Tornadoes and Hail in Oklahoma, March 17, 1986

Name: Tornadoes and Hail in Oklahoma, March 17, 1986
Start: 1986-03-17T17:30
End: 1986-03-17T20:45
Location: Oklahoma

March 17, 1986 · 25 events in 11 counties and zones

19 hail, 3 tornado, 3 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: $750,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 25

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

19 hail, 3 tornado, 3 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Beckham

When: March 17, 5:30 PM CST
Where: Beckham County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 35.220, -99.870

Hail, Harmon

When: March 17, 5:40 PM CST
Where: Harmon County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 34.980, -99.970

Hail, Harmon

When: March 17, 5:40 PM CST
Where: Harmon County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 34.750, -99.830

Hail, Roger Mills

When: March 17, 5:54 PM CST
Where: Roger Mills County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 35.780, -99.720

Tornado, Greer

When: March 17, 5:55 PM CST
Where: Greer County
Rating: F1
Path length: 4 mi
Path width: 100 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 35.120, -99.630

Tornado, Beckham

When: March 17, 6:01 PM CST
Where: Beckham County
Rating: F1
Path length: 17 mi
Path width: 100 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 35.130, -99.680

Hail, Ellis

When: March 17, 6:10 PM CST
Where: Ellis County
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 36.180, -99.780

Hail, Ellis

When: March 17, 6:20 PM CST
Where: Ellis County
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 36.120, -99.500

Tornado, Washita

When: March 17, 6:25 PM CST
Where: Washita County
Rating: F1
Path length: 13 mi
Path width: 100 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 35.180, -99.350

Hail, Woodward

When: March 17, 6:30 PM CST
Where: Woodward County
Measured: 0.88 in hail
Coordinates: 36.280, -99.330

Hail, Ellis

When: March 17, 6:30 PM CST
Where: Ellis County
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 36.180, -99.780

Hail, Dewey

When: March 17, 6:30 PM CST
Where: Dewey County
Measured: 0.88 in hail
Coordinates: 35.980, -99.070

Thunderstorm Wind, Greer

When: March 17, 6:30 PM CST
Where: Greer County
Coordinates: 35.050, -99.670

Thunderstorm Wind, Dewey

When: March 17, 6:54 PM CST
Where: Dewey County
Measured: 56 kt (64 mph)
Coordinates: 36.150, -99.300

Thunderstorm Wind, Dewey

When: March 17, 6:54 PM CST
Where: Dewey County
Coordinates: 35.980, -99.070

Hail, Woodward

When: March 17, 7:00 PM CST
Where: Woodward County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 36.230, -99.200

Hail, Woodward

When: March 17, 7:05 PM CST
Where: Woodward County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 36.400, -99.280

Hail, Major

When: March 17, 7:35 PM CST
Where: Major County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 36.270, -98.570

Hail, Roger Mills

When: March 17, 7:35 PM CST
Where: Roger Mills County
Measured: 0.88 in hail
Coordinates: 35.780, -99.730

Hail, Ellis

When: March 17, 7:41 PM CST
Where: Ellis County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 36.270, -99.880

Hail, Woods

When: March 17, 7:45 PM CST
Where: Woods County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 36.770, -98.880

Hail, Dewey

When: March 17, 8:30 PM CST
Where: Dewey County
Measured: 0.88 in hail
Coordinates: 35.870, -99.350

Hail, Dewey

When: March 17, 8:30 PM CST
Where: Dewey County
Measured: 0.88 in hail
Coordinates: 35.980, -99.070

Hail, Custer

When: March 17, 8:45 PM CST
Where: Custer County
Measured: 0.88 in hail
Coordinates: 35.700, -99.250

Hail, Custer

When: March 17, 8:45 PM CST
Where: Custer County
Measured: 0.88 in hail
Coordinates: 35.630, -99.070

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

Hail and Damaging Wind in Texas, March 17, 19861.75 in hail · 3 events

Every storm in Oklahoma in 1986 Every state in 1986 This day in weather history The tornado archive for Oklahoma, 1986 Warnings in Oklahoma, March 1986

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: 10108483, 10108484, 10108485, 10108486, 10108487, 10108488, 10108489, 10108490, 10108491, 10108492, 10108493, 10108494, 10108495, 10108496, 10108497, 10108498, 10108499, 10108500, 10108501, 10108502, 10108503, 10108504, 10108505, 10108506, 10108507.