Oklahoma, 1981

Tornadoes and Hail in Oklahoma, May 17, 1981

May 17, 1981 · NWS T · 29 events in 15 counties and zones

17 tornado, 12 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
8
Property damage
$8.3 million
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
29

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

17 tornado, 12 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Tornado, Kay

When
May 17, 2:25 PM CST
Where
Kay County
Rating
F0
Path length
18.7 mi
Path width
33 yd
Coordinates
36.830, -97.370

Tornado, Garfield

When
May 17, 3:30 PM CST
Where
Garfield County
Rating
F1
Path length
1 mi
Path width
33 yd
Property damage
$30
Coordinates
36.430, -97.530

Hail, Canadian

When
May 17, 4:05 PM CST
Where
Canadian County
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
35.500, -97.750

Hail, McClain

When
May 17, 4:14 PM CST
Where
McClain County
Measured
0.75 in hail
Coordinates
35.030, -97.630

Hail, Oklahoma

When
May 17, 4:16 PM CST
Where
Oklahoma County
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
35.480, -97.530

Hail, McCurtain

When
May 17, 4:25 PM CST
Where
McCurtain County
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
35.050, -97.480

Tornado, Noble

When
May 17, 4:30 PM CST
Where
Noble County
Rating
F1
Path length
0.5 mi
Path width
10 yd
Property damage
$30
Coordinates
36.550, -97.070

Hail, Oklahoma

When
May 17, 4:45 PM CST
Where
Oklahoma County
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
35.650, -97.480

Hail, Carter

When
May 17, 4:45 PM CST
Where
Carter County
Measured
2.5 in hail
Coordinates
35.670, -97.330

Tornado, McClain

When
May 17, 4:46 PM CST
Where
McClain County
Rating
F1
Path length
1.9 mi
Path width
100 yd
Coordinates
35.150, -97.450

Tornado, Cleveland

When
May 17, 4:48 PM CST
Where
Cleveland County
Rating
F1
Path length
2.3 mi
Path width
33 yd
Coordinates
35.170, -97.430

Hail, Cleveland

When
May 17, 4:53 PM CST
Where
Cleveland County
Measured
1.5 in hail
Coordinates
35.130, -97.400

Tornado, Oklahoma

When
May 17, 5:00 PM CST
Where
Oklahoma County
Rating
F2
Path length
1.9 mi
Path width
50 yd
Property damage
$250,000
Coordinates
35.630, -97.350

Hail, Oklahoma

When
May 17, 5:00 PM CST
Where
Oklahoma County
Measured
1.5 in hail
Coordinates
35.580, -97.420

Tornado, Cleveland

When
May 17, 5:24 PM CST
Where
Cleveland County
Rating
F1
Path length
1 mi
Path width
100 yd
Property damage
$30
Coordinates
35.180, -97.250

Hail, Cleveland

When
May 17, 5:35 PM CST
Where
Cleveland County
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
35.100, -97.230

Tornado, Pottawatomie

When
May 17, 6:10 PM CST
Where
Pottawatomie County
Rating
F3
Path length
10.2 mi
Path width
587 yd
Injuries
6 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$250,000
Coordinates
35.220, -96.980

Tornado, Osage

When
May 17, 6:15 PM CST
Where
Osage County
Rating
F1
Path length
2 mi
Path width
67 yd
Property damage
$25,000
Coordinates
36.750, -96.670

Hail, Osage

When
May 17, 6:15 PM CST
Where
Osage County
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
36.780, -96.650

Tornado, Seminole

When
May 17, 6:45 PM CST
Where
Seminole County
Rating
F2
Path length
2.7 mi
Path width
200 yd
Property damage
$250,000
Coordinates
35.320, -96.730

Tornado, Osage

When
May 17, 7:00 PM CST
Where
Osage County
Rating
F0
Path width
33 yd
Coordinates
36.950, -96.270

Tornado, Seminole

When
May 17, 7:00 PM CST
Where
Seminole County
Rating
F4
Path length
9.7 mi
Path width
600 yd
Property damage
$2.5 million
Coordinates
35.350, -96.600

Hail, Seminole

When
May 17, 7:02 PM CST
Where
Seminole County
Measured
0.75 in hail
Coordinates
35.330, -96.630

Tornado, Osage

When
May 17, 7:20 PM CST
Where
Osage County
Rating
F2
Path width
33 yd
Coordinates
36.980, -96.230

Tornado, Okfuskee

When
May 17, 7:20 PM CST
Where
Okfuskee County
Rating
F4
Path length
19.6 mi
Path width
33 yd
Injuries
2 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$2.5 million
Coordinates
35.380, -96.430

Hail, Okfuskee

When
May 17, 7:33 PM CST
Where
Okfuskee County
Measured
3 in hail
Coordinates
35.430, -96.170

Tornado, Okmulgee

When
May 17, 7:50 PM CST
Where
Okmulgee County
Rating
F4
Path length
4.3 mi
Path width
33 yd
Property damage
$2.5 million
Coordinates
35.550, -96.150

Tornado, Seminole

When
May 17, 8:10 PM CST
Where
Seminole County
Rating
F3
Path length
15.4 mi
Path width
350 yd
Property damage
$25,000
Coordinates
35.330, -96.480

Tornado, Muskogee

When
May 17, 10:00 PM CST
Where
Muskogee County
Rating
F2
Path width
33 yd
Coordinates
35.620, -95.170

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.

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: 10105566, 10105567, 10105568, 10105569, 10105570, 10105571, 10105572, 10105573, 10105574, 10105575, 10105576, 10105577, 10105578, 10105579, 10105580, 10105581, 10105582, 10105583, 10105584, 10105585, 10105586, 10105587, 10105588, 10105589, 10105590, 10105591, 10105592, 10105593, 10106455.