Oklahoma, 1983

Tornadoes and Hail in Oklahoma, May 12, 1983

May 12, 1983 · 29 events in 14 counties and zones

18 hail, 6 tornado, 5 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
0
Property damage
$3,000
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

18 hail, 6 tornado, 5 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Roger Mills

When
May 12, 2:20 PM CST
Where
Roger Mills County
Measured
0.75 in hail
Coordinates
35.630, -99.380

Hail, Garfield

When
May 12, 5:15 PM CST
Where
Garfield County
Measured
0.75 in hail
Coordinates
36.330, -97.900

Hail, Grant

When
May 12, 5:30 PM CST
Where
Grant County
Measured
0.75 in hail
Coordinates
36.700, -97.550

Tornado, Kay

When
May 12, 5:37 PM CST
Where
Kay County
Rating
F0
Path length
0.1 mi
Path width
50 yd
Property damage
$30
Coordinates
36.920, -97.420

Tornado, Grant

When
May 12, 6:00 PM CST
Where
Grant County
Rating
F0
Path length
0.1 mi
Path width
50 yd
Property damage
$30
Coordinates
36.680, -97.550

Hail, Kay

When
May 12, 6:00 PM CST
Where
Kay County
Measured
0.75 in hail
Coordinates
36.800, -97.280

Tornado, Kay

When
May 12, 6:05 PM CST
Where
Kay County
Rating
F0
Path length
0.1 mi
Path width
50 yd
Property damage
$30
Coordinates
36.780, -97.350

Hail, Dewey

When
May 12, 6:35 PM CST
Where
Dewey County
Measured
0.75 in hail
Coordinates
36.150, -98.920

Hail, Garfield

When
May 12, 6:41 PM CST
Where
Garfield County
Measured
1 in hail
Coordinates
36.400, -97.870

Tornado, Garfield

When
May 12, 6:52 PM CST
Where
Garfield County
Rating
F0
Path length
0.1 mi
Path width
50 yd
Property damage
$30
Coordinates
36.380, -98.050

Hail, Kay

When
May 12, 7:00 PM CST
Where
Kay County
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
36.800, -97.280

Thunderstorm Wind, Garfield

When
May 12, 7:00 PM CST
Where
Garfield County
Coordinates
36.280, -97.900

Hail, Beckham

When
May 12, 7:05 PM CST
Where
Beckham County
Measured
2.75 in hail
Coordinates
35.220, -99.870

Hail, Major

When
May 12, 7:30 PM CST
Where
Major County
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
36.230, -98.480

Hail, Dewey

When
May 12, 7:30 PM CST
Where
Dewey County
Measured
0.75 in hail
Coordinates
36.030, -98.970

Thunderstorm Wind, Major

When
May 12, 7:30 PM CST
Where
Major County
Measured
52 kt (60 mph)
Coordinates
36.270, -98.830

Hail, Garfield

When
May 12, 7:43 PM CST
Where
Garfield County
Measured
0.75 in hail
Coordinates
36.400, -97.870

Hail, Garfield

When
May 12, 8:00 PM CST
Where
Garfield County
Measured
1.5 in hail
Coordinates
36.280, -98.000

Hail, Garfield

When
May 12, 8:00 PM CST
Where
Garfield County
Measured
0.75 in hail
Coordinates
36.330, -97.900

Hail, Major

When
May 12, 8:00 PM CST
Where
Major County
Measured
2.75 in hail
Coordinates
36.250, -98.180

Thunderstorm Wind, Osage

When
May 12, 8:00 PM CST
Where
Osage County
Coordinates
36.780, -96.650

Tornado, Greer

When
May 12, 8:15 PM CST
Where
Greer County
Rating
F2
Path length
0.1 mi
Path width
50 yd
Property damage
$3,000
Coordinates
34.850, -99.450

Tornado, Jackson

When
May 12, 8:30 PM CST
Where
Jackson County
Rating
F2
Path length
0.1 mi
Path width
50 yd
Property damage
$30
Coordinates
34.770, -99.330

Thunderstorm Wind, Garfield

When
May 12, 8:30 PM CST
Where
Garfield County
Measured
61 kt (70 mph)
Coordinates
36.300, -98.030

Thunderstorm Wind, Garfield

When
May 12, 8:30 PM CST
Where
Garfield County
Measured
61 kt (70 mph)
Coordinates
36.350, -97.830

Hail, Woods

When
May 12, 8:45 PM CST
Where
Woods County
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
36.580, -98.880

Hail, Alfalfa

When
May 12, 8:45 PM CST
Where
Alfalfa County
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
36.580, -98.470

Hail, Kingfisher

When
May 12, 8:50 PM CST
Where
Kingfisher County
Measured
1 in hail
Coordinates
35.980, -97.920

Hail, Custer

When
May 12, 9:16 PM CST
Where
Custer County
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
35.530, -98.720

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 1983Every state in 1983This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Oklahoma, 1983

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: 10109125, 10109126, 10109127, 10109128, 10109129, 10109130, 10109131, 10109132, 10109133, 10109134, 10109135, 10109136, 10109137, 10109138, 10109139, 10109140, 10109141, 10109142, 10109143, 10109144, 10109145, 10109146, 10109147, 10109148, 10109149, 10109150, 10109151, 10109152, 10109153.