Kansas, 1955

Tornadoes and Hail in Kansas, May 25, 1955

May 25, 1955 · 9 events in 5 counties and zones

6 tornado, 2 thunderstorm wind, 1 hail, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths
80
Injuries
274
Property damage
$753,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
9

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

Event by event

6 tornado, 2 thunderstorm wind, 1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Sedgwick

When
May 25, 7:00 AM CST
Where
Sedgwick County
Measured
0.75 in hail
Coordinates
37.580, -97.280

Thunderstorm Wind, Cowley

When
May 25, 11:20 AM CST
Where
Cowley County
Measured
62 kt (71 mph)
Coordinates
37.080, -97.000

Thunderstorm Wind, Greenwood

When
May 25, 5:20 PM CST
Where
Greenwood County
Measured
60 kt (69 mph)
Coordinates
38.080, -96.180

Tornado, Ellis

When
May 25, 7:40 PM CST
Where
Ellis County
Rating
F1
Path width
33 yd
Injuries
1 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$3,000
Coordinates
38.800, -99.420

Tornado, Sumner

When
May 25, 10:00 PM CST
Where
Sumner County
Rating
F5
Path length
8.8 mi
Path width
500 yd
Property damage
$250,000
Coordinates
37.000, -97.250

Tornado, Sumner

When
May 25, 10:15 PM CST
Where
Sumner County
Rating
F5
Path length
24.7 mi
Path width
660 yd
Deaths
5 direct, 0 indirect
Injuries
3 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$250,000
Coordinates
37.000, -97.250

Tornado, Cowley

When
May 25, 10:45 PM CST
Where
Cowley County
Rating
F5
Path length
2.3 mi
Path width
1,320 yd
Deaths
75 direct, 0 indirect
Injuries
270 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$250,000
Coordinates
37.350, -97.150

Tornado, Cowley

When
May 25, 11:00 PM CST
Where
Cowley County
Rating
F5
Path length
7.8 mi
Path width
33 yd
Coordinates
37.380, -97.120

Tornado, Cowley

When
May 25, 11:15 PM CST
Where
Cowley County
Rating
F5
Path length
13.6 mi
Path width
33 yd
Coordinates
37.450, -97.000

What these are

Hail
Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
Thunderstorm Wind
Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.
Tornado
A violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground and extending from a thunderstorm, filed with its path, width and Fujita or Enhanced Fujita rating from the damage survey.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Kansas in 1955Every state in 1955This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Kansas, 1955

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 10027624, 10027625, 10027626, 10027627, 10027628, 10027629, 10027630, 10027631, 10027632.