Oklahoma, 1996
The year's recorded storm events, federal disaster declarations and flood insurance claims.
NCEI notes that Storm Data is compiled from a variety of sources including the National Weather Service, other federal, state and local agencies, the media and the public; that property and crop damage figures are estimates; and that some events are recorded by NWS forecast zone rather than by county. FEMA notes that NFIP claim records are redacted and aggregated to protect the privacy of policyholders.
Events by hazard
Includes events recorded by forecast zone. The state's yearly total for 1996 was 2,365 against 1,714 in 1995.
Counties with the most recorded events
Notable events
| Date | County | Event type | Magnitude | Property damage | Deaths | Injuries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 Sep 1996 | Cherokee | Flash Flood | — | — | 4 | — |
| 18 Jan 1996 | Oklahoma | Cold/Wind Chill | — | — | 2 | — |
| 1 Jul 1996 | Lincoln | Heat | — | — | 2 | — |
| 1 Jul 1996 | Oklahoma | Heat | — | — | 2 | — |
| 7 Nov 1996 | Pushmataha | Flash Flood | — | — | 1 | — |
| 25 Nov 1996 | Oklahoma | Cold/Wind Chill | — | — | 1 | — |
| 1 Jul 1996 | Payne | Heat | — | — | 1 | — |
| 1 Jul 1996 | Carter | Heat | — | — | 1 | — |
| 1 Jul 1996 | Woodward | Heat | — | — | 1 | — |
| 8 Jul 1996 | Texas | Lightning | — | — | 1 | — |
| 21 Apr 1996 | Pittsburg | Tornado | F0 | $750,000 | — | 9 |
| 4 Jul 1996 | Cherokee | Lightning | — | — | — | 2 |
| 26 May 1996 | Rogers | Tornado | F1 | $20,000 | — | 1 |
| 21 Aug 1996 | Jefferson | Thunderstorm Wind | — | $20,000 | — | 1 |
| 17 Aug 1996 | Osage | Flash Flood | — | $10,000 | — | 1 |
| 17 Aug 1996 | Osage | Thunderstorm Wind | 70 mph | $8,000 | — | 1 |
| 19 Apr 1996 | McCurtain | Hail | 2.75 in | — | — | 1 |
| 2 Jul 1996 | Oklahoma | Thunderstorm Wind | — | $2,000,000 | — | — |
| 24 Jul 1996 | Ellis | Thunderstorm Wind | 70 mph | $300,000 | — | — |
| 21 Apr 1996 | Murray | Tornado | F1 | $280,000 | — | — |
| 17 Jan 1996 | Okmulgee | Thunderstorm Wind | — | $200,000 | — | — |
| 26 May 1996 | Texas | Hail | 1.75 in | $200,000 | — | — |
| 26 May 1996 | Nowata | Tornado | F2 | $200,000 | — | — |
| 26 Jul 1996 | Oklahoma | Thunderstorm Wind | — | $200,000 | — | — |
| 18 Jun 1996 | Oklahoma | Lightning | — | $170,000 | — | — |
| 21 Apr 1996 | Osage | Tornado | F1 | $150,000 | — | — |
| 11 Aug 1996 | Greer | Thunderstorm Wind | — | $150,000 | — | — |
| 2 Aug 1996 | Canadian | Thunderstorm Wind | — | $130,000 | — | — |
| 22 Jul 1996 | Tulsa | Thunderstorm Wind | — | $110,000 | — | — |
| 21 Apr 1996 | Pittsburg | Tornado | F1 | $100,000 | — | — |
| 25 May 1996 | Cimarron | Tornado | F1 | $100,000 | — | — |
| 1 Jun 1996 | Carter | Lightning | — | $100,000 | — | — |
| 23 Sep 1996 | McClain | Thunderstorm Wind | — | $100,000 | — | — |
| 11 Aug 1996 | Cotton | Tornado | F1 | $100,000 | — | — |
| 29 Jul 1996 | Grady | Thunderstorm Wind | — | $100,000 | — | — |
| 26 May 1996 | Craig | Tornado | F2 | $75,000 | — | — |
| 26 May 1996 | Oklahoma | Thunderstorm Wind | — | $75,000 | — | — |
| 20 Oct 1996 | Kiowa | Thunderstorm Wind | — | $75,000 | — | — |
| 29 Jul 1996 | Grady | Thunderstorm Wind | 81 mph | $71,500 | — | — |
| 22 Apr 1996 | Pontotoc | Lightning | — | $70,000 | — | — |
Up to 40 events with deaths, injuries, damage of $50,000 or more, or a tornado rating, ranked by deaths, injuries and damage.
Federal disaster declarations in 1996
| Declared | Number | Type | Incident | Title | Counties |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 Apr 1996 | FM-2173 | Fire management assistance | Fire | Oakhurst-Sandsprings Fire | 0 |
| 14 Mar 1996 | FM-2144 | Fire management assistance | Fire | Velma Fire | 0 |
| 12 Mar 1996 | FM-2140 | Fire management assistance | Fire | Little Axe Fire | 0 |
| 12 Mar 1996 | FM-2136 | Fire management assistance | Fire | Sperry Owasso Complex Fire | 0 |
| 27 Feb 1996 | EM-3118 | Emergency | Fire | Extreme Fire Hazard | 7 |
| 25 Feb 1996 | FM-2120 | Fire management assistance | Fire | Sperry Skiatook Barnsdall Complex Fires | 0 |
| 24 Feb 1996 | FM-2119 | Fire management assistance | Fire | Alva Complex Fire | 0 |
| 23 Feb 1996 | FM-2118 | Fire management assistance | Fire | Stillwater Complex Fires | 0 |
Flood insurance claims with a 1996 date of loss
111 NFIP claims, 81 of them paid, for $985,145.
Sources: NOAA NCEI Storm Events through 30 Jun 2026; OpenFEMA DisasterDeclarationsSummaries v2 (1 Oct 2026); OpenFEMA NfipClaims v3 (8 Sep 2026). Built 1 Oct 2026.