Tornadoes in Kay County, Oklahoma

1. F0 / EF040 to 72 mph on the F scale, 65 to 85 mph on the EF scale

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

2. F1 / EF173 to 112 mph on the F scale, 86 to 110 mph on the EF scale

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

3. F2 / EF2113 to 157 mph on the F scale, 111 to 135 mph on the EF scale

   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. F3 / EF3158 to 206 mph on the F scale, 136 to 165 mph on the EF scale

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

5. F4 / EF4207 to 260 mph on the F scale, 166 to 200 mph on the EF scale

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

6. F5 / EF5261 to 318 mph on the F scale, over 200 mph on the EF scale

   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.

Tornadoes

109

Deaths

102

Injuries

604

F4 and above

4

Worst on record

F5, May 25, 1955

1. F5 Udall tornado, KansasMay 25, 195580 killed, 273 injured
2. F5 Blackwell tornado, Oklahoma and KansasMay 25, 195520 killed, 280 injured
3. F4, Kay, Cowley, Chautauqua, Elk and Greenwood counties, Oklahoma and KansasApril 2, 19562 killed, 29 injured

1. F5 Udall tornado, KansasMay 25, 1955F5, 56.4 mi (91 km)
2. F5 Blackwell tornado, Oklahoma and KansasMay 25, 1955F5, 28.4 mi (46 km)
3. F4, Kay, Cowley, Chautauqua, Elk and Greenwood counties, Oklahoma and KansasApril 2, 1956F4, 108.3 mi (174 km)
4. F4, Grant, Kay, Sumner and Cowley counties, Oklahoma and KansasMarch 16, 1965F4, 82.7 mi (133 km)
5. F3, Grant, Sumner, Kay and Cowley counties, Oklahoma and KansasMarch 26, 1991F3, 67.0 mi (108 km)
6. EF3, Grant, Sumner and Kay counties, Oklahoma and KansasMay 10, 2010EF3, 40.7 mi (65 km)
7. F3, Garfield and Kay counties, OklahomaNovember 17, 1958F3, 39.2 mi (63 km)
8. F3, Kay County, OklahomaJune 8, 1993F3, 11.5 mi (19 km)
9. F3, Kay County, OklahomaMarch 26, 1961F3, 8.0 mi (13 km)
10. F2, Garfield, Noble and Kay counties, OklahomaApril 22, 1964F2, 54.0 mi (87 km)

Warnings in force in Kay CountyThe forecast for Kay CountyThe live radar over Kay CountyEvery county in Oklahoma

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.

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