Tornadoes of 1955

Tornadoes of 1955

Damage from the Udall Tornado
Timespan	1955
Maximum rated tornado	F5 tornado Blackwell, OK on May 25 Udall, KS on May 25
Tornadoes in U.S.	591
Damage (U.S.)	Unknown
Fatalities (U.S.)	100
Fatalities (worldwide)	>100

This page documents the tornadoes and tornado outbreaks of 1955, primarily in the United States. Most tornadoes form in the U.S., although some events may take place internationally. Tornado statistics for older years like this often appear significantly lower than modern years due to fewer reports or confirmed tornadoes.

Events

Confirmed tornadoes by Fujita rating

FU	F0	F1	F2	F3	F4	F5	Total
0	170	217	164	30	8	2	591

January

There were 3 tornadoes confirmed in the US in January.

January 18

FU	F0	F1	F2	F3	F4	F5
0	0	1	0	0	0	0

A rare F1 tornado moved through areas just of Downtown Los Angeles. There were no casualties.

February

There were 4 tornadoes confirmed in the US in February.

March

There were 42 tornadoes confirmed in the US in March.

March 1

FU	F0	F1	F2	F3	F4	F5
0	0	1	1	1	0	0

Three damaging tornadoes struck Ohio and Indiana. The first one was an F1 tornado that struck the southwest side of Troy, Ohio, injuring one. A destructive F2 than struck south of Bedford, Indiana. The final tornado was a strong F3 tornado in Tyrrell, Ohio that killed one and injured six. Overall, the three tornadoes killed one and injured seven.

March 13–16

FU	F0	F1	F2	F3	F4	F5
0	0	1	4	1	0	0

A destructive series of six tornadoes struck South Carolina, Missouri, Kentucky, and North Carolina. The tornadoes killed three and injured 21.

March 19

FU	F0	F1	F2	F3	F4	F5
0	1	0	0	0	0	0

A rare F0 tornado briefly touched down near Wainaku, Hawaii north of Hilo. There were no casualties.

March 20–22

FU	F0	F1	F2	F3	F4	F5
0	0	8	7	2	0	0

An unusually intense outbreak of 17 tornadoes impacted areas from Texas to Vermont. One person was killed and 26 others were injured.

April

There were 99 tornadoes confirmed in the US in April.

April 5–6

FU	F0	F1	F2	F3	F4	F5
0	1	2	5	3	0	0

11 destructive tornadoes touched down in Texas, South Carolina, and even California, killing one and injuring 36.

April 21–24

FU	F0	F1	F2	F3	F4	F5
0	2	10	12	2	1	0

A tornado outbreak sequence consisting of four tornado outbreaks over four days impacted the Mississippi Valley and the Great Plains. The 27 tornadoes killed six and injured 29.

May

147 tornadoes were confirmed in the US in May.

May 5–6

FU	F0	F1	F2	F3	F4	F5
0	1	3	4	0	0	0

Eight scattered destructive tornadoes impacted North Carolina, Texas, Iowa, and Kansas, killing one and injuring two.

May 24

FU	F0	F1	F2	F3	F4	F5
0	1	1	0	0	0	0

Two tornadoes struck Georgia. Despite both of them being weak, the F0 tornado actually killed three people.

May 25–26

Main article: 1955 Great Plains tornado outbreak

FU	F0	F1	F2	F3	F4	F5
0	12	17	12	2	1	2

46 tornadoes touched down in an intense two-day outbreak across the Great Plains and Arkansas. All of the 102 fatalities came from three violent tornadoes in Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas on May 25. There were 593 injuries as a result of this outbreak as well.

June

There were 153 tornadoes confirmed in the US in June.

June 4–5

FU	F0	F1	F2	F3	F4	F5
0	23	15	4	2	2	0

46 tornadoes touched down across the Great Plains and Michigan with most of them occurring in Kansas. Incredibly, despite several tornadoes being intense and long-tracked, there were no casualties.

June 27

FU	F0	F1	F2	F3	F4	F5
0	5	0	0	1	1	0

Seven scattered tornadoes touched down across the US with both significant tornadoes causing casualties. Two people were killed and 32 others were injured.

July

There were 49 tornadoes confirmed in the US in July.

July 1–9

FU	F0	F1	F2	F3	F4	F5
0	4	12	5	2	3	0

The first nine days of July produced 26 scattered tornadoes causing varying degrees of damage and casualties across the US. There were four fatalities and 48 injuries.

July 15

FU	F0	F1	F2	F3	F4	F5
0	0	2	0	0	0	0

F1 tornadoes struck Michigan and Oklahoma with the one in Oklahoma killing one and injuring two.

August

There were 33 tornadoes confirmed in the US in August.

September

There were 15 tornadoes confirmed in the US in September.

September 16–17

FU	F0	F1	F2	F3	F4	F5
0	0	1	0	0	0	0

An isolated F1 tornado killed one in Minnesota. Two more F1 tornadoes touched down in Minnesota and Nebraska the next day.

September 22

FU	F0	F1	F2	F3	F4	F5
0	1	0	0	0	0	0

An F0 tornado killed one in Kansas. This was the second F0 tornado in 1955 to cause fatalities.

October

There were 23 tornadoes confirmed in the US in October.

October 28–29

FU	F0	F1	F2	F3	F4	F5
0	1	0	4	1	0	0

A tornado outbreak produced five significant tornadoes in the Southeast. However, it was the F0 tornado that killed one and injured two in Georgia, the third F0 to cause fatalities in the US in 1955 and the second to happen in Georgia. Overall, the six tornadoes killed one and injured four.