1955 — May 25, Tornadoes, KS and OK, esp. Udall, KS (77), and Blackwell, OK (20) — 104

–104 Grazulis. Significant Tornadoes Update 1992-1995. 1997, p. 1410. And 1993 printing.
–82 Udal KS area tornadoes
–77 Udall
— 5 Oxford area, Sumner County. Five children killed in one home.
–20 Blackwell OK tornado
— 2 Cheyenne OK tornado
–102 Carbin, Schaefer, Edwards (SPC). The 15 Deadliest U.S. Tornado Days since 1950.
–102 Grazulis, Thomas P. Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991. 1993, p. 987.
–102 NWS Forecast Office, Norman, OK. The Blackwell Tornado of 25 May 1955. 1-29-2009.

Kansas (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 Kay, OK/Sumner/Cowley, KS counties, 22:15, F5. Grazulis 1993, p. 987.
— 5 Oxford area, Sumner County. Five children killed in one home.
–75 Udall, Cowley County. “Over half of the population of Udall was killed or injured.”
–80 Ludlum. The American Weather Book. 1982, p. 93.
–80 NWS Forecast Office, Norman, OK. The Blackwell Tornado of 25 May 1955. 1-29-2009.
–80 Storm Prediction Center, NOAA. The 25 Deadliest U.S. Tornadoes. 2008.

Oklahoma (22)
— 2 Beckham/Roger Mills counties. 15:17, F4. Two killed Cheyenne area. Grazulis 1993, 987.
— 2 Cheyenne Tornado. NWS FO, Norman, OK. The Blackwell Tornado of 25 May 1955.
–20 Kay [Blackwell], OK/Summer, KS counties. 21:26, F5. Grazulis 1993, p. 987.
–20 Blackwell Tornado. NWS FO, Norman, OK. The Blackwell Tornado of 25 May 1955.
–20 Blackwell. NWS WFO, Norman OK. “Violent Tornadoes (F4/F5) in Oklahoma (1950-2008).” 2009.

Narrative Information

Grazulis: “OK-KS May 25, 1955 2126 20k 280inj 500 y 25m F5 Kay, OK / Sumner, KS

“From a point about 2m NE of Tonkawa, the tornado moved N and NNW through the heart of the city of Blackwell. About 400 homes were destroyed; many were leveled and swept away. About 500 other homes were damaged. Sixty businesses were also damaged or destroyed. Damage was estimated at $150,000 in the Tonkawa area and $8,000,000 in Blackwell. The funnel dissipated just over the Kansas border, as the Udall tornado was forming to the east….The funnel was said to glow and have ‘arcs’ of glowing light.” (Grazulis. Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991, p. 698.)

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.)

Ludlum: “Udall Tornado destroyed small Kansas town about 25 mi…southeast of Wichita, killing 80 persons.” (Ludlum. The American Weather Book. 1982, p. 93.)

NWS, Norman OK Weather Forecast Office: “May 25, 2005 marked the 50th anniversary of the Blackwell tornado, the 11th deadliest tornado in the recorded history of Oklahoma. The following text is a brief weather summary of the events that occurred on May 25, 1955.

“The day started stormy on Wednesday, May 25, 1955. Between 8:30 and 9:00 A.M., a thunderstorm produced damaging winds in Kay County where eyewitnesses estimated winds of 70-80 mph near Braman, Oklahoma. Unfortunately, this was a small taste of what the day would bring for some residents of north central Oklahoma.

“These morning storms moved out of the area and weakened, but additional storms developed in the afternoon and produced a significant tornado outbreak across the Texas panhandle into Oklahoma and Kansas. The first significant tornado of the day, rated F4, developed northwest of Wellington TX and moved into western Oklahoma killing two people southwest of Cheyenne, OK. Over the next few hours, a number of tornadoes were reported over Oklahoma: near Mayfield, Kingfisher, Camargo, and Deer Creek as storms moved north-northeast across the state.

“At about 6:50 pm, radar detected a new storm developing very close to Oklahoma City moving north. The storm moved north and produced the initial tornado touched down about 8 miles west of Marland around 9:00 pm. It caused some light damage as it moved almost due north into Kay County. The tornado passed to the east and northeast of Tonkawa and destroyed a few homes while the storm also produced baseball-sized hail in Tonkawa.

“The tornado continued north and moved through the east side of Blackwell causing complete destruction in much of the east side of town. Nineteen people were killed in Blackwell as well as one person to the northeast of Blackwell. The tornado passed east of Braman, then turned to the north-northwest and dissipated to the southeast of South Haven, Kansas as shown in tornado track map for north central Oklahoma and south central Kansas. As this storm passed to the east of Braman, another tornado developed about 4 miles north of Peckham that moved into Kansas and eventually killed 80 people in and near Udall, KS. Both the Blackwell tornado and Udall, KS tornado were rated F5, although the Udall tornado produced minimal damage in Oklahoma.

“The tornado struck Blackwell at 9:27 pm and destroyed the east side of town. Approximately 80 blocks in town were damaged or destroyed. The Blackwell Journal-Tribune newspaper conducted a building-by-building survey across the east side of town listing approximately 85 homes and buildings as “damaged, but occupied”, about 70 homes and buildings as having “extensive damage, but repairable”, and about 190 homes and buildings as “completely destroyed.” The information from this extensive building-by-building survey was smoothed and used to create the damage intensity map of the tornado as it moved through Blackwell.

“The width of “complete destruction” was likely much more extensive at the southern limits of the city as there would be little to block the force of the wind. Almost everything between “D” Street and “F” Street was completely destroyed, and over half of the fatalities in the city of Blackwell were within a block of “E” Street. Two of Blackwell’s major industries (the Hazel Atlas Glass plant and the Acme Foundry) were destroyed and another was extensively damaged. The Riverside Osteopathic Hospital on East College Street suffered extensive damage and “doctors there labored for hours under candle light and flashlight and didn’t quit until they were certain that all patients were in position to be moved to another hospital,” according to the Blackwell Journal-Tribune. A large number of police officers were already in the area that evening attending a meeting of the Northern Oklahoma Southern Kansas Peace Officers Association that evening.

“To make matters worse, heavy rain that continued after the tornado hampered rescue work that evening and caused the Chikaskia River to flow out of its banks into some low sections of towns the following day. And four other tornadoes were reported in Kay and Grant Counties on the evening of May 27, just two days after the Blackwell disaster. Fortunately, this time these weak tornadoes stayed to the north of Blackwell and caused no injuries. When the warnings were sounded about this storm, “it was not necessary to tell people twice to get to a cellar” according to the newspaper account.

“One eyewitness in Blackwell had an interesting visual observation of the tornado. Floyd Montgomery lived nine blocks west of the main path of the tornado and submitted his account to Weatherwise magazine in June 1956. Mr. Montgomery describes as he looked to the east from the door of his storm cellar as the tornado moved through Blackwell. He described a “fire up near the top of the funnel looked like a child’s Fourth of July pin wheel. The light was so intense I had to look away.” He describes the light as the “same color as an electric arc welder but much brighter, and it seemed to be turning to the right like a beacon lamp on a light house.” (NWS Forecast Office, Norman, OK. The Blackwell Tornado of 25 May 1955. 29 Jan 2009.)

National Weather Service, Wichita, KS, Weather Forecast Office:

“The climax of several days of tornadic and severe thunderstorm activity late in May 1955 occurred on the night of Wednesday, May 25th. A tornado struck at Blackwell, Oklahoma, killing 20 and injuring 250 with property damage in the millions. About an hour later a tornado struck Udall, Kansas, some 40 miles north-northeast of Blackwell. The tornado traveled in a general southwest to northeast direction across the center of town. Most of this south-central Kansas town of about 500 people was leveled. The death toll stands at 80 at this writing, and 250 were injured….

“BLACKWELL, OKLAHOMA: The tornado struck Blackwell, Oklahoma about 2127 CST. It traveled from the south to north with almost complete destruction over a path about two blocks wide, and considerable destruction extended 3 or 4 blocks farther on either side….

“EIGHT MILES WEST OF ARKANSAS CITY, KANSAS: Following are two eyewitness accounts from an area about 23 miles north-northeast of Blackwell close to U.S. Highway 166, about 8 miles west of Arkansas City, Kansas. An elderly couple, Mr. And Mrs. Post, who live on a farm just south of a highway, report that their power failed at 9:58 PM (time ascertained from a stopped electric clock) followed in about 5 minutes by hail and shortly thereafter by a terrible roar. This was followed by a quiet lull which lasted probably less than a minute. The storm struck again, blowing down several large trees….The couple was in the house the entire time, but looked out the windows during the course of the storm. When the initial roar was heard only blackness was visible to the south. After the tornado had passed over, it was clearly visible to the north against the back ground of almost constant lightning farther to the north….

“The Earl Bennett farm is located about 20 miles north-northeast of the Post farm. Mr. Bennett was roused from bed between 10:10 and 10:05 PM Wednesday by hail, some as large as hen’s eggs, which fell covering his yard. This was accompanied by severe and constant lightning. Then the storm struck, destroying several outbuildings, carrying debris for about a mile to the north-northeast. This was followed by a lull which lasted about half a minute. Strong wind again struck suddenly… Looking out to the north, Mr. Bennett saw the tornado funnel which was back-lighted by constant lightning further to the north. He described the funnel as hanging down from a black cloud and gyrating slowly back and forth. He estimated it to be about a quarter of a mile in diameter in its lower portions. From the pattern of destruction of the Bennett farm it was not possible to deduce direction of winds causing the damage. Debris which was carried to the north-northeast was relatively light in weight and was probably carried in the vortex.

“Both of these accounts seemed to indicate the tornado funnel was on the trailing edge (south-southwest) of the parent thunderstorm itself, the parent thunderstorm being identified by the hail and severe lightning. Both accounts identified a quiet lull lasting for a minute or less between two storm surges suggestive of an “eye.” In one case destruction occurred after the lull and in the other case before the lull. Neither eyewitness reported any sensation of change in pressure, having been questioned on that specific point. Both accounts indicated the absence of heavy rain accompanying the parent thunderstorm or the tornado, referring to the rain as “light”.” (NWS, Wichita, KS WFO. Tornado of Blackwell, OK-Udall, KS, May 25, 1955.)

“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

Carbin, Greg, Joe Schaefer, Roger Edwards. The 15 Deadliest U.S. Tornado Days since 1950. Storm Prediction Center, NOAA. 10-12-2009 at: http://www.spc.noaa.gov/faq//tornado/fatalday.htm

Grazulis, Thomas P. Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991: A Chronology and Analysis of Events. St. Johnsbury, VE: Environmental Films, 1993, 1,326 pages.

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

Ludlum, David M. The American Weather Book. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1982.

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/

National Weather Service, Weather Forecast Office, Norman, OK. “Violent Tornadoes (F4/F5) in Oklahoma (1950-2008).” 2-11-2009. At: http://www.srh.noaa.gov/oun/tornadodata/ok/violent.php

National Weather Service, Weather Forecast Office, Wichita, Kansas. Storm Report: Tornado of Blackwell, Oklahoma-Udall, Kansas, May 25, 1955. Accessed 6-9-2009 at: http://www.crh.noaa.gov/ict/udall/stormreport2.php

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