Oklahoma, 1961

Tornadoes and Hail in Oklahoma, March 5, 1961

March 5, 1961 · 11 events in 9 counties and zones

5 hail, 4 tornado, 2 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
1
Property damage
$253,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
11

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

5 hail, 4 tornado, 2 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Tornado, Lincoln

When
March 5, 4:45 PM CST
Where
Lincoln County
Path width
33 yd
Coordinates
35.470, -96.700

Hail, Pottawatomie

When
March 5, 5:00 PM CST
Where
Pottawatomie County
Measured
2.5 in hail
Coordinates
35.280, -96.900

Tornado, Garvin

When
March 5, 5:15 PM CST
Where
Garvin County
Rating
F2
Path length
1 mi
Path width
100 yd
Injuries
1 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$250,000
Coordinates
34.730, -97.230

Hail, Payne

When
March 5, 5:40 PM CST
Where
Payne County
Measured
2 in hail
Coordinates
36.080, -97.000

Thunderstorm Wind, Payne

When
March 5, 5:40 PM CST
Where
Payne County
Coordinates
36.080, -97.000

Hail, Creek

When
March 5, 5:58 PM CST
Where
Creek County
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
35.780, -96.500

Hail, Tulsa

When
March 5, 5:58 PM CST
Where
Tulsa County
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
35.880, -95.900

Tornado, Johnston

When
March 5, 6:30 PM CST
Where
Johnston County
Path width
33 yd
Coordinates
34.200, -96.750

Tornado, Choctaw

When
March 5, 9:15 PM CST
Where
Choctaw County
Rating
F2
Path length
3.8 mi
Path width
50 yd
Property damage
$3,000
Coordinates
34.000, -95.830

Hail, Ottawa

When
March 5, 9:15 PM CST
Where
Ottawa County
Measured
2 in hail
Coordinates
36.880, -94.780

Thunderstorm Wind, Ottawa

When
March 5, 9:15 PM CST
Where
Ottawa County
Coordinates
36.880, -94.780

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.
Hail
Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
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

More

Every storm in Oklahoma in 1961Every state in 1961This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Oklahoma, 1961

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: 10096096, 10096097, 10096098, 10096099, 10096100, 10091775, 10096101, 10091776, 10091777, 10091778, 10091779.