BlockBefore

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.

Velma within Stephens County

Population over time

3 figures

Velma 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.

YearPeople Change
2000664
2010620-44 (-7%)
2020554-66 (-11%)

Topographic sheets covering this place

5 surveys from 14 printed sheets

Matched 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.

Fires near this place

24 since 1996

Regional 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/undetermined12
Power generation/transmission/distribution5
Arson/incendiarism3
Debris and open burning3
Equipment and vehicle use1

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
19 July 2006Debris and open burningunder an acreChickasaw AgencyBLOODWORTH
9 April 2009Missing data/not specified/undetermined358 acresOklahoma Division of ForestryVELMA EAST
9 April 2009Missing data/not specified/undetermined2,921 acresOklahoma Division of ForestryVELMA WEST
9 April 2009Missing data/not specified/undetermined1,301 acresOklahoma Division of ForestryVELMA
9 March 2008Power generation/transmission/distribution7.6 acresChickasaw AgencyONEOK FIELD
4 March 2008Power generation/transmission/distribution3.8 acresChickasaw AgencyJUMP ROAD
27 March 2006Missing data/not specified/undetermined1.0 acresChickasaw Agency501
26 March 2006Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreChickasaw AgencyPINTO

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Stephens County

Mines and quarries near this place

1 within 5 miles

Regional 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 SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
Unknown Sandstone PitFlagstonePast Producer

Every working recorded in Stephens County

Storms near this place

60 of 74 shown

Regional 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.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
March 2004Thunderstorm WindVelma$150,000The roofs of three houses were severely damaged. Power lines were also downed and trees uprooted.
May 2003HailVelma$10,000Many windows were reported broken along with several damaged trees. Power lines were also downed.
December 1999Thunderstorm WindVelma$8,000no account filed
October 2021Thunderstorm WindVelma$5,000Significant tree damage was observed on a ranch northeast of Velma.
April 1995Tornado (F1)Velma$5,000no account filed
May 2010Thunderstorm WindVelma$3,000A couple of power poles were blown down. Monetary damages were estimated.
August 1999LightningVelma$1,000no account filed
October 2002Thunderstorm WindVelma$10Three inch diameter tree limbs were downed.
May 2025HailVelma-The event time is estimated from radar observations.
May 2025HailVelma-An image was shared. The location is approximate, and the event time is estimated from radar observations.
May 2025HailVelma-Hailfall occurred near the intersection of County Roads 1780 and 2910. The event time is estimated from radar observations.
November 2024Thunderstorm WindVelma-Ketchum Ranch (KETC) Mesonet observation. Wind gust likely associated with a nearby tornadic circulation (see separate entry on this event).
November 2024Thunderstorm WindVelma-Ketchum Ranch (KETC) Mesonet observation.
May 2024Thunderstorm WindVelma-Ketchum Ranch (KETC) Mesonet observation.
June 2024Thunderstorm WindVelma-Ketchum Ranch (KETC) Mesonet observation.
July 2024Thunderstorm WindVelma-Ketchum Ranch (KETC) Mesonet observation.
March 2023Tornado (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 2015Flash FloodVelma-Newman road closed due to flooding.
June 2015Flash FloodVelma-Terry was road closed due to flooding.
May 2015Flash FloodVelma-Numerous roads flooded, including 1st St, Main St, School Rd, Chaparral Rd, and Hargrove Rd. Water up to two feet deep in places.
July 2014Thunderstorm WindVelma-Public report of 60 mph wind gusts. No damage was reported.
August 2009Thunderstorm WindVelma-Golf ball-size hail was also reported in Velma.
October 2009Thunderstorm WindVelma-Quarter-size hail was also reported at this location.
October 2009HailVelma-Sixty-mile per hour winds were also reported.
March 2004Thunderstorm WindVelma-Wind was measured by the Oklahoma mesonet.
May 2003Tornado (F0)Velma-This brief tornado was seen touching down in open country. No damage was reported.
June 2003Thunderstorm WindVelma-Wind was measured by the Oklahoma mesonet.
May 2001Thunderstorm WindVelma-Wind was measured by Oklahoma mesonet.
May 2001Thunderstorm WindVelma-Wind was measured by Oklahoma mesonet.
May 2001Thunderstorm WindVelma-Wind was measured by Oklahoma mesonet.
May 2001Thunderstorm WindVelma-Wind was measured by Oklahoma mesonet.
May 2001Thunderstorm WindVelma-Wind was measured by Oklahoma mesonet.
May 2001Thunderstorm WindVelma-Wind was measured by Oklahoma mesonet.
May 2000Thunderstorm WindVelma-Measured by the Oklahoma mesonet.
April 1998Tornado (F0)Velma-Tornado touched down briefly in an open field and lasted less than one minute.
April 1994HailVelma-An isolated severe thunderstorm in south-central Oklahoma on the 24th produced dime-size hail during the evening.
May 2019HailVelma-no account filed
April 2016HailVelma-no account filed
May 2016HailVelma-no account filed
March 2015HailVelma-no account filed
April 2014HailVelma-no account filed
May 2012HailVelma-no account filed
April 2010HailVelma-no account filed
May 2010Thunderstorm WindVelma-no account filed
August 2009HailVelma-no account filed
April 2009HailVelma-no account filed
May 2009HailVelma-no account filed
May 2009HailVelma-no account filed
August 2009HailVelma-no account filed
June 2009Thunderstorm WindVelma-no account filed
July 2009Thunderstorm WindVelma-no account filed
May 2008Thunderstorm WindVelma-no account filed
May 2008HailVelma-no account filed
August 2008Thunderstorm WindVelma-no account filed
August 2008Thunderstorm WindVelma-no account filed
April 2007Thunderstorm WindVelma-no account filed
May 2006HailVelma-no account filed
June 2005HailVelma-no account filed
June 2005HailVelma-no account filed
April 2003HailVelma-no account filed

Every storm recorded in Stephens County

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 PlaceDistance Sheets
Santa Fe2.9 miles14
Alma4.3 miles14
Countyline5.9 miles14
Harrisburg6.4 miles15
Loco9.0 miles14
Hope11.4 miles16
Oklahoma Hills13.6 miles15
Bray14.4 miles16

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 VelmaAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q2879343The 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.