Tornadoes · United States · Texas

1955 tornadoes in Texas

104 tornadoes touched down in Texas in 1955, 18 percent below the average of the record for the state. They killed 4 people and injured 71. 1 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.

F040 to 72 mph
Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.
F173 to 112 mph
Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.
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.
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.
F4207 to 260 mph
Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.
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.
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 Texas in 1955

March 20 5 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Injuries	Damage
March 20	8:30 AM GMT-6	F1	Montague	17.2	800	1	$5,000 to $50,000
March 20	3:00 PM GMT-6	F2	Navarro	0.3	50		$500 to $5,000
March 20	4:15 PM GMT-6	F1	Bell	4.1	20	1
March 20	5:43 PM GMT-6	F1	Gonzales	6.2	400		$5,000 to $50,000
March 20	9:30 PM GMT-6	F1	Harrison	4.3	300		$5,000 to $50,000

March 21 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
March 21	3:00 PM GMT-6	F2	Bell	3.6	17			$500 to $5,000

March 31 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
March 31	3:00 PM GMT-6	F2	Cooke	1.1	10			$50,000 to $500,000

April 5 2 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
April 5	6:20 AM GMT-6	F2	Jones	43.7	67		6	$50,000 to $500,000
April 5	8:30 AM GMT-6	F2	Clay	0.1	10			$500 to $5,000

April 6 7 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
April 6	2:30 AM GMT-6	F3	Grayson	30.2	67	1	27	$500,000 to $5 million
April 6	2:45 AM GMT-6	F3	Jack	21.7	10			$50,000 to $500,000
April 6	4:00 AM GMT-6	F1	Cass	0.1	100		2	$500 to $5,000
April 6	4:20 AM GMT-6	F3	Cooke	15.1	10			$50,000 to $500,000
April 6	4:30 AM GMT-6	F2	Denton	37.9	10		1	$5,000 to $50,000
April 6	5:50 AM GMT-6	F2	Grayson	5.2	10
April 6	7:00 AM GMT-6	F2	Franklin	9.8	10

April 12 4 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Injuries	Damage
April 12	11:30 AM GMT-6	F3	Anderson	5.6	300	7	$50,000 to $500,000
April 12	11:55 AM GMT-6	F1	Houston	2.3	10
April 12	12:15 PM GMT-6	F2	Cherokee	0.1	50		$500 to $5,000
April 12	7:30 PM GMT-6	F0	Taylor	0.1	10

April 18 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
April 18	6:45 PM GMT-6	F3	Wheeler	8.9	100			$5,000 to $50,000

April 22 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
April 22	11:25 PM GMT-6	F0	Jones	0.1	10

May 5 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
May 5	8:00 PM GMT-5	F2	Reeves	0.1	10		1

May 6 3 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
May 6	7:15 PM GMT-5	F2	Bell	10.1	33	1	1	$50,000 to $500,000
May 6	7:30 PM GMT-5	F0	McCulloch	0.1	10
May 6	8:30 PM GMT-5	F2	Milam	4.9	100			$50,000 to $500,000

May 8 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
May 8	4:15 PM GMT-5	F1	Mitchell	1.0	17			$500 to $5,000

May 10 6 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Damage
May 10	5:30 PM GMT-5	F0	Howard	0.1	10
May 10	5:30 PM GMT-5	F0	Howard	0.1	10
May 10	5:30 PM GMT-5	F0	Howard	0.1	10
May 10	7:00 PM GMT-5	F1	Lamb	0.1	10	$50 to $500
May 10	7:00 PM GMT-5	F0	Lubbock	3.8	10	under $50
May 10	7:00 PM GMT-5	F0	Hockley	0.1	10

May 11 4 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Damage
May 11	11:30 AM GMT-5	F1	Nueces	1.0	10
May 11	11:30 AM GMT-5	F0	Nueces	0.5	10
May 11	5:15 PM GMT-5	F1	Eastland	17.5	10	$50,000 to $500,000
May 11	7:00 PM GMT-5	F2	Navarro	0.1	10

May 15 2 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
May 15	4:00 PM GMT-5	F0	Guadalupe	0.1	10
May 15	8:30 PM GMT-5	F0	Bexar	0.1	10

May 16 2 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
May 16	4:00 PM GMT-5	F1	Garza	4.9	17
May 16	5:20 PM GMT-5	F1	Scurry	10.5	10

May 17 2 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
May 17	4:00 PM GMT-5	F1	Hardeman	0.1	10
May 17	12:30 AM GMT-5	F1	Montgomery	0.1	10

May 18 5 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Damage
May 18	6:30 AM GMT-5	F2	Matagorda	2.5	10	$5,000 to $50,000
May 18	10:35 AM GMT-5	F0	Karnes	0.1	10
May 18	1:28 PM GMT-5	F1	Hockley	0.1	600
May 18	4:00 PM GMT-5	F1	Bailey	0.1	10
May 18	7:00 PM GMT-5	F2	Lavaca	20.7	300	$5,000 to $50,000

May 19 4 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Damage
May 19	6:00 AM GMT-5	F2	Lavaca	2.0	50	$5,000 to $50,000
May 19	4:00 PM GMT-5	F2	Angelina	0.5	67	$500 to $5,000
May 19	4:00 PM GMT-5	F1	King	31.7	33
May 19	4:50 PM GMT-5	F0	Falls	0.1	10

May 22 4 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Damage
May 22	4:00 PM GMT-5	F2	Lubbock	0.1	10
May 22	8:00 PM GMT-5	F1	Howard	0.1	33	$500 to $5,000
May 22	9:00 PM GMT-5	F2	Hale	20.7	400	$500 to $5,000
May 22	9:20 PM GMT-5	F0	Hutchinson	1.5	10

May 23 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
May 23	8:00 AM GMT-5	F2	Wharton	0.5	10

May 25 4 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
May 25	4:17 PM GMT-5	F4	Collingsworth to OK	45.1	1,100	2	18	$50,000 to $500,000
May 25	7:00 PM GMT-5	F0	Sterling	0.1	440
May 25	11:30 PM GMT-5	F1	Fisher	0.3	440			$500 to $5,000
May 25	12:30 AM GMT-5	F2	Knox	11.9	300			$500 to $5,000

May 26 2 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
May 26	2:38 AM GMT-5	F2	Wichita	1.3	33			$5,000 to $50,000
May 26	9:30 AM GMT-5	F0	Navarro	0.1	10

May 30 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
May 30	10:23 PM GMT-5	F2	Winkler	2.0	600			$5,000 to $50,000

June 1 2 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
June 1	4:00 PM GMT-5	F1	Childress	0.1	10
June 1	12:20 AM GMT-5	F0	Jones	0.1	10

June 3 2 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
June 3	6:20 PM GMT-5	F0	Hemphill	5.7	10
June 3	7:00 PM GMT-5	F1	Young	3.3	10

June 4 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
June 4	5:30 PM GMT-5	F2	Brown	2.0	100			$5,000 to $50,000

June 5 4 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Damage
June 5	5:18 PM GMT-5	F1	Williamson	7.8	1,760
June 5	8:30 PM GMT-5	F2	La Salle	3.6	10	$50,000 to $500,000
June 5	11:00 PM GMT-5	F2	Colorado	0.1	10
June 5	12:00 AM GMT-5	F1	Calhoun	0.1	10	$500 to $5,000

June 8 2 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
June 8	4:00 PM GMT-5	F0	Eastland	2.0	10		1
June 8	4:00 PM GMT-5	F1	Baylor	0.1	10

June 16 11 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Damage
June 16	2:20 AM GMT-5	F0	Eastland	0.1	10
June 16	4:00 PM GMT-5	F2	Crockett	3.0	333
June 16	4:30 PM GMT-5	F0	Potter	0.3	67
June 16	4:30 PM GMT-5	F1	Carson	1.0	17	under $50
June 16	4:30 PM GMT-5	F0	Armstrong	2.0	17
June 16	4:30 PM GMT-5	F0	Armstrong	2.0	17
June 16	4:30 PM GMT-5	F1	Taylor	0.1	10
June 16	5:07 PM GMT-5	F0	Carson	0.3	10
June 16	6:00 PM GMT-5	F1	Hemphill	3.8	1,320	$5,000 to $50,000
June 16	7:30 PM GMT-5	F2	Donley	1.0	20	under $50
June 16	7:30 PM GMT-5	F0	Donley	1.0	10

June 17 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
June 17	8:10 PM GMT-5	F3	Collingsworth	16.2	67			$50,000 to $500,000

June 18 5 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Damage
June 18	8:00 PM GMT-5	F0	Crosby	0.1	10
June 18	8:05 PM GMT-5	F0	Parmer	0.1	10
June 18	9:00 PM GMT-5	F0	Sherman	0.1	10
June 18	9:00 PM GMT-5	F0	Sherman	0.1	10
June 18	9:00 PM GMT-5	F0	Sherman	0.1	10	under $50

June 19 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
June 19	6:35 PM GMT-5	F0	Sherman	0.1	10

June 20 2 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
June 20	4:00 PM GMT-5	F0	McLennan	0.1	10
June 20	4:00 PM GMT-5	F0	McLennan	0.1	10

June 22 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
June 22	4:15 PM GMT-5	F0	Nueces	0.1	10

July 28 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
July 28	4:40 PM GMT-5	F1	Wilbarger	1.0	10

August 6 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
August 6	4:00 PM GMT-5	F1	Parker	3.3	10			$500 to $5,000

August 12 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
August 12	2:37 PM GMT-5	F0	Mitchell	1.0	10

August 18 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
August 18	8:00 PM GMT-5	F1	Coke	2.0	167

August 29 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
August 29	6:00 PM GMT-5	F1	Hamilton	0.3	17			$50 to $500

August 30 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
August 30	4:10 PM GMT-5	F1	Wharton	1.0	33		5

September 20 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
September 20	4:00 PM GMT-5	F1	Hidalgo	0.1	10

September 25 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
September 25	5:30 AM GMT-5	F2	Young	1.0	50			$5,000 to $50,000

Nearby

Every tornado in Texas since 1950 Warnings in force in Texas The live radar over Texas

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.