1Most severe tornado damage; see Fujita scale 2Time from first tornado to last tornado
On May 4–6, 1960, a large tornado outbreak sequence affected parts of the Midwestern and Southern United States.[nb 2] The severe weather event produced at least 71 confirmed tornadoes, including five violent tornadoes in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Major tornado activity began on the afternoon of May 4, with strong tornadoes affecting the Red River Valley and the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. Two tornadoes struck parts of southern Oklahoma, causing significant damage to the Konawa and Soper areas. In all, at least 22 tornadoes formed between the early afternoon and late evening, with two more tornadoes forming early on May 5, shortly after midnight CDT. A much more significant tornado outbreak began on the afternoon of May 5 and continued overnight, spreading from eastern Oklahoma into portions of southern Missouri and Central Arkansas. At least 35 tornadoes developed between 6:00 a.m. CST on May 5–6, including a long-tracked F5 that struck rural areas in Northeastern Oklahoma and killed five people. Two other tornadoes killed 21 people in and near Sequoyah County in the eastern portion of the state. Other strong tornadoes affected the Little Rock metropolitan area early on May 6 in Arkansas. In all, the tornado outbreak sequence killed 33 people and injured 302.
One home was shifted off its foundation and severely damaged.[10] The tornado may have moved concrete blocks 100 yards (300 ft) from a gas station.[9] The tornado was rated F2 by Grazulis.
A third of Soper was destroyed, including two farms and "up to 100 homes."[9] Two farms were also damaged near Snow.[10] The path near Snow may have been that of a separate tornado.[9]
One frame home was destroyed, a few trailers, a general store, and a church were destroyed in the Wallville area. The tornado also damaged farms and a pipe yard near Maysville.[12] The parent supercell produced the next event below.[10]
A long-lived tornado family destroyed five homes[12] and hit a cemetery[10] near Corbett, then destroyed two more homes and an oil tank in Tribbey.[12] Six homes were hit in Depew and two more were destroyed west of Bristow. Near the end of the path, three homes and a trailer were destroyed.[10]
Most damage was at the rooftop level. One 208-foot (63 m) radio tower was reportedly "snapped off".[10] The tornado is not listed as significant by Grazulis.[12]
2 deaths — About 25 homes were destroyed, some of which were swept away. Even underbrush was cleared from the homesites in south Hoffman. Grazulis gave this an F4 rating.[12]
A large tornado nearly leveled a newly built[10] brick farmhouse, leaving only one wall standing.[12] The tornado also destroyed "two truckloads of boats"[10] on the Will Rogers Turnpike, injuring two drivers.[12] This tornado destroyed many farms[10] and may have been an F3 in intensity.[12]
16 deaths — A major tornado family caused severe damage to 15 square blocks[14] in Wilburton, destroying 82 homes and damaging or destroying 600 structures.[12] Thirteen people died as the tornado family hit Wilburton. The tornado family then destroyed six more homes north of Wilburton, 25 in Keota, and 10 more near Sallisaw.[12]
5 deaths — One home was swept away and two trucks carried 300 yards (274 m). Three of the occupants were injured and five people died in the home that was swept away.[12]
1 death — This was the fourth F3+ tornado to hit Sequoyah County this day. Numerous homes were destroyed and a woman was killed in one of them.[10] Some of the homes were reportedly swept away.[12]
A tornado struck eight farms and shifted one home on its foundation. Many other homes and barns were heavily damaged. This tornado may have been an F3.[12]
1 death — Developed west of Conway, in the Portland Bottoms area. The tornado then hit Menifee, destroying a large school complex, 31 houses, a pair of churches, a post office, and 32 other structures. Much damage was also reported in Greenbrier. 30 people were injured.[12]
A tornado uprooted many trees and destroyed three homes. It also destroyed a cotton gin and a garage.[15] Other garages, outbuildings, and 60 other homes were reported damaged.[8] Two people were injured.
A tornado skipped through the Blytheville area, causing minor damage to farms, small buildings, roofs, and windows. It, or another member of its tornado family, may have touched down in Pemiscot County, Missouri. It was attended by approximately 15 funnel clouds, eight of which may have been brief tornadoes.[8]
A tornado destroyed five homes and eight other buildings.[15] Twenty homes were severely damaged.[8] The tornado may have been an F2 rather than an F1.[15]
A violent tornado, later rated as an F4, the first of multiple, passed between Konawa and Sacred Heart, Oklahoma, in both Pottawatomie and Seminole Counties, destroying four farms, and sweeping away a newly-built residence at F4 intensity. Nobody died however.
After beginning south of Soper, Oklahoma, this violent tornado immediately reached F4 intensity, striking Soper directly, destroying a third of the town, including two farms and up to 100 homes. Near the end of the path, near Snow, the tornado destroyed another two farms; The path near Snow may have been a secondary tornado, indicating that this could’ve been a family of tornadoes. Despite the severe damages, and impacts to Soper, only three people were injured, but nobody died.
This large wedge tornado began its path of destruction at around 5:27 p.m., it moved forward mostly N-NE first impacting part of Shawnee before affecting Prague. A new Kerr-McGee oil facility was destroyed near the NE side of Prague near Paden at great financial cost with some equipment thrown great distances or mangled, and the small community of Iron Post was obliterated at F5 intensity. It began near Shawnee and finally lifted to NE of Sapulpa during the afternoon of that early May day. On the ground roughly 1hr., 45 minutes, the 800-yard wide funnel was described as a rapidly moving white barrel that never "left the landscape." Two of the 5 killed were at the Iron Post community. Multiple homes and farms were swept away and granulated or heavily damaged with destruction of the trees nearby and fields torn to shreds with heavy scour. The tornado then tracked through parts of Sapulpa around 6:32 pm, claiming 3 more lives and injuring dozens more (81 overall). Over 300 homes were destroyed or damaged along with many buildings such as schools, churches, and businesses over a 15 city block area, though the most intense phases of the tornado occurred over mostly rural land, it could not have been any lower than F4/F5 at Sapulpa. In Sapulpa, some homes were swept away along with their old foundations and porches. Overall casualties were 5 killed, 81 inj. As of now, this is also the most intense tornado to occur within the Tulsa area. The hardest hit major population area was Sapulpa. The tornado lifted shortly before 7 pm, and was observed aloft over Tulsa. The tornado was the main event of a potent days long outbreak.
What was most certainly a family of tornadoes first began south of Wilburton, Oklahoma, and moved north-northeast, tracking into that town as an F4 tornado. Near total destruction occurred along a two-block swath of town. 13 were killed at Wilburton as 600 buildings were damaged or destroyed, including 82 homes that were destroyed, some of which incurred F4-rated damage. Losses at Wilburton totalled $1,500,000. The tornado continued on its northerly track, where six more homes were destroyed at Center Point, before the tornado "skipped" into the town of Keota, where three more people were killed, and 25 more buildings were destroyed. 10 more homes were damaged south of Sallisaw, before the tornado lifted as it hit town. In all, 16 people were killed, 106 sustained injuries. Losses totalled well over $1,500,000, however, not much information is able to be found on the devastation outside of Wilburton, as that town received more media attention.
^All losses are in 1960 USD unless otherwise noted.
^An outbreak is generally defined as a group of at least six tornadoes (the number sometimes varies slightly according to local climatology) with no more than a six-hour gap between individual tornadoes. An outbreak sequence, prior to (after) the start of modern records in 1950, is defined as a period of no more than two (one) consecutive days without at least one significant (F2 or stronger) tornado.[1][2][3][4][5]
^ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwx"Storm Data and Unusual Weather Phenomena". Storm Data. 2. Asheville, North Carolina: United States Department of Commerce. June 1960.
