Hail, Seminole
- When
- April 20, 5:20 PM CST
- Where
- Seminole County, Wewoka
- Measured
- 0.75 in hail
- Coordinates
- 35.150, -96.480
Hail and Damaging Winds in Oklahoma, April 20, 1997
Severe thunderstorms moved across parts of central, south-central and southeastern Oklahoma during the evening of the 20th. Reports of large hail were widespread, with hail as large as tennis balls near Gerty in Hughes County.
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
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $5,000
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 22
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.
What happened
The episode as NWS OUN wrote it up.
Severe thunderstorms moved across parts of central, south-central and southeastern Oklahoma during the evening of the 20th. Reports of large hail were widespread, with hail as large as tennis balls near Gerty in Hughes County. Substantial wind damage also occurred in Johnston County near Tishomingo.
The radar
The Norman radar (KTLX), 75 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 23:20 UTC.
Event by event
20 hail, 2 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Hail, Hughes
- When
- April 20, 5:30 PM CST
- Where
- Hughes County, 2 mi W of Holdenville
- Measured
- 0.75 in hail
- Coordinates
- 35.080, -96.430
Hail, Pontotoc
- When
- April 20, 5:42 PM CST
- Where
- Pontotoc County, Byng
- Measured
- 1 in hail
- Coordinates
- 34.870, -96.650
Hail, Hughes
- When
- April 20, 6:00 PM CST
- Where
- Hughes County, 3 mi E of Holdenville
- Measured
- 0.88 in hail
- Coordinates
- 35.080, -96.350
Hail, Jefferson
- When
- April 20, 6:00 PM CST
- Where
- Jefferson County, Ringling
- Measured
- 0.88 in hail
- Coordinates
- 34.180, -97.580
Nickel-size hail covered the ground.
Hail, Carter
- When
- April 20, 6:00 PM CST
- Where
- Carter County, 3 mi SE of Healdton
- Measured
- 1 in hail
- Coordinates
- 34.200, -97.450
Hail, Hughes
- When
- April 20, 6:08 PM CST
- Where
- Hughes County, 4 mi N of Calvin
- Measured
- 1 in hail
- Coordinates
- 35.020, -96.250
Hail, Murray
- When
- April 20, 6:12 PM CST
- Where
- Murray County, 5 mi N of Davis
- Measured
- 1 in hail
- Coordinates
- 34.570, -97.120
at Turner Falls
Hail, Pontotoc
- When
- April 20, 6:21 PM CST
- Where
- Pontotoc County, 5 mi W of Stonewall
- Measured
- 0.88 in hail
- Coordinates
- 34.650, -96.600
Hail, Johnston
- When
- April 20, 6:45 PM CST
- Where
- Johnston County, 1 mi NE of Mill Creek
- Measured
- 0.88 in hail
- Coordinates
- 34.420, -96.800
Hail, Coal
- When
- April 20, 6:55 PM CST
- Where
- Coal County, 4 mi E of Bromide
- Measured
- 0.75 in hail
- Coordinates
- 34.420, -96.430
Thunderstorm Wind, Johnston
- When
- April 20, 7:00 PM CST
- Where
- Johnston County, 3 mi NW of Tishomingo
- Property damage
- $5,000
- Coordinates
- 34.270, -96.700
Severe thunderstorm winds destroyed a barn, tore shingles from a house roof, and downed large trees.
Hail, Carter
- When
- April 20, 7:00 PM CST
- Where
- Carter County, 3 mi S of Gene Autry
- Measured
- 0.75 in hail
- Coordinates
- 34.230, -97.030
Hail, Hughes
- When
- April 20, 7:07 PM CST
- Where
- Hughes County, 3 mi SE of Gerty
- Measured
- 2.5 in hail
- Coordinates
- 34.800, -96.250
Thunderstorm Wind, Johnston
- When
- April 20, 7:10 PM CST
- Where
- Johnston County, 5 mi NE of Tishomingo
- Property damage
- $10
- Coordinates
- 34.280, -96.600
Strong winds blew down two eight-inch diameter poplar trees.
Hail, Coal
- When
- April 20, 7:10 PM CST
- Where
- Coal County, Coalgate
- Measured
- 0.75 in hail
- Coordinates
- 34.530, -96.220
Hail, Johnston
- When
- April 20, 7:30 PM CST
- Where
- Johnston County, 6 mi N of Coleman
- Measured
- 1 in hail
- Coordinates
- 34.350, -96.420
Hail, Atoka
- When
- April 20, 7:50 PM CST
- Where
- Atoka County, 7 mi W of Atoka
- Measured
- 0.75 in hail
- Coordinates
- 34.380, -96.250
Hail, Atoka
- When
- April 20, 7:55 PM CST
- Where
- Atoka County, 5 mi W of Tushka
- Measured
- 0.88 in hail
- Coordinates
- 34.320, -96.250
Hail, Atoka
- When
- April 20, 8:05 PM CST
- Where
- Atoka County, 2 mi S of Tushka
- Measured
- 0.75 in hail
- Coordinates
- 34.280, -96.170
Hail, Atoka
- When
- April 20, 8:15 PM CST
- Where
- Atoka County, 10 mi E of Atoka
- Measured
- 0.75 in hail
- Coordinates
- 34.380, -95.950
Hail, Choctaw
- When
- April 20, 9:15 PM CST
- Where
- Choctaw County, Hugo
- Measured
- 0.88 in hail
- Coordinates
- 34.020, -95.520
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.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Damaging Wind in Texas, April 20, 1997
- High Wind in Oregon, April 20, 1997
- Flash Flooding and Hail in Texas, April 20, 1997
- Hail in Oklahoma, April 20, 1997
- Damaging Wind in Missouri, April 20, 1997
- Damaging Wind in Missouri, April 20, 1997
- Damaging Wind in Missouri, April 20, 1997
- Hail in Missouri, April 20, 1997
- Damaging Wind in Kentucky, April 20, 1997
- Tornado and Hail in Arkansas, April 20, 1997
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Texas, April 20, 1997
- Hail in Texas, April 20, 1997
More
Every storm in Oklahoma in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in Oklahoma, April 1997
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: 5599346, 5599347, 5599348, 5599341, 5599342, 5599343, 5599344, 5599345, 5599338, 5599339, 5601455, 5599350, 5601459, 5599340, 5601456, 5601460, 5599349, 5601461, 5599336, 5599337, 5601457, 5601458.