The 1955 Great Plains tornado outbreak was a deadly tornado outbreak that struck the southern and central U.S Great Plains States during the afternoon and evening hours of May 25–26, 1955. At least 48 tornadoes touched down across seven states, including a deadly F4 tornado near Aberdeen, Texas; a destructive F5 tornado at Blackwell, Oklahoma; and an even deadlier F5 tornado at Udall, Kansas. In total, the outbreak killed 102 people and caused at least 554 injuries; all of the deaths and the majority of the injuries were caused by the three violent tornadoes. Unusual electromagnetic activity, including St. Elmo's fire, was observed during the event, especially from the Blackwell tornado.Storm Electricity Aspects of the Blackwell/Udall Storm of 25 May 1955 - Don Burgess, University of Oklahoma (CIMMS)

Meteorological synopsis

Confirmed tornadoes

Sources: SPC Tornado data, , ,

May 25 event + List of confirmed tornadoes – Wednesday, May 25, 1955F#LocationCounty / ParishStateStartTime (UTC)Path length widthSummary F0AltusJacksonOK11:00–?A tornado embedded within a larger area of straight-line winds and hail caused minor damage, which was estimated $250. F4SW of Aberdeen, TX to S of Dempsey, OKCollingsworth (TX), Wheeler (TX), Roger Mills (OK)TX, OK2117 2 deaths – See section on this tornado F0SE of Sterling CitySterlingTX0000 F1E of ShattuckEllisOK0000 F1NE of Rush SpringsGradyOK0000 F0NE of MayfieldBeckhamOK0005F1NE of KingfisherKingfisherOK0100 F1NW of AntoninoEllisKS0140 F2NE of CamargoDeweyOK0230This 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). F3S of Deer CreekGrantOK0300A house and several rural buildings were destroyed. One person was injured. Grazulis rated the tornado F2 (Grazulis 1991). F2NE of TonkawaKayOK0300This strong tornado destroyed at least four houses, numerous barns, and granaries. The tornado may have reached F3 intensity according to Grazulis (Grazulis 1991). F5SE of Tonkawa, OK to South Haven, KS Noble (OK), Kay (OK), Sumner (KS)OK, KS032620 deaths – See section on this tornado F5E of Peckham, OK to NE of Atlanta, KSKay (OK), Sumner (KS), Cowley (KS)OK, KS040080 deaths – See section on this tornado F1E of RotanFisherTX0430 F1W of MarthaJacksonOK0500 F2SW of BenjaminKnoxTX0530This strong tornado destroyed a barn and damaged two houses (Grazulis 1991). F2Wichita Falls areaWichitaTX0738Source: 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, 1955F#LocationCounty / ParishStateStartTime (UTC)Path length widthSummary F2E of Osage City to LeavenworthOsage, Douglas, LeavenworthKS0627This 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). F0Velma areaStephensOK0830 F1N of ChickashaGradyOK0830 F1South Oklahoma CityOklahomaOK0900 F1E of MooreClevelandOK0900 F0SW of ShawneePottawatomieOK0930 F0CushingPayneOK1000 F0DurantBryanOK1120 F1Sallisaw to NE of Stony PointSequoyahOK1245 F1JoplinJasperMO1300 F0CorsicanaNavarroTX1430 F1SW of ClarksburgMoniteauMO1545 F2E of CoatsburgAdamsIL1750 F0N of McPhersonMcPhersonKS1900 F2SE of PekinTazewellIL2049 F1BurbankCookIL2200 F1W of Filckerville to W of BeecherKankakee, WillIL2230 F3Jessieville area to NW of PinnacleGarland, SalineAR2245This 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). F1SE of HubbardDakotaNE2300 F2SE of Pleasant ValleyPerryAR2320This tornado destroyed five barns and damaged six others (Grazulis 1991). F2NE of WayneWayneNE2330Buildings were destroyed on five farms (Grazulis 1991). F2W of St. Joseph, MODoniphanKS2330Eight buildings on a farm were destroyed, while two other farms were also damaged. F0N of NorborneCarrollMO0000This brief tornado unroofed and shifted a farmhouse off its foundation. Grazulis rated the tornado F2 due to roof removal (Grazulis 1991). F0S of RedfieldBourbonKS0030 F0NW of Baxter SpringsCherokeeKS0100 F1SW of KoshkonongHowellMO0100 F1SW of LinneusLinnMO0100 F2N of WorthingtonSchuylerMO0200This 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 WeldonWoodruff, JacksonAR0220This 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

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

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 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 the Acme Foundry and the Hazel Atlas Glass plant, the tornado destroyed or swept away at least 400 homes and caused damage to approximately 500 other homes. 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. Multiple eyewitnesses reported seeing a prominent blue light in the funnel.

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

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 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. The Udall public school building sustained major damage, with beams snapped and blown away. The tornado later dissipated after traveling over 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.Minick, Jim. "Without Warning". p. 81, 85. This tornado was the deadliest in the state's history with 80 fatalities and 273 injuries.Here are 10 numbers to know about Kansas' history with tornadoes, CJOnline, April 26, 2021

Other tornadoes and further notes +Outbreak death tollStateTotalCounty CountytotalKansas80-82Cowley75-77Sumner5Oklahoma22Kay20Roger Mills2Totals102-104 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. 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 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

References

Bibliography Thomas P. Grazulis (1993). Significant Tornadoes 1680–1991, A Chronology and Analysis of Events. The Tornado Project of Environmental Films. (hardcover).

External links Tornado Table from NWS Norman, Oklahoma Outbreak Summary from NWS Norman, Oklahoma NWS Wichita, Kansas page on the Udall tornado Tornado History Project