Tornadoes and Hail in Oklahoma, May 9, 1959

Name: Tornadoes and Hail in Oklahoma, May 9, 1959
Start: 1959-05-09T05:00
End: 1959-05-09T23:00
Location: Oklahoma

May 9, 1959 · 22 events in 13 counties and zones

13 tornado, 8 hail, 1 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: 7
Injuries: 15
Property damage: $1.3 million
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 22

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

13 tornado, 8 hail, 1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Grady

When: May 9, 5:00 AM CST
Where: Grady County
Coordinates: 34.880, -97.680

Tornado, Osage

When: May 9, 3:35 PM CST
Where: Osage County
Rating: F1
Path length: 7.7 mi
Path width: 33 yd
Coordinates: 36.400, -96.470

Tornado, Osage

When: May 9, 4:00 PM CST
Where: Osage County
Rating: F1
Path length: 4.9 mi
Path width: 33 yd
Coordinates: 36.530, -96.350

Hail, Mayes

When: May 9, 4:44 PM CST
Where: Mayes County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 36.280, -95.280

Hail, Washington

When: May 9, 4:45 PM CST
Where: Washington County
Measured: 2 in hail
Coordinates: 36.780, -95.900

Tornado, Mayes

When: May 9, 5:25 PM CST
Where: Mayes County
Rating: F3
Path length: 7.3 mi
Path width: 880 yd
Injuries: 3 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 36.430, -95.120

Tornado, Mayes

When: May 9, 5:28 PM CST
Where: Mayes County
Rating: F1
Path width: 33 yd
Property damage: $250
Coordinates: 36.180, -95.270

Tornado, Tulsa

When: May 9, 5:40 PM CST
Where: Tulsa County
Rating: F2
Path length: 19.1 mi
Path width: 300 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 36.420, -95.850

Tornado, Delaware

When: May 9, 5:40 PM CST
Where: Delaware County
Rating: F3
Path length: 15.9 mi
Path width: 880 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 36.480, -95.000

Tornado, Pittsburg

When: May 9, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Pittsburg County
Rating: F1
Path width: 33 yd
Property damage: $250
Coordinates: 34.920, -95.800

Tornado, Delaware

When: May 9, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Delaware County
Rating: F2
Path length: 0.8 mi
Path width: 880 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 36.530, -94.730

Tornado, Hughes

When: May 9, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Hughes County
Rating: F2
Path width: 33 yd
Property damage: $3,000
Coordinates: 34.850, -96.300

Tornado, Rogers

When: May 9, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Rogers County
Rating: F3
Path length: 8.2 mi
Path width: 50 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 36.400, -95.800

Hail, Nowata

When: May 9, 6:07 PM CST
Where: Nowata County
Measured: 2 in hail
Coordinates: 36.580, -95.580

Hail, Pontotoc

When: May 9, 6:15 PM CST
Where: Pontotoc County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 34.700, -96.680

Tornado, Rogers

When: May 9, 6:20 PM CST
Where: Rogers County
Rating: F3
Path length: 15.2 mi
Path width: 50 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 36.520, -95.770

Tornado, Pontotoc

When: May 9, 6:40 PM CST
Where: Pontotoc County
Rating: F4
Path length: 6.2 mi
Path width: 900 yd
Deaths: 7 direct, 0 indirect
Injuries: 12 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 34.620, -96.580

Hail, Pontotoc

When: May 9, 6:40 PM CST
Where: Pontotoc County
Measured: 2.75 in hail
Coordinates: 34.700, -96.580

Hail, Pontotoc

When: May 9, 6:55 PM CST
Where: Pontotoc County
Measured: 2.75 in hail
Coordinates: 34.580, -96.680

Hail, Pottawatomie

When: May 9, 8:00 PM CST
Where: Pottawatomie County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 35.000, -96.780

Tornado, Craig

When: May 9, 9:45 PM CST
Where: Craig County
Rating: F0
Path width: 33 yd
Coordinates: 36.730, -95.170

Hail, Pittsburg

When: May 9, 11:00 PM CST
Where: Pittsburg County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 34.880, -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.
Hail: Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Oklahoma in 1959 Every state in 1959 This day in weather history The tornado archive for Oklahoma, 1959

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: 10094776, 10094777, 10094778, 10094779, 10094780, 10094781, 10094782, 10094783, 10094784, 10094785, 10094786, 10094787, 10094788, 10094789, 10094790, 10094791, 10095666, 10095667, 10095668, 10095669, 10095670, 10095671.