Tornado and Hail in Oklahoma, March 30, 1998

Name: Tornado and Hail in Oklahoma, March 30, 1998
Start: 1998-03-30T12:49
End: 1998-03-30T18:45
Location: Oklahoma

March 30, 1998 · NWS OUN · 30 events in 13 counties and zones

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: $151,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 30

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.

Summary of events of March 30th:A line of thunderstorms formed along a cold front as it moved east across central and southern Oklahoma. The line extended across the state from Kansas to Texas and produced large hail, damaging winds, and one tornado. The largest hail (golf ball-sized) was reported in Hickory in Murray County. Widespread wind damage occurred in Chickasha in Grady County as one storm evolved into a bow-echo. As the line of storms continued to move east, they developed comma-head radar signatures. One of these storms produced a small tornado (F0) in Lamar in Hughes County. See preceding individual Storm Data entries for further information and additional reports.

The radar

The Norman radar (KTLX), 69 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 18:49 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

23 hail, 6 thunderstorm wind, 1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Grady

When: March 30, 12:49 PM CST
Where: Grady County, Chickasha
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 35.050, -97.950

Thunderstorm Wind, Grady

When: March 30, 12:50 PM CST to 1:10 PM CST
Where: Grady County, Chickasha
Property damage: $150,000
Coordinates: 35.050, -97.950

Severe thunderstorm winds blew out numerous windows, downed large trees, and destroyed several signs and awnings in the downtown business district. Utility poles were downed, damaging and cutting the power to the city's water treatment facility. Nearby a carport was lifted and blown onto a mobile home and a storage shed was blown away. Just south of town a mobile home was overturned by the severe thunderstorm winds.

Thunderstorm Wind, Grady

When: March 30, 12:55 PM CST
Where: Grady County, Chickasha
Measured: 61 kt (70 mph)
Coordinates: 35.050, -97.950

Hail, Grady

When: March 30, 1:10 PM CST
Where: Grady County, 7 mi E of Tuttle
Measured: 0.88 in hail
Coordinates: 35.280, -97.680

Hail, Stephens

When: March 30, 1:43 PM CST
Where: Stephens County, 3 mi S of Duncan
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 34.470, -97.950

Hail, Oklahoma

When: March 30, 2:15 PM CST
Where: Oklahoma County, Oklahoma City
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 35.480, -97.530

in the northeast part of the city

Hail, Cleveland

When: March 30, 2:38 PM CST
Where: Cleveland County, Noble
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 35.130, -97.400

Hail, Carter

When: March 30, 3:10 PM CST
Where: Carter County, Fox
Measured: 0.88 in hail
Coordinates: 34.350, -97.480

Hail, Carter

When: March 30, 3:40 PM CST
Where: Carter County, Springer
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 34.320, -97.150

Hail, Murray

When: March 30, 3:40 PM CST
Where: Murray County, 5 mi W of Sulphur
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 34.520, -97.050

Hail, Murray

When: March 30, 3:40 PM CST
Where: Murray County, 6 mi SSW of Davis
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 34.420, -97.150

at Turner Falls

Thunderstorm Wind, Carter

When: March 30, 3:40 PM CST
Where: Carter County, Springer
Measured: 63 kt (72 mph)
Property damage: $800
Coordinates: 34.320, -97.150

Severe thunderstorm winds estimated at 75 mph tore sheet metal off a barn.

Hail, Murray

When: March 30, 3:45 PM CST
Where: Murray County, Dougherty
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 34.400, -97.050

Thunderstorm Wind, Murray

When: March 30, 3:45 PM CST
Where: Murray County, Dougherty
Measured: 61 kt (70 mph)
Coordinates: 34.400, -97.050

Hail, Love

When: March 30, 3:50 PM CST
Where: Love County, 2 mi W of Courtney
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 33.930, -97.530

Hail, Carter

When: March 30, 4:10 PM CST
Where: Carter County, 1 mi S of Springer
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 34.300, -97.150

Thunderstorm Wind, Carter

When: March 30, 4:10 PM CST
Where: Carter County, 1 mi S of Springer
Property damage: $400
Coordinates: 34.300, -97.150

Severe thunderstorm winds downed power lines.

Hail, Murray

When: March 30, 4:13 PM CST
Where: Murray County, Hickory
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 34.550, -96.870

Hail, Murray

When: March 30, 4:15 PM CST
Where: Murray County, Hickory
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 34.550, -96.870

Hail, Carter

When: March 30, 4:16 PM CST
Where: Carter County, 2 mi S of Dickson
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 34.150, -96.980

accompanied by west winds of 45 to 50 mph

Hail, Carter

When: March 30, 4:18 PM CST
Where: Carter County, Dickson
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 34.180, -96.980

Hail, Pontotoc

When: March 30, 4:45 PM CST
Where: Pontotoc County, 2 mi N of Allen
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 34.920, -96.400

Hail, Coal

When: March 30, 5:05 PM CST
Where: Coal County, 7 mi NNE of Tupelo
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 34.700, -96.370

Thunderstorm Wind, Hughes

When: March 30, 5:10 PM CST
Where: Hughes County, 5 mi WNW of Calvin
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Coordinates: 35.000, -96.330

measured at the Oklahoma Mesonet site

Hail, Hughes

When: March 30, 5:15 PM CST
Where: Hughes County, 1 mi W of Atwood
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 34.950, -96.350

Hail, Hughes

When: March 30, 5:17 PM CST
Where: Hughes County, Calvin
Measured: 0.88 in hail
Coordinates: 34.970, -96.250

Tornado, Hughes

When: March 30, 5:18 PM CST
Where: Hughes County, Lamar
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.6 mi
Path width: 25 yd
Coordinates: 35.100, -96.130

A severe thunderstorm produced a brief tornado in Lamar. Witnesses described a brief funnel that developed as the storm came across Lamar Mountain just southwest of town. This first funnel lifted and then a second funnel formed and touched down. The tornado moved north along the west edge of town for about .4 miles then veered to the northeast before lifting. On the southern end of the path, the roof was blown off a cow shed. Just north of there a travel trailer and dog house were blown over, an antenna was blown down, and a tree was uprooted. Shutters were blown off the next house to the north. About a block north of there the tornado blew the roof off a workshop and tossed a trampoline over a house. At this point the tornado turned to the northeast and destroyed a shed across from the post office and damaged a front porch. The damage path was about .6 miles long, and the tornado was rated F0.

Hail, Johnston

When: March 30, 5:30 PM CST
Where: Johnston County, Coleman
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 34.270, -96.420

Hail, Bryan

When: March 30, 5:50 PM CST
Where: Bryan County, 1 mi N of Calera
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 33.950, -96.430

Hail, Atoka

When: March 30, 6:45 PM CST
Where: Atoka County, 2 mi N of Farris
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 34.300, -95.820

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 1998 Every state in 1998 This day in weather history The tornado archive for Oklahoma, 1998 Warnings in Oklahoma, March 1998

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: 5648281, 5648283, 5648282, 5648284, 5648285, 5648286, 5648287, 5648288, 5648289, 5648290, 5648294, 5648395, 5648291, 5648292, 5648293, 5648297, 5648298, 5648307, 5648296, 5648295, 5648394, 5648304, 5648299, 5648306, 5648300, 5648303, 5648393, 5648305, 5648301, 5648302.