Lawton, OK Live Doppler Radar

Watch storms move over Lawton in real time — every NWS radar combined, storm tracks, official warnings, and the closest radar's full 250 m detail.

Open live radar for Lawton What TALON shows

Which radars cover Lawton?

The closest NEXRAD Doppler radar to Lawton, OK is KFDR (Frederick), about 37 miles to the west-southwest. Radar beams climb as they travel because the Earth curves away underneath them, so the height of the lowest scan over a city decides how much of a storm's base the radar can see.

Radar	Distance	Lowest beam over Lawton	View of low-level rotation
KFDR Frederick, OK	37 mi west-southwest	2,400 ft	Excellent — the lowest scan is close to the ground, where tornadoes form
KTLX Oklahoma City, OK	81 mi northeast	7,000 ft	Fair — the lowest scan is already well above the ground
KVNX Vance AFB, OK	148 mi north	17,900 ft	Limited — the beam overshoots the lowest part of storms

Beam height is the center of the 0.5° scan above the radar, using standard atmospheric refraction. Hills and buildings near the radar can block it further.

On TALON you get Lawton's live radar loop, storm tracks with arrival times and NWS warnings free; close-up radar and rotation detection are part of TALON Pro.

Tornado & hail history near Lawton

Since 1950, NOAA has recorded 138 tornadoes within 25 miles of Lawton, 24 of them rated EF2/F2 or stronger. They have been most common in May and April. The strongest was an F4 on May 24, 1957, which passed about 2 miles south of the city and caused 4 deaths. The most recent was an EF0 on May 2, 2025, which touched down about 18 miles south of the city.

Hail: 823 reports of hail 1 inch or larger within 25 miles of Lawton since 1955, 107 of them 2 inches or larger. The largest was 4.50-inch hail (grapefruit size) on September 18, 2002.

Tornadoes since 1950	138
EF2/F2 or stronger	24
Strongest tornado	F4 · May 1957
Busiest tornado month	May
Largest hail	4.50 in · Sep 2002

Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather database — tornadoes 1950–2025, hail 1955–2025 (the latest year is preliminary). Distances are to each tornado's recorded track; ratings before February 2007 use the original Fujita (F) scale.

Lawton radar FAQ

Where is the nearest weather radar to Lawton?

KFDR near Frederick, OK, about 37 miles away. A second radar, KTLX (Oklahoma City), is 81 miles away and also covers the area.

Can radar see a tornado over Lawton?

Radar can't see the tornado itself, but it can see the rotating storm and, once a tornado is lofting debris, a debris signature. Over Lawton the lowest scan from KFDR is roughly 2,400 ft up. Excellent — the lowest scan is close to the ground, where tornadoes form. TALON combines that with NOAA's ProbSevere model to flag storms most likely to produce tornadoes.

How often do tornadoes hit Lawton?

NOAA records show 138 tornadoes within 25 miles of Lawton since 1950 — about 1.8 a year on average, most often in May and April. Most were weak, but 24 were EF2/F2 or stronger.

Should I rely on radar for my safety?

No app replaces official warnings. When the National Weather Service issues a tornado warning for Lawton, take shelter right away — see watch vs. warning.