Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in Oklahoma, May 4, 1960

Name: Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in Oklahoma, May 4, 1960
Start: 1960-05-04T17:40
End: 1960-05-04T22:00
Location: Oklahoma

May 4, 1960 · 18 events in 13 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

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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 16
Property damage: $1.6 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.

Tornado, Tillman

When: May 4, 5:40 PM CST
Where: Tillman County
Rating: F1
Path length: 1 mi
Path width: 33 yd
Property damage: $3,000
Coordinates: 34.170, -98.800

Tornado, Tillman

When: May 4, 5:40 PM CST
Where: Tillman County
Rating: F1
Path length: 1 mi
Path width: 50 yd
Property damage: $3,000
Coordinates: 34.170, -98.680

Tornado, Cotton

When: May 4, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Cotton County
Rating: F2
Path length: 4.9 mi
Path width: 150 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 34.370, -98.320

Tornado, Comanche

When: May 4, 6:30 PM CST
Where: Comanche County
Rating: F1
Path width: 33 yd
Injuries: 3 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 34.730, -98.400

Tornado, Cotton

When: May 4, 6:43 PM CST
Where: Cotton County
Rating: F1
Path width: 33 yd
Coordinates: 34.250, -98.250

Tornado, Comanche

When: May 4, 6:45 PM CST
Where: Comanche County
Rating: F1
Path width: 33 yd
Property damage: $3,000
Coordinates: 34.700, -98.250

Tornado, Rogers

When: May 4, 6:58 PM CST
Where: Rogers County
Rating: F3
Path width: 33 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 34.630, -97.900

Thunderstorm Wind, Garvin

When: May 4, 7:00 PM CST
Where: Garvin County
Coordinates: 34.780, -97.580

Thunderstorm Wind, Oklahoma

When: May 4, 7:35 PM CST
Where: Oklahoma County
Measured: 72 kt (83 mph)
Coordinates: 35.380, -97.580

Tornado, Cleveland

When: May 4, 7:45 PM CST
Where: Cleveland County
Rating: F2
Path length: 5.2 mi
Path width: 50 yd
Property damage: $3,000
Coordinates: 35.130, -97.400

Tornado, Pontotoc

When: May 4, 7:45 PM CST
Where: Pontotoc County
Rating: F3
Path length: 18.3 mi
Path width: 33 yd
Injuries: 6 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 34.820, -96.830

Tornado, Oklahoma

When: May 4, 7:55 PM CST
Where: Oklahoma County
Rating: F3
Path length: 5.1 mi
Path width: 400 yd
Injuries: 4 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 35.520, -97.620

Tornado, Pottawatomie

When: May 4, 8:05 PM CST
Where: Pottawatomie County
Rating: F4
Path length: 8 mi
Path width: 33 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 34.950, -96.800

Tornado, Choctaw

When: May 4, 9:16 PM CST
Where: Choctaw County
Rating: F4
Path length: 3.4 mi
Path width: 150 yd
Injuries: 3 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 34.020, -95.700

Tornado, Choctaw

When: May 4, 9:25 PM CST
Where: Choctaw County
Rating: F4
Path length: 7.6 mi
Path width: 150 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 34.070, -95.700

Thunderstorm Wind, Pittsburg

When: May 4, 9:30 PM CST
Where: Pittsburg County
Measured: 62 kt (71 mph)
Coordinates: 34.780, -95.900

Tornado, Pushmataha

When: May 4, 9:40 PM CST
Where: Pushmataha County
Rating: F4
Path length: 19.8 mi
Path width: 150 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 34.150, -95.620

Thunderstorm Wind, Tulsa

When: May 4, 10:00 PM CST
Where: Tulsa County
Measured: 65 kt (75 mph)
Coordinates: 36.200, -95.900

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.
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.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Oklahoma in 1960 Every state in 1960 This day in weather history The tornado archive for Oklahoma, 1960

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: 10093940, 10093941, 10093942, 10093943, 10093944, 10093945, 10093946, 10093947, 10093948, 10093949, 10093950, 10093951, 10093952, 10093953, 10093954, 10093955, 10093956, 10093957.