Velma, Oklahoma
14 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1901 and the latest in 1986. It stands in the Velma-Alma census division. It lies in ZIP code area 73533. The Survey maps it on the Velma quadrangle. 554 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 1,043 feet above sea level.
Population over time
3 figuresVelma fell from 664 to 554 between 2000 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 664 | |
| 2010 | 620 | -44 (-7%) |
| 2020 | 554 | -66 (-11%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
5 surveys from 14 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.
- 1901 USGS Addington quadrangle1:125000, 6 printings
- 1957 USGS Ardmore quadrangle1:250000, 3 printings
- 1963 USGS Ardmore quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1974 USGS Velma quadrangle1:24000
- 1986 USGS Ardmore quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
Fires near this place
24 since 1996Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 24 fires within 5 miles of Velma between 1996 and 2018, burning about 12,377 acres in total. None started naturally. 3 were 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 | 12 |
| Power generation/transmission/distribution | 5 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 3 |
| Debris and open burning | 3 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 July 2006 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Chickasaw Agency | BLOODWORTH |
| 9 April 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 358 acres | Oklahoma Division of Forestry | VELMA EAST |
| 9 April 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,921 acres | Oklahoma Division of Forestry | VELMA WEST |
| 9 April 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,301 acres | Oklahoma Division of Forestry | VELMA |
| 9 March 2008 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 7.6 acres | Chickasaw Agency | ONEOK FIELD |
| 4 March 2008 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 3.8 acres | Chickasaw Agency | JUMP ROAD |
| 27 March 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | Chickasaw Agency | 501 |
| 26 March 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Chickasaw Agency | PINTO |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
1 within 5 milesRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 1 working within 5 miles of Velma: 1 past producer. None of them still produces. What was taken out: Flagstone. 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 Sandstone Pit | Flagstone | Past Producer |
Storms near this place
60 of 74 shownRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Velma in 74 storm reports between 1993 and 2025: 35 hail, 31 thunderstorm wind, 4 tornado, 3 flash flood. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Velma | $150,000 | The roofs of three houses were severely damaged. Power lines were also downed and trees uprooted. |
| May 2003 | Hail | Velma | $10,000 | Many windows were reported broken along with several damaged trees. Power lines were also downed. |
| December 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | Velma | $8,000 | no account filed |
| October 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Velma | $5,000 | Significant tree damage was observed on a ranch northeast of Velma. |
| April 1995 | Tornado (F1) | Velma | $5,000 | no account filed |
| May 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Velma | $3,000 | A couple of power poles were blown down. Monetary damages were estimated. |
| August 1999 | Lightning | Velma | $1,000 | no account filed |
| October 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Velma | $10 | Three inch diameter tree limbs were downed. |
| May 2025 | Hail | Velma | - | The event time is estimated from radar observations. |
| May 2025 | Hail | Velma | - | An image was shared. The location is approximate, and the event time is estimated from radar observations. |
| May 2025 | Hail | Velma | - | Hailfall occurred near the intersection of County Roads 1780 and 2910. The event time is estimated from radar observations. |
| November 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Velma | - | Ketchum Ranch (KETC) Mesonet observation. Wind gust likely associated with a nearby tornadic circulation (see separate entry on this event). |
| November 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Velma | - | Ketchum Ranch (KETC) Mesonet observation. |
| May 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Velma | - | Ketchum Ranch (KETC) Mesonet observation. |
| June 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Velma | - | Ketchum Ranch (KETC) Mesonet observation. |
| July 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Velma | - | Ketchum Ranch (KETC) Mesonet observation. |
| March 2023 | Tornado (EF0) | Velma | - | Spotters, a tribal police officer, and a fire fighter observed a brief tornado approximately 7 miles north of Velma. The specific location is estimated and no damage was observed or reported. |
| June 2015 | Flash Flood | Velma | - | Newman road closed due to flooding. |
| June 2015 | Flash Flood | Velma | - | Terry was road closed due to flooding. |
| May 2015 | Flash Flood | Velma | - | Numerous roads flooded, including 1st St, Main St, School Rd, Chaparral Rd, and Hargrove Rd. Water up to two feet deep in places. |
| July 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Velma | - | Public report of 60 mph wind gusts. No damage was reported. |
| August 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Velma | - | Golf ball-size hail was also reported in Velma. |
| October 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Velma | - | Quarter-size hail was also reported at this location. |
| October 2009 | Hail | Velma | - | Sixty-mile per hour winds were also reported. |
| March 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Velma | - | Wind was measured by the Oklahoma mesonet. |
| May 2003 | Tornado (F0) | Velma | - | This brief tornado was seen touching down in open country. No damage was reported. |
| June 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Velma | - | Wind was measured by the Oklahoma mesonet. |
| May 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Velma | - | Wind was measured by Oklahoma mesonet. |
| May 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Velma | - | Wind was measured by Oklahoma mesonet. |
| May 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Velma | - | Wind was measured by Oklahoma mesonet. |
| May 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Velma | - | Wind was measured by Oklahoma mesonet. |
| May 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Velma | - | Wind was measured by Oklahoma mesonet. |
| May 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Velma | - | Wind was measured by Oklahoma mesonet. |
| May 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | Velma | - | Measured by the Oklahoma mesonet. |
| April 1998 | Tornado (F0) | Velma | - | Tornado touched down briefly in an open field and lasted less than one minute. |
| April 1994 | Hail | Velma | - | An isolated severe thunderstorm in south-central Oklahoma on the 24th produced dime-size hail during the evening. |
| May 2019 | Hail | Velma | - | no account filed |
| April 2016 | Hail | Velma | - | no account filed |
| May 2016 | Hail | Velma | - | no account filed |
| March 2015 | Hail | Velma | - | no account filed |
| April 2014 | Hail | Velma | - | no account filed |
| May 2012 | Hail | Velma | - | no account filed |
| April 2010 | Hail | Velma | - | no account filed |
| May 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Velma | - | no account filed |
| August 2009 | Hail | Velma | - | no account filed |
| April 2009 | Hail | Velma | - | no account filed |
| May 2009 | Hail | Velma | - | no account filed |
| May 2009 | Hail | Velma | - | no account filed |
| August 2009 | Hail | Velma | - | no account filed |
| June 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Velma | - | no account filed |
| July 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Velma | - | no account filed |
| May 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Velma | - | no account filed |
| May 2008 | Hail | Velma | - | no account filed |
| August 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Velma | - | no account filed |
| August 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Velma | - | no account filed |
| April 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Velma | - | no account filed |
| May 2006 | Hail | Velma | - | no account filed |
| June 2005 | Hail | Velma | - | no account filed |
| June 2005 | Hail | Velma | - | no account filed |
| April 2003 | Hail | Velma | - | 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.
| Map | Place | Distance | Sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Fe | 2.9 miles | 14 | |
| Alma | 4.3 miles | 14 | |
| Countyline | 5.9 miles | 14 | |
| Harrisburg | 6.4 miles | 15 | |
| Loco | 9.0 miles | 14 | |
| Hope | 11.4 miles | 16 | |
| Oklahoma Hills | 13.6 miles | 15 | |
| Bray | 14.4 miles | 16 |
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 Velma | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q2879343 | 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 1099237. 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.




