Chittick, 2003. It was part of the Flint-Worcester tornado outbreak sequence, which occurred over a three-day period from June 6-9, 1953.The storm stayed on the ground for nearly 90 minutes, traveling 48 miles across Central . Citizens who had survived the 1953 tornado claimed this one to be much worse. Entire houses and neighborhoods vanished after the tornado struck Worcester. The June 9, 1953 "Worcester Tornado" killed 94 people and injured more than 1,250. (The south side was left almost untouched.) 44 cemeteries found within miles of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. With the Cold War escalating and U.S. troops fighting in Korea, schoolchildren learned to "duck and cover" during air raid drills, and citizens were urged to know how to find the nearest shelters. Deleting this Virtual Cemetery cannot be undone. 1953 worcester tornado victimsjack paar cause of death. is every one dead? There was gas in the area. The tornado damaged the Norton Co., Worcesters largest employer, shattering every window and tearing off the roof. But what happened in Worcester, was truly devastating. The team's general manager defended the choice: ''The name was conceived with great respect for not only everyone who suffered through the tragedy, for those who lost loved ones, but for the way the community has grown . The Paxton Inn opened and fed them all. It wasnt until 1971 that the Fujita (F) scale was invented. You need a Find a Grave account to continue. It may possibly be the highest natural winds ever," and certainly the most powerful ever to strike New England. I saw one plank about 4 feet long land on my neighbor's roof. See also: Higher Education Consortium of Central Massachusetts. On June 7, 1953, an area of high pressure formed over most of the United States. The 1953 Tornado lasted for 84 minutes, traveling about 48 miles across central Massachusetts. In all, the 1953 Worcester Tornado was a devastating natural disaster that will forever live in infamy among Worcester residents. The first-ever tornado warning in Massachusetts went out at 5:45 p.m., warning Boston of "isolated tornado activity" that evening. Photos of the worst tornado damage courtesy Boston Public Library, Leslie Jones Collection, except for the photo of Robert Stoddard and John Kennedy by Source (WP:NFCC#4). 44 cemeteries found in will be saved to your photo volunteer list. This browser does not support getting your location. A cry arose from one of the several loud speakers that radio stores quickly set up on trucks that all able-bodied men were wanted at once to help move a foundation of a house where a woman was trapped. The tally of 10,000 homeless stood unchallenged for 26 years until the '79 Wichita Falls storm. The memorials in this virtual cemetery are to honor those who died as a result of the tornado that swept through the towns of Petersham, Barre, Rutland, Holden, Worcester, West Boylston, Shrewsbury, and Westborough on Tuesday June 9, 1953. At the Norton Company, the city's largest employer, the roof was torn off a new $6,000,000 factory building and heavy machinery was tossed about like toys. Near Barrea twister collapsed a two-story farmhouseand threw18-year-old Barbara Knight and 11-year-old Eddie White hundreds of feet to their deaths. Conroy says that people came from all over the region, immediately, to help. Worcester County, The cold front collided with warm air from the South, creating highly unusual conditions for a tornado in the northeastern United States. She was swept away with her stately home, which had just appeared in aBetter Homes and Gardens photo. It officially killed 90 people, unofficially killed 94, injured 1,300and destroyed 4,000 buildings. Also, I can remember how my mom was so worried about our cousins that lived in Worcester. This account already exists, but the email address still needs to be confirmed. Across Boylston St. from the Curtis Apartments, the Brookside Home Farm (a city-operated dairy facility and laundry) sustained total damage, with six men killed and the loss of its herd of 80 Holsteins. USA, Post Mills, Baseball-size hail was reported in a score of communities affected by the Worcester supercell. [10] Most news reports only made mentions of possible thunderstorms. Soon the National Guard, Civil Defense workers, and police, firemen, and doctors and nurses from surrounding towns poured in to help. Assumption College was a prep school located where QCC is now in 1953. Follow us so you don't miss a thing! For people with disabilities needing assistance with the Public Files, contact Glenn Heath at 617-300-3268. On May 11, 1953, a destructive force tore through Waco and forever altered the face of the city. food banks expect a surge, As streaming services boom, cable TV continues its decline. After the Fujita scale was developed in 1971, the storm was classified as F4, the second highest rating on the scale. Weve updated the security on the site. By 4:30 p.m., there were ballgames going on, shops closing up, factory workers heading home. On Monday, June 8, 1953 an exceptionally violent tornado struck the north side of Flint, Michigan and the northern suburb of Beecher, causing catastrophic damage and hundreds of casualties. The Weather Bureau in Boston announced a high of 103.6. The only tornadoes that have been stronger were the 1953 Worcester tornado and the 1995 Great . For the baseball team, see. Or it tossed around cars and mangled the people inside. As federal food benefits decline, Mass. Airborne debris was strewn eastward, reaching the Blue Hill Meteorological Observatory 35mi (56km) away, and even out over Massachusetts Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. At a home game on or around the anniversary of the tornado, the team remembered the victims with a moment of silence before the singing of the national anthem. Click here for instructions on how to enable JavaScript in your browser. This phenomenon, which is the way most tornadoes and severe thunderstorms are formed, is something that would not normally happen in Massachusetts. "Worcester tornado" redirects here. In Westborough, farmer Jim Harvey still finds objects in his fields that were embedded during the storm. Thanks for your help! The tornado stayed on the ground for 90 minutes and traveled 48 miles across Central Massachusetts. Worcester County, 84 Minutes, 94 Lives by John M. OToole. william schafer, there must be some one out there that worked at worcestr state hosp. There were reports of telephone poles flying through the air like missiles and piercing buildings, giant 200-year-old trees uprooted and rolling down the street, and manhole covers whirling past. The strongest tornado to ever hit New England, devastating Worcester, 61 years ago this week. This page was last edited on 25 February 2023, at 02:49. There is a problem with your email/password. Then it killed nine more people in Holden, where it wiped out the Brentwood subdivision and all but 12 of the 75 homes in White Oaks. USA. Stream GBH's Award-Winning Content For Parents And Children. Your account has been locked for 30 minutes due to too many failed sign in attempts. In the mid-atmosphere, the elevated mixed layer was still in place, keeping storms from forming earlier in the day before maximum temperatures were reached. 1953 tornado killed 94 people and thousands more buildings were damaged or destroyed, including campus chapel at Assumption College in Worcester, Mass. There was a look of amazement in her eyes. Today at QCC, there is a memorial for all those who died on June 9, 1953. The results proved successful: since June 9, 1953, no single U.S. tornado had killed over 100 people until the Joplin, Missouri tornado of May 22, 2011. The 1953 Worcester tornado was an extremely powerful and destructive tornado that struck the city of Worcester, Massachusetts and surrounding areas on Tuesday, June 9, 1953. More than 10,000 people lost their homes. His older sister June survived, having been thrown through the air on a door and fallen back to earth safely. based on information from your browser. As the natural disaster occurred far outside the traditional tornado alley, this was a plausible theory at the time. USA, Rutland, Joe Holley. To use this feature, use a newer browser. The reasoning for this was that the anchoring techniques used in many of the destroyed or vanished homes could never now be ascertained with certainty, and some of these structures (many of recent postwar construction) were possibly more vulnerable to high winds than older homes. "A huge black funnel with incredible white sky on both sides." However, the Worcester tornado's greatest effect on the nation was its being the principal catalyst for the Storm Prediction Center's reorganization on June 17, 1953, and subsequent implementation of a nationwide radar/storm spotter system. "They still have a hard time talking about it, and its still like yesterday every time theres a bad storm. It was the worst tornado in New England history, and one of the 25 worst tornadoes in U.S. history. Resend Activation Email, Please check the I'm not a robot checkbox, If you want to be a Photo Volunteer you must enter a ZIP Code or select your location on the map. The bright red chair and divan were in the correct place, looked like a model house that had been cut away for the buyer to examine. In the end, New Englands worst tornado would change the way the National Weather Service ran theStorm Prediction Centerto give more timely and accurate warnings of dangerous weather events. Rhode Island: W.F. Ponds were sucked dry. "It's with me every time the sky gets dark That whole day, everything comes back.". At this time few doctors had arrived, and police, firemen and bystanders were doing all they could to alleviate pain. Deleting this Virtual Cemetery cannot be undone. The resources of the Red Cross were depleted, as 1953 was considered one of the worst tornado periods in history. A film on the Worcester Tornado, June 9, 1953. The tornado picked up a 12-ton bus and slammed it against the Curtis Apartments, killing two and dropping the buildings blueprints in, in New Hampshire, and others caused minor damage in. The mass of cold air moved east overnight, dropping temperatures rapidly in New England. This account has been disabled. What it meant was that the largest tornado to ever hit New England before or since was about to tear through the city. Massachusetts tornado victim Virginia 'Ginger . The body of one overpass victim was not found until one week after the tornado, buried underneath 6 to 8 feet of debris. 60 years later, tornado's scars linger. In early June 1953, an extremely devastating and deadly tornado outbreak sequence impacted the Midwestern and Northeastern United States. Massachusetts, USA. Mrs. Virginia Harrison was the first of 60 people killed in in the city by the tornado. 1953 FlintWorcester tornado outbreak sequence, FlintWorcester tornado outbreak sequence, Learn how and when to remove this template message, https://archive.org/details/tornadoinworcest00wallrich, A Look Back: The Worcester Tornado of 1953, June 7-9, 1953 The Flint Worcester Outbreak, "A Look Back: The Worcester Tornado of 1953", "The Science Behind the Flint-Beecher Tornado: Map Features", Template:Attached KML/1953 Worcester tornado, Video of before the tornado, and damage following it, Video of the tornado in the Southborough area, Higher Education Consortium of Central Massachusetts, "Tri-State" (Missouri, Illinois and Indiana), St. Louis, Missouri/East St. Louis, Illinois, Storm Prediction Center: The 25 Deadliest U.S. Tornadoes, SPC Annual U.S. Killer Tornado Statistics, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=1953_Worcester_tornado&oldid=1141443562, History of Worcester County, Massachusetts, History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts, 1953 natural disasters in the United States, Articles with unsourced statements from September 2013, Articles needing additional references from June 2021, All articles needing additional references, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0. 1956. USA, Templeton, The black storm cloud grew to a mile wide by the time it slammed into Worcester. Pictures in the 1953 worcester tornado victims. Join us. Together, we can create a more connected and informed world. I also have copies of some of the obituaries for these individuals, if you would like a copy, contact me. The damage in Worcester was shocking for the residents at the time, as some parts of the city were equal in damage to that caused by the Tri-State Tornado, the worst tornado in American history, which killed 695 people.