Tornado and Hail in Oklahoma, May 20, 1985

Name: Tornado and Hail in Oklahoma, May 20, 1985
Start: 1985-05-20T12:30
End: 1985-05-20T23:20
Location: Oklahoma

May 20, 1985 · NWS AT · 37 events in 20 counties and zones

34 hail, 2 thunderstorm wind, 1 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: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 37

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

34 hail, 2 thunderstorm wind, 1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Jefferson

When: May 20, 12:30 PM CST
Where: Jefferson County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 33.900, -97.930

Hail, Jefferson

When: May 20, 1:00 PM CST
Where: Jefferson County
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 34.100, -97.670

Hail, Jefferson

When: May 20, 1:30 PM CST
Where: Jefferson County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 34.100, -97.670

Hail, Carter

When: May 20, 1:45 PM CST
Where: Carter County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 34.170, -97.530

Hail, Comanche

When: May 20, 1:49 PM CST
Where: Comanche County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 34.730, -98.500

Hail, Love

When: May 20, 1:50 PM CST
Where: Love County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 33.880, -97.430

Hail, Atoka

When: May 20, 2:00 PM CST
Where: Atoka County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 34.470, -95.880

Hail, Washington

When: May 20, 2:25 PM CST
Where: Washington County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 36.530, -95.920

Hail, Garvin

When: May 20, 2:30 PM CST
Where: Garvin County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 34.650, -97.020

Thunderstorm Wind, Nowata

When: May 20, 2:50 PM CST
Where: Nowata County
Coordinates: 36.700, -95.630

Hail, Caddo

When: May 20, 3:35 PM CST
Where: Caddo County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 35.070, -98.250

Hail, Kingfisher

When: May 20, 3:40 PM CST
Where: Kingfisher County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 35.870, -98.130

Hail, Comanche

When: May 20, 3:43 PM CST
Where: Comanche County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 34.630, -98.620

Tornado, Tillman

When: May 20, 3:45 PM CST
Where: Tillman County
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.1 mi
Path width: 3 yd
Coordinates: 34.450, -99.080

Hail, Comanche

When: May 20, 4:12 PM CST
Where: Comanche County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 34.630, -98.420

Hail, Choctaw

When: May 20, 4:30 PM CST
Where: Choctaw County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 34.130, -95.420

Hail, Blaine

When: May 20, 4:30 PM CST
Where: Blaine County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 35.970, -98.270

Hail, Pushmataha

When: May 20, 4:32 PM CST
Where: Pushmataha County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 34.200, -95.420

Hail, Comanche

When: May 20, 4:55 PM CST
Where: Comanche County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 34.480, -98.320

Hail, Stephens

When: May 20, 5:10 PM CST
Where: Stephens County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 34.630, -97.900

Hail, Comanche

When: May 20, 5:15 PM CST
Where: Comanche County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 34.520, -98.200

Hail, Cotton

When: May 20, 5:15 PM CST
Where: Cotton County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 34.500, -98.180

Hail, Garvin

When: May 20, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Garvin County
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 34.500, -97.350

Hail, Stephens

When: May 20, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Stephens County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 34.580, -97.670

Hail, Cotton

When: May 20, 6:15 PM CST
Where: Cotton County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 34.230, -98.300

Hail, Murray

When: May 20, 6:30 PM CST
Where: Murray County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 34.500, -97.100

Hail, Custer

When: May 20, 6:43 PM CST
Where: Custer County
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 35.670, -98.880

Hail, Murray

When: May 20, 6:50 PM CST
Where: Murray County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 34.520, -96.970

Hail, Love

When: May 20, 7:15 PM CST
Where: Love County
Measured: 2.75 in hail
Coordinates: 34.030, -97.330

Hail, Carter

When: May 20, 7:18 PM CST
Where: Carter County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 34.170, -97.270

Hail, Custer

When: May 20, 7:30 PM CST
Where: Custer County
Measured: 1.5 in hail
Coordinates: 35.630, -99.020

Hail, Love

When: May 20, 8:00 PM CST
Where: Love County
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 34.000, -97.030

Hail, Carter

When: May 20, 8:15 PM CST
Where: Carter County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 34.030, -96.980

Hail, Marshall

When: May 20, 8:30 PM CST
Where: Marshall County
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 34.030, -96.930

Hail, Marshall

When: May 20, 8:45 PM CST
Where: Marshall County
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 34.000, -96.720

Hail, Jackson

When: May 20, 11:20 PM CST
Where: Jackson County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 34.630, -99.330

Thunderstorm Wind, Jackson

When: May 20, 11:20 PM CST
Where: Jackson County
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph)
Coordinates: 34.630, -99.330

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: 10109253, 10109254, 10109255, 10109256, 10109257, 10109258, 10109259, 10109477, 10109478, 10109479, 10109480, 10109481, 10109482, 10109483, 10109484, 10109485, 10109486, 10109487, 10109488, 10109489, 10109490, 10109491, 10109492, 10109493, 10109494, 10109495, 10109496, 10109497, 10109498, 10109499, 10109500, 10109501, 10109502, 10109503, 10109504, 10109505, 10109506.