1955 — May 25, 1955, Tornado, Udall (Cowley Co.) and Oxford (Sumner Co.) KS — 82

— 82  Grazulis, Thomas P. Significant Tornadoes Update 1992-1995. 1997, p. 1410.

— 80  Grazulis, Thomas P. Significant Tornadoes, 1680-1991. 1993, p. 987.

— 80  National Weather Service WFO Norman, OK. The Blackwell Tornado of May 25, 1955.

— 80  Storm Prediction Center, NOAA. The 25 Deadliest U.S. Tornadoes. 2008.

 

Narrative Information

 

Grazulis 1993: “OK-KS May 25, 1955 2215 80k 270inj 800y 30m F5 KAY, OK / SUMNER / COWLEY, KS — This funnel touched down in Kay County, Oklahoma, just south of the state border, due south of Ashton, Kansas. As the funnel moved NNE, it passed along the west side of Geuda Springs. Five children were killed in one home, 3m NE of Oxford. Over half of the population of Udall was killed or injured as the tornado completely devastated a large portion of town. Seventy-five people were killed and many of the 270 injuries were serious. Damage in this small town was listed as $2,225,000….” (Grazulis 1993, 987.)

 

Grazulis 1997: “The death total for the Udall, Kansas tornado of May 25, 1955 was probably 82, not 80, as listed on pages 987, 307, 471, 507 and 521 [of 1993 book]. The Wichita (KS) Eagle, on the 40th anniversary of the tragedy, listed the names of 77 people who had died in the town. Adding the five King family children that were killed near Oxford brings the total to 82.

 

“The death of those five King children (ages 3-12) is part of a very tragic story. The family included the husband, wife, and 10 children, all  living in a frail oil field shack, 2m NNE of Oxford. Just a few days before the tornado, the father had been admitted to a tuberculosis hospital. Oil field workers did not find the bodies until early the next morning, eight hours after the tornado. The mother and four children were lying injured in a battered car, several hundred feet from the empty home-site. One other child, a seven-year-old girl, was visiting her grandmother in Wichita at the time.

 

“The huge death and injury toll at Udall (3/4 of the town’s population) may have been because 10 o’clock newscasts reported that the threat of severe weather was over. The tornado hit Udall at 10:38 pm, with many residents having gone to bed.” (Grazulis. Significant Tornadoes Update 1992-1995. 1997, p. 1410.)

 

NWS: “UDALL, KANSAS:  Udall, Kansas, about 30 miles southeast of Wichita, underwent almost complete destruction from the tornado which struck about 2235 CST. Motorists were reported to have seen the tornado funnel approaching Udall. It struck the southwest corner of the town first, traveling almost due northeast with destruction occurring over the entire width of the town about three-fourths of a mile. The only habitable structure left in town was a frame dwelling with only minor damage on the extreme northwest edge of town. Except for a few other dwellings in the northwest corner of town which were twisted, moved, and badly damaged, the only building in town not completely leveled were a few two-story masonry buildings from which the upper story had been removed. There was evidence of rotation although it was confused somewhat by the pattern of lightweight debris, much of which indicated a southwest to northeast flow. It was common, for instance to see a large tree having fallen to the southwest, and a large piece of tin wrapped around a smaller nearby tree with its free edge pointing northeastward, obviously having been carried by a southwest wind. Destruction requiring immense forces however did yield indications of cyclonic rotation. A municipal water tower in the northwest part of town was toppled toward the southwest. The center of rotation passed across and almost right angles to a train of railroad cars on a railroad siding. The cars to the northwest of the center were blown off the tracks to the southwest and the cars between (over a distance of about 10 city blocks) were still on the tracks.

 

“Some evidence was found of “explosive” effects. A concrete block building about 30 feet by 40 feet had stood in the southwest part of town and was apparently near the path of the center of the tornado. All four walls had fallen outward, leaving the floor area relatively clear of debris.

 

Eyewitness accounts were not available from Udall until several days afterward because of understandable confusion and the shock that most survivors suffered. Mr. Wheeler Martin, a survivor from Udall, reported that there was a “roaring noise” at about 2220 CST followed by hail and rain. The wind was from the southwest and getting stronger. After a few minutes, the house began to shake. At 2235 CST it “collapsed.” The hail continued for several minutes. Beyond Udall, the path of major destruction ended. Spotty damage extended for 18 miles east-northeast of Udall.

 

“A carefully conducted survey of damage accomplished by Mr. Phillips revealed almost positive indications that at least from the time the tornado crossed U.S. Highway 166 and throughout its northward traverse through Udall, a continuous path of destruction was apparent. There was some “skipping” but the greatest skip was on the order of 3 1/2 miles. This evidence together with the radar evidence strongly suggests that this one storm had a continuous path for more then 50 miles.”  (NWS, Wichita, KS WFO.  Tornado of Blackwell, OK-Udall, KS, May 25, 1955.)

 

Sources

 

Grazulis, Thomas P. Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991: A Chronology and Analysis of Events. St. Johnsbury, VE: Environmental Films, 1993.

 

Grazulis, Thomas P. Significant Tornadoes Update 1992-1995.  St. Johnsbury, VE:  The Tornado Project of Environmental Films, January 1997, 128 pages.

 

National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office, Norman, OK. The Blackwell Tornado of 25 May 1955. NWS, Jan 29, 2009. At: http://www.srh.noaa.gov/oun/wxevents/19550525/

 

Storm Prediction Center. The 25 Deadliest U.S. Tornadoes. Norman, OK: SPC, National Weather Service. NOAA. Accessed 10-12-2008 at: http://www.spc.noaa.gov/faq/tornado/killers.html