The tornado outbreak of April 2, 1956

18 tornadoesOklahoma, Kansas, Illinois and 2 more states

18 tornadoes touched down across 5 states between 1:00 AM and 10:45 PM CST, 6 of them rated F3 or stronger, and 7 people were killed.

Watch the day unfold

Tornado outbreak · April 2, 1956

How the day unfolded

Every tornado recorded that day, at its logged touchdown time and along its path, with the counties it crossed.

About this replay

Central time—Historical replay — logged touchdown times

Tornadoes—of 18 that day

Strongest so far—

Killed—in tornadoes so far

The day’s milestones

Tornado pathsWider and brighter with the rating; F3 and stronger glow

On the groundEach grows from its logged touchdown time

Counties crossedLit as a tornado reaches them, brighter for F3 or stronger

Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather database (touchdown times, ratings, start and end points) and Storm Events Database (segment paths and times for the notable tornadoes that have record pages). SPC logs the touchdown time only; other paths are drawn at a typical forward speed of 35 mph. Times are Central Standard Time.

The day in numbers

Tornadoes: 18; on Monday, April 2, 1956
F3 or stronger: 6; 1 rated F4 or F5
Killed: 7; Along all the paths
Injured: 111; Along all the paths
Path miles: 396; All the paths end to end
First and last: 1:00 AM to 10:45 PM; Touchdowns, Central Standard Time

Hour by hour

Tornadoes touching down in each hour, Central Standard Time.

Every tornado

In order of touchdown. 2 have a record page, linked from the rating.

Tornadoes of April 2, 1956

1:00 AM	F1	Worth County MO	2.7	30	0	0
1:30 AM	F1	Cook County IL	2.0	10	0	0
10:30 AM	F1	Tulsa County OK	0.3	33	0	0
6:00 PM	F0	Barton County KS	0.1	10	0	0
6:45 PM	F3	Ellsworth County KS	5.4	10	0	0
7:05 PM	F3	Woods County, Alfalfa County OK	20.0	400	0	2
7:10 PM	F0	Harper County KS	0.1	10	0	0
7:30 PM	F0	Mitchell County KS	3.4	10	0	0
7:45 PM	F2	Garfield County, Grant County OK	18.4	100	0	4
8:30 PM	F3	Barton County, Rice County and 1 more KS	20.1	350	0	1
8:45 PM	F2	Kay County OK	0.1	10	0	0
9:29 PM	F1	Johnston County OK	8.0	23	0	0
9:30 PM	F1	Butler County, Marion County KS	22.9	500	0	2
9:30 PM	F3	Marion County, Chase County and 2 more KS	127.0	790	0	4
9:30 PM	F2	Pawnee County, Osage County OK	12.6	100	0	1
9:30 PM	F4	Kay County, Woodson County and 5 more OK, KS	108.3	880	2	29
9:33 PM	F3	Lincoln County, Creek County OK	42.6	300	5	68
10:45 PM	F2	Nemaha County NE	2.3	100	0	0

By state

Tornadoes by state, April 2, 1956

Oklahoma	8	3	7
Kansas	7	3	0
Illinois	1	0	0
Missouri	1	0	0
Nebraska	1	0	0

Tornadoes in 1956 · On this date in other years · The biggest outbreak days

Storm Prediction Center severe weather database, 1950 to 2025. A day is SPC’s calendar date in Central Standard Time; an outbreak day here has 40 or more tornadoes, or 6 or more rated F3/EF3 or stronger.