November 15–16, 1955 tornado outbreak
An unusually intense fall outbreak of tornadoes caused considerable damage to the Mississippi and Ohio Valleys. One person was killed, 35 others were injured, and damages reached $4.665 million (1955 USD).[2]
Part of the tornado outbreaks of 1955 | |
Type | Tornado outbreak |
---|---|
Duration | November 15–16, 1955 |
Tornadoes confirmed | 18[1] |
Max. rating1 | F3 tornado |
Duration of tornado outbreak2 | 14 hours and 20 minutes |
Highest winds |
|
Largest hail | 2.75 in (7.0 cm) |
Damage | $4.665 million (1955 USD) |
Casualties | 1 fatality, 35 injuries |
Areas affected | Mississippi and Ohio Valleys |
1Most severe tornado damage; see Fujita scale 2Time from first tornado to last tornado |
Confirmed tornadoes
FU | F0 | F1 | F2 | F3 | F4 | F5 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
0 | 1 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 18 |
November 15 event
F# | Location | County / Parish | State | Start coord. |
Time (UTC) | Path length | Max. width | Summary | Refs. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
F1 | S of Witter | Madison | AR | 35.90°N 93.67°W | 18:00–? | 0.1 miles (0.16 km) | 10 yards (9.1 m) | Brief tornado developed over the Nubbin Ridge. Only minor damage occurred with losses totaling $250. | [4][5] |
F1 | N of Longview | Champaign | IL | 39.90°N 88.07°W | 21:00–? | 0.1 miles (0.16 km) | 10 yards (9.1 m) | Brief tornado caused no monetary damages. | [6][7] |
F3 | Heber Springs to Floral to Salado to Northern Newark | Cleburne, Independence | AR | 35.48°N 92.03°W | 21:17–? | 36.5 miles (58.7 km) | 133 yards (122 m) | 1 death – See section on this tornado – Four people were injured and damage was estimated at $1 million. | [8][9][10] [11][12] |
F2 | Casa | Perry | AR | 35.03°N 93.05°W | 21:26–? | 1.5 miles (2.4 km) | 73 yards (67 m) | Strong tornado moved through the north side of Casa, causing $250,000 in damage. | [13][14] |
F1 | SSE of Schuline to SSE of Sparta | Randolph | IL | 38.07°N 89.77°W | 21:30–? | 4.5 miles (7.2 km) | 880 yards (800 m) | Large, but weak tornado remained over open terrain, causing no monetary damage. | [15][16] |
F1 | Southeastern Schram City | Montgomery | IL | 39.15°N 89.45°W | 21:35–? | 0.1 miles (0.16 km) | 10 yards (9.1 m) | Major destruction occurred on the southeast side of Schram City from this brief, but damaging tornado. Losses totaled $25,000. | [17][18] |
F1 | Southwestern Pana | Christian | IL | 29.95°N 93.93°W | 22:45–? | 0.1 miles (0.16 km) | 10 yards (9.1 m) | Brief tornado on the southwest side of Pana caused no monetary damage. | [19][20] |
F3 | N of Hopewell | Cleburne | AR | 35.43°N 92.08°W | 23:00–? | 0.1 miles (0.16 km) | 10 yards (9.1 m) | Brief, but strong tornado caused major damage southwest of Heber Springs. Losses totaled $25,000. | [21][22] |
F0 | E of Jamaica | Vermilion | IL | 39.98°N 87.77°W | 23:00–? | 0.2 miles (0.32 km) | 10 yards (9.1 m) | Brief tornado caused $250 in damage. | [23][24] |
F1 | Boonville | Warrick | IN | 38.05°N 87.27°W | 00:00–? | 0.1 miles (0.16 km) | 10 yards (9.1 m) | Damaging tornado touched down right over Boonville, causing $2,500 in damage. | [25][26] |
F3 | Alicia of ESE of Calvin | Lawrence | AR | 35.92°N 91.02°W | 00:05–? | 3.8 miles (6.1 km) | 880 yards (800 m) | Large, strong tornado moved through Alicia, injuring nine and causing $250,000 in damage. | [27][28] |
F3 | Eastern Evansville | Vanderburgh | IN | 37.97°N 87.53°W | 01:20–? | 2 miles (3.2 km) | 50 yards (46 m) | A very destructive tornado touched down right over Eastern Evansville and heavily damaged the University of Evansville and the surrounding area, injuring nine and causing $250,000 in damage. The exact track of the tornado is unknown. | [29][30] |
F2 | NNW of Tuttle to Hartwell to N of Huntsville | Washington, Madison | AR | 36.05°N 94.00°W | 01:30–? | 15 miles (24 km) | 220 yards (200 m) | Tornado touched down over mountainous terrain and moved east-northeastward, striking the town of Hartwell before dissipating. One person was injured and there was $2,500 in damage. | [31][32] |
F3 | SE of Buena Vista, IN to Sharpeye, OH to Greenville, OH | Randolph (IN), Darke (OH) | IN, OH | 40.10°N 84.63°W | 01:30–? | 21 miles (34 km) | 400 yards (370 m) | Tornado is said to have started in Indiana; however, the official track begins in Sharpeye. This tornado struck Greenville as it dissipated as well. There were eight injuries and $2.525 million in damage. | [33][34][35] |
F1 | Decker | Knox | IN | 38.52°N 87.52°W | 04:00–? | 0.1 miles (0.16 km) | 10 yards (9.1 m) | Brief, but damaging tornado struck Decker, causing $25,000 in damage. | [36][37] |
F2 | Downtown Indianapolis | Marion | IN | 38.52°N 87.52°W | 04:35–? | 0.1 miles (0.16 km) | 10 yards (9.1 m) | Strong tornado touched down right over Downtown Indianapolis, causing severe damage. There was two injuries, and losses totaled $25,000. | [38][39] |
November 16 event
F# | Location | County / Parish | State | Start coord. |
Time (UTC) | Path length | Max. width | Summary | Refs. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
F2 | NE of South Fork to SW of Carson | Howell | MO | 36.67°N 91.90°W | 06:15–? | 4.3 miles (6.9 km) | 1,000 yards (910 m) | Large tornado hit the southern side of West Plains. There were two injuries and $25,000 in damage. | [40][41] |
F2 | NE of Valley Mission to E of Anna | Union | IL | 37.43°N 89.27°W | 08:20–? | 4.5 miles (7.2 km) | 150 yards (140 m) | Strong tornado moved through the south sides of Jonesboro and Anna. Damage was estimated at $250,000. | [42][43] |
Heber Springs–Floral–Salado–Northern Newark, Arkansas
F3 tornado | |
---|---|
Max. rating1 | F3 tornado |
Damage | $1 million (1959 USD) |
Casualties | 1 fatality, 4 injuries |
Areas affected | Eastern Ozarks |
1Most severe tornado damage; see Fujita scale |
The only fatal one of the outbreak, this long-tracked, strong F3 tornado first touched down in Heber Springs and moved northeastward over Round Mountain. After moving through the southeast side of town, it crossed over the Little Red River, moving over mountainous terrain before moving into Independence County. Throughout Cleburne County, one person was injured and there was $250,000 in damage.[8][9]
Moving into Independence County, the tornado caused catastrophic damage as it hit the town of Floral. Multiple structures were destroyed and trees were down.[10] It moved back over mountainous terrain before causing more destruction in Hutchinson, which saw $250,000 in damage.[11] The tornado then turned more easterly, and struck Southern Southside and Salado causing significant damage, although not as catastrophic as before. The tornado then moved over the Tucker Ridge, striking Magness and Northern Newark before dissipating south of Mt. Carmel. Throughout Independence County, the tornado caused one death, three injuries, $750,000 in damage with all the casualties and $250,000 coming from Floral alone.[8][12]
The tornado was on the ground for at least 30 minutes, traveled 36.5 miles (58.7 km), was 133 yards (122 m) wide at its peak, and caused $1 million in damage. One person was killed and four others were injured.[8][9][10][11][12]
Non-tornadic impacts
Many hail and wind reports came out of this event.[44] A peak wind gust of 91 miles per hour (146 km/h) was recorded at Tyrrell, Ohio.[45] Illinois saw many large hail reports on November 15 with baseball-sized hail being recorded in rural Northern Effingham County as well as Western Browns.[46][47]
Notes
- All dates are based on the local time zone where the tornado touched down; however, all times are in Coordinated Universal Time and dates are split at midnight CST/CDT for consistency.
- Prior to 1994, only the average widths of tornado paths were officially listed.[3]
References
- "Tornado Summaries". National Weather Service. National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
- "November 1955 Tornadoes". Tornado History Projects. Storm Prediction Center. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
- Brooks, Harold E. (April 2004). "On the Relationship of Tornado Path Length and Width to Intensity". Weather and Forecasting. Boston: American Meteorological Society. 19 (2): 310. doi:10.1175/1520-0434(2004)019<0310:OTROTP>2.0.CO;2. Retrieved 11 September 2019.
- "Arkansas F1". Tornado History Projects. Storm Prediction Center. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
- Arkansas Event Report: F1 Tornado. National Weather Service (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
- "Illinois F1". Tornado History Projects. Storm Prediction Center. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
- Illinois Event Report: F1 Tornado. National Weather Service (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
- "Arkansas F3". Tornado History Projects. Storm Prediction Center. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
- Arkansas Event Report: F3 Tornado. National Weather Service (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
- Arkansas Event Report: F3 Tornado. National Weather Service (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
- Arkansas Event Report: F3 Tornado. National Weather Service (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
- Arkansas Event Report: F3 Tornado. National Weather Service (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
- "Arkansas F2". Tornado History Projects. Storm Prediction Center. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
- Arkansas Event Report: F2 Tornado. National Weather Service (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
- "Illinois F1". Tornado History Projects. Storm Prediction Center. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
- Illinois Event Report: F1 Tornado. National Weather Service (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
- "Illinois F1". Tornado History Projects. Storm Prediction Center. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
- Illinois Event Report: F1 Tornado. National Weather Service (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
- "Illinois F1". Tornado History Projects. Storm Prediction Center. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
- Illinois Event Report: F1 Tornado. National Weather Service (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
- "Arkansas F3". Tornado History Projects. Storm Prediction Center. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
- Arkansas Event Report: F3 Tornado. National Weather Service (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
- "Illinois F0". National Weather Service. Storm Prediction Center. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
- Illinois Event Report: F0 Tornado. National Weather Service (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
- "Indiana F1". Tornado History Projects. Storm Prediction Center. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
- Indiana Event Report: F1 Tornado. National Weather Service (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
- "Arkansas F3". Tornado History Projects. Storm Prediction Center. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
- Arkansas Event Report: F3 Tornado. National Weather Service (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
- "Indiana F3". Tornado History Projects. Storm Prediction Center. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
- Indiana Event Report: F3 Tornado. National Weather Service (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
- "Arkansas F2". Tornado History Projects. Storm Prediction Center. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
- Arkansas Event Report: F2 Tornado. National Weather Service (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
- "Indiana-Ohio F3". Tornado History Projects. Storm Prediction Center. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
- Indiana Event Report: F3 Tornado. National Weather Service (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
- Ohio Event Report: F3 Tornado. National Weather Service (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
- "Indiana F1". Tornado History Projects. Storm Prediction Center. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
- Indiana Event Report: F1 Tornado. National Weather Service (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
- "Indiana F2". Tornado History Projects. Storm Prediction Center. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
- "Indiana Event Report: F2 Tornado". National Weather Service. National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
- "Missouri F2". Tornado History Projects. Storm Prediction Center. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
- "Missouri Event Report: F2 Tornado". National Weather Service. National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
- "Illinois F2". National Weather Service. Storm Prediction Center. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
- "Illinois Event Report: F2 Tornado". National Weather Service. National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
- "Non-Tornadic Impacts". National Weather Service. National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
- Storm Events Database - Event Details | National Centers for Environmental Information. www.ncdc.noaa.gov (Report). Retrieved 18 July 2020.
- Storm Events Database - Event Details | National Centers for Environmental Information. www.ncdc.noaa.gov (Report). Retrieved 18 July 2020.
- Storm Events Database - Event Details | National Centers for Environmental Information. www.ncdc.noaa.gov (Report). Retrieved 18 July 2020.