Hail and Damaging Wind in Oklahoma, May 8, 1997

Name: Hail and Damaging Wind in Oklahoma, May 8, 1997
Start: 1997-05-08T00:06
End: 1997-05-08T01:42
Location: Oklahoma

May 8, 1997 · NWS TSA · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

2 hail, 1 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

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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 3

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.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

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Event by event

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

Thunderstorm Wind, Tulsa

When: May 8, 12:06 AM CST
Where: Tulsa County, Bixby
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph)
Coordinates: 35.950, -95.880

Hail, Cherokee

When: May 8, 1:20 AM CST
Where: Cherokee County, 3 mi E of Tahlequah
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 35.920, -94.920

Hail, Adair

When: May 8, 1:42 AM CST
Where: Adair County, Stilwell
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 35.820, -94.630

Severe thunderstorms moved across northeast Oklahoma during the evening of May 7th and early morning of May 8th. The storms spawned 2 brief tornadoes, both in Osage County, and also produced damaging winds and large hail. The tornadoes touched down at 2037CST 7 miles west of Ralston and at 2102CST 1 mile southwest of Fairfax. The tornadoes both touched down in rural areas, and no structural damage occurred. The tornadoes were both rated F0 in intensity. Thunderstorm winds gusted to 60 miles an hour on the Creek/Tulsa County line 3 miles south southwest of Glenpool and in Bixby. Golfball size hail fell at Ralston, and quarter size hail fell at Fairfax, where the hail drifted to a depth of 11 inches in some places. Dime size hail fell at several other locations in northeast Oklahoma. The storms also produced very heavy rainfall which resulted in flash flooding in Osage and Pawnee Counties. A few roads were washed out 15 miles west southwest of Burbank, and many county roads were flooded near Maramec.

What these are

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.
Hail: Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Oklahoma in 1997 Every state in 1997 This day in weather history Warnings in Oklahoma, May 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: 5619724, 5619725, 5619807.