Soon, the entire family worked on expanding the garden. “Nancy? And without his check from rent, the aid from the state and the church barely paid the rent on this place. The couple was in the house the entire time, but looked out the windows during the course of the storm. With some difficulty, Ruby stood. It produced at least 46 tornadoes across seven states including two F5 tornadoes in Blackwell, Oklahoma, and Udall, Kansas that caused most of the casualties. NWS Wichita SKYWARN “Now you two know what to do,” she said. So each day Ruby and eight of her 10 children would dig and plant in the evening. Much like the Kings, Udall residents were as surprised of the tornadoes as the King family. This one was less than an hour away of arriving at the King’s residence and eventually destroying the community to the north, Udall. Storm Report Picture Page 1 Picture Page 2 First Warning Issued Second Warning Issued Radar Overlay Map of Tornado track Event Summary Warning Acknowledgements Newspaper Article List of the fatalities: Follow us on Twitter Follow us on Facebook Ruby adjusted it to a gentle idle and let it warm up. Courtesy Udall Historical Society Museum Vickie?” There was no answer. See photos, historical documents and other items commemorating the 1955 Udall, Kan., tornado: An aerial view of the post-tornado damage in Udall. Breezes could occasionally be seen far off in the wheat fields. The outbreak killed 102 from three tornadoes while injuring hundreds more. Debris which was carried to the north-northeast was relatively light in weight and was probably carried in the vortex. There is a problem with your email/password. Moving about in the dark, she counted four of her children. “They’re going to search the property”, said the coroner. The tornado traveled in a general southwest to northeast direction across the center of town. To suggest a correction or addition, visit the memorial page and click Suggest Edits. The Kings were about to confront the deadliest tornado storm in Kansas history. Kansas, The Maytag was drained and wheeled back onto the back porch. UDALL, Kan. (KSNW) – KSN News is getting a look at new photos of the 1955 Udall tornado. The walnut tree where she had washed clothes today was gone. Graphical Forecasts But the family never really recovered. “They got some other guys down the road to help. Deleting this Virtual Cemetery cannot be undone. “I think so,” Ruby answered. The tornado struck Blackwell, Oklahoma about 2127 CST. The river sand was incredibly fine and it collected as thick dust on the road. And later things became cooler, as the sun set and creeped below the horizon. She would gladly kill a couple for a better dinner this evening, but she needed to build up the flock. You look pretty bad. And there was such a show in the sky outside. hide caption. She pushed the kids inside and climbed in after them. Please reset your password. Thanks for your help! “It was like a bomb went off. The center of rotation passed across and almost right angles to a train of railroad cars on a railroad siding. Forecast Discussion They have no memory of what – or who – was … The family would make due with eggs for supper and she would go to town tomorrow morning at dawn. USA, Mulvane, Guess where she moved to? Ruby added soap and then began stuffing in the bed sheets. Writing has been a hobby of her’s for her entire life. Ruby had been hit on the head very hard, maybe multiple times, and she wasn’t thinking clearly. Other than this, they knew nothing. This was followed by a lull which lasted about half a minute. She survived but she lived in fear for quite some time, until she eventually decided to move. Mr. Wheeler Martin, a survivor from Udall, reported that there was a "roaring noise" at about 2220 CST followed by hail and rain. All NOAA. Many had gone asleep thinking the tornado warnings were over and the storm had past. There was then nothing but pelting rain. Ruby had been in Kansas for 37 years and she knew this did not bode well. There was a woman named Agnes Hutchinson who was impacted by the Woodward tornado, and her husband and youngest son were killed. After all, electricity for many folks in this part was less than a decade old with power being stored for the first time as late as 1948. When it was over, 80 people were dead and 270 injured. On the evening of May 25, 1955, a powerful supercell thunderstorm was edging northward near Ponca City, Oklahoma. Page 1. The hail was followed by a lull during which he went outside. Udall, Kansas, about 30 miles southeast of Wichita, underwent almost complete destruction from the tornado which struck about 2235 CST. Kansas, A young girl stands in front of buildings laid waste by the tornado that ripped through Udall, Kan., on May 25, 1955. The girls complied, each taking a huge breath of outside air before entering the sweltering shack. I haven’t had any money for months.”. She and her family made their new home in Udall, Kansas. Even the Wichita evening news at that time, had signed off, thinking everyone was in the clear. A few miles south of Oxford, the tornado would take a rather sharp turn to the east and passed across U.S. 160 missing the town all together. Local weather story USA, Udall, For help using the website visit our help page or contact [email protected]. Instead of the air being cool following the squall, it was "hot." It was just too hot to function in the small, un-insulated, oil field house — a structure from the 1930’s made obsolete by the advent of factory made mobile homes. “It’s really bad”, Ruby gasped. Barbara Ann? Except for a few other dwellings in the northwest corner of town which were twisted, moved, and badly damaged, the only building in town not completely leveled were a few two-story masonry buildings from which the upper story had been removed. This time it started. Ruby intercepted them and turned them around. “We’re going to pretend like a tornado’s coming. She wondered if Raymond could manage the repair. Cemetery Visibility: Public Private. The small house then simply peeled away. She could get milk from the Johnsons a quarter mile to the North and her chickens had given plenty of eggs that morning. Regional Weather Summary Your password must be at least 8 characters, Please check the I'm not a robot checkbox, If you want to be a Photo Volunteer you must enter a ZIP Code or select your location on the map. This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register. Select a place on the map to place the pin. The Udall tornado caused the highest death toll in a US town with a population under 1,000. In the yard they could smell rain. USA, Rose Hill, Large objects flew over their heads and rocks, gravel and mud slammed at them with speeds of over 100 mph. On May 25, 1955, a powerful F5 tornado, with winds estimated at 300 miles per hour, roared through the farming community of Udall, Kan., destroying all but a handful of buildings. Following are two eyewitness accounts from an area about 23 miles north-northeast of Blackwell close to U.S. Highway 166, about 8 miles west of Arkansas City, Kansas. Only the floor nailed to the pilings in the sand remained. Agnes could never forget, but she slowly healed, and within a few years she’d remarried and had four more children. “Nancy! Billie? Office web cam, Forecasts Being lifted a few feet above ground into the storm winds had resulted in them being battered with derbies. After a few minutes, the house began to shake. “I understand what you say, but I still can’t stop feeling bad for being away.”, “Hell”, said Ruby. NOAA Weather Radio The King family had not been long in their small home north of Oxford. Probabilistic QPF, Climate We have set your language to By then, it was too late to warn the public. A system error has occurred. Plese check the I'm not a robot checkbox.'. The Udall Kansas Tornado: May 25, 1955. Questions? Flooding Completely unprepared, this very small Kansas town was practically wiped off the map in a nighttime tornado that came without warning. Anadarko, Then the tornado funnel was sighted approaching from the south. The girls returned with the laundry basket and two big armfuls of clothing. You two hang onto the toilet. Low I said!”, Ruby surveyed the sweating pack of kids on the floor. “Five of my kids are missing”, she said. To this day, some old timers in Oxford will say there wasn’t something spiritual about the trajectory of the tornado path as if God was choosing to save Oxford but destroy Udall. It was silent except for the occasional clicking of a grass hopper and the soft clucking of the hens in the yard. “Get in the house”, she said. Having been affected by tuberculosis, he was not well, and he walked slowly toward Ruby who was lying in a cot. Wichita, Kansas2142 S. Tyler RoadWichita, KS 67209-3016316-942-3102Comments? The material loss was staggering, but the emotional toll was hard to appreciate for those who had not lived through it. Weather Ready Nation The search team didn’t have much of a problem finding the other five children. Very observant of you to recognize the similarity in radar signatures between Udall and Greesnburg. Most of the people who call Udall home now weren’t alive when the tornado struck 60 years ago. Ruby had reason to be nervous, for unbeknownst to her, a tornado had just touched down in Blackwell, Okla., an F5 wedge tornado that would take the lives of 20 people and injuring over 200 more. In researching an article I wrote on the 4/9/47 Glazier - Higgins - Woodward event, I came across something very interesting pertaining to this event.

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