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NOUS43 KICT 251200
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KSZ032-033-047>053-067>072-082-083-091>096-098>100-251500-

Public Information Statement
National Weather Service Wichita KS
700 AM CDT Sat May 25 2024

...ON THIS DATE IN WEATHER HISTORY...

In 1955, two violent F5 tornadoes struck North Central
Oklahoma and extreme South Central Kansas.  The first F5
tornado that had a track 25 miles long and around one
half mile wide, barreled through Blackwell Oklahoma where
20 were killed, 280 were injured, and around $8 million
damage resulted.  Around 400 homes were destroyed, many
of which were swept from their foundations.  Around 60
businesses were heavily damaged or destroyed.  Prior to
hitting Blackwell, the tornado caused $150,000 damage in
Tonkawa.  The lightning associated with the tornado was
INCREDIBLE.  The vortex glowed and possessed arcs of
glowing light.The tragic Udall tornado soon followed.
With a track 30 miles long and averaging one half mile
wide, the tornado leveled most of Udall, killed 75,
injured 270, and caused $2.25 million damage.  The
tornado also killed 5 children 3 miles northeast of
Oxford, bringing the total number of fatalities to 80.
It is still the deadliest tornado in Kansas history.  In
1917, an F5 tornado even larger than either the Blackwell
or Udall tornadoes raced across South Central Kansas.  It
had a track 65 miles long and reached one mile wide.  The
tornado killed 23, injured 70, and caused around $600,000
damage from Northwest Sedgwick to Southeast Marion
Counties.  The tornado started 4 miles northwest of
Cheney and struck southeast Andale, where half of the
town was damaged or destroyed and 12 were killed.  The
vortex then struck the southern edge of Sedgwick then
proceeded to 3 miles northeast of Florence.  In all, 118
structures were hit of which many vanished.  Its average
speed of 65 mph was the fastest on record until the
Tri-State Tornado of March 18, 1925.

&&

In 2008, a massive EF5 tornado tore across Northeast
Iowa.  Reaching three fourths of a mile wide along a
43-mile long track, the vicious vortex possessed
rotational velocities that reached 205 mph.  Hardest hit
was Parkersburg, where 7 were killed and around $3
million damage resulted.  Two others were killed in the
tiny town of New Hartford.  In all, the tornado killed 9,
injured 70, and caused around $6 million damage, which no
doubt would have been much higher had the twister struck
a more populated area.Regardless, it is the 2nd
deadliest tornado in Iowa history, exceeded by a huge F5
that tore through Charles City on May 15, 1968, where and
when 13 were killed.

$$
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