1955 Great Plains tornado outbreak

The 1955 Great Plains tornado outbreak was a deadly tornado outbreak that struck the southern and central U.S Great Plains States on May 25–26, 1955. It produced at least 48 tornadoes across seven states, including two F5 tornadoes in Blackwell, Oklahoma and Udall, Kansas that caused most of the casualties. The outbreak killed 102 people while injuring hundreds more.^[2] Unusual electromagnetic activity was observed, including St. Elmo's fire.^[3]

1955 Great Plains tornado outbreak

The tracks of the 1955 Blackwell and Udall F5 tornadoes.
Meteorological history
Duration	May 25–26, 1955
Tornado outbreak
Tornadoes	48
Maximum rating	F5 tornado
Overall effects
Damage	>$30.0 million[1]
Areas affected	Central United States

Meteorological synopsis

^[4]

Confirmed tornadoes

Confirmed tornadoes by Fujita rating

FU	F0	F1	F2	F3	F4	F5	Total
0	12	17	13	3	1	2	48

• Sources: SPC Tornado data, Archived 2020-10-20 at the Wayback Machine, ,

May 25 event

List of confirmed tornadoes – Wednesday, May 25, 1955^[a][b]

F#	Location	County / Parish	State	Start coord.	Time (UTC)	Path length	Max. width	Summary
F0	Altus	Jackson	OK	34.67°N 99.30°W / 34.67; -99.30 (Altus (May. 25, F0))	11:00–?	0.1 miles (0.16 km)	33 yd (30 m)	A tornado embedded within a larger area of straight-line winds and hail caused minor damage, which was estimated $250.
F4	SW of Aberdeen, TX to S of Dempsey, OK	Collingsworth (TX), Wheeler (TX), Roger Mills (OK)	TX, OK		2117	50 miles (80 km)	1,100 yd (1,000 m)	2 deaths – See section on this tornado
F0	SE of Sterling City	Sterling	TX		0000	0.1 miles (160 m)	440 yd (400 m)
F1	E of Shattuck	Ellis	OK		0000	4.9 miles (7.9 km)	400 yd (370 m)
F1	NE of Rush Springs	Grady	OK		0000	0.1 miles (160 m)	33 yd (30 m)
F0	NE of Mayfield	Beckham	OK		0005	3.8 miles (6.1 km)	300 yd (270 m)
F1	NE of Kingfisher	Kingfisher	OK		0100	0.1 miles (160 m)	33 yd (30 m)
F1	NW of Antonino	Ellis	KS		0140	0.1 miles (160 m)	33 yd (30 m)
F2	NE of Camargo	Dewey	OK		0230	5.1 miles (8.2 km)	300 yd (270 m)	This strong tornado destroyed five houses and a trailer, and the occupant of that trailer was seriously injured. Other houses were damaged along the path as well (Grazulis 1991).
F3	S of Deer Creek	Grant	OK		0300	13.3 miles (21.4 km)	440 yd (400 m)	A house and several rural buildings were destroyed. One person was injured. Grazulis rated the tornado F2 (Grazulis 1991).
F2	NE of Tonkawa	Kay	OK		0300	2.7 miles (4.3 km)	500 yd (460 m)	This strong tornado destroyed at least four houses, numerous barns, and granaries. The tornado may have reached F3 intensity according to Grazulis (Grazulis 1991).
F5	SE of Tonkawa, OK to South Haven, KS	Noble (OK), Kay (OK), Sumner (KS)	OK, KS		0326	28.4 miles (45.7 km)	500 yd (460 m)	20 deaths – See section on this tornado
F5	E of Peckham, OK to NE of Atlanta, KS	Kay (OK), Sumner (KS), Cowley (KS)	OK, KS		0400	56.4 miles (90.8 km)	1,300 yd (1,200 m)	80 deaths – See section on this tornado
F1	E of Rotan	Fisher	TX		0430	0.3 miles (480 m)	440 yd (400 m)
F1	W of Martha	Jackson	OK		0500	6.2 miles (10.0 km)	300 yd (270 m)
F2	SW of Benjamin	Knox	TX		0530	11.9 miles (19.2 km)	300 yd (270 m)	This strong tornado destroyed a barn and damaged two houses (Grazulis 1991).
F2	Wichita Falls area	Wichita	TX		0738	1.3 miles (2.1 km)	33 yd (30 m)
Source: SPC Tornado data, Historical Tornado Cases for North America 1950-1959, NCDC reports, CDNS report, Grazulis 1991

May 26 event

List of confirmed tornadoes – Thursday, May 26, 1955^{[nb 1][nb 2][5]}

F#	Location	County / Parish	State	Start coord.	Time (UTC)	Path length	Max. width	Summary
F2	E of Osage City to Leavenworth	Osage, Douglas, Leavenworth	KS		0627	66.2 miles (106.5 km)	33 yd (30 m)	This long-tracked tornado, which may have been a tornado family based on its skipping damage path, leveled barns, and produced $200,000 in rural farm damage (Grazulis 1991).
F0	Velma area	Stephens	OK		0830	0.1 miles (160 m)	33 yd (30 m)
F1	N of Chickasha	Grady	OK		0830	0.1 miles (160 m)	33 yd (30 m)
F1	South Oklahoma City	Oklahoma	OK		0900	0.5 miles (800 m)	50 yd (46 m)
F1	E of Moore	Cleveland	OK		0900	11.6 miles (18.7 km)	70 yd (64 m)
F0	SW of Shawnee	Pottawatomie	OK		0930	0.1 miles (160 m)	33 yd (30 m)
F0	Cushing	Payne	OK		1000	0.1 miles (160 m)	33 yd (30 m)
F0	Durant	Bryan	OK		1120	4.5 miles (7.2 km)	50 yd (46 m)
F1	Sallisaw to NE of Stony Point	Sequoyah	OK		1245	14.2 miles (22.9 km)	400 yd (370 m)
F1	Joplin	Jasper	MO		1300	2.7 miles (4.3 km)	50 yd (46 m)
F0	Corsicana	Navarro	TX		1430	0.1 miles (160 m)	3 yd (2.7 m)
F1	SW of Clarksburg	Moniteau	MO		1545	0.2 miles (320 m)	10 yd (9.1 m)
F2	E of Coatsburg	Adams	IL		1750	1.5 miles (2.4 km)	500 yd (460 m)
F0	N of McPherson	McPherson	KS		1900	0.1 miles (160 m)	33 yd (30 m)
F2	SE of Pekin	Tazewell	IL		2049	1.5 miles (2.4 km)	100 yd (91 m)
F1	Burbank	Cook	IL		2200	1.5 miles (2.4 km)	100 yd (91 m)
F1	W of Filckerville to W of Beecher	Kankakee, Will	IL		2230	18.7 miles (30.1 km)	400 yd (370 m)
F3	Jessieville area to NW of Pinnacle	Garland, Saline	AR		2245	28.8 miles (46.3 km)	1,000 yd (910 m)	This tornado damaged 23 homes, primarily in the community of Blakely with total losses being estimated at $200,000. Grazulis rated the tornado F2 (Grazulis 1991).
F1	SE of Hubbard	Dakota	NE		2300	4.3 miles (6.9 km)	17 yd (16 m)
F2	SE of Pleasant Valley	Perry	AR		2320	4.5 miles (7.2 km)	880 yd (800 m)	This tornado destroyed five barns and damaged six others (Grazulis 1991).
F2	NE of Wayne	Wayne	NE		2330	6.5 miles (10.5 km)	167 yd (153 m)	Buildings were destroyed on five farms (Grazulis 1991).
F2	W of St. Joseph, MO	Doniphan	KS		2330	7.8 miles (12.6 km)	220 yd (200 m)	Eight buildings on a farm were destroyed, while two other farms were also damaged.
F0	N of Norborne	Carroll	MO		0000	0.2 miles (320 m)	10 yd (9.1 m)	This brief tornado unroofed and shifted a farmhouse 20 feet (6.1 m) off its foundation. Grazulis rated the tornado F2 due to roof removal (Grazulis 1991).
F0	S of Redfield	Bourbon	KS		0030	0.1 miles (160 m)	33 yd (30 m)
F0	NW of Baxter Springs	Cherokee	KS		0100	0.1 miles (160 m)	33 yd (30 m)
F1	SW of Koshkonong	Howell	MO		0100	2 miles (3.2 km)	10 yd (9.1 m)
F1	SW of Linneus	Linn	MO		0100	0.2 miles (320 m)	10 yd (9.1 m)
F2	N of Worthington	Schuyler	MO		0200	11.7 miles (18.8 km)	27 yd (25 m)	This strong tornado snapped hundreds of trees and destroyed many homes on five separate farms. A couple was injured when their home was nearly leveled, indicating possible F3 damage (Grazulis 1991).
F2	'SW of Weldon	Woodruff, Jackson	AR		0220	7.5 miles (12.1 km)	33 yd (30 m)	This strong tornado destroyed six homes and damaged 25 others (Grazulis 1991).
Source: SPC Tornado data, Historical Tornado Cases for North America 1950-1959, NCDC reports, CDNS report, Grazulis 1991

Wellington–Aberdeen, Texas/Sweetwater–Dempsey, Oklahoma

Wellington–Aberdeen, Texas/Sweetwater–Dempsey, Oklahoma

F4 tornado
on the Fujita scale
Highest winds	207-260 miles per hour
Overall effects
Fatalities	2
Injuries	18

This violent F4 tornado moved northeast from 10 to 12 miles north of Wellington, Texas, and passed just east of Aberdeen. The tornado ended northeast of Sweetwater, Oklahoma, or just south of Dempsey.

F4 damage occurred in both Texas and Oklahoma. 13 farm homes were destroyed, some of which were swept away. 100 cattle were killed and a car was carried 700 feet (0.13 mi). Two people were killed on the Oklahoma side of the path, and 18 were injured in both states.

Tonkawa–Blackwell, Oklahoma/South Haven, Kansas

Tonkawa-Blackwell, Oklahoma/South Haven, Kansas

F3 to F5-level damage on the eastern part of Blackwell, Oklahoma, where 20 people were killed in or around the proximity of this small town.
F5 tornado
on the Fujita scale
Highest winds	261 to 318 mph (420 to 512 km/h)
Overall effects
Fatalities	20
Injuries	280

This deadly and powerful tornado formed in extreme northern Noble County at around 9:00 p.m. CDT, just west of Marland, before crossing the county line, passing east of Tonkawa, and through the eastern portions of the Kay County town of Blackwell as an F5 tornado up to 400 yards (370 m) wide (Grazulis 1991).

It claimed the lives of 20 people in Blackwell and injured over 200 before crossing into and dissipating over Sumner County, Kansas. Along with destroying nearly 200 homes,^[6] the tornado also demolished the town's main employers including the Acme Foundry and the Hazel Atlas Glass plant. 400 homes were destroyed or swept away, and 500 other homes were damaged.^[6] 60 businesses were also destroyed, and the local hospital sustained major damage. Most of the western half of the town was spared the worst of the damage.^[6] Multiple eyewitnesses reported seeing a prominent blue light in the funnel.^[3]

Braman, Oklahoma/Geuda Springs–Oxford–Udall–Atlanta, Kansas

Main article: 1955 Udall tornado

Braman, Oklahoma/Geuda Springs–Oxford–Udall–Atlanta, Kansas

A vehicle that was wrapped around a large tree in Udall, Kansas. F5-level winds weren't needed to do this, according to Thomas P. Grazulis, the author of Significant Tornadoes.
F5 tornado
on the Fujita scale
Highest winds	261 to 318 mph (420 to 512 km/h)
Overall effects
Fatalities	80-82; Deadliest in the state of Kansas; Meteorologist Eric Brown has the death toll at 82, while other official sources and Thomas P. Grazulis have listed this event as killing 80 people.
Injuries	273

About 30 minutes after producing the Blackwell tornado, the same supercell produced this large, violent, and long-tracked tornado just east of the first tornado track near the Kansas/Oklahoma border. It proceeded northward across Sumner and Cowley Counties. The town of Udall was especially hard hit with F5 damage that included the disintegration of numerous structures and homes all across the town. Even the town's water tower was toppled. The funnel, about 1,300 yards (1,200 m) wide, hit Udall at around 10:30 p.m. CDT. Half of the town's population was killed or injured. Numerous homes and businesses were destroyed, many of which were swept away, including a 30-by-40 foot concrete block building that was obliterated, with the foundation left mostly bare of any debris. Vehicles were thrown hundreds of yards and mangled beyond recognition, including a pickup truck that was wrapped around a tree and stripped of everything but its frame and tires.^[6] The Udall public school building sustained major damage, with beams snapped and blown away.^[7][8][9] The tornado later dissipated after traveling over 50 miles (80 km) from the Oklahoma border to southeast of Wichita.

Almost immediately, volunteers and rescue workers descended into the darkness to aid the survivors. Ambulances and automobiles of all kinds rushed the growing numbers of injured to hospitals in three neighboring towns. The closest hospitals were William Newton and St Mary's Hospitals, 17 miles southeast in Winfield, the former of which took in 129 patients that night. Several were taken to St Luke's Hospital in Wellington, 23 miles to the southwest, while the remainder were taken to three hospitals in Wichita to the northwest.^[10] This tornado was the deadliest in the state's history with 80 fatalities and 273 injuries.^[11]

Other tornadoes and further notes

Outbreak death toll

State	Total	County	County total
Kansas	80	Cowley	75
		Sumner	5
Oklahoma	22	Kay	20
		Roger Mills	2
Totals	102
All deaths were tornado-related

In addition to the F5 tornadoes, NWS officials confirmed an additional F2 tornado near Tonkawa which may have been either part of the Blackwell tornado or a satellite tornado. Other tornadoes in the region occurred on May 27 near the same region but did little damage. Among them were those produced by a thunderstorm which traveled through the Oklahoma City, Oklahoma area, where it produced weak tornadoes with minimal damage in the towns of Norman and Chickasha.

Another deadly tornado occurred south of Woodward and at Cheyenne in Roger Mills County in southwestern Oklahoma, killing two people. This storm originated from the Texas Panhandle. The final tornado in the hardest-hit region occurred during the early morning hours of May 26 when a weak tornado occurred in Salisaw in Sequoyah County near the Arkansas border.

Numerous tornadoes occurred across the Midwestern states from Arkansas to Illinois. The strongest tornado was located near the Little Rock area but no fatalities were reported with this tornado or any other on May 26. While filming the movie Picnic, during filming of the actual picnic scenes in Halstead, Kansas, a tornado swept through the area, forcing the cast and crew to take cover. While the storm spared the set, it devastated the nearby town of Udall and the film crew drove their trucks and equipment there to help clean up the damage. Actress Rosalind Russell, one of the stars of the film, agreed to appear during a baseball game in Wichita to cast the opening pitch and make a plea for funds to help the tornado victims.

See also

• List of North American tornadoes and tornado outbreaks
• List of F5 tornadoes
• Radio atmospheric

Notes

1. All dates are based on the local time zone where the tornado touched down; however, all times are in Coordinated Universal Time and dates are split at midnight CST/CDT for consistency.
2. Prior to 1994, only the average widths of tornado paths were officially listed.^[5]

1. All dates are based on the local time zone where the tornado touched down; however, all times are in Coordinated Universal Time and dates are split at midnight CST/CDT for consistency.
2. Prior to 1994, only the average widths of tornado paths were officially listed.