Tonkawa, Oklahoma
11 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1955 and the latest in 1985. It stands in the Tonkawa census division. It lies in ZIP code area 74653. The Survey maps it on the Tonkawa quadrangle. 3,015 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 984 feet above sea level.
On record in Tonkawa
Buildings and businesses the archive holds for this place. Each opens its own page, with the source record it came from.
On the National Register 4 records
First Presbyterian Church of Tonkawalisted 1994
Mahoney House and Garagelisted 1984
Tonkawa Armorylisted 1988
Tonkawa Lodge No. 157 A.F. & A.M.listed 2007
Population over time
2 figuresTonkawa fell from 3,216 to 3,015 between 2010 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate, and an estimate published within five years of a census is left out. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.
| Year | People | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 3,216 | |
| 2020 | 3,015 | -201 (-6%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
4 surveys from 11 printed sheetsMatched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.
- 1955 USGS Enid quadrangle1:250000, 4 printings
- 1958 USGS Enid quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1968 USGS Tonkawa quadrangle1:24000, 2 printings
- 1985 USGS Ponca City quadrangle1:100000, 3 printings
Fires near this place
1 since 2006Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 1 fire within 5 miles of Tonkawa in 2006, burning under an acre in total. None started naturally. None was recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 February 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Pawnee Agency | 60 WEST |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
9 within 5 milesRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 9 workings within 5 miles of Tonkawa: 9 past producers. None of them still produces. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction, Clay. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unknown Shale Pit | Clay | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown Shale Pit | Clay | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown Shale Pit | Clay | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown Sand Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown Sand Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown Sand Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown Sand Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown Sand Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown Sand Pits | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer |
Storms near this place
60 of 90 shownRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Tonkawa in 90 storm reports between 1993 and 2026: 51 hail, 24 thunderstorm wind, 9 flash flood, 5 tornado. The reports record 1 injury. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Tonkawa | 1 hurt, $20,000 | Two semi-trailers were blown over. One injury was reported. |
| May 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Tonkawa | $35,000 | The roof of a trailer home was blown off, and pontoon boats were blown over. |
| June 1997 | Hail | Tonkawa | $25,000 | A combination of hail as large as golf balls and strong winds caused widespread damage in Tonkawa, particularly over an 11-block area on the north side of town. Roofs were severely damaged and windows were broken in both vehicles and houses. Large tree limbs were downed and trees were uprooted by winds estimated at up to 70 mph. |
| July 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | Tonkawa | $5,000 | no account filed |
| May 1993 | Thunderstorm Wind | Tonkawa | $5,000 | no account filed |
| June 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Tonkawa | $2,500 | Four power poles were downed. |
| September 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Tonkawa | $1,000 | A shed was blown over. |
| July 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Tonkawa | $500 | A tree was downed. |
| September 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Tonkawa | $500 | Highway signs were blown down on Interstate 35. |
| June 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | Tonkawa | $500 | no account filed |
| May 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Tonkawa | $500 | no account filed |
| September 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Tonkawa | $10 | Tree limbs were blown down on Highway 60. |
| April 2026 | Hail | Tonkawa | - | Hailfall near the junction of Interstate 35 and U.S. Highway 60. The report was relayed by emergency management. |
| April 2026 | Hail | Tonkawa | - | The report was relayed through mPING. |
| April 2025 | Hail | Tonkawa | - | The report was relayed through mPING. |
| May 2025 | Hail | Tonkawa | - | The report was relayed through mPING. |
| June 2025 | Hail | Tonkawa | - | The report was relayed through mPING. |
| April 2024 | Hail | Tonkawa | - | MPing report. Time is radar estimated. |
| April 2024 | Hail | Tonkawa | - | MPing report. |
| April 2024 | Flash Flood | Tonkawa | - | Flooding across all lanes of Interstate 35 near mile marker 217. Event time is approximate. |
| June 2024 | Hail | Tonkawa | - | Social media image. |
| May 2024 | Hail | Tonkawa | - | Hail was noted to be slightly smaller than golf ball size. |
| February 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Tonkawa | - | Reports of widespread power outages in Tonkawa. Time estimated via radar. |
| May 2023 | Tornado (EF0) | Tonkawa | - | A number of spotters and chasers observed this tornado estimated to be about 2 miles southwest of Tonkawa. Some light tree damage was reported. |
| April 2020 | Hail | Tonkawa | - | Ping pong sized hail at Bird Creek Rd, 3 miles south on HWY 77. |
| May 2019 | Flash Flood | Tonkawa | - | OHP closed US Hwy 77 from Tonkawa south to Noble county line due to flash flooding. |
| August 2015 | Flash Flood | Tonkawa | - | Roads were flooded with water 3 to 4 feet deep around Tonkawa. Emergency manager measured 5.25 inches of rain. |
| August 2015 | Flash Flood | Tonkawa | - | County roads flooded resulting in travel difficulties. |
| November 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | Tonkawa | - | No damage reported. |
| June 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Tonkawa | - | Reported on I-35. |
| February 2012 | Hail | Tonkawa | - | The hail report was relayed via Twitter. |
| April 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Tonkawa | - | Several power poles and associated lines were blown down. |
| April 2011 | Hail | Tonkawa | - | The hail occurred on Highway 60 at the Chikaskia River. |
| May 2010 | Hail | Tonkawa | - | The hail occurred near the intersection of 10th Street and Rence Avenue. |
| May 2009 | Hail | Tonkawa | - | Quarter- to half-dollar-size hail was reported. |
| September 2008 | Tornado (EF0) | Tonkawa | - | A brief tornado developed on the east side of Tonkawa. The most significant damage occurred to an open air carport that was destroyed and thrown 200 yards from the residence it was attached to. Other minor damage was reported to trees and a couple of roofs. Monetary damages were unavailable. |
| April 2006 | Hail | Tonkawa | - | Hail was observed on Highway 60. |
| June 2005 | Hail | Tonkawa | - | Hail was reported on Interstate 35. |
| May 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Tonkawa | - | Wind was reported near Highway 60 and Interstate 35. |
| April 1999 | Hail | Tonkawa | - | Hail was reported on Interstate 35 on the Kay/Noble County line. |
| July 1998 | Flash Flood | Tonkawa | - | Numerous thunderstorms developed over Kay County during the early morning of the 1st resulting in water flowing over many roadways in Tonkawa, Blackwell, Ponca City, and Newkirk. The water department in Blackwell measured 3.5 inches of rain for a 5 hour period before flooding started. |
| July 1997 | Flash Flood | Tonkawa | - | Due to high water, 13th Street was closed near Stink Creek. |
| June 1997 | Hail | Tonkawa | - | Golfball-sized hail covered the ground. |
| July 1997 | Flash Flood | Tonkawa | - | Water to a depth of up to three feet covered parts of town. |
| June 2024 | Hail | Tonkawa | - | no account filed |
| June 2024 | Hail | Tonkawa | - | no account filed |
| May 2024 | Hail | Tonkawa | - | no account filed |
| May 2023 | Hail | Tonkawa | - | no account filed |
| May 2023 | Hail | Tonkawa | - | no account filed |
| April 2020 | Hail | Tonkawa | - | no account filed |
| April 2020 | Hail | Tonkawa | - | no account filed |
| May 2016 | Hail | Tonkawa | - | no account filed |
| November 2011 | Hail | Tonkawa | - | no account filed |
| May 2010 | Funnel Cloud | Tonkawa | - | no account filed |
| April 2009 | Hail | Tonkawa | - | no account filed |
| April 2009 | Hail | Tonkawa | - | no account filed |
| May 2009 | Hail | Tonkawa | - | no account filed |
| June 2009 | Hail | Tonkawa | - | no account filed |
| April 2006 | Hail | Tonkawa | - | no account filed |
| May 2004 | Hail | Tonkawa | - | no account filed |
Nearest settlements
The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.
Elsewhere
Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.
| Wikipedia article on Tonkawa | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q2091202 | The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0). |
Provenance
This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 1098940. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.



