1955 Great Plains tornado outbreak

Confirmed tornadoes

• Sources: SPC Tornado data, Archived 2020-10-20 at the Wayback Machine, ,

May 25 event

May 26 event

Wellington–Aberdeen, Texas/Sweetwater–Dempsey, Oklahoma

This violent F4 tornado moved northeast from 10 to 12 miles north of Wellington, Texas, and passed just east of Aberdeen. The tornado ended northeast of Sweetwater, Oklahoma, or just south of Dempsey.

F4 damage occurred in both Texas and Oklahoma. 13 farm homes were destroyed, some of which were swept away. 100 cattle were killed and a car was carried 700 feet (0.13 mi). Two people were killed on the Oklahoma side of the path, and 18 were injured in both states.

Tonkawa–Blackwell, Oklahoma/South Haven, Kansas

This deadly and powerful tornado formed in extreme northern Noble County at around 9:00 p.m. CDT, just west of Marland, before crossing the county line, passing east of Tonkawa, and through the eastern portions of the Kay County town of Blackwell as an F5 tornado up to 400 yards (370 m) wide (Grazulis 1991).

It claimed the lives of 20 people in Blackwell and injured over 200 before crossing into and dissipating over Sumner County, Kansas. Along with the Acme Foundry and the Hazel Atlas Glass plant, the tornado destroyed or swept away at least 400 homes and caused damage to approximately 500 other homes. 60 businesses were also destroyed, and the local hospital sustained major damage. Most of the western half of the town was spared the worst of the damage. Multiple eyewitnesses reported seeing a prominent blue light in the funnel.

Braman, Oklahoma/Geuda Springs–Oxford–Udall–Atlanta, Kansas

About 30 minutes after producing the Blackwell tornado, the same supercell produced this large, violent, and long-tracked tornado just east of the first tornado track near the Kansas/Oklahoma border. It proceeded northward across Sumner and Cowley Counties. The town of Udall was especially hard hit with F5 damage that included the disintegration of numerous structures and homes all across the town. Even the town's water tower was toppled. The funnel, about 1,300 yards (1,200 m) wide, hit Udall at around 10:30 p.m. CDT. Half of the town's population was killed or injured. Numerous homes and businesses were destroyed, many of which were swept away, including a 30-by-40-foot concrete block building that was obliterated, with the foundation left mostly bare of any debris. Vehicles were thrown hundreds of yards and mangled beyond recognition, including a pickup truck that was wrapped around a tree and stripped of everything but its frame and tires. The Udall public school building sustained major damage, with beams snapped and blown away. The tornado later dissipated after traveling over 50 miles (80 km) from the Oklahoma border to southeast of Wichita.

Almost immediately, volunteers and rescue workers descended into the darkness to aid the survivors. Ambulances and automobiles of all kinds rushed the growing numbers of injured to hospitals in three neighboring towns. The closest hospitals were William Newton and St Mary's Hospitals, 17 miles southeast in Winfield, the former of which took in 129 patients that night. Several were taken to St Luke's Hospital in Wellington, 23 miles to the southwest, while the remainder were taken to three hospitals in Wichita to the northwest. This tornado was the deadliest in the state's history with 80 fatalities and 273 injuries.

Other tornadoes and further notes

In addition to the F5 tornadoes, NWS officials confirmed an additional F2 tornado near Tonkawa which may have been either part of the Blackwell tornado or a satellite tornado. Other tornadoes in the region occurred on May 27 near the same region but did little damage. Among them were those produced by a thunderstorm which traveled through the Oklahoma City, Oklahoma area, where it produced weak tornadoes with minimal damage in the towns of Norman and Chickasha. The final tornado in the hardest-hit region occurred during the early morning hours of May 26 when a weak tornado occurred in Salisaw in Sequoyah County near the Arkansas border.

Numerous tornadoes occurred across the Midwestern states from Arkansas to Illinois. The strongest tornado was located near the Little Rock area, but no fatalities were reported with this tornado or any other on May 26. While filming the movie Picnic in Halstead, Kansas, a tornado swept through the area, forcing the cast and crew to take cover. While the storm spared the set, it devastated the nearby town of Udall, and the film crew drove their trucks and equipment there to help clean up the damage. Actress Rosalind Russell, one of the stars of the film, agreed to appear during a baseball game in Wichita to cast the opening pitch and make a plea for funds to help the tornado victims.