Oklahoma, 1981

Tornadoes and Hail in Oklahoma, April 19, 1981

April 19, 1981 · NWS NG · 9 events in 4 counties and zones

5 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths
5
Injuries
57
Property damage
$258 million
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
9

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

Hail, Nowata

When
April 19, 5:25 PM CST
Where
Nowata County
Measured
2.5 in hail
Coordinates
36.850, -95.630

Hail, Payne

When
April 19, 6:47 PM CST
Where
Payne County
Measured
0.75 in hail
Coordinates
35.970, -96.980

Tornado, Tulsa

When
April 19, 8:10 PM CST
Where
Tulsa County
Rating
F3
Path length
4.9 mi
Path width
200 yd
Injuries
7 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$250 million
Coordinates
36.070, -95.920

Thunderstorm Wind, Tulsa

When
April 19, 8:15 PM CST
Where
Tulsa County
Coordinates
36.080, -96.050

Tornado, Creek

When
April 19, 8:20 PM CST
Where
Creek County
Rating
F2
Path length
3.6 mi
Path width
600 yd
Property damage
$2.5 million
Coordinates
35.970, -95.130

Tornado, Creek

When
April 19, 8:30 PM CST
Where
Creek County
Rating
F3
Path length
3 mi
Path width
100 yd
Property damage
$3,000
Coordinates
35.920, -95.100

Hail, Tulsa

When
April 19, 8:30 PM CST
Where
Tulsa County
Measured
2.5 in hail
Coordinates
35.950, -95.880

Tornado, Tulsa

When
April 19, 8:35 PM CST
Where
Tulsa County
Rating
F3
Path length
0.5 mi
Path width
7 yd
Injuries
1 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$2.5 million
Coordinates
36.030, -95.900

Tornado, Tulsa

When
April 19, 8:45 PM CST
Where
Tulsa County
Rating
F3
Path length
9.9 mi
Path width
880 yd
Deaths
5 direct, 0 indirect
Injuries
49 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$2.5 million
Coordinates
35.950, -96.000

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 1981Every state in 1981This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Oklahoma, 1981

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: 10108954, 10108955, 10108956, 10108957, 10108958, 10108959, 10108960, 10108961, 10108962.