Tornadoes and Hail in Oklahoma, May 12, 1985

Name: Tornadoes and Hail in Oklahoma, May 12, 1985
Start: 1985-05-12T17:55
End: 1985-05-12T21:34
Location: Oklahoma

May 12, 1985 · NWS AT · 28 events in 11 counties and zones

22 hail, 4 thunderstorm wind, 2 tornado, 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: 3
Property damage: $250,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 28

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

22 hail, 4 thunderstorm wind, 2 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Grady

When: May 12, 5:55 PM CST
Where: Grady County
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 34.780, -97.950

Hail, Comanche

When: May 12, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Comanche County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 34.780, -98.280

Hail, Cleveland

When: May 12, 6:04 PM CST
Where: Cleveland County
Measured: 2.75 in hail
Coordinates: 35.330, -97.500

Hail, Grady

When: May 12, 6:05 PM CST
Where: Grady County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 35.130, -97.700

Hail, McClain

When: May 12, 6:06 PM CST
Where: McClain County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 35.130, -97.670

Hail, Oklahoma

When: May 12, 6:07 PM CST
Where: Oklahoma County
Measured: 4 in hail
Coordinates: 35.450, -97.530

Thunderstorm Wind, Cleveland

When: May 12, 6:22 PM CST
Where: Cleveland County
Measured: 65 kt (75 mph)
Coordinates: 35.330, -97.500

Hail, Grady

When: May 12, 6:30 PM CST
Where: Grady County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 35.000, -97.770

Hail, Oklahoma

When: May 12, 6:30 PM CST
Where: Oklahoma County
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 35.480, -97.530

Hail, McClain

When: May 12, 6:40 PM CST
Where: McClain County
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 35.030, -97.630

Hail, Cleveland

When: May 12, 6:40 PM CST
Where: Cleveland County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 35.220, -97.450

Hail, Comanche

When: May 12, 6:41 PM CST
Where: Comanche County
Measured: 3 in hail
Coordinates: 34.750, -98.170

Hail, Comanche

When: May 12, 7:05 PM CST
Where: Comanche County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 34.650, -98.420

Hail, Canadian

When: May 12, 7:10 PM CST
Where: Canadian County
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 35.380, -97.720

Tornado, Logan

When: May 12, 7:12 PM CST
Where: Logan County
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.1 mi
Path width: 3 yd
Coordinates: 35.770, -97.480

Hail, McClain

When: May 12, 7:15 PM CST
Where: McClain County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 35.030, -97.630

Hail, Cleveland

When: May 12, 7:40 PM CST
Where: Cleveland County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 35.220, -97.450

Hail, Payne

When: May 12, 7:45 PM CST
Where: Payne County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 36.020, -96.900

Hail, Comanche

When: May 12, 8:05 PM CST
Where: Comanche County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 34.750, -98.170

Tornado, Lincoln

When: May 12, 8:10 PM CST
Where: Lincoln County
Rating: F1
Path length: 0.1 mi
Path width: 3 yd
Injuries: 3 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 35.480, -97.080

Hail, Cleveland

When: May 12, 8:20 PM CST
Where: Cleveland County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 35.080, -97.330

Hail, Oklahoma

When: May 12, 8:35 PM CST
Where: Oklahoma County
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 35.400, -97.170

Thunderstorm Wind, Lincoln

When: May 12, 8:39 PM CST
Where: Lincoln County
Measured: 56 kt (64 mph)
Coordinates: 35.500, -96.900

Thunderstorm Wind, Payne

When: May 12, 8:50 PM CST
Where: Payne County
Measured: 56 kt (64 mph)
Coordinates: 35.980, -96.770

Thunderstorm Wind, Creek

When: May 12, 9:00 PM CST
Where: Creek County
Coordinates: 36.250, -96.420

Hail, Pottawatomie

When: May 12, 9:17 PM CST
Where: Pottawatomie County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 35.330, -96.920

Hail, Payne

When: May 12, 9:29 PM CST
Where: Payne County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 36.120, -97.070

Hail, Pottawatomie

When: May 12, 9:34 PM CST
Where: Pottawatomie County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 35.370, -96.970

What these are

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.
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.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Oklahoma in 1985 Every state in 1985 This day in weather history The tornado archive for Oklahoma, 1985

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: 10108328, 10108329, 10108330, 10108331, 10108332, 10108333, 10108334, 10108335, 10108336, 10108337, 10108338, 10108339, 10108340, 10108341, 10108342, 10108343, 10108344, 10108345, 10108346, 10108347, 10108348, 10108349, 10108350, 10108351, 10108352, 10108353, 10108354, 10108355.