Tornadoes in Oklahoma, May 1, 1954

Name: Tornadoes in Oklahoma, May 1, 1954
Start: 1954-05-01T14:16
End: 1954-05-01T19:20
Location: Oklahoma

May 1, 1954 · 21 events in 16 counties and zones

21 tornado, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

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The toll

Deaths: 3
Injuries: 87
Property damage: $14 million
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 21

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

Event by event

21 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Tornado, Tillman

When: May 1, 2:16 PM CST
Where: Tillman County
Rating: F4
Path length: 34.6 mi
Path width: 440 yd
Property damage: $3,000
Coordinates: 34.200, -99.180

Tornado, Tillman

When: May 1, 3:30 PM CST
Where: Tillman County
Rating: F2
Path width: 33 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 34.250, -99.100

Tornado, Tillman

When: May 1, 4:00 PM CST
Where: Tillman County
Rating: F3
Path length: 1.9 mi
Path width: 33 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 34.230, -98.620

Tornado, Cotton

When: May 1, 4:00 PM CST
Where: Cotton County
Rating: F3
Path length: 10.4 mi
Path width: 33 yd
Deaths: 3 direct, 0 indirect
Injuries: 3 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 34.250, -98.600

Tornado, Caddo

When: May 1, 4:50 PM CST
Where: Caddo County
Rating: F2
Path length: 11.6 mi
Path width: 300 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 35.000, -98.480

Tornado, Payne

When: May 1, 5:42 PM CST
Where: Payne County
Rating: F2
Path length: 1.9 mi
Path width: 33 yd
Injuries: 7 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 36.230, -96.920

Tornado, Pawnee

When: May 1, 5:42 PM CST
Where: Pawnee County
Rating: F2
Path length: 5.9 mi
Path width: 33 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 36.250, -96.900

Tornado, Stephens

When: May 1, 5:45 PM CST
Where: Stephens County
Rating: F3
Path length: 6.2 mi
Path width: 100 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 34.620, -98.000

Tornado, Cotton

When: May 1, 5:45 PM CST
Where: Cotton County
Rating: F3
Path length: 8 mi
Path width: 300 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 34.170, -98.250

Tornado, Coal

When: May 1, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Coal County
Rating: F1
Path length: 0.1 mi
Path width: 33 yd
Property damage: $3,000
Coordinates: 34.530, -96.180

Tornado, Pontotoc

When: May 1, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Pontotoc County
Rating: F2
Path length: 8.9 mi
Path width: 33 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 34.870, -96.580

Tornado, Hughes

When: May 1, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Hughes County
Rating: F2
Path length: 27.6 mi
Path width: 33 yd
Injuries: 6 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $2.5 million
Coordinates: 34.970, -96.480

Tornado, Okfuskee

When: May 1, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Okfuskee County
Rating: F2
Path length: 2.7 mi
Path width: 33 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 35.280, -96.180

Tornado, Pottawatomie

When: May 1, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Pottawatomie County
Rating: F4
Path length: 26.7 mi
Path width: 33 yd
Property damage: $2.5 million
Coordinates: 35.400, -97.370

Tornado, Lincoln

When: May 1, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Lincoln County
Rating: F4
Path length: 17.8 mi
Path width: 33 yd
Injuries: 65 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $2.5 million
Coordinates: 35.470, -96.900

Tornado, Lincoln

When: May 1, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Lincoln County
Rating: F4
Path length: 9 mi
Path width: 33 yd
Property damage: $2.5 million
Coordinates: 35.700, -96.770

Tornado, Creek

When: May 1, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Creek County
Rating: F4
Path length: 5.7 mi
Path width: 33 yd
Property damage: $2.5 million
Coordinates: 35.750, -96.620

Tornado, Seminole

When: May 1, 6:15 PM CST
Where: Seminole County
Rating: F2
Path length: 19.7 mi
Path width: 100 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 35.150, -96.680

Tornado, Seminole

When: May 1, 7:05 PM CST
Where: Seminole County
Rating: F2
Path length: 5.7 mi
Path width: 220 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 35.370, -96.500

Tornado, Pittsburg

When: May 1, 7:20 PM CST
Where: Pittsburg County
Rating: F2
Path length: 32.9 mi
Path width: 33 yd
Injuries: 6 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 34.880, -95.870

Tornado, McIntosh

When: May 1, 7:20 PM CST
Where: McIntosh County
Rating: F2
Path length: 4.3 mi
Path width: 33 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 35.220, -95.620

What these are

Tornado: A violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground and extending from a thunderstorm, filed with its path, width and Fujita or Enhanced Fujita rating from the damage survey.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Oklahoma in 1954 Every state in 1954 This day in weather history The tornado archive for Oklahoma, 1954

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 10098652, 10098653, 10098654, 10098655, 10098656, 10098657, 10098658, 10098659, 10098660, 10098661, 10098662, 10098663, 10098664, 10098665, 10098666, 10098667, 10098668, 10098669, 10098670, 10098671, 10098672.