BlockBefore

Watonga, Oklahoma

7 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1955 and the latest in 1985. It stands in the Watonga census division. It lies in ZIP code area 73772. The Survey maps it on the Watonga quadrangle. 2,690 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 1,516 feet above sea level.

Research this city

Watonga within Blaine County

On record in Watonga

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 7 records

Population over time

2 figures

Watonga fell from 5,111 to 2,690 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.

YearPeople Change
20105,111
20202,690-2,421 (-47%)

Topographic sheets covering this place

4 surveys from 7 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.

Photographs

1 photograph, 1911

Taken for the Office of War Information and the Farm Security Administration, who photographed the country between 1935 and 1944. Works of United States government photographers, with no known restriction on use. Each opens its catalogue record.

Watonga C.H. [Court House], Blaine Co., Okla
Watonga C.H. [Court House], Blaine Co., Okla
Photographer not recorded, 1911. Library of Congress

Fires near this place

39 since 1996

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 39 fires within 5 miles of Watonga between 1996 and 2019, burning about 1,426 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
Equipment and vehicle use10
Debris and open burning7
Arson/incendiarism3
Misuse of fire by a minor2
Fireworks2
Railroad operations and maintenance1
Recreation and ceremony1
Power generation/transmission/distribution1

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
5 July 2013Fireworksunder an acreConcho Field OfficeBANG
4 July 2011Fireworksunder an acreConcho Field OfficeFEATHER WARRIOR
1 July 1996Missing data/not specified/undetermined5.0 acresConcho Field OfficeBACON
23 June 2009Equipment and vehicle use10 acresConcho Field OfficeRINEHEART
2 June 2008Debris and open burning40 acresConcho Field OfficeHITCHCOCK
5 May 1996Missing data/not specified/undetermined20 acresConcho Field OfficeTROJON
3 May 1996Missing data/not specified/undetermined25 acresConcho Field OfficeCLUB
24 May 2012Equipment and vehicle use30 acresConcho Field OfficePOTTER

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Blaine County

Mines and quarries near this place

10 within 5 miles

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 10 workings within 5 miles of Watonga: 8 past producers, 2 producers. 2 still produce. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction, Gypsum-Anhydrite. 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
Atlas Gypsum PitGypsum-AnhydriteProducer
Unknown Gypsum PitGypsum-AnhydritePast Producer
Boon Pit & PlantSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Unknown Sand and Gravel PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Unknown Sand and Gravel PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Unknown Sand and Gravel PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Unknown Sand and Gravel PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Unknown Sand and Gravel PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Unknown Sand and Gravel PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Unknown Siltstone PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer

Every working recorded in Blaine County

Storms near this place

60 of 123 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Watonga in 123 storm reports between 1993 and 2026: 53 hail, 52 thunderstorm wind, 5 tornado, 4 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
August 2007Flash FloodWatonga$1,000,000Heavy rain and high winds pounded most areas in Blaine county. Rainfall amounts of 5 to 8 inches resulted in widespread flash flooding. In Watonga, the American Horse Road was washed out by the Hal Geyner Farm. One hundred and twenty four residences had minor flood damage, 21 suffered major damage, and five homes were destroyed. At Greenfield, 13 residences had minor flood damage and two had major damage. At Hitchcock, one residence had minor damage. Numerous city and county roads had to be closed due to widespread flash flooding. Monetary damages were estimated.
August 2007Thunderstorm WindWatonga$500,000Widespread wind damage was reported in and near Watonga. Prolonged high winds and numerous severe gusts occurred in and around Watonga from 1 am until around 415 am. 82 mph winds were reported at Watonga airport at 254 am before weather instruments stopped reporting. One open hangar and 2 T-hangars were completely destroyed.|Six planes were damaged, some severely. Windows were blown out of numerous businesses. Numerous trees, power poles, and power lines were blown down. A train car was on its side after being blown off the track. Two light towers at the baseball field collapsed and one was bent. Monetary damages were estimated.
November 2024Tornado (EF1)Watonga$50,000This tornado developed south of Watonga and moved due north just west of US-270 and then SH-8 through the west side of Watonga. At least five homes and a two outbuildings were damaged, along with trees and power poles. One large tree fell onto a vehicle, and a large tree branch fell onto another.
October 1998Tornado (F2)Watonga$50,000no account filed
May 1995Thunderstorm WindWatonga$50,000no account filed
July 2024Thunderstorm WindWatonga$20,000Numerous power poles blown down near the intersection of North 2630 Road and East 820 Road. Time is radar estimated.
June 2000LightningWatonga$15,000Lightning struck a herd of 5 cattle, killing them.
September 2005Thunderstorm WindWatonga$10,000A strong wind gust blew the steeple off of the Watonga Christian Church. A large tree was also uprooted. Many tree limbs and fences were downed across town.
October 2000LightningWatonga$10,000Lightning struck a utility pole causing damage to wiring and electrical appliances at a nearby house.
October 1998LightningWatonga$8,000no account filed
March 2000Thunderstorm WindWatonga$7,000A barn was destroyed. Trees and power poles were downed, and a garage was damaged.
May 1999Tornado (F1)Watonga$5,000Tornado E2 (Blaine County portion). See summary at end of May 3rd storm reports.
August 1997Thunderstorm WindWatonga$5,000Severe thunderstorm winds bent road signs over on Highway 33.
May 1999LightningWatonga$1,000no account filed
July 1996Thunderstorm WindWatonga$1,000no account filed
March 1997Tornado (F0)Watonga$550A brief tornado, probably a landspout, struck a barn just northeast of Watonga. Nearby witnesses described a white funnel that touched down for about 5 seconds and threw tin from the barn into the air. The barn lost its roof and two of its sides. A long piece of pipe that had been in the barn was thrown about a hundred feet and speared about 5 feet into the ground. Another piece of metal was blown through the roof and ceiling of a nearby house.The landspout formed in a small, weak, unorganized thunderstorm. Nearby witnesses, including the residents of the damaged farm, described a blue sky and only a few sprinkles with the brief storm.
March 2000Thunderstorm WindWatonga$500A metal shed was damaged on Taylor Road, and fences and tree limbs were downed.
July 2000Thunderstorm WindWatonga$500Trees and power lines were downed.
May 1999Thunderstorm WindWatonga$500no account filed
May 1996Thunderstorm WindWatonga$10no account filed
April 2026HailWatonga-The report was relayed through mPING. The event time was adjusted based on radar observations.
April 2026HailWatonga-The report was relayed through mPING. The event time was adjusted based on radar observations.
March 2025Thunderstorm WindWatonga-Watonga (WATO) Mesonet observation.
June 2025Thunderstorm WindWatonga-Watonga Regional Airport (KJWG) observation.
June 2025Thunderstorm WindWatonga-Watonga (WATO) Mesonet observation.
June 2025Thunderstorm WindWatonga-Watonga (WATO) Mesonet observation.
June 2025Thunderstorm WindWatonga-Watonga Regional Airport (KJWG) observation.
June 2025Thunderstorm WindWatonga-Watonga (WATO) Mesonet observation.
June 2025Thunderstorm WindWatonga-Watonga (WATO) Mesonet observation.
June 2023Thunderstorm WindWatonga-Watonga (WATO) Mesonet observation.
June 2023Thunderstorm WindWatonga-Watonga Report Airport (KJWG) observation.
August 2023Thunderstorm WindWatonga-Watonga (WATO) Mesonet observation.
August 2023Thunderstorm WindWatonga-Watonga (WATO) Mesonet observation.
August 2023Thunderstorm WindWatonga-Watonga Airport (KJWG) observation.
May 2019FloodWatonga-Standing water in low lying areas. Picture of Laing Ave. Shared via twitter.
February 2019HailWatonga-Reported through Mping.
April 2017Flash FloodWatonga-Water was six to eight inches deep on residential streets.
June 2016Thunderstorm WindWatonga-No damage reported.
May 2016HailWatonga-This report was relayed via Twitter.
May 2015HailWatonga-No damage reported.
July 2011Thunderstorm WindWatonga-No damage was reported with the wind gust.
October 2009Heavy RainWatonga-The total rainfall accumulation was 2.66 inches.
May 2008HailWatonga-The hail was reported near Highway 8.
July 2008Heavy RainWatonga-One hour rainfall totals were at least 1.80 inches.
August 2007Heavy RainWatonga-A total of 9.11 inches of rainfall was recorded between 7 AM on the 18th and 7 AM on the 19th.
June 2007Flash FloodWatonga-Noble avenue in front of the Post Office were flooded and impassable.
August 2007Thunderstorm WindWatonga-The wind gust was measured at KJWG.
August 2007Thunderstorm WindWatonga-The wind gust was measured at Watonga Airport.
June 2005Thunderstorm WindWatonga-Wind was measured by the Oklahoma mesonet.
April 2004HailWatonga-Hail was reported at Roman Nose State Park.
August 2002Thunderstorm WindWatonga-Wind was measured by the Oklahoma mesonet.
August 2002Thunderstorm WindWatonga-Wind was measured by the Oklahoma mesonet.
May 2001Thunderstorm WindWatonga-Wind was measured by Oklahoma mesonet.
June 1998HailWatonga-Quarter size hail covered the ground.
May 1997Thunderstorm WindWatonga-measured at the Oklahoma Mesonet site
August 1997Flash FloodWatonga-After 4.92 inches of rain in only a few hours, several homes in town were flooded.
September 2023HailWatonga-no account filed
April 2023HailWatonga-no account filed
May 2022HailWatonga-no account filed
May 2021HailWatonga-no account filed

Every storm recorded in Blaine 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
Bucher5.6 miles7
Greenfield8.2 miles11
Hitchcock9.2 miles7
Eagle City11.3 miles9
Carlton12.9 miles8
Carleton13.1 miles8
Southard14.9 miles9
Geary15.6 miles10

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 WatongaAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q3052936The 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 1099426. 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.