1953 Vicksburg tornado
A strong tornado struck Vicksburg, Mississippi and areas nearby during the evening of December 5, 1953. The storm ran through the city at right after 5:30 pm that Saturday evening. The event killed 38 people. It was then the fourth deadliest tornado in the history of the state.[1] It also injured almost 270. Damage totaled $25 million at the time.
An aerial view of Vicksburg 2 days after the tornado | |
| Meteorological history | |
|---|---|
| Formed | December 5, 1953, 5:31 p.m. CST (UTC−06:00) |
| Dissipated | December 5, 1953, 5:40 p.m. (UTC−06:00) |
| Duration | 9 minutes |
| F5 tornado | |
| on the Fujita scale | |
| Overall effects | |
| Fatalities | 38 |
| Injuries | 270 |
| Damage | $25 million (1953 USD) $164 million (2020 USD) |
| Areas affected | Warren County in Mississippi, principally in and near Vicksburg and Waltersville |
| IBTrACS | |
Part of the Tornado outbreak sequence of December 1–6, 1953 and tornado outbreaks of 1953 | |
The tornado that went through Vicksburg was estimated officially as an F5.[2] That rating, however, is questionable. That's because the property destroyed was frail and weak. Some people call this tornado likely an F4 instead of an F5.
1953 Vicksburg Tornado Media
Damage to areas of downtown Vicksburg, looking south (Credit: NWS Jackson)
Vicksburg River Plaza 1953 Tornado Memorial 02
Vicksburg Sunday Post Herald following the F5 tornado 1953
River Plaza 1953 Tornado Memorial plaque.
References
- ↑ The Deadliest Mississippi Tornadoes. National Weather Service. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
- ↑ The 1953 Vicksburg, Mississippi Tornado. National Weather Service. Retrieved December 11, 2021.