Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in Oklahoma, April 2, 1956

Name: Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in Oklahoma, April 2, 1956
Start: 1956-04-02T00:10
End: 1956-04-02T23:00
Location: Oklahoma

April 2, 1956 · 18 events in 14 counties and zones

14 tornado, 4 thunderstorm wind, 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 5
Injuries: 77
Property damage: $11 million
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 18

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

14 tornado, 4 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Craig

When: April 2, 12:10 AM CST
Where: Craig County
Coordinates: 36.700, -95.080

Thunderstorm Wind, Grady

When: April 2, 5:15 AM CST
Where: Grady County
Coordinates: 35.080, -98.000

Tornado, Tulsa

When: April 2, 10:30 AM CST
Where: Tulsa County
Rating: F1
Path length: 0.3 mi
Path width: 33 yd
Coordinates: 36.270, -95.830

Tornado, Woods

When: April 2, 7:05 PM CST
Where: Woods County
Rating: F3
Path length: 10.8 mi
Path width: 400 yd
Injuries: 2 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 36.680, -98.670

Tornado, Alfalfa

When: April 2, 7:05 PM CST
Where: Alfalfa County
Rating: F3
Path length: 9.2 mi
Path width: 400 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 36.800, -98.530

Tornado, Garfield

When: April 2, 7:45 PM CST
Where: Garfield County
Rating: F2
Path length: 3.6 mi
Path width: 100 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 36.550, -97.880

Tornado, Grant

When: April 2, 7:45 PM CST
Where: Grant County
Rating: F2
Path length: 14.8 mi
Path width: 100 yd
Injuries: 4 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 36.600, -97.850

Thunderstorm Wind, Alfalfa

When: April 2, 8:00 PM CST
Where: Alfalfa County
Coordinates: 36.700, -98.400

Tornado, Kay

When: April 2, 8:45 PM CST
Where: Kay County
Rating: F2
Path width: 33 yd
Property damage: $30
Coordinates: 36.650, -97.450

Tornado, Johnston

When: April 2, 9:29 PM CST
Where: Johnston County
Rating: F1
Path length: 8 mi
Path width: 23 yd
Property damage: $3,000
Coordinates: 34.250, -96.670

Tornado, Pawnee

When: April 2, 9:30 PM CST
Where: Pawnee County
Rating: F2
Path length: 3.4 mi
Path width: 100 yd
Injuries: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 36.380, -96.700

Tornado, Kay

When: April 2, 9:30 PM CST
Where: Kay County
Rating: F4
Path length: 15.1 mi
Path width: 880 yd
Injuries: 2 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 36.820, -96.970

Tornado, Lincoln

When: April 2, 9:33 PM CST
Where: Lincoln County
Rating: F3
Path length: 19 mi
Path width: 300 yd
Injuries: 30 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $2.5 million
Coordinates: 35.500, -97.000

Tornado, Osage

When: April 2, 9:35 PM CST
Where: Osage County
Rating: F2
Path length: 9.2 mi
Path width: 100 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 36.430, -96.700

Tornado, Lincoln

When: April 2, 10:00 PM CST
Where: Lincoln County
Rating: F3
Path length: 7.3 mi
Path width: 300 yd
Property damage: $2.5 million
Coordinates: 35.700, -96.770

Tornado, Lincoln

When: April 2, 10:15 PM CST
Where: Lincoln County
Rating: F3
Path length: 10.4 mi
Path width: 300 yd
Property damage: $2.5 million
Coordinates: 35.750, -96.650

Tornado, Creek

When: April 2, 10:40 PM CST
Where: Creek County
Rating: F3
Path length: 5.9 mi
Path width: 300 yd
Deaths: 5 direct, 0 indirect
Injuries: 38 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $2.5 million
Coordinates: 35.900, -96.620

Thunderstorm Wind, Muskogee

When: April 2, 11:00 PM CST
Where: Muskogee County
Coordinates: 35.780, -95.680

What these are

Thunderstorm Wind: Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.
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 1956 Every state in 1956 This day in weather history The tornado archive for Oklahoma, 1956

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: 10092619, 10092620, 10092621, 10092622, 10092623, 10092624, 10092625, 10092626, 10092627, 10092628, 10092629, 10092630, 10092631, 10092632, 10093492, 10093493, 10093494, 10093495.