1953 Waco tornado outbreak

This destructive, violent, and extremely long-tracked tornado family likely contained at least five distinct tornadoes, spawned by one supercell. The first tornado in the series, though officially unconfirmed, may have formed near Greene in Butler County, Iowa, causing significant destruction on a farmstead.[15] Continuous damage resumed near Chester, severely affecting 11 farms south of the Minnesota–Iowa border,[15][13] with two injuries in Iowa. The storm then crossed into southern Minnesota, killing one person in a destroyed barn near Wykoff. Near Chatfield, the tornado carried a schoolhouse from its foundation, causing its disintegration.[15] The tornado then hit a few cars halfway between Dover and St. Charles,[15] one of which was carried 100 feet (30 m), injuring four occupants and killing the fifth, a child.[13]

In Minnesota, four other people sustained injuries while inside a barn, and three more injuries were in another automobile;[13] in all, 17 injuries were confirmed in the state. Across Fillmore, Olmsted, and Winona counties in Minnesota, over 24 farms received widespread, often severe damage, including the destruction of most buildings in some cases. The tornado downed many power lines and utility poles as well, and there was widespread loss of livestock.[15] Entering Whitewater State Park, the tornado splintered "hundreds" of trees,[13] and buildings in the park were badly damaged.[15] After destroying a steel bridge near Crystal Spring, the tornado apparently dissipated into straight-line winds,[15] though Grazulis suggested that tornado damage may have continued to Cochrane, Wisconsin.[13]

Reports indicated that the storm crossed the Mississippi River into Wisconsin,[17] where tornado activity definitely resumed northeast of Cochrane and ended near Brownville. As in Minnesota,[15] damage was discontinuous, implying that two or more tornadoes were involved.[13] Between Cochrane and Brownsvulle, the tornado hit roughly 100 farms, at least 20 of which lost buildings, and produced high-end F3 damage to some homes. "Hundreds" of dead livestock littered the landscape.[13] Beyond Brownsville, the tornado(es) likely weakened and reformed into two, perhaps three, others, starting with spotty damage near Gilman. A farmhouse was swept from its foundation, and fragments of the home were lofted for seven miles (11 km). The tornado was reportedly exceptionally violent while southeast of Catawba,[13] shortly before dissipation. Five injuries occurred in Wisconsin, though the actual total may have been 12.[13]

Maximum damage intensity was F3 in Iowa and Minnesota and F4 in Wisconsin. The swath of damage between St. Charles and Whitewater State Park, Minnesota, across Olmsted and Winona counties, may have been from a separate thunderstorm, as Grazulis does not count it as part of the same tornado family.[13]

This was the second of two long-tracked tornado families in Wisconsin on May 10. It first formed on the outskirts of River Falls and tracked to the north-northeast. Here, the tornado demolished a summer house, which collapsed onto occupants, injuring four who had been picnicking but had sought safety during the storm. Initially, multiple tornadoes were likely present, as damage was discontinuous until the tornado(es) passed east of New Richmond. At that point, a continuous swath of significant damage began and continued to near Amery. The first fatality, an elderly female, occurred in St. Croix County when her home was leveled, injuring three other people inside. Farther on, in Polk County, two additional deaths took place: one from flying debris, another in a destroyed barn. In Burnett County, the tornado felled a tree, which hit a dairy building, causing a final death. Beyond Amery, scattered, poorly documented destruction occurred for the remainder of the path. A separate tornado likely formed near Minong and dissipated near Gordon, destroying cabins and other small residences. Six injuries occurred across Washburn and Douglas counties, one of which was severe. There were 11 injuries near Amery[13] and 27 along the entire path. Reports from local staff of the American Red Cross indicated that the tornado family destroyed or damaged 113 homes and affected 215 other structures. Collapsing barns killed livestock inside, though the precise number was undetermined. Numerous trees were downed along the path, and utilities were disrupted. The tornado(es) mostly impacted sparsely populated areas.[17] While officially rated F2, the tornado was assigned an F4 rating by Grazulis, based on damage to homes near Amery.[13]

Waco, Texas

F5 tornado
Path of the Waco tornado
Max. rating1	F5 tornado
Fatalities	114 fatalities, 597 injuries
Damage	$41 million (1953 USD)[nb 3] $569 million (2023 USD)
1Most severe tornado damage; see Fujita scale

According to an old legend—attributed without corroboration to the Huaco, a local Native American tribe—tornadoes, or at least severe ones, could not touch down in Waco, a city located in a geological depression. Supposedly due to the bluffs around the Brazos River, tornadoes and other severe weather were relatively rare and mild in the city.[7][20] The 1953 storm, however, disproved the myth when it tracked directly through downtown Waco as an F5 tornado. The tornado first formed around 4:10 p.m. CST (22:10 UTC) about three miles (5 km) north-northwest of the Lorena community. It quickly began damaging structures, destroying a home near Lorena as it tracked north-northeastward.[13] As it neared Waco, operators of weather radar at Texas A&M University detected a hook echo in association with the parent supercell. This was one of the first times that radar linked tornadogenesis with hook-echo signatures.[8] However, because heavy rain obscured the tornado, it was largely invisible to people in its path. The high-precipitation nature of the parent storm may have heightened the death toll in Waco by delaying appropriate action.[6] The storm also generated baseball-sized hail in its path.[7] The tornado passed close to Hewitt before entering downtown Waco.[13]

As the thunderstorm began pounding the city with rain, many people on the streets crowded into local buildings for shelter, yet few of the buildings in downtown Waco were constructed sturdily enough to withstand the winds, so they collapsed almost immediately. Thirty people died in the R. T. Dennis building alone.[7] Newer buildings with steel reinforcement, including the 22-story Amicable office building (now called the ALICO Building), weathered the storm. The Dr Pepper bottling plant, today the Dr Pepper Museum, also remained standing but sustained damage.[7] Bricks from the collapsed structures piled up in the street to a depth of five feet (1.5 m). Some survivors were trapped under rubble for 14 or more hours; numerous bodies remained buried beneath piles of rubble and for many days were unaccounted for.[21] After devastating downtown Waco, the tornado continued to the north-northeast and dissipated about five miles (8 km) west of Axtell.[6] While the tornado destroyed homes outside the city, media largely focused on destruction in downtown Waco.[13]

In all, 114 deaths occurred in the Waco area, with 597 injured and over $41 million (1953 USD) in property damage.[13] The tornado destroyed 196 businesses and factories.[22] 150 homes were wrecked.[13] Over 2,000 cars sustained at least some damage.[13]