Bartlesville, OK Tornado History — 140 Tornadoes Since 1950
How many tornadoes has Bartlesville, OK had?
Bartlesville has had 140 tornadoes on record within 25 miles since 1950, including 7 violent (EF3+) tornadoes.
When was the most recent tornado near Bartlesville?
The most recent tornado within 25 miles of Bartlesville was an EF1 on April 2, 2025.
When is tornado season in Bartlesville?
April is historically the peak month for tornadoes near Bartlesville, with 45 on record. Spring through early summer (April–June) generally sees the highest activity across most of the central and southern United States.
At a Glance
Recent Tornado Activity Near Bartlesville
The last 20 years of confirmed tornadoes within 25 miles — 49 total, averaging 2.5 per year over this window.
Preliminary tornado reports near Bartlesville since December 29, 2025
These are 2 preliminary reports, not confirmed tornadoes. They have not yet been through an NWS damage survey, and are not counted in the confirmed totals above.
Preliminary reports are revised, merged, and sometimes withdrawn — historically about 23% are consolidated downward once surveys complete. Ratings are omitted until a survey assigns one.
Confirmed records above are complete through December 29, 2025. NOAA publishes the confirmed archive annually, so tornadoes after that date appear here first and move into the totals above once finalized.
Within 25 miles of Bartlesville. Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center preliminary storm reports, updated daily.
Tornadoes by Decade
Tornadoes by Enhanced Fujita Rating
F0–F5 ratings (pre-2007) are grouped with their EF equivalents. The Enhanced Fujita scale replaced the original Fujita scale in February 2007.
Tornadoes by Month
Casualties on Record Near Bartlesville
18 fatalities have been recorded within 25 miles of Bartlesville since 1950, across 4 events. 299 injuries have been reported across all events. 1974 was the deadliest year on record.
The deadliest single event was a F4 on June 8, 1974, which caused 14 fatalities along a 29.0-mile track.
Notable Tornadoes Near Bartlesville
About Tornadoes in Bartlesville
This overview was written July 24, 2026. The tornado counts and notable-event figures elsewhere on this page reflect the latest data and may differ from this summary.
Bartlesville lies in northeastern Oklahoma, in the gently rolling prairie and cross-timbers country north of Tulsa. It sits within the broad heart of the country's most active tornado region, where the seasonal collision of very different air masses makes severe weather a defining feature of spring.
The tornado setup here is a Southern Plains one. Warm, moist air streaming north from the Gulf of Mexico meets drier air from the west and cooler air from the north, and when a strong jet stream overhead supplies wind shear, thunderstorms can grow into long-lived rotating supercells. Activity peaks in spring, with a lesser secondary maximum possible in autumn.
Tornado strength is measured on the Enhanced Fujita (EF) scale, which grades a tornado from EF0 to EF5 by the damage it produces rather than a measured wind speed. While most tornadoes are relatively weak, this region is capable of producing the strongest and most violent tornadoes on record. For the specific history near Bartlesville — the number on file, the breakdown by decade and rating, and the deadliest, costliest, and most recent events — see the figures compiled from the NOAA Storm Prediction Center elsewhere on this page.