Oklahoma is known for its muggy summers, mild winters, moderate springs, and its comfortable falls, but it’s also known for tornados, twisters, and extreme weather. Of course, as the state is approximately 70,000 square miles, certain areas have different weather patterns than others. If you are trying to decide where to live or visit in Oklahoma at any time of the year it’s important to know what part of Oklahoma has the worst weather!
Research over the past decade shows that Tulsa County in the northeast corner of the state has the worst weather. Tulsa offers humid summers, icy winters, and the most extreme weather in the state. It is the most common place for hail storms and flash floods and commonly has multiple tornadoes every year.
Keep reading to learn a little more about Oklahoma weather, including why Tulsa County is considered to have the worst weather, and even where you can find the best weather in Oklahoma. We are going to discuss every detail of Oklahoma weather right here in this article!
What is the Weather Like in Oklahoma?
Oklahoma is a large state, in fact, it is the 20th largest state with almost 70,000 square miles of land. Within this vast area, the population is only 4 million people, which means that if you think Oklahoma might be the right place for you, you’ll have plenty of space!
But it’s important to note that Oklahoma, while known for its expansive countryside, is also quite famous for its intense and unfortunate weather.
The summers throughout Oklahoma are hot and muggy with more than 30 days a year reaching temperatures of over 100 degrees and between 65 and 115 days of temperatures above 90 degrees!
While some report that the Oklahoma winters are considered mild, there are still cold fronts and even snowfall almost every year. Luckily, spring and fall are known to be quite beautiful, and across the state, you can enjoy all four seasons throughout the year.
However, the average temperature is not what makes Oklahoma so well-known for intense weather. Oklahoma is quite prone to droughts, flash floods, wildfires, thunderstorms, ice storms, and tornadoes!
Oklahoma lies in the center of an area known as Tornado Valley and averages 62 tornadoes every year.
That’s a lot of weather for one state, but within the state itself, there are certain areas that are more susceptible to these natural occurrences, so let’s dig a little deeper into where in Oklahoma has the worst of the bad weather.
What Part of Oklahoma Has the Worst Weather?
A study was done of the various counties in Oklahoma (and throughout the country) from 2010 to 2020 and throughout this decade of observation, Tulsa County, Oklahoma suffered from almost 500 extreme weather events! That’s an average of almost 50 a year, or 1 per week!
These events included hail storms (19 per year), flash floods (11 per year), and thunderstorm winds (21 per year), as well as the many twisters that came through: there were 10 tornados in Tulsa County in May 2020!
The hot season, summer, lasts for almost 4 months, from the first week in June to the second week in September, with an average daily high temperature above 85°F. The hottest month of the year in Tulsa is July, with an average high of 93°F and a low of 74°F.
The cold season, winter, lasts for 3 months, from the last week in November to the end of February, with an average daily high temperature below 58°F. The coldest month of the year in Tulsa is in January, with an average low of 30°F and a high of 50°F.
Overall, living in or visiting Tulsa County will result in hot summers, cold winters, and an average of one extreme weather event a week, which is why it is considered the worst weather in Oklahoma.
Which Part of Oklahoma Has the Best Weather?
While all of Oklahoma has similar temperature forecasts and will certainly experience its fair share of severe weather occurrences, there is one city that has been named the best weather in the state.
Shawnee, Oklahoma located to the southeast of Oklahoma City, offers over 200 sunny days a year and is therefore known as the county with the best weather, however, because it is found in Tornado Alley, you should still be prepared for some alarming weather.
Final Thoughts
Hopefully, you now understand that while all of Oklahoma is known for its intense weather, along with its hot summers, mild to cold winters, and beautiful spring and fall seasons, Tulsa County is certainly the area of the state with the worst weather.
If you plan to move to or visit Tulsa, Oklahoma, just be prepared for weather warnings!
