Worcester tornado

Disaster / Destruction

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. 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 Massachusetts. In total 94 people were killed, making it the 21st deadliest tornado in the history of the United States and the deadliest in the history of New England. In addition to the fatalities, nearly 1,300 people were injured and 4,000 buildings were damaged. The tornado caused $52 million in damage.   At approximately 4:25 pm EST, the tornado touched down in a forest near the town of Petersham and proceeded to move through Barre, where two people were killed. It then moved through the western suburbs of Worcester, where 11 more people were killed. The storm then passed through Worcester, where it destroyed Assumption College and several other buildings, killing 60. After striking Worcester, it killed 21 more people in the towns of Shrewsbury, Southborough, and Westborough before dissipating over Framingham. According to National Weather Service estimates, over 10,000 people were left homeless as a result of the tornado.   The Worcester tornado was a milestone in many regards. Besides its enormous size and unusual geographic location, at the time it was the nation's costliest tornado in raw dollars. Its 1,300 injuries were the 3rd worst in U.S. history.   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. The results proved successful; since June 9, 1953, no single U.S. tornado had killed over 100 people.