A strong atmospheric river will continue to impact northern California with heavy rain and life-threatening flooding through Friday. Unsettled weather is expected across much of the Northeast and Great Lakes over the next few days, including the likelihood of heavy snow in the central Appalachians and higher elevations of northeastern Pennsylvania and southern New York. Read More >
Le Flore County, OK Tornadoes Prior to 1950 | |||||||||
# | Date | Time (CST) |
Path Length (miles) |
Path Width (yards) |
F-Scale | Killed | Injured | County | Path |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
05/28/1924 | 1930 | 300 | 4 | 27 | Haskell/ Le Flore/ Sequoyah | 3 S Stigler - near Cowlington - near Muldrow - Gans | |||
05/07/1926 | 1800 | 3 | 880 | 4 | 25 | Le Flore | 2.5 N Bokoshe | ||
04/12/1927 | 1520 | 35 | 300 | 3 | 15 | Haskell/ Le Flore | Near McCurtain - near Bokoshe - AR | ||
04/17/1927 | 2245 | 880 | 4 | Le Flore | Near Bokoshe | ||||
01/18/1928 | 2326 | 0.75 | 33 | 0 | 0 | Le Flore | Near "Peno" (4 SW Fort Smith AR) | ||
06/01/1929 | 1415 | 16 | 67 | 0 | 1 | Le Flore | Near "Tucker" (9 NW Spiro) | ||
01/30/1942 | 1150 | 1 | 100 | 0 | 1 | Le Flore | Bokoshe | ||
02/06/1942 | 1700 | 6 | 100 | 1 | 5 | Le Flore | Hodgens | ||
04/11/1943 | 1300 | 1.5 | 300 | 1 | 10 | Le Flore | Poteau | ||
04/05/1947 | 0200 | 30 | 100 | 4 | 3 | Le Flore | "Glendale" (S of Wister) - AR | ||
Le Flore County, OK Tornadoes (1950-Present*) | |||||||||
# | Date | Time (CST) |
Path Length (miles) |
Path Width (yards) |
F-Scale | Killed | Injured | County | Path |
1 | 03/13/1953 | 2200 | 0.1 | 100 | F2 | 0 | 0 | Le Flore | 2 W Monroe |
2 | 03/27/1956 | 1920 | 1 | 500 | F2 | 0 | 0 | Le Flore | Talihina |
3 | 04/02/1957 | 2150 | 0.1 | 10 | F0 | 0 | 0 | Le Flore | near Poteau |
4 | 05/02/1958 | 1520 | 0.3 | 100 | F2 | 0 | 0 | Le Flore | 1 SW Braden |
5 | 06/25/1958 | 0830 | 0.5 | 200 | F2 | 0 | 1 | Le Flore | near Cameron |
6 | 05/05/1960 | 2130 | 24 | 10 | F3 | 1 | 0 | Le Flore/ Sequoyah | Bokoshe - near Akins |
7 | 05/05/1961 | 1720 | 26 | 400 | F4 | 16 | 58 | Le Flore | 1 S Talihina- Reichert- Howe |
8 | 05/06/1961 | 2130 | 0.1 | 10 | F? | 0 | 0 | Le Flore | SE of Howe |
9 | 05/28/1962 | 2350 | 9 | 200 | F2 | 0 | 0 | Pushmataha/ Latimer/ Le Flore | Albion - Just NE of Talihina |
10 | 04/03/1964 | 1145 | 0.1 | 10 | F2 | 0 | 0 | Le Flore | 1.5 SE Summerfield |
11 | 01/26/1967 | 0410 | 0.5 | 500 | F1 | 0 | 0 | Le Flore | Poteau |
12 | 04/19/1968 | 1430 | 1 | 100 | F2 | 0 | 1 | Le Flore | 2 N Howe |
13 | 05/07/1968 | 2035 | 0.1 | 10 | F0 | 0 | 0 | Le Flore | Near Monroe |
14 | 10/08/1970 | 1215 | 0.5 | 33 | F1 | 0 | 0 | Le Flore | 1 N Panama |
15 | 12/14/1971 | 2130 | 0.1 | 10 | F1 | 0 | 0 | Le Flore | Near Kerr Dam |
16 | 07/01/1972 | 1110 | 0.1 | 13 | F1 | 0 | 0 | Le Flore | Near Poteau |
17 | 05/26/1973 | 2100 | 1.5 | 33 | F2 | 0 | 0 | Le Flore | Wister |
18 | 05/14/1974 | 1500 | 1 | 77 | F2 | 0 | 0 | Le Flore | W of Hodgens |
19 | 03/26/1976 | 1450 | 11 | 440 | F4 | 1 | 4 | Latimer/ Le Flore | 2 W Talihina- NE of Talihina |
20 | 03/26/1976 | 1528 | 12 | 440 | F5 | 2 | 64 | Le Flore | 4 E Bokoshe- Spiro |
21 | 04/07/1980 | 1630 | 0.5 | 127 | F3 | 0 | 9 | Le Flore | Poteau (north side) |
22 | 07/21/1981 | 1500 | 0.5 | 30 | F2 | 0 | 0 | Le Flore | SW of Pocola |
23 | 05/28/1982 | 0230 | 5 | 450 | F2 | 0 | 0 | Le Flore | Near Octavia |
24 | 12/23/1982 | 2200 | 0.5 | 50 | F1 | 0 | 0 | Le Flore | Near Monroe |
25 | 11/22/1983 | 1640 | 16 | 100 | F3 | 0 | 6 | Le Flore | 4 SE Summerfield - Wister - Poteau |
26 | 11/22/1983 | 1740 | 19 | 100 | F3 | 0 | 0 | Le Flore | Reichert - Howe - Gilmore |
27 | 03/21/1991 | 1925 | 2 | 50 | F1 | 0 | 1 | Le Flore | 2 W Muse |
28 | 04/25/1994 | 1758-1812 | 5 | 220 | F2 | 0 | 0 | Pushmataha/ Latimer/ Le Flore | 0.5 W- 1 N Albion- Talihina- 1 E Talihina |
29 | 04/25/1994 | 1840 | 0.1 | 10 | F0 | 0 | 0 | Le Flore | Fanshawe |
30 | 04/25/1994 | 1841-1845 | 2 | 30 | F1 | 0 | 0 | Le Flore | Whitesboro- 1.5 NE Whitesboro |
31 | 06/06/1996 | 2020 | 0.1 | 25 | F0 | 0 | 0 | Le Flore | 14 SW Heavener |
32 | 02/20/1997 | 1950 | 0.1 | 30 | F0 | 0 | 0 | Le Flore | Pocola |
33 | 05/06/1998 | 1938-1939 | 0.8 | 150 | F1 | 0 | 2 | Le Flore | Calhoun |
34 | 06/08/1998 | 2156 | 0.5 | 30 | F0 | 0 | 0 | Le Flore | 2 W Shady Point |
35 | 11/10/1998 | 0035-0043 | 5 | 200 | F1 | 0 | 0 | Le Flore OK/ Sebastian AR | 2 NE Pocola OK - Fort Smith AR Airport |
36 | 05/04/1999 | 1121 | 0.5 | 75 | F1 | 0 | 0 | Le Flore | Cowlington |
37 | 03/26/2000 | 1845-1851 | 4 | 300 | F2 | 0 | 0 | Le Flore | 1.5 NW - 2 SE Hodgen |
38 | 04/23/2000 | 1425 | 0.2 | 50 | F0 | 0 | 0 | Le Flore | near Fanshawe |
39 | 05/20/2001 | 1855 | 0.3 | 25 | F0 | 0 | 0 | Le Flore | 2 W Spiro |
40 | 05/20/2001 | 1950-1952 | 1 | 200 | F1 | 0 | 0 | Le Flore | 6 NE - 7 NE Talihina |
41 | 05/01/2003 | 1833-1838 | 2.5 | 75 | F0 | 0 | 0 | Le Flore OK/ Scott AR | 8 E Heavener OK - 3.5 SW Bates AR |
42 | 05/04/2003 | 1758-1814 | 19 | 30 | F0 | 0 | 0 | Le Flore OK/ Scott AR | 7.5 E Heavener OK - 2.2 ENE Hon AR |
43 | 05/08/2003 | 0504-0512 | 4 | 100 | F1 | 0 | 0 | Le Flore | 6 W - 2 W Summerfield |
44 | 05/16/2003 | 1443-1452 | 3 | 70 | F1 | 0 | 0 | Haskell/ Le Flore | 1 WSW Cartersville - Cartersville - 2.8 NW Bokoshe |
45 | 03/11/2006 | 0012-0014 | 1.5 | 100 | F1 | 0 | 0 | Le Flore | 1 NW - 1.5 NW Shady Point |
46 | 04/09/2008 | 2107 | 0.1 | 75 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | Le Flore | 1 E Braden |
47 | 04/09/2009 | 1755-1803 | 8 | 400 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | Le Flore | 6 WNW - 5.5 N Wister |
48 | 04/09/2009 | 1826-1841 | 11 | 800 | EF2 | 0 | 4 | Le Flore OK/ Polk AR | 5.5 SE Page OK - 2.5 NNE Mountain Fork AR |
49 | 04/14/2011 | 1928-1937 | 5 | 600 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | Latimer/ Le Flore | 4.5 WSW - 0.5 NNW Talihina |
50 | 04/14/2011 | 2023-2037 | 7 | 440 | EF1 | 0 | 3 | Le Flore | 3 SSW Wister - 3 S Poteau |
51 | 04/14/2011 | 2035-2037 | 1.5 | 300 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | Le Flore | 2 WSW - 2 NW Howe |
52 | 04/19/2011 | 1707-1715 | 4 | 100 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | Pushmataha/ Le Flore | 1.5 WSW Honobia - Honobia - 2 NE Honobia |
53 | 04/19/2011 | 1745 | 0.1 | 75 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | Le Flore | 4 SSE Page |
54 | 04/19/2011 | 1748-1752 | 3 | 125 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | Le Flore | 6 NW - 5.5 N Zafra |
55 | 04/24/2011 | 1803 | 0.3 | 150 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | Le Flore | 1.5 SE Monroe |
56 | 05/24/2011 | 2114-2116 | 1.5 | 100 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | Le Flore | 4 S - 4 SE Talihina |
57 | 05/24/2011 | 2144-2202 | 12 | 1760 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | Le Flore | 5.5 W Hodgen - 2 NE Howe |
58 | 05/20/2013 | 1933-1934 | 0.7 | 260 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | Le Flore | 2 S - 2 SSE Milton |
59 | 05/20/2013 | 1944-1955 | 9 | 500 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | Le Flore | 0.5 ENE Neff - 2 S Rock Island |
60 | 04/27/2014 | 1631-1634 | 1.5 | 250 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | Le Flore | 1.5 NNW - 2 NNE Octavia |
61 | 10/06/2014 | 0001-0002 | 0.8 | 75 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | Le Flore | 6 W - 5 WNW Spiro |
62 | 05/25/2015 | 1617-1625 | 6 | 600 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | Le Flore | 3.5 SE - 5.5 ENE Whitesboro |
63 | 05/25/2015 | 1634-1649 | 8 | 250 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | Le Flore | 2.5 NE - 9.5 NNE Fanshawe |
64 | 05/25/2015 | 1648-1707 | 16 | 1700 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | Le Flore | 3.5 ENE Wister - 2.5 NW Panama |
65 | 05/28/2015 | 0858-0859 | 0.5 | 75 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | Le Flore | 1.5 NNE - 1.5 NE Talihina |
66 | 07/07/2015 | 1642-1643 | 0.3 | 75 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | Le Flore | 9 SW - 8.8 SW Bokoshe |
67 | 04/28/2017 | 2136-2151 | 8 | 750 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | Le Flore | 3.5 SW Cameron - 5 SW Pocola |
68 | 04/30/2019 | 2251-2256 | 4.4 | 1000 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | Le Flore | 2.5 W - 2.1 ENE Summerfield |
69 | 05/18/2019 | 1255-1304 | 5.3 | 450 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | Le Flore OK/ Sebastian AR | 1 SSW Arkoma OK - 1.7 NE Fort Smith Airport |
70 | 05/22/2020 | 1955-1959 | 1.7 | 75 | EF? | 0 | 0 | Le Flore | 2.9 E Heavener - 3.5 S Monroe |
71 | 05/22/2020 | 2058-2102 | 0.9 | 100 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | Le Flore | 1.7 SE - 1.4 ESE Talihina |
72 | 05/22/2020 | 2105-2114 | 3 | 225 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | Le Flore | 3.4 NW - 2.1 NNW Whitesboro |
73 | 05/22/2020 | 2115-2122 | 2.7 | 200 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | Le Flore | 1.5 N - 3.3 NE Whitesboro |
74 | 11/24/2020 | 2150-2157 | 4 | 250 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | Le Flore | 1.3 NW Spiro - 1.5 SE Fort Coffee |
75 | 04/11/2022 | 1811-1813 | 0.75 | 100 | EF? | 0 | 0 | Le Flore | 4.5 N - 4.8 NNE Talihina |
76 | 05/02/2022 | 1618-1633 | 5.6 | 1400 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | Le Flore | 3.6 ENE Howe - 1.9 NNE Monroe |
77 | 11/04/2022 | 1654-1707 | 10.2 | 1600 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | McCurtain/Le Flore | 4 S - 8 NE Honobia |
78 | 11/04/2022 | 1733-1741 | 6.5 | 900 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | Le Flore | 1.4 SE - 6 NE Heavener |
Date | Time (CST) |
Path Length (miles) |
Path Width (yards) |
F-Scale | Killed | Injured | County | Path | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
06/25/1958 | 0830 | 0.5 | 200 | F2 | 0 | 1 | Le Flore | near Cameron | |
A small tornado developed on the west side of a heavy rainfall area and moved to the northeast for 0.5 miles. Due to the heavy rainfall, the condensation funnel was obscured and not visible. One person was injured by the tornado. |
|||||||||
05/05/1960 | 2130 | 24 | N/A | F3 | 1 | 0 | Le Flore/ Sequoyah | Bokoshe - near Akins | |
A tornado touched down at Bokoshe, OK in Le Flore County, destroying 12 homes and damaging another 50 homes in the town. Several more homes and buildings were destroyed in Tucker, OK as the tornado moved north-northeastward. The tornado continued into Sequoyah County and destroyed 2 homes near Gans, OK and 2 more homes near Akins, OK before lifting. A woman was killed in one of the homes near Akins. Many people were able to take cover and miraculously escaped injury. |
|||||||||
05/05/1961 | 1720 | 26 | 400 | F4 | 16 | 58 | Le Flore | 1 S Talihina - Reichert - Howe | |
This violent and deadly tornado initiated one mile south of Talihina, OK at 5:20 pm CST and destroyed an outbuilding on a farmstead. The storm continued to the northeast, moving over Winding Stair Mountain before striking the communities of Reichert, OK and Howe, OK. Both cities were extensively damaged with at least 70 homes demolished in the same locations that the deaths and injuries occurred. Unfortunately, 16 fatalities were reported and 58 people were injured. A total of 12 deaths occurred in Howe while 4 were killed in Reichert. However, it is possible that the tornado may have lifted before it reached Winding Stair Mountain, and a new tornado (spawned by the same parent supercell thunderstorm) struck the communities of Reichert and Howe. |
|||||||||
04/19/1968 | 1430 | 1 | 100 | F2 | 0 | 1 | Le Flore | 2 N Howe | |
A tornado touched 2 miles north of Howe and moved northeastward for 1 mile across U.S. Highway 59. The tornado heavily damaged one home (which was moved off its foundation), unroofed a service station, and damaged 2 barns were damaged. It also uprooted and damaged numerous trees. One woman injured her hand when the tornado tore away part of a storm cellar door. |
|||||||||
03/26/1976 | 1450 | 11 | 440 | F4 | 1 | 4 | Latimer/ Le Flore | 2 W Talihina - NE of Talihina | |
This tornado touched down 2 miles west of Talihina, OK in the rural community of Falfa, OK. The general movement of the tornado was from the southwest to the northeast, but oddly followed a zigzag path at times, traveling eastward and then changing directions, moving toward the southeast. Unfortunately, one man was killed and 4 people were injured with no serious injuries reported. Altogether, 12 homes and a church were completely destroyed. Eighteen homes and 3 businesses sustained moderate to severe damage. A total of 8 head of cattle were killed. |
|||||||||
03/26/1976 | 1528-1545 | 12 | 440 | F5 | 2 | 64 | Le Flore | 4 E Bokoshe - Spiro | |
This tornado touched down 4 miles east of Bokoshe, OK and 0.75 miles north of OK State Highway 31 in Leflore County at 3:28 pm CST. It began moving to the northeast, crossing OK State Highway 59 about 2 miles south of the intersection of OK State Highway 59 and OK State Highway 9. A local business structure and a mobile home were destroyed in this area. The tornado then continued its northeast path and entered the southeast portion of Spiro, OK. Great destruction occurred in this area, and railroad cars, trailer homes, houses and business buildings were destroyed. The tornado then crossed OK State Highway 9 where additional homes were either damaged or demolished. A survey of the damage in this area indicated that the tornado reached F5 intensity after crossing OK State Highway 9 and entering the rural Murray Spur area east of Spiro. One man was killed, seven homes were destroyed, and one mobile home was demolished in the Murray Spur area. The tornado then turned toward the east after crossing the Lock and Dam/Fort Coffey Road where 3 mobile homes were destroyed. The eastward movement continued for about 1 mile at which point the tornado crossed OK State Highway 9 for a second time. The tornado lifted about 3/10 of a mile east of the point where it had crossed OK State Highway 9 at 3:45 pm CST. Along the total path of the tornado two people were killed and another 64 persons were injured. A total of 28 homes and 2 business buildings were destroyed. Another 63 homes and a Vo-tech training center building sustained major damage. Approximately 20 cattle and 20 horses were killed by the storm. Many cars and farm vehicles were also destroyed. An eye witness claimed that 2 separate funnels occasionally traveled in close proximity to each other along the path. |
|||||||||
04/07/1980 | 1630 | 0.5 | 127 | F3 | 0 | 9 | Le Flore | Poteau (north side) | |
A tornado touched down in Poteau a carved a 6-block swath of destruction through the north side of the city, damaging homes and at least 7 businesses, and injuring 9 people. The main damage was confined to a shopping center along with some outlying smaller businesses. The shopping center manager was the person most seriously hurt and required 7 stitches for a cut received when plate glass windows shattered. Three homes suffered heavy damage and two others sustained minor damage. Numerous utility lines and poles were downed. County officials estimated that damages totaled more than $1.5 million. |
|||||||||
11/22/1983 | 1640 | 16 | 100 | F3 | 0 | 6 | Le Flore | 4 SE Summerfield - Wister - Poteau | |
A tornado touched down 4 miles southeast of Summerfield and intermittently caused damage on a path through Wister and Poteau. Six people were injured at Poteau, but none seriously. Total damages were estimated at $750,000 with $500,000 of that occurring at Poteau. Quarter size hail also fell with the storm. |
|||||||||
03/21/1991 | 1925 | 2 | 50 | F1 | 0 | 1 | Le Flore | 2 W Muse | |
This tornado was part of an outbreak of severe weather and 12 tornadoes in the southeastern third of Oklahoma. A tornado touched down 2 miles west of Muse and destroyed 2 homes and damaged 4 other homes. One person was injured and total damages were estimated at $150,000. |
|||||||||
05/06/1998 | 1938-1939 | 0.8 | 150 | F1 | 0 | 2 | Le Flore | Calhoun | |
Numerous severe thunderstorms developed over eastern Oklahoma during the late afternoon and evening hours of May 6th. Many of these thunderstorms developed rotation with some storms ultimately producing tornadoes. The first thunderstorms of the day developed over central Oklahoma and then moved eastward toward Okfuskee County after 3:30 pm CST, traversing the counties along and just north of U.S. Interstate Highway I-40 through 6:30 pm CST before exiting into Arkansas to the east of Stilwell and Sallisaw. These thunderstorms produced large hail, numerous reports of funnel clouds, and two brief tornado touchdowns in Muskogee County. Other severe thunderstorms developed behind the first cluster, producing severe weather primarily in Creek and Okmulgee Counties from 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm CST. Other severe thunderstorms developed rapidly around 5:00 pm CST along a weak cold front across the northern border counties of Oklahoma. These storms primarily produced large hail. Further south in southeast Oklahoma, a cap of warm air in the mid-levels of the atmosphere prevented thunderstorm development until around 6:00 pm CST with the approach of an upper-level disturbance. Once thunderstorms developed in Pittsburg County, they rapidly became severe and began rotating. These storms moved east across Haskell and northern Le Flore Counties through 8:00 pm CST, producing large hail, numerous reports of funnel clouds, several brief tornado touchdowns and a tornado producing considerable damage in the small town of Calhoun in northwestern Le Flore County. At the time of the Calhoun tornado, the WSR-88D radar near Fort Smith had its first algorithm-induced tornado vortex signature (TVS). At 7:38 pm CST, a tornado touched down in the small community of Calhoun. Six homes in Calhoun were damaged, four of which were considered destroyed. One of the six was a mobile home. Two minor injuries occurred when a home was lifted off of its concrete block foundation and destroyed. Wind speed estimates based on the damage suggests velocities were in the upper end of the F1 category, meaning the tornadic winds in Calhoun were near 110 mph. |
|||||||||
04/09/2009 | 1826-1841 | 11 | 800 | EF2 | 0 | 4 | Le Flore OK/ Polk AR | 5.5 SE Page OK - 2.5 NNE Mountain Fork AR | |
Widespread severe thunderstorms occurred across eastern Oklahoma during the late afternoon and evening hours of May 9th and produced several tornadoes. A touched down 5.5 miles southeast of Page and moved to the northeast. The tornado destroyed a mobile home, injuring four occupants, two of which were severely injured. Several other mobile homes were also severely damaged and a permanent home was damaged. Numerous trees were snapped or uprooted. Based on this damage, maximum winds were estimated to be between 120 and 130 mph. The tornado moved out of Le Flore County, Oklahoma, and entered Polk County, Arkansas, just north of where OK State Highway 63 becomes AR State Highway 8 at the state line. A vacation home was destroyed and a 5th-wheel camping trailer was overturned. Hundreds of trees were knocked down in the Ouachita National Forest. Much of the track of the tornado through the forest was inaccessible by road, so aerial imagery from a flyover by the USDA Forest Service was used to determine this portion of the track. |
|||||||||
04/14/2011 | 2023-2037 | 7 | 440 | EF1 | 0 | 3 | Le Flore | 3 SSW Wister - 3 S Poteau | |
Low pressure was centered over southern Kansas during the early afternoon of April 14th with a sharp dryline extending from the low-pressure system through central Oklahoma. A moist and very unstable air mass was in place across eastern Oklahoma ahead of the dryline. Severe thunderstorms developed along the dryline during the afternoon and moved into eastern Oklahoma during the early evening hours. Large hail up to grapefruit size, damaging wind gusts, and numerous tornadoes occurred as the storms moved through the region. A tornado rolled a mobile home, injuring three people, damaged the roof of a permanent home, and snapped or uprooted numerous large trees. Maximum estimated wind in the tornado based on this damage was about 105 mph. A storm spotter witnessed this tornado. |
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.