SPC Tornado Database · NWS Storm Events
The May 25, 1955 F5 Tornado in Oklahoma, near Arkansas City, KS
The Arkansas City tornado in the federal records: its 56-mile path, the toll, the 16 tornadoes of that day and the cities nearby.
Data: NOAA NHC HURDAT2 and NOAA SPC tornado and hail reports, through 2025 · Updated
On May 25, 1955 an F5 tornado in Oklahoma killed 80 people and injured 273, the 5th deadliest of the 73,458 tornadoes in the SPC record since 1950. Its path was 56.4 miles long and up to 1,320 yards wide. It came within a mile of Arkansas City, KS, and within 25 miles of 12 cities on this site. It was one of 16 tornadoes recorded that day in 3 states, 4 of them EF3 or stronger, which together killed 102.
- Rating
- F5
- Killed / injured
- 80 / 273
- Path
- 56 mi
- Tornadoes that day
- 16
1,320 yd wide
102 deaths in all
Cities within 25 miles of the path
| City | Distance from the path |
|---|---|
| Arkansas City, KS | under 1 mi |
| Newkirk, OK | 4 mi |
| Winfield, KS | 5 mi |
| Blackwell, OK | 10 mi |
| Ponca City, OK | 13 mi |
| Douglass, KS | 14 mi |
| Udall, KS | 15 mi |
| Tonkawa, OK | 18 mi |
| Augusta, KS | 20 mi |
| Rose Hill, KS | 22 mi |
| Mulvane, KS | 24 mi |
| Belle Plaine, KS | 24 mi |
The nearest 12 of 12. Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database (path from start to end point).
More notable storms
- The May 22, 2011 EF5 Tornado in Missouri, near Joplin
- The June 8, 1953 F5 Tornado in Michigan, near Flushing
- The May 11, 1953 F5 Tornado in Texas, near Waco
- The June 9, 1953 F4 Tornado in Massachusetts, near Framingham
- The April 27, 2011 EF5 Tornado in Alabama, near Madison
- The December 10, 2021 EF4 Tornado in Tennessee, near Mayfield, KY
- The May 20, 2013 EF5 Tornado in Oklahoma, near Moore
Why these storms and how each figure is counted: methodology.