Tornadoes and Hail in Oklahoma, May 23, 1981

Name: Tornadoes and Hail in Oklahoma, May 23, 1981
Start: 1981-05-23T01:00
End: 1981-05-23T20:00
Location: Oklahoma

May 23, 1981 · NWS S · 23 events in 15 counties and zones

13 tornado, 9 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: 0
Injuries: 6
Property damage: $2.8 million
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 23

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

13 tornado, 9 hail, 1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Tornado, Osage

When: May 23, 1:00 AM CST
Where: Osage County
Rating: F1
Path width: 33 yd
Coordinates: 36.330, -96.430

Hail, Cotton

When: May 23, 2:45 PM CST
Where: Cotton County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 34.350, -98.300

Tornado, Creek

When: May 23, 3:00 PM CST
Where: Creek County
Rating: F1
Path width: 33 yd
Coordinates: 35.830, -96.330

Hail, Oklahoma

When: May 23, 3:30 PM CST
Where: Oklahoma County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 35.570, -97.280

Hail, Garvin

When: May 23, 3:48 PM CST
Where: Garvin County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 34.620, -97.380

Hail, Stephens

When: May 23, 3:53 PM CST
Where: Stephens County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 34.370, -97.970

Hail, Garvin

When: May 23, 3:55 PM CST
Where: Garvin County
Measured: 2.5 in hail
Coordinates: 34.620, -97.380

Tornado, Garvin

When: May 23, 4:00 PM CST
Where: Garvin County
Rating: F1
Path length: 2 mi
Path width: 50 yd
Coordinates: 34.530, -97.280

Hail, Grady

When: May 23, 4:20 PM CST
Where: Grady County
Measured: 2.5 in hail
Coordinates: 34.780, -97.950

Tornado, Nowata

When: May 23, 4:30 PM CST
Where: Nowata County
Rating: F0
Path width: 33 yd
Coordinates: 36.870, -95.650

Tornado, Murray

When: May 23, 5:05 PM CST
Where: Murray County
Rating: F1
Path width: 33 yd
Coordinates: 34.500, -96.980

Hail, Murray

When: May 23, 5:08 PM CST
Where: Murray County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 34.500, -97.150

Hail, Murray

When: May 23, 5:22 PM CST
Where: Murray County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 34.520, -97.050

Tornado, Pottawatomie

When: May 23, 5:25 PM CST
Where: Pottawatomie County
Rating: F1
Path width: 33 yd
Coordinates: 35.370, -97.120

Tornado, Pottawatomie

When: May 23, 5:30 PM CST
Where: Pottawatomie County
Rating: F1
Path width: 33 yd
Coordinates: 35.420, -96.900

Tornado, Washington

When: May 23, 5:30 PM CST
Where: Washington County
Rating: F2
Path length: 5.7 mi
Path width: 100 yd
Coordinates: 36.930, -95.880

Tornado, Nowata

When: May 23, 5:35 PM CST
Where: Nowata County
Rating: F2
Path length: 4.5 mi
Path width: 100 yd
Injuries: 3 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 36.950, -95.700

Tornado, Nowata

When: May 23, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Nowata County
Rating: F2
Path length: 9.5 mi
Path width: 33 yd
Injuries: 3 direct, 0 indirect
Coordinates: 36.950, -95.780

Hail, Carter

When: May 23, 6:30 PM CST
Where: Carter County
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 34.300, -97.020

Tornado, Bryan

When: May 23, 6:58 PM CST
Where: Bryan County
Rating: F3
Path length: 9.7 mi
Path width: 100 yd
Property damage: $2.5 million
Coordinates: 34.080, -96.500

Tornado, Bryan

When: May 23, 7:00 PM CST
Where: Bryan County
Rating: F1
Path width: 33 yd
Coordinates: 34.930, -96.570

Tornado, Delaware

When: May 23, 7:18 PM CST
Where: Delaware County
Rating: F2
Path width: 33 yd
Coordinates: 36.270, -94.650

Thunderstorm Wind, Pittsburg

When: May 23, 8:00 PM CST
Where: Pittsburg County
Coordinates: 34.930, -95.770

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

Every storm in Oklahoma in 1981 Every state in 1981 This day in weather history The 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: 10106689, 10106690, 10106691, 10106692, 10106693, 10106694, 10106695, 10106696, 10106697, 10106698, 10106699, 10106700, 10106701, 10106702, 10106703, 10106704, 10106705, 10106706, 10106707, 10106708, 10106709, 10106710, 10106711.