NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center (SPC) records 101 tornadoes that touched Tulsa County from 1950 through 2025. Ten of them were rated F3/EF3 or stronger. None reached F5/EF5. The strongest were two F4s, in 1974 and 1993, and both caused deaths.
Deadly tornadoes in the record
June 8, 1974. Two tornadoes crossed the county on the same day. An F4 on a 29-mile path killed 14 people and injured 150. That is the most deaths of any tornado in the county’s record. An F3 on a 63.6-mile path killed 2 and injured 80.
April 19, 1981. An F3 killed 5 people and injured 49. Its 9.9-mile path is recorded only in Tulsa County.
April 24, 1993. An F4 killed 7 people and injured 100. Its path was a short 5.5 miles, shared with Rogers County.
Altogether, tornadoes that touched Tulsa County killed 30 people. Ratings and casualties cover entire tracks, including their stretches beyond Tulsa County.
A quieter decade for strong tornadoes
All ten of the county’s F3/EF3-or-stronger tornadoes came before 2016. The 23 tornadoes recorded in 2016–2025 were all rated lower. Fewer weak tornadoes were detected in the early years, so compare F3/EF3-or-stronger counts across decades.
Shrink-swell clay under much of the county
About 39% of Tulsa County’s mapped land has soils rated high or very high for shrink-swell: clay that swells when wet and shrinks as it dries. The very high class covers 5.4%. The largest high-rated areas are Dennis silt loam on 1–3% slopes (27,583 acres) and an Okemah-Parsons-Pharoah complex on 0–1% slopes (27,205 acres). The Dennis soils sit just over the line between moderate and high. A county share cannot tell you what is under one particular house. Broken Arrow homeowners can find local foundation details on foundation repair in Broken Arrow.
City pages in Tulsa County
The City of Tulsa runs a storm shelter registry for addresses inside city limits. The city’s permit rules are on storm shelters in Tulsa. Broken Arrow lies partly in Tulsa County and partly in Wagoner County, according to the state tax chart. Its rules are on storm shelters in Broken Arrow.
Turning this into a quote
Your request goes to a local installer. The installer can check your garage slab or yard, suggest the shelter type that fits and put a price on it. Ask for a written quote with each of these on a separate line:
- the shelter
- installation
- whether the job needs a permit and who will get it
- any fee for the permit
That way two bids can be compared directly. For published ranges, see storm shelter costs in Oklahoma.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use the City of Tulsa shelter registry if I live elsewhere in the county?
No. The City of Tulsa registry is only for addresses inside Tulsa city limits. Elsewhere in the county, ask your own city's emergency management office how it handles shelter registration.
What was the deadliest tornado in Tulsa County?
The F4 of June 8, 1974. It killed 14 people and injured 150 along a 29-mile path, according to the NOAA Storm Prediction Center file for 1950–2025.
Has Tulsa County had a strong tornado since 2016?
Not in the record through 2025. All 23 tornadoes that touched the county in 2016–2025 were rated below EF3.