1Most severe tornado damage; see Fujita scale 2Time from first tornado to last tornado
The 1955 Great Plains tornado outbreak was a deadly tornado outbreak that struck the southern and central U.SGreat 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]
Meteorological synopsis
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (March 2024)
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).
This strong tornado destroyed at least four houses, numerous barns, and granaries. The tornado may have reached F3 intensity according to Grazulis (Grazulis 1991).
This long-tracked tornado – which may have been a tornado family due its skipping damage path – leveled barns and produced $200,000 in rural farm damage (Grazulis 1991).
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).
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).
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).
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 along 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.
The 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 also 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]
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.
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 another large and 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]
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.
^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.
^Prior to 1994, only the average widths of tornado paths were officially listed.[5]
^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.
^Prior to 1994, only the average widths of tornado paths were officially listed.
^ abcdGrazulis, Thomas P (July 1993). Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991. St. Johnsbury, VT: The Tornado Project of Environmental Films. ISBN1-879362-03-1.
Thomas P. Grazulis (1993). Significant Tornadoes 1680–1991, A Chronology and Analysis of Events. The Tornado Project of Environmental Films. ISBN1-879362-00-7 (hardcover).
![[icon]](File:Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg){kind=small}
