The May 9, 1959 tornado
F4Pontotoc County, Oklahoma
An F4 tornado on a 6.2-mile path that killed 7 and injured 12. It was one of 21 tornadoes recorded in the U.S. that day, 5 of them rated F3/EF3 or stronger.
Watch how it happenedF4 tornado · May 9, 1959
How it happened
Follow the tornado’s recorded path from touchdown to lift-off.
The tornado
- Rating
- F4
- Fujita scale
- Path length
- 6.2 mi
- Width up to 900 yards
- Killed
- 7
- Along the whole path
- Injured
- 12
- Along the whole path
- Date and time
- Saturday, May 9, 1959
- 6:40 PM CST
Counties on its path
Storm Prediction Center severe weather database. Path drawn as a straight line from the recorded start to end point.