Tornadoes and Hail in Oklahoma, April 17, 1976

Name: Tornadoes and Hail in Oklahoma, April 17, 1976
Start: 1976-04-17T00:04
End: 1976-04-17T05:15
Location: Oklahoma

April 17, 1976 · 7 events in 7 counties and zones

3 tornado, 3 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

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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 8
Property damage: $2.5 million
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 7

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

3 tornado, 3 hail, 1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Ellis

When: April 17, 12:04 AM CST
Where: Ellis County
Measured: 80 kt (92 mph)
Coordinates: 36.300, -99.780

Tornado, Harmon

When: April 17, 1:40 AM CST
Where: Harmon County
Rating: F1
Path length: 23.5 mi
Path width: 50 yd
Injuries: 2 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 34.680, -99.880

Hail, Tillman

When: April 17, 3:25 AM CST
Where: Tillman County
Measured: 1.5 in hail
Coordinates: 34.530, -98.930

Hail, Comanche

When: April 17, 3:35 AM CST
Where: Comanche County
Measured: 1.5 in hail
Coordinates: 34.650, -98.530

Tornado, Kiowa

When: April 17, 3:50 AM CST
Where: Kiowa County
Rating: F1
Path length: 5.2 mi
Path width: 30 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 35.220, -98.900

Tornado, Caddo

When: April 17, 4:12 AM CST
Where: Caddo County
Rating: F4
Path length: 32.9 mi
Path width: 440 yd
Injuries: 6 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $2.5 million
Coordinates: 34.880, -98.520

Hail, Canadian

When: April 17, 5:15 AM CST
Where: Canadian County
Measured: 1.5 in hail
Coordinates: 35.380, -98.030

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 1976 Every state in 1976 This day in weather history The tornado archive for Oklahoma, 1976

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: 10093339, 10093340, 10093341, 10093342, 10093343, 10093344, 10093345.