | 30 | F0 | 0 | 0 | Stephens | 3 W Velma |
52 | 06/04/2005 | 1745 | 0.1 | 20 | F0 | 0 | 0 | Stephens | 5 SW Marlow |
53 | 06/04/2005 | 1753 | 0.1 | 20 | F0 | 0 | 0 | Stephens | 1.5 SSW Marlow |
54 | 06/04/2005 | 1805 | 0.2 | 75 | F0 | 0 | 0 | Stephens | 5 ESE Marlow |
55 | 03/30/2006 | 1418-1419 | 0.5 | 50 | F0 | 0 | 0 | Stephens | 6 ESE Duncan |
56 | 05/10/2010 | 1620-1627 | 6 | 700 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | Stephens/ Grady | 3 NE Bray - 2.5 ESE Cox City |
57 | 05/10/2010 | 1650-1654 | 2 | 50 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | Stephens | 3 E - 5 E Loco |
58 | 05/20/2013 | 1358-1401 | 1 | 30 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | Stephens | 7 SSE Marlow |
59 | 05/20/2013 | 1407-1422 | 4 | 200 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | Stephens | 4 SSE Marlow - 4 W Bray |
60 | 04/13/2014 | 1658-1659 | 0.4 | 50 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | Stephens | 9 NNW Velma |
61 | 04/13/2014 | 1705 | 0.3 | 40 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | Stephens | 8.5 N Velma |
62 | 05/08/2016 | 1803-1807 | 1.3 | 40 | EF? | 0 | 0 | Stephens | near Central High |
63 | 05/18/2017 | 1800 | 0.2 | 50 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | Stephens | 3 W Duncan |
64 | 04/21/2020 | 2243-2246 | 1.6 | 100 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | Stephens | 1.7 NW - 1.2 NE Marlow |
65 | 11/10/2021 | 1835-1848 | 4 | 100 | EF? | 0 | 0 | Stephens | 4 ESE Bray - 2 SW Lake Fuqua Dam |
66 | 12/13/2022 | 0424-0426 | 0.3 | 50 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | Stephens | 2 NNW Duncan |
67 | 03/16/2023 | 1357-1357 | 0.1 | 20 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | Stephens | 7 N Velma |
68 | 06/15/2023 | 1611-1613 | 1 | 50 | EF? | 0 | 0 | Stephens | 9 NNW Empire City |
69 | 06/15/2023 | 1634-1636 | 0.8 | 200 | EF? | 0 | 0 | Stephens | 3 N - 4 NNE Comanche |
70 | 06/15/2023 | 1637-1638 | 0.5 | 20 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | Stephens | 2 WSW - 1 SW Comanche |
71 | 06/15/2023 | 1703-1705 | 1.5 | 50 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | Stephens | 6 WNW - 5 W Loco |
72 | 06/15/2023 | 1716-1728 | 4 | 1000 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | Stephens/ Jefferson | 3 SE Loco - 6 N Ringling |
Date | Time (CST) |
Length of Path (miles) |
Width of Path (yards) |
F-Scale | Killed | Injured | County | Location | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
06/19/1953 | 1720 | 0.3 | 50 | F1 | 0 | 1 | Stephens | S of Duncan (Meridian school community) | |
A small tornado touched down briefly in the Meridian School community and damaged a hay barn and other buildings. One person was injured. |
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04/22/1955 | 1900 | 0.1 | 10 | F1 | 0 | 2 | Stephens | Near Duncan | |
A tornado touched down and moved north-northeastward at the Breckinridge community near Duncan and damaged roofs, greenhouses, and cars. Two people received head injuries when they were hit by hailstones. |
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04/20/1957 | 1830 | 0.1 | 10 | F1 | 0 | 1 | Stephens | 6 W Duncan | |
A funnel was first sighted at Empire City, southwest of Duncan. Eventually, a small tornado touched down briefly and moved southeastward at a farm 6 miles west of Duncan. Strong winds blew over a mobile home and injured 1 person, and other buildings received damage. |
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07/28/1962 | 1220 | 1 | 50 | F2 | 0 | 1 | Stephens | S part of Duncan | |
A tornado first touched on U.S. Highway 81 on the south side of Duncan, and lifted a car up before setting it back down on the other side of the highway. The funnel bounced on to the east and destroyed a 16-lane bowling alley by blowing out one wall and collapsing the roof. Along the spotty damage path, 25 other homes and buildings were damaged including an unoccupied house that was picked up off its foundation and smashed into a street. A wind gauge on the south side of Duncan registered its maximum reading of 75 mph during the storm. A motel's "derrick" television antenna was twister around a small house and a semi-truck and trailer were overturned. Many windows were blown in southern Duncan, and downed trees caused extensive power and telephone outages. One woman was injured when blown down and cut by flying glass. Accompanying lightning struck many homes across the city and caused 7 house fires. Additional water damage was caused by 1-2.5 inches of rainfall and subsequent runoff. Total damages from the event tallied $290,000 with 80 percent attributed to the tornado.
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02/08/1966 | 1720 | 11 | 67 | F2 | 0 | 2 | Stephens | Duncan - 2 SE Marlow | |
A small tornado first touched down about a mile southwest of the Duncan business section on the U.S. Highway 81 bypass. The funnel skipped along to the north along 14th Street. Two people were injured at the intersection of 14th and Main Streets where walls of a partially dismantled church collapsed onto and crushed their car. The tornado damaged at least 4 businesses, 18 homes, numerous TV antennas and signs, and many trees were uprooted and snapped off. Flying debris caused power and telephone outages for up to 3 hours. At the north of Duncan, the skipping tornado then followed a north-northeast course across the southeastern edge of the Elks Country Club golf course before lifting. The tornado touched down again 1.8 miles southeast of Marlow where most of hay barn was destroyed and a roof was blown off a shed. |
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04/16/1969 | 1800 | 8 | 10 | F2 | 0 | 1 | Stephens | 5 S- 6 E Comanche | |
A tornado began about 5 miles south of Comanche and moved northeastward along an 8-mile-long path before it dissipated 6 miles east of Comanche. Several homes were destroyed or heavily damaged. The Countryside Baptist Church on OK State Highway 53 east of Comanche was destroyed. At least 3 cars and 2 pickup trucks were damaged. One man received serious cuts when his home south of Comanche was hit by the tornado. Hailstone up to 1.75 inches in diameter were reported in the area. |
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06/11/1970 | 1445 | 10 | 167 | F1 | 0 | 2 | Stephens | S edge of Duncan | |
This tornado had an intermittent damage path and it struck the southern edge of Duncan. Damage occurred to several homes and businesses. Two small airplanes at the airport were destroyed. Television antennas and tree limbs were blown down along the damage path. Two people had minor injuries. |
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04/19/1973 | 2300 | 2 | 83 | F2 | 0 | 4 | Stephens | Near Velma | |
A tornado touched down near Velma and destroyed or damaged several homes. Four people in one family were treated at a hospital for minor injuries and released. |
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02/22/1975 | 0215 | 5 | 70 | F2 | 0 | 2 | Stephens | 3 SW Duncan - Duncan Airport | |
Two tornadoes hit the Duncan area during the early morning hours of February 22nd. The first tornado began about 3 miles southwest of Duncan and moved northeastward, destroying the airport and damaging other structures. This tornado injured 2 people. |
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02/22/1975 | 0215 | 6 | 70 | F2 | 0 | 4 | Stephens | 3 W Duncan - W part of Duncan | |
The second of 2 tornadoes that hit the Duncan area on this date dropped down about 3 miles west of Duncan and moved to the northeast. The tornado ripped off the roof from 2 residences in the western portion of Duncan and did considerable damage to the lights at the baseball and football fields. A portion of a shopping center was damaged, and the tornado injured 4 people. |
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03/02/1977 | 1705 | 4 | 200 | F3 | 0 | 1 | Stephens | 3 WSW- ~2 NW Velma | |
A tornado touched down about 3 miles west-southwest of Velma and moved northeastward for 4 miles before dissipating 2 miles northwest of Velma. Two homes were destroyed while 3 homes and 2 mobile homes were heavily damaged. Several houses, barns, and outbuildings were slightly damaged, and many utility lines were knocked down. Most of the damage occurred at the beginning of the tornado track, and one person was injured. The tornado was fully on the ground at the beginning of the path, but had a skipping motion thereafter. |
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05/15/1977 | 1838 | 0.8 | 180 | F3 | 1 | 2 | Stephens | Alma | |
A tornado hit the community of Alma with the tornado moving northward through the town. Three houses and one mobile home were destroyed, and 6 homes and 1 school were damaged. A woman was fatally injured when her framed home was swept away. |
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04/10/1979 | 1555 | 74 | 10 | F2 | 1 | 3 | Wilbarger TX/ Wichita TX/ Tillman OK/ Cotton OK/ Comanche OK/ Stephens OK | Harrold TX- 9 NNE Electra TX- Grandfield OK- Pumpkin Center OK- W of Marlow OK [One Fatality and 0 injuries in Texas. Zero fatalities and 3 injuries in Oklahoma. ] | |
The tornado first touched down in the vicinity of Harrold, Texas at about 3:55 pm CST. One person was killed as the tornado crossed U.S. Highway 287 near Harrold. The tornado moved northeast and crossed the Red River at about 4:10 pm CST. It then began to intensify and reached maximum strength at the Grandfield Airport at about 4:30 pm CST and then crossed OK State Highway 5 west of Walters. It continued northeast and crossed U.S. Highway 281/177 about 11 miles south of the Lawton Airport. The tornado passed through the Pumpkin Center area around 5:30 pm CST and moved across OK State Highway 7, where it damaged homes on both sides of the highway. This was a very wide tornado, and 55 miles of its of 64-mile path were traversed in Oklahoma. Large hail was reported with the storm. In the Grandfield area, it damaged or destroyed 8 homes and 4 mobile homes. The Grandfield Airport was demolished, with 8 planes being destroyed and 1 damaged. Near Grandfield, 1 man was seriously injured when he tried to outrun the tornado but was overtaken. Two additional injuries were reported in the area. Northwest of Walters, 4 houses and 1 mobile home were destroyed and 4 other homes were damaged. A grain elevator was demolished on OK State Highway 5, and another was destroyed near Hulen. In the Pumpkin Center area, 5 homes and 8 mobile homes were destroyed. Some of these homes had been hit by a tornado on April 5, 1978. |
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03/13/1990 | 1858-1937 | 22 | 200 | F3 | 0 | 1 | Jefferson/ Stephens/ Carter | 5 SSW Loco- Ratliff City- 3 NE Ratliff City | |
An outbreak of severe thunderstorms and tornadoes occurred in Oklahoma during the after and evening hours of March 13th and into the early morning hours of March 14th. Many reports of large hail were received, with some hailstones reaching the size of softballs. A total of 10 tornadoes were reported in Oklahoma. This tornado touched down at 5 miles south-southwest of Loco in Jefferson County at 6:58 pm CST and moved northeastward through southeastern Stephens County and northwestern Carter County. The tornado produced damage in Ratliff City in Carter County before dissipating at 7:37 pm CST 3 miles northeast of Ratliff City. The damage in Ratliff City included 5 destroyed mobile homes, a motor home that was rolled 100 feet and destroyed, and severe damage to a gas compressor station. At this station a large metal building and a mobile home were destroyed. In addition, a 5-ton crane was overturned, several vehicles were damaged, and debris was found over a mile to the northeast. One injury occurred to a worker at the gas compressor station. Total damage in the Ratliff City area was estimated at $500,000 to $750,000. |
Records taken from the Storm Prediction Center archive data, "Storm Data", and data from the National Weather Service office in Norman. Data modified as described in NOAA Tech Memo NWS SR-209 (Speheger, D., 2001: "Corrections to the Historic Tornado Database").
Historic data, especially before 1950, are likely incomplete.