Tornado record · Original Fujita scale

F2 tornado, Nowata County, Oklahoma, May 23, 1981

RatingF2

Deaths0

Injuries3

Length4.5 mi

Width100 yd

See tornadoes near here

Map

Path

The path

Drawn as a straight line from the recorded start point (36.95, -95.70) to the end point (36.98, -95.63), which is all NOAA's record holds. The real track may have curved.

The record

Date: May 23, 1981, 5:35 PM (as recorded, Central Standard Time)
Rating: F2
States: Oklahoma
Counties: Nowata County
Path: 4.5 miles long, up to 100 yards wide
Casualties: 0 deaths, 3 injuries

Same day

Other tornadoes on May 23, 1981

Tornadoes, newest first
Date	Rating	State	Path length	Width	Injuries
May 23, 1981	F3	Oklahoma	9.7 mi	100 yd	0
May 23, 1981	F2	Kansas	1.5 mi	50 yd	0
May 23, 1981	F2	Iowa	15.9 mi	130 yd	0
May 23, 1981	F2	Oklahoma	15.2 mi	100 yd	3
May 23, 1981	F2	Iowa	3.8 mi	50 yd	0
May 23, 1981	F2	Oklahoma	0.1 mi	10 yd	0
May 23, 1981	F1	Oklahoma	0.1 mi	10 yd	0
May 23, 1981	F1	Oklahoma	0.1 mi	10 yd	0
May 23, 1981	F1	Oklahoma	2 mi	50 yd	0
May 23, 1981	F1	Kansas	6.5 mi	100 yd	0
May 23, 1981	F1	Oklahoma	0.1 mi	10 yd	0
May 23, 1981	F1	Oklahoma	0.1 mi	10 yd	0
May 23, 1981	F1	Iowa	0.1 mi	10 yd	0
May 23, 1981	F1	Oklahoma	0.1 mi	10 yd	0
May 23, 1981	F1	Kansas	0.5 mi	50 yd	0
May 23, 1981	F1	Oklahoma	0.1 mi	10 yd	0
May 23, 1981	F0	Iowa	0.1 mi	10 yd	0
May 23, 1981	F0	Iowa	0.1 mi	10 yd	0
May 23, 1981	F0	Iowa	0.1 mi	10 yd	0
May 23, 1981	F0	Kansas	2 mi	33 yd	0
May 23, 1981	F0	Iowa	0.1 mi	10 yd	0
May 23, 1981	F0	Missouri	3.8 mi	50 yd	0
May 23, 1981	F0	Iowa	0.1 mi	10 yd	0
May 23, 1981	F0	Iowa	0.1 mi	10 yd	0
May 23, 1981	F0	Oklahoma	0.1 mi	10 yd	0
May 23, 1981	F0	Iowa	0.1 mi	10 yd	0
May 23, 1981	F0	Kansas	0.5 mi	50 yd	0
May 23, 1981	F0	Missouri	0.5 mi	50 yd	0

Nearby

Tornado history nearby

Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather database, 1950 to 2025.