TORNADOES MAP · HISTORICAL ARCHIVE
May 25, 1955 Tornadoes: Blackwell and Udall tornadoes
May 25, 1955 has 102 reported fatalities and 16 tornado tracks in this SPC release. Explore the historical context and map.
May 25, 1955 ranks 9 by reported fatalities among source dates in this U.S. archive, with 102 reported deaths across 16 tornado tracks.
Explore May 25, 1955 on the map ↗- Reported fatalities
- 102
- Reported injuries
- 574
- Single-track records
- 16
- Touchdown states
- 3
Missing fatality fields: 0; missing injury fields: 0. These figures cover all U.S. tracks on this source date, not only the named event.
Blackwell and Udall tornadoes: historical context
The May 25–26 Great Plains outbreak included nighttime F5 tornadoes at Blackwell, Oklahoma, and Udall, Kansas. NWS Norman describes the two separate tornadoes and their storm history. A track that crossed from Oklahoma into Kansas remains one event in the daily count, with its whole-track casualties attached to its recorded start date. NWS history of the Blackwell and Udall tornadoes.
Where did the tornadoes begin?
The archive records touchdowns in 3 states on this date. 3 tracks affected more than one state and are counted once. Whole-track casualties cannot be assigned to individual states from the touchdown field.
| Touchdown state | Tracks beginning here |
|---|---|
| Oklahoma | 11 |
| Texas | 4 |
| Kansas | 1 |
Recorded damage ratings
Original F and EF labels are preserved. Ratings describe surveyed damage, not measured winds. Unrated records: 0.
Records with the most reported fatalities
Up to eight records, ordered by reported fatalities, then rating number and archive ID. Missing fatality values sort last. Open a record to see its source time, time zone, and track details.
| Record / touchdown | Rating | Reported fatalities | Reported injuries |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oklahoma · 1955-227 | F5 | 80 | 273 |
| Oklahoma · 1955-226 | F5 | 20 | 280 |
| Texas · 1955-216 | F4 | 2 | 18 |
| Oklahoma · 1955-224 | F3 | 0 | 1 |
| Oklahoma · 1955-223 | F2 | 0 | 1 |
| Oklahoma · 1955-225 | F2 | 0 | 0 |
| Texas · 1955-230 | F2 | 0 | 0 |
| Oklahoma · 1955-217 | F1 | 0 | 0 |
Records without a start position: 0. These remain in the totals even when they cannot be plotted. Map lines join recorded endpoints and do not show a detailed damage path or observed movement. Open all 16 records for this date.
How these dates are ranked
“Worst” here means the largest sum of reported tornado fatalities for a source calendar date in the U.S. archive, 1950–2025. It does not rank financial losses, measured winds, or the number of tornadoes. Equal fatality sums share a rank; tied dates appear chronologically, including any tie at tenth place.
Each whole track counts once, including interstate tornadoes. We group by the recorded start date, preserving the source’s dates and time zones rather than converting them to UTC or a storm-reporting day. A track crossing midnight keeps its whole-track casualties on its start date. A multi-day outbreak can therefore span more than one daily page.
Totals sum available values; a missing value is not a zero. Any missing casualty fields are identified alongside the totals, and a total with no known values is “Unavailable.” Rankings use known fatality sums. Earlier reporting was less complete, especially for weaker tornadoes. Different release versions, geographic coverage, and event definitions can produce different totals in historical accounts.
Source: NOAA SPC 1950–2025 single-track CSV. Latest event date: 2025-12-28. Full data methodology.