Oklahoma, 1961

Tornadoes and Hail in Oklahoma, May 21, 1961

May 21, 1961 · 28 events in 19 counties and zones

12 hail, 10 tornado, 6 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
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$60,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
28

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

12 hail, 10 tornado, 6 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Pawnee

When
May 21, 10:45 AM CST
Where
Pawnee County
Measured
1 in hail
Coordinates
36.200, -96.500

Hail, Muskogee

When
May 21, 1:45 PM CST
Where
Muskogee County
Measured
0.75 in hail
Coordinates
35.780, -95.400

Hail, Comanche

When
May 21, 2:50 PM CST
Where
Comanche County
Measured
3 in hail
Coordinates
34.700, -98.400

Tornado, Oklahoma

When
May 21, 2:53 PM CST
Where
Oklahoma County
Path width
33 yd
Coordinates
35.600, -97.650

Hail, Stephens

When
May 21, 3:00 PM CST
Where
Stephens County
Measured
0.75 in hail
Coordinates
34.500, -97.680

Hail, Canadian

When
May 21, 3:10 PM CST
Where
Canadian County
Measured
1.5 in hail
Coordinates
35.500, -97.680

Hail, Payne

When
May 21, 3:15 PM CST
Where
Payne County
Measured
2.5 in hail
Coordinates
36.080, -97.080

Tornado, Custer

When
May 21, 3:45 PM CST
Where
Custer County
Path width
33 yd
Coordinates
35.650, -98.670

Tornado, Blaine

When
May 21, 4:15 PM CST
Where
Blaine County
Path length
9.4 mi
Path width
100 yd
Property damage
$3,000
Coordinates
35.880, -98.330

Tornado, Payne

When
May 21, 4:15 PM CST
Where
Payne County
Rating
F2
Path width
33 yd
Property damage
$3,000
Coordinates
35.950, -96.770

Tornado, Payne

When
May 21, 4:15 PM CST
Where
Payne County
Rating
F2
Path width
33 yd
Coordinates
35.970, -96.750

Tornado, Payne

When
May 21, 4:15 PM CST
Where
Payne County
Rating
F3
Path width
33 yd
Property damage
$25,000
Coordinates
35.970, -96.770

Tornado, Payne

When
May 21, 4:15 PM CST
Where
Payne County
Rating
F3
Path width
33 yd
Property damage
$25,000
Coordinates
35.950, -96.750

Hail, Blaine

When
May 21, 4:15 PM CST
Where
Blaine County
Measured
1 in hail
Coordinates
35.880, -98.400

Hail, Pottawatomie

When
May 21, 5:15 PM CST
Where
Pottawatomie County
Measured
2 in hail
Coordinates
35.280, -96.900

Thunderstorm Wind, Hughes

When
May 21, 5:15 PM CST
Where
Hughes County
Coordinates
35.200, -96.180

Tornado, Caddo

When
May 21, 5:33 PM CST
Where
Caddo County
Path width
33 yd
Coordinates
35.100, -98.300

Hail, Caddo

When
May 21, 6:00 PM CST
Where
Caddo County
Measured
2.75 in hail
Coordinates
35.280, -98.500

Thunderstorm Wind, Okmulgee

When
May 21, 6:00 PM CST
Where
Okmulgee County
Coordinates
35.780, -95.780

Tornado, Oklahoma

When
May 21, 6:03 PM CST
Where
Oklahoma County
Path width
33 yd
Property damage
$3,000
Coordinates
35.500, -97.650

Hail, Garvin

When
May 21, 7:00 PM CST
Where
Garvin County
Measured
2 in hail
Coordinates
34.780, -97.180

Thunderstorm Wind, Cleveland

When
May 21, 7:00 PM CST
Where
Cleveland County
Measured
70 kt (81 mph)
Coordinates
35.200, -97.400

Thunderstorm Wind, Garvin

When
May 21, 7:00 PM CST
Where
Garvin County
Measured
65 kt (75 mph)
Coordinates
34.780, -97.180

Hail, Cotton

When
May 21, 7:30 PM CST
Where
Cotton County
Measured
2 in hail
Coordinates
34.280, -98.180

Tornado, Ottawa

When
May 21, 7:40 PM CST
Where
Ottawa County
Rating
F2
Path width
33 yd
Property damage
$3,000
Coordinates
36.730, -94.850

Thunderstorm Wind, Craig

When
May 21, 7:50 PM CST
Where
Craig County
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)
Coordinates
36.580, -95.180

Hail, Carter

When
May 21, 8:00 PM CST
Where
Carter County
Measured
2 in hail
Coordinates
34.280, -97.500

Thunderstorm Wind, Garvin

When
May 21, 8:00 PM CST
Where
Garvin County
Measured
66 kt (76 mph)
Coordinates
34.780, -97.180

What these are

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

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: 10092899, 10092900, 10092901, 10092902, 10092903, 10092904, 10092905, 10092906, 10092907, 10092908, 10092909, 10092910, 10092911, 10092912, 10092913, 10092914, 10092915, 10092916, 10092917, 10092918, 10092919, 10093779, 10093780, 10093781, 10093782, 10093783, 10093784, 10093785.