Oklahoma County has the longest tornado list of any county on this site. From 1950 through 2025, 138 tornadoes touched it, according to NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center (SPC). Of those, 23 were rated F3/EF3 or stronger. Most of those 23 were F3 or EF3, and four reached F4/EF4 or F5.

Cutaway illustration of a house with a storm shelter below the garage floor and a separate underground shelter in the back yard
Two common placements: below the garage floor and underground in the yard.

Deadly and violent tornadoes

Date Rating Deaths Path and other details
May 3, 1999 F5 36 37 miles through Grady, McClain, Cleveland and Oklahoma counties; 583 injured
November 19, 1973 F3 5 24.2 miles, also crossed Cleveland and McClain counties
May 10, 2010 EF4 2 24 miles, also crossed Cleveland County
May 26, 1963 F3 1 34.3 miles across three counties
March 28, 1988 F1 1 0.8 miles, recorded only in Oklahoma County
May 8, 2003 F4 0 17.3 miles, also crossed Cleveland County; 134 injured
April 30, 1978 F4 0 9.3 miles, also crossed Canadian County

Tornadoes that touched the county killed 45 people in all. Of those deaths, 36 came from the single tornado of May 3, 1999. Not every deadly tornado came in May. The 1973 F3 struck in late November, and the 1988 F1 in March.

How the count works

A tornado is counted if its path touched Oklahoma County at any point. So a storm that also crossed Cleveland County or Canadian County appears in both records. Ratings, deaths, injuries and path lengths describe the whole path.

In the early decades, before modern radar and spotter networks, weak tornadoes were undercounted. So the strong-tornado count is the steadier measure across years. In 2016–2025 the county had 27 tornadoes, and 2 of them were EF3 or stronger.

Shrink-swell soil under the metro

About 23% of the county’s mapped land has soils rated high or very high for shrink-swell, meaning clay that swells when wet and shrinks as it dries. A large part of that land is mapped together with urban land, for example the Renthin-Urban land and Kirkland-Urban land units. When you compare quotes, ask each installer how the ground at your address affects the job, since county maps do not describe individual lots or disturbed urban fill.

Cities in Oklahoma County

Ask the installer to confirm the rules for your address. These city pages cover local permit and registration questions:

For a cost comparison, use storm shelter costs in Oklahoma.

From here to a quote

Use the quote form to ask a local installer to look at your garage floor or yard spot. Ask for a written, itemized price that includes:

  • any permit needed, who will get it and its fee
  • the shelter model
  • the installation
  • dirt removal