There are some clips on youtube of video of a couple of the tornadoes in that outbreak. It came to be known as the 1953 worcester tornado, part of the flint worcester tornado outbreak sequence, a series of tornado outbreaks that occurred in worcester and flint, michigan from june 69, 1953. Per thomas grazulis in significant tornadoes, an f5 rating could have been given to this event. The weather doctor almanac 2003 the worcester tornado of 1953. In june of 1953, the recently instituted practice of issuing tornado warnings was. The 1953 worcester tornado was an extremely powerful tornado that struck the city and. I too was surprised to see the path straying so far from the f5 damage in worcester.
In this almanac, i will look at a massachusetts tornado and the influence it had on three men who would further our understanding of tornadoes and severe storms. With winds close to 300 mph, the twister traveled 46 miles across the county, reaching its peak intensity in worcester. The book, written in 1993 and still available through amazon, is an. The 1953 worcester tornado was the 21st deadliest tornado in the history of the united states. Front wall is missing and rooms or whatever is left. The tornado first touched down in petersham about 4. Tornado of 1953 in and around worcester, massachusetts. On this day in 1953, worcester county was devastated by the strongest tornado ever to hit new england. Worcester, ma terrible tornado death and damage, june 1953.
The worcester, massachusetts tornado of june 9, 1953, was the final event from a threeday tornado sequence. Severe storms began on june 7th over the central plains before spreading into michigan and ohio on the 8th. Survivors recall the devastation of the 1953 worcester tornado. It set down just before dinner time and close enough to quabbin reservoir that boaters saw it. But what worcester experienced in 1953 was unmatched in the. I lived through this tornado, even though our house was totally blown away while we were in it. The story of the worcester tornado of 53 kindle edition by worcester telegram and gazette. Flintworcester tornado outbreak sequence wikipedia. A few years back, i wrote about the connection between an atlantic hurricane and william shakespeare and the british colonies of bermuda.
The 14 most infamous storms on the north shore woodmans of. It was a stifling spring day on june 9th, 1953, when a merciless black funnel of wind touched down at 4. The boston daily globe front page the day after the deadly tornado of june 9, 1953. Remembering the tornado of 1953 the devastating tornado ripped through worcester and surrounding towns, killing more than 90, and causing millions in damage. It would be interesting to hear you tell that story and point out things that you feel are significant. The storm stayed on the ground for nearly 90 minutes, traveling 48 miles across central massachusetts. The squall line and massachusetts tornadoes of june 9, 1953. The 1953 worcester tornado was an extremely powerful tornado that struck the city and surrounding area of worcester, massachusetts on tuesday, june 9, 1953. The worst tornado to ever hit the area was in 1953. Worcester, ma f4 tornado june 9, 1953 tornado talk. Flint worcester tornado outbreak sequence, 1953 waco tornado outbreak, 1953 vicksburg, mississippi tornado outbreak, 1953 sarnia, ontario tornado. Cinderblock and brick buildings were picked up and smashed to rubble. Massachusetts, as william chittick described in his 2003 book on the event.
Worcester residents recall devastating june 1953 tornado. The strongest and deadliest tornado of the severe weather event was a powerful f5 on the fujita scale. People didnt really know that it was coming, said robyn conroy, librarian and archivist at worcester historical museum, who runs an oral history project about the 1953 worcester tornado, talking with survivors about what they experienced that day. Welcome to the official governmental website for the city of worcester, ma. The tornado of 1953 northborough historical society. In a matter of minutes the flintbeecher tornado of 1953. The worcester, ma tornado occurred during the midafternoon time on june 9, 1953. Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from wikipedia or other free sources online. See more ideas about worcester, worcester massachusetts and tornado damage. June 79, 1953 the flint worcester outbreak stormstalker. The 1953 flint worcester tornado outbreak sequence was a devastating tornado outbreak sequence spanning three days, two of which featured tornadoes each causing at least 90 deathsan f5 occurring in flint, michigan, on june 8, 1953, and an f4 in worcester, massachusetts, on june 9.
The worst tornado in new england history strikes worcester. Kathy lundstroms father, henry ekberg took this rare color film before and after the worcester tornado tore up the burncoat area of worcester,ma in 1953. Tornado of 1953 worcester historical museum worcester. These 3 storms were also unique in occurring within a 30day period.
A recount of the flintbeecher, michigan tornado of 1953 that took 116 lives. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Worcester, ma tornado 1953 wed, jun 10, 1953 1 hartford courant hartford, connecticut. Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on youtube. Rare footage taken from the inside the worcester wedge of 1953, the mile wide wedge tornado carved a path through the northeastern parts of a massachusetts this tornado was rated ef4 but possibly. From radarscope photographs, it is pointed out 1 that the worcester tornado and the franklinwrentham tornado each occurred in the rightrear quadrant of a squallline thunderstorm cell, and 2 that this relative position, with an associated tail or hook in the radar echo, is similar to that of the illinois tornado of april 9, 1953. On june 9, 1953, an f4 tornado touched down in petersham at about 4. The twister suddenly appeared near petersham, northwest of worcester, and followed a writhing course toward this city. Video of before the tornado, and damage following it youtube.
Moms account of the june 8, 1953, flintbeecher tornado lisa hedger 682016 in 1953, my mother, mary cowell, lived on north dort highway in beecher, michigan, in a twostory farmhouse with her three young children. The devastating story behind the worcester tornado in. Chittick has published his own account of the tornado. And books and clothing ended up at blue hill on outer cape cod. The infamous june 9, 1953, worcester county tornado has been replaced in the record books by sunday nights devastating twister in joplin, mo. The tornado then proceeded to pass through a farm field, where it struck a farmhouse and killed two people. Ive heard limited stories about the tornado in my life. If you havent read it already, i highly recommend the book tornado. Worcester, ma tornado 1953 national weather museum. As the storm moved eastward at approximately 35 mph, it hit the towns of rutland and holden, where 11 people were killed. Spawning a bestselling book and a film by the same name, this 1991.
Here is the only movie of the skies during the tornado, followed by a survey of the damage. This is the most tornado fatalities ever from a single tornado. The worcester tornado, june 9, 1953 the tornado from the eastern shore of indian lake. Worcester, ma tornado june 9, 1953 weather history. Rare extreme footage from the worcester tornado of 1953. The tornado resulted in 116 fatalities and 844 injuries. Rare footage taken from the inside the worcester wedge of 1953, the mile wide wedge tornado carved a path through the northeastern parts of a massachusetts this tornado was rated ef4 but. It was the worst tornado in new england history, and one of the 25 worst tornadoes in u. The worcester tornado of 1953 struck without warning and cut a swath of destruction, at times a mile wide, through a halfdozen towns. The year 1953 saw some of the deadliest tornadoes in u. It was part of the flint worcester tornado outbreak sequence, which occurred over a threeday period from june 69, 1953.
Check out the video below from youtube channel moviemagg for a glimpse at. It was 1,000 yards wide and traveled a full 46 miles through central massachusetts. It is the deadliest and most destructive tornado to ever hit the new england area. The 1953 waco tornado outbreak was a series of at least 33 tornadoes occurring in 10 different u. Remembering the deadly f4 tornado that ravaged worcester. Weather almanac for june 2003 the worcester tornado of 1953.
This changed with the oklahoma tornado in the late 1990s and the nashville tornado a year or two later. Heritage zen photos from the worcester tornado, june 9, 1953. Contact and book john today references the great worcester tornado description. The storm stayed on the ground for nearly 90 minutes, traveling 48 miles across. Here you will find all city administration, services and information related to worcester. Please practice handwashing and social distancing, and check out our resources for adapting to these times. At the time this book was written, the worcester tornado had the highest tornadic winds in recorded history, at 321 mph. The result was an impressive archive of stories, images and film that document the emotional. Ls of the town street totally destroyed by tornado. On june 8th, an f5 hit flint, michigan and on june 9th, an f4 struck worcester massachusetts. The front page of the boston globe from june 10, 1953, recorded the most catastrophic tornado ever to hit central massachusetts.
The 1953 worcester tornado rated an f4, perhaps reaching f5 at times began in petersham. It is reprinted today on the anniversary of the june 9, 1953, tornado. In 2003, to commemorate the 50 th anniversary of the june 9, 1953 tornado, worcester historical museum reached out to the community and asked them to share their stories and images of this tragic date in worcester s history where 94 people lost their lives. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading 42 miles of hell. It struck waco, texas, on may 11, causing 114 of the 144 deaths in the outbreak. The photos posted here, taken after the worcester tornado in 1953, were with the items she sent me. For 90 minutes it stayed on the ground, traveling 48 miles from petersham. For the survivors of the june 9, 1953, worcester county tornado there is one common denominator. This is part 2 of this special film made on the aftermath of one of the worst tornado events in new englands history. Worcester, ma tornado 1953 wed, jun 10, 1953 1 hartford courant hartford, connecticut the worcester, massachusetts tornado of june 9, 1953, was the final event from a threeday tornado sequence. On june 9, 1953, a devastatingly powerful tornado hit the city of worcester and the surrounding areas. Today is the anniversary of the flintbeecher tornado of june 8, 1953.