Okmulgee County has 59 tornadoes in NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center (SPC) record from 1950 through 2025. About 31% of its mapped land has soil rated high or very high for shrink-swell.

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 tornadoes on record

Three tornadoes caused deaths, and all three stayed within Okmulgee County:

  • April 26, 1984, F3: 8 deaths and 95 injuries over 22 miles.
  • May 5, 1960, F3: 2 deaths and 15 injuries on a path of under a mile.
  • April 23, 1953, F2: 1 death and 4 injuries over 1.5 miles.

Together they account for 11 deaths. Five of the 59 tornadoes were rated F3/EF3 or stronger.

The one F4

The strongest was an F4 on May 17, 1981. It crossed Okfuskee, Okmulgee and Seminole counties on a 33.6-mile path. No one died, and 2 people were injured. It also appears on the Seminole County page. Ratings and casualty counts cover the whole path.

A busy recent decade

Fifteen tornadoes, a quarter of the county’s record, came in 2016–2025. That decade had no tornado rated EF3 or higher.

A 2025 SoonerSafe priority county

Okmulgee County was one of 26 counties given priority for the 2025 SoonerSafe safe room rebates. The priority went to residents hit by the 2024 disaster declarations.

For a future round, ask the installer to check the program rules before you agree to a start date. The published rules call for these steps:

  • receive notice of selection before installing the shelter;
  • confirm within 30 days;
  • hire a contractor and submit the paid invoice;
  • have the installer sign the Certificate of Installation.

Soil: clay that is just over the line

About 31% of Okmulgee County’s mapped land has soils rated high or very high for shrink-swell, clay that swells when wet and shrinks as it dries. Very high soils cover under 1%. The biggest high-rated areas sit close to the 6% line where “high” starts:

Soil Acres Swell rating
Dennis silt loam, 1–3% slopes 46,314 6.2%
Taloka silt loam, 1–3% slopes 33,486 6.8%
Eram-Verdigris complex 26,940 6.3%

The survey maps the whole county, so it is a guide rather than a reading of your yard. For the city, see storm shelters in Henryetta and foundation repair in Henryetta.

Before you request a free quote

Decide where you would like the shelter: garage floor, yard or inside the house. A local installer can then look at that spot and price it. Ask the installer to:

  • check whether a permit is needed and include any permit fee in the quote
  • price digging and dirt removal as their own lines
  • give you the paid invoice and signed paperwork a rebate would need

Before comparing bids, review published Oklahoma shelter costs.