1955 Great Plains tornado outbreak

1955 Great Plains tornado outbreak
The tracks of the 1955 Blackwell and Udall F5 tornadoes.
TypeTornado outbreak
DurationMay 25–26, 1955
Tornadoes
confirmed
48
Max. rating1F5 tornado
Duration of
tornado outbreak2
~1¼ day
Fatalities102 fatalities, 554 injuries
Damage>$30.0 million
Areas affectedCentral United States

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.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. Unusual electromagnetic activity was observed, including St. Elmo's fire.