Tornadoes · United States · Oklahoma

1955 tornadoes in Oklahoma

76 tornadoes touched down in Oklahoma in 1955, 29 percent above the average of the record for the state. They killed 101 people and injured 564. 2 were rated F4 or EF4 and above.

1954 1956 The whole country in 1955

The rating scale

Tracks are drawn in the color of the rating. The Fujita scale rates the damage rather than measuring the wind: the speeds are what that damage is taken to imply.

  1. F040 to 72 mph

    Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.

  2. F173 to 112 mph

    Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.

  3. F2113 to 157 mph

    Considerable damage. Roofs torn off well-built houses, frame homes shifted on their foundations, mobile homes destroyed, large trees snapped or uprooted, cars lifted off the ground.

  4. F3158 to 206 mph

    Severe damage. Whole stories of well-built houses destroyed, large buildings badly damaged, trains overturned, trees debarked, heavy cars lifted and thrown.

  5. F4207 to 260 mph

    Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.

  6. F5261 to 318 mph

    Incredible damage. Strong frame houses swept off their foundations, car-sized missiles thrown more than 100 meters, steel-reinforced concrete badly damaged, high-rise buildings deformed.

  7. Unrated

    The survey recorded a tornado but could not put a number on it, most often because it crossed open country and damaged nothing a rating can be read from.

Every tornado in Oklahoma in 1955

January 5 1 tornado

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
January 55:00 AM GMT-6F0Grady0.110

February 28 1 tornado

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
February 289:30 PM GMT-6F2Pittsburg2.010$5,000 to $50,000

April 11 2 tornadoes

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
April 119:30 PM GMT-6F0Stephens2.010$500 to $5,000
April 119:30 PM GMT-6F0Stephens15.010$500 to $5,000

April 12 2 tornadoes

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
April 122:00 AM GMT-6F0Pawnee45.610
April 122:30 AM GMT-6F2Pushmataha6.110

April 22 2 tornadoes

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
April 227:00 PM GMT-6F1Stephens0.1102$500 to $5,000
April 2210:30 PM GMT-6F2Noble0.110$50 to $500

April 23 2 tornadoes

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
April 232:30 AM GMT-6F1Bryan0.110$500 to $5,000
April 236:00 AM GMT-6F1Seminole0.110

April 26 5 tornadoes

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
April 262:30 AM GMT-5F1Pittsburg0.1100$500 to $5,000
April 261:00 PM GMT-5F1Pottawatomie0.110$500 to $5,000
April 267:15 PM GMT-5F2Caddo0.110$50,000 to $500,000
April 267:15 PM GMT-5F0Caddo0.110$50 to $500
April 267:30 PM GMT-5F2Caddo2.010$5,000 to $50,000

April 27 2 tornadoes

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
April 2710:00 PM GMT-5F1Garfield0.1101$500 to $5,000
April 2710:00 PM GMT-5F0Garfield0.110$500 to $5,000

May 8 1 tornado

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
May 810:00 PM GMT-5F1Jackson16.310$500 to $5,000

May 11 3 tornadoes

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
May 1111:15 AM GMT-5F0Kiowa0.110
May 114:00 PM GMT-5F0Jackson0.110
May 115:10 PM GMT-5F0Oklahoma0.110

May 19 1 tornado

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
May 193:59 PM GMT-5F0Oklahoma0.110

May 22 1 tornado

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
May 2210:00 PM GMT-5F0Beaver0.110$50 to $500

May 25 11 tornadoes

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
May 256:00 AM GMT-5F0Jackson0.110$50 to $500
May 257:00 PM GMT-5F1Ellis4.9400$500 to $5,000
May 257:00 PM GMT-5F1Grady0.110$500 to $5,000
May 257:05 PM GMT-5F0Beckham3.8300$50 to $500
May 258:00 PM GMT-5F1Kingfisher0.110$500 to $5,000
May 259:30 PM GMT-5F2Dewey5.13001$5,000 to $50,000
May 2510:00 PM GMT-5F3Grant13.34401$5,000 to $50,000
May 2510:00 PM GMT-5F2Kay2.7500$50,000 to $500,000
May 2510:26 PM GMT-5F5Blackwell tornado28.450020280$5 million to $50 million
May 2511:00 PM GMT-5F5Udall tornado56.41,32080273$50,000 to $500,000
May 2512:00 AM GMT-5F1Jackson6.2300$5,000 to $50,000

May 26 8 tornadoes

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
May 263:30 AM GMT-5F0Stephens0.110$5,000 to $50,000
May 263:30 AM GMT-5F1Grady0.110$5,000 to $50,000
May 264:00 AM GMT-5F1Oklahoma0.550$5,000 to $50,000
May 264:00 AM GMT-5F1Cleveland11.670$50 to $500
May 264:30 AM GMT-5F0Pottawatomie0.110
May 265:00 AM GMT-5F0Payne0.110
May 266:20 AM GMT-5F0Bryan4.550$5,000 to $50,000
May 267:45 AM GMT-5F1Sequoyah14.24002$500 to $5,000

May 27 4 tornadoes

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
May 2710:00 PM GMT-5F0Grant0.1400$50 to $500
May 2710:15 PM GMT-5F1Grant22.4300$500 to $5,000
May 2710:30 PM GMT-5F0Kay0.110
May 2711:00 PM GMT-5F0Kay0.110

May 28 1 tornado

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
May 282:30 AM GMT-5F0Osage0.110$50 to $500

May 30 1 tornado

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
May 3012:59 AM GMT-5F1Custer4.3300$500 to $5,000

June 1 2 tornadoes

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
June 16:30 PM GMT-5F1Harmon11.84002$500 to $5,000
June 17:30 PM GMT-5F0Greer6.2200$500 to $5,000

June 2 1 tornado

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
June 24:00 PM GMT-5F0Beckham0.110

June 3 2 tornadoes

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
June 37:30 PM GMT-5F1Ellis0.110$500 to $5,000
June 310:15 PM GMT-5F1Major5.9200$50 to $500

June 4 3 tornadoes

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
June 48:00 PM GMT-5F2Caddo0.1300$5,000 to $50,000
June 49:30 PM GMT-5F1Woods2.0100$5,000 to $50,000
June 411:00 PM GMT-5F1Major5.9300$500 to $5,000

June 8 1 tornado

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
June 812:30 PM GMT-5F1Beckham1.0500$50,000 to $500,000

June 14 1 tornado

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
June 149:30 PM GMT-5F2Kiowa17.6500$5,000 to $50,000

June 15 1 tornado

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
June 159:00 PM GMT-5F2Ellis5.9500$50,000 to $500,000

June 16 1 tornado

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
June 167:30 PM GMT-5F1Ellis0.110

June 17 5 tornadoes

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
June 176:30 PM GMT-5F2Woods3.6500$5,000 to $50,000
June 176:48 PM GMT-5F1Major1.010
June 179:30 PM GMT-5F2Alfalfa1.0100$500 to $5,000
June 179:40 PM GMT-5F0Kiowa0.550
June 1711:20 PM GMT-5F2Tillman0.8440$5,000 to $50,000

June 18 4 tornadoes

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
June 181:30 AM GMT-5F1Garvin0.110
June 186:30 PM GMT-5F1Alfalfa2.0100$5,000 to $50,000
June 186:30 PM GMT-5F0Alfalfa0.110
June 188:30 PM GMT-5F2Woods3.6100$5,000 to $50,000

June 22 1 tornado

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
June 2210:00 PM GMT-5F1Ellis0.110

July 4 1 tornado

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
July 44:00 PM GMT-5F1Dewey0.110$50 to $500

July 15 1 tornado

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
July 153:20 PM GMT-5F1Murray1.530012$5,000 to $50,000

July 23 1 tornado

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
July 232:15 AM GMT-5F1Woodward2.0200$500 to $5,000

July 31 1 tornado

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
July 314:30 PM GMT-5F1Oklahoma0.110$5,000 to $50,000

August 5 1 tornado

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
August 53:30 PM GMT-5F1Tillman0.110$500 to $5,000

August 7 1 tornado

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
August 74:00 PM GMT-5F1Tulsa5.9400under $50

Crossed into Oklahoma

Tornadoes that touched down in a neighboring state and ran into Oklahoma. They are counted under the state they began in.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
May 254:17 PM GMT-5F4Collingsworth, TX to OK45.11,100218$50,000 to $500,000

Nearby

Every tornado in Oklahoma since 1950Warnings in force in OklahomaThe live radar over Oklahoma

What this means

Ratings are the survey's, read off the damage rather than measured; the rating scale is above. Tornado counts rise through the record as reporting improved, so a year in the 1950s is not comparable with one today except for the strongest tornadoes, which were always noticed.

Sources

NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database, 1950-2025, the official record kept by NOAA's Storm Prediction Center.