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]

November 15–16, 1955 tornado outbreak
TypeTornado outbreak
DurationNovember 15–16, 1955
Tornadoes confirmed18[1]
Max. rating1F3 tornado
Duration of tornado outbreak214 hours and 20 minutes
Highest winds
  • 91 mph (146 km/h)
Largest hail2.75 in (7.0 cm)
Damage$4.665 million (1955 USD)
Casualties1 fatality, 35 injuries
Areas affectedMississippi and Ohio Valleys
1Most severe tornado damage; see Fujita scale
2Time from first tornado to last tornado

Confirmed tornadoes
Confirmed tornadoes by Fujita rating
FU F0 F1 F2 F3 F4 F5 Total
0 1 7 5 5 0 0 18

November 15 event
List of confirmed tornadoes – Tuesday, November 15, 1955[nb 1][nb 2]
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 / 35.90; -93.67 (Witter (November 15, F1)) 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 / 39.90; -88.07 (Longview (November 15, F1)) 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 / 35.48; -92.03 (Heber Springs (November 15, F3)) 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 / 35.03; -93.05 (Casa (November 15, F2)) 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 / 38.07; -89.77 (Schuline (November 15, F1)) 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 / 39.15; -89.45 (Southeastern Schram City (November 15, F1)) 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 / 29.95; -93.93 (Southwestern Pana (November 15, F1)) 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 / 35.43; -92.08 (Hopewell (November 15, F3)) 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 / 39.98; -87.77 (Jamaica (November 15, F0)) 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 / 38.05; -87.27 (Boonville (November 15, F1)) 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 / 35.92; -91.02 (Alicia (November 15, F3)) 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 / 37.97; -87.53 (Eastern Evansville (November 15, F3)) 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 / 36.05; -94.00 (Tuttle (November 15, F2)) 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 / 40.10; -84.63 (Sharpeye (November 15, F3)) 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 / 38.52; -87.52 (Decker (November 15, F1)) 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 / 38.52; -87.52 (Downtown Indianapolis (November 15, F2)) 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
List of confirmed tornadoes – Wednesday, November 16, 1955[nb 1][nb 2]
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 / 36.67; -91.90 (South Fork (November 16, F2)) 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 / 37.43; -89.27 (Valley Mission (November 16, F2)) 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
Heber Springs–Floral–Salado–Northern Newark, Arkansas
F3 tornado
Max. rating1F3 tornado
Damage$1 million (1959 USD)
Casualties1 fatality, 4 injuries
Areas affectedEastern 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]

See also

Notes
  1. 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.
  2. Prior to 1994, only the average widths of tornado paths were officially listed.[3]

References
  1. "Tornado Summaries". National Weather Service. National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  2. "November 1955 Tornadoes". Tornado History Projects. Storm Prediction Center. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  3. 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.
  4. "Arkansas F1". Tornado History Projects. Storm Prediction Center. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  5. Arkansas Event Report: F1 Tornado. National Weather Service (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  6. "Illinois F1". Tornado History Projects. Storm Prediction Center. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  7. Illinois Event Report: F1 Tornado. National Weather Service (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  8. "Arkansas F3". Tornado History Projects. Storm Prediction Center. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  9. Arkansas Event Report: F3 Tornado. National Weather Service (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  10. Arkansas Event Report: F3 Tornado. National Weather Service (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  11. Arkansas Event Report: F3 Tornado. National Weather Service (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  12. Arkansas Event Report: F3 Tornado. National Weather Service (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  13. "Arkansas F2". Tornado History Projects. Storm Prediction Center. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  14. Arkansas Event Report: F2 Tornado. National Weather Service (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  15. "Illinois F1". Tornado History Projects. Storm Prediction Center. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
  16. Illinois Event Report: F1 Tornado. National Weather Service (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
  17. "Illinois F1". Tornado History Projects. Storm Prediction Center. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
  18. Illinois Event Report: F1 Tornado. National Weather Service (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
  19. "Illinois F1". Tornado History Projects. Storm Prediction Center. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
  20. Illinois Event Report: F1 Tornado. National Weather Service (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
  21. "Arkansas F3". Tornado History Projects. Storm Prediction Center. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
  22. Arkansas Event Report: F3 Tornado. National Weather Service (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
  23. "Illinois F0". National Weather Service. Storm Prediction Center. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
  24. Illinois Event Report: F0 Tornado. National Weather Service (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
  25. "Indiana F1". Tornado History Projects. Storm Prediction Center. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
  26. Indiana Event Report: F1 Tornado. National Weather Service (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
  27. "Arkansas F3". Tornado History Projects. Storm Prediction Center. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
  28. Arkansas Event Report: F3 Tornado. National Weather Service (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
  29. "Indiana F3". Tornado History Projects. Storm Prediction Center. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
  30. Indiana Event Report: F3 Tornado. National Weather Service (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
  31. "Arkansas F2". Tornado History Projects. Storm Prediction Center. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
  32. Arkansas Event Report: F2 Tornado. National Weather Service (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
  33. "Indiana-Ohio F3". Tornado History Projects. Storm Prediction Center. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
  34. Indiana Event Report: F3 Tornado. National Weather Service (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
  35. Ohio Event Report: F3 Tornado. National Weather Service (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
  36. "Indiana F1". Tornado History Projects. Storm Prediction Center. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
  37. Indiana Event Report: F1 Tornado. National Weather Service (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
  38. "Indiana F2". Tornado History Projects. Storm Prediction Center. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
  39. "Indiana Event Report: F2 Tornado". National Weather Service. National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
  40. "Missouri F2". Tornado History Projects. Storm Prediction Center. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
  41. "Missouri Event Report: F2 Tornado". National Weather Service. National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
  42. "Illinois F2". National Weather Service. Storm Prediction Center. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
  43. "Illinois Event Report: F2 Tornado". National Weather Service. National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
  44. "Non-Tornadic Impacts". National Weather Service. National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  45. Storm Events Database - Event Details | National Centers for Environmental Information. www.ncdc.noaa.gov (Report). Retrieved 18 July 2020.
  46. Storm Events Database - Event Details | National Centers for Environmental Information. www.ncdc.noaa.gov (Report). Retrieved 18 July 2020.
  47. Storm Events Database - Event Details | National Centers for Environmental Information. www.ncdc.noaa.gov (Report). Retrieved 18 July 2020.
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