Oklahoma, 1973

Tornadoes and Hail in Oklahoma, May 26, 1973

May 26, 1973 · 13 events in 10 counties and zones

8 tornado, 3 thunderstorm wind, 2 hail, 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
5
Injuries
34
Property damage
$830,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
13

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

8 tornado, 3 thunderstorm wind, 2 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Tornado, Tulsa

When
May 26, 3:00 PM CST
Where
Tulsa County
Rating
F2
Path length
2 mi
Path width
33 yd
Property damage
$3,000
Coordinates
36.020, -95.780

Tornado, Washington

When
May 26, 3:00 PM CST
Where
Washington County
Rating
F3
Path length
0.3 mi
Path width
100 yd
Injuries
3 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$3,000
Coordinates
36.970, -95.920

Tornado, Mayes

When
May 26, 3:30 PM CST
Where
Mayes County
Rating
F1
Path length
10.5 mi
Path width
60 yd
Property damage
$25,000
Coordinates
36.170, -95.380

Tornado, Muskogee

When
May 26, 4:00 PM CST
Where
Muskogee County
Rating
F4
Path length
3.6 mi
Path width
500 yd
Deaths
5 direct, 0 indirect
Injuries
25 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$250,000
Coordinates
35.550, -95.320

Tornado, Sequoyah

When
May 26, 4:40 PM CST
Where
Sequoyah County
Rating
F3
Path length
18.7 mi
Path width
250 yd
Injuries
6 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$250,000
Coordinates
35.570, -95.100

Hail, Delaware

When
May 26, 4:45 PM CST
Where
Delaware County
Measured
2 in hail
Coordinates
36.300, -94.700

Thunderstorm Wind, McIntosh

When
May 26, 7:40 PM CST
Where
McIntosh County
Coordinates
35.330, -95.700

Tornado, McIntosh

When
May 26, 8:00 PM CST
Where
McIntosh County
Rating
F2
Path length
5.7 mi
Path width
200 yd
Property damage
$250,000
Coordinates
35.500, -95.530

Hail, McIntosh

When
May 26, 8:00 PM CST
Where
McIntosh County
Measured
2.75 in hail
Coordinates
35.500, -95.530

Tornado, Pittsburg

When
May 26, 8:10 PM CST
Where
Pittsburg County
Rating
F1
Path length
15.5 mi
Path width
80 yd
Property damage
$25,000
Coordinates
34.730, -96.070

Tornado, Le Flore

When
May 26, 9:00 PM CST
Where
Le Flore County
Rating
F2
Path length
1.5 mi
Path width
33 yd
Property damage
$25,000
Coordinates
34.950, -94.700

Thunderstorm Wind, McCurtain

When
May 26, 10:13 PM CST
Where
McCurtain County
Measured
52 kt (60 mph)
Coordinates
34.100, -95.000

Thunderstorm Wind, Le Flore

When
May 26, 10:15 PM CST
Where
Le Flore County
Measured
62 kt (71 mph)
Coordinates
34.500, -94.600

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 1973Every state in 1973This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Oklahoma, 1973

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: 10093438, 10093439, 10093440, 10093441, 10093442, 10093443, 10093444, 10093445, 10093446, 10093447, 10093448, 10093449, 10093450.