A Retrospective of the A Retrospective of the June 1953 Flint and Worcester June 1953 Flint and Worcester

TornadoesTornadoes

How They Happened and How They Happened and

What We LearnedWhat We Learned

Eleanor Vallier-TalbotEleanor Vallier-TalbotNOAA/NWS Taunton, MANOAA/NWS Taunton, MA

Flint and WorcesterFlint and Worcester

Set up for development of the tornadoes– Synoptic and upper air features

Massive damage that occurred– Photos and reports

Aftermath– Changes and updates to technology and

warning system– Research conducted with data from these

storms

Monday, June 8, 1953 1200Z Surface Map

Credit: Credit: NWS Detroit/Pontiac, MINWS Detroit/Pontiac, MI

Credit:Credit:NWS Detroit/Pontiac, MINWS Detroit/Pontiac, MI

Credit:Credit:NWS Detroit/Pontiac, MINWS Detroit/Pontiac, MI

If we had satellite and radar in If we had satellite and radar in 1953…1953…

Using the 21Z Mt. Clemens (60 miles SE of Flint) sounding– NWS Detroit developed idealized simulations

Satellite– http://www.crh.noaa.gov/dtx/1953beecher/flash.php

?image=3D 2 KM radar

– http://www.crh.noaa.gov/dtx/1953beecher/flash.php?image=rad2km

Erie, MI Tornado and Waterspout -- 30 miles over water

Credit: GrazulisCredit: Grazulis

Beecher, MI – June 9, 1953Beecher, MI – June 9, 1953Credits: NOAA News

and Flint Public Library

Beecher and vicinity DamageBeecher and vicinity Damage

Credit: Flint PublicLibrary

Credit: Credit: NWS Detroit/Pontiac, MINWS Detroit/Pontiac, MI

Michigan/Ohio TornadoesMichigan/Ohio Tornadoes

Large F5 tornado passed through Flint and Beecher (Only F5 in SE lower Michigan)– Killed 116 people…last tornado to kill over 100

people in U.S. history– 844 injured, occurred at 830 PM EST– 27 miles long, over 800 yards wide

Three F4 tornadoes in MI/OH– Temperance/Erie; Deshler/Cygnet; Kings Mill

Four F3 tornadoes in MI/OH $19M damage (1953); $127M damage

(2002 dollars)

Boston GlobeJune 9, 1953

The June 9The June 9thth ForecastForecast

Tuesday, June 9, 1953 1200Z Surface Map

June 9, 1953 1200Z 500 mB chartJune 9, 1953 1200Z 500 mB chart

Discussions at WBO BostonDiscussions at WBO Boston

Knew history of this weather system and saw potential of damaging/tornadic development in Massachusetts

Meteorologist Al Flahive and other staff met at 10 AM to discuss mention of “Tornado” for their next forecast issuance– Decided against it so not to be “unnecessarily unnecessarily

alarmingalarming” Opted for first-ever severe thunderstorm

forecast wording in New England issued at 1130 AM– “Windy, partly cloudy, hot and humid with

thunderstorms, some locally severesome locally severe, developing this afternoon” (Credit: Chittick)

Tuesday, June 9, 1953 1830ZTuesday, June 9, 1953 1830ZSurface mapSurface map

around 3 PM

Hand drawn map from WBHand drawn map from WBoffice in Worcesteroffice in Worcester

““Rotating” wind damage and Rotating” wind damage and 3 inch diameter hail3 inch diameter hail

reported in Colrain and reported in Colrain and baseball hail in Northfieldbaseball hail in Northfield

at about 345 PM EDTat about 345 PM EDT

Taken at 455 PM EDTLexington, MA

MIT Radar

Credit: BAMS

Hook EchoSignature

(Holden, MA)

Hail in Rutland…Next to a light bulb

Credit: ChittickCredit: Chittick

457 PM457 PM

Credit: GrazulisCredit: Grazulis

Courtesy: ChittickCourtesy: ChittickPhoto by: Howard SmithPhoto by: Howard Smith

Worcester Telegram & GazetteWorcester Telegram & Gazette

Twin Funnels Seen on Brattle Street, Twin Funnels Seen on Brattle Street, Worcester at 508 PMWorcester at 508 PM

Barograph Trace found in north Worcester(Worcester/Holden)

Bottomed out at 27.54 inches at 4 PM EST

(5 PM ESDT)

Lowest recordedpressure in eastern U.S.

(N. of Florida)

Worcester Worcester TornadoTornado

near Lake near Lake Quinsigamond,Quinsigamond,

ShrewsburyShrewsbury522 PM522 PM

Photo taken by the late Henry LaPradePhoto taken by the late Henry LaPrade

Mile 35 – Viewed toward NNEFunnel about one mile wide

Warning Issued!Warning Issued! Phone call made after 5 PM from Blue Hill

Observatory (Milton, MA) to WBO Boston– Observer John Conover reported debris falling out of

the sky– “…It’s coming from great heights, shingles, small

branches, paper…boards several feet long…”– “I’m afraid there’s been a bad tornado

somewhere.” Forecaster Drebert agreed, issued first ever

tornado warning in New England!– “…Caution advised on severe thunderstorms with

isolated tornado activityisolated tornado activity in the Boston area between 6 and 8 PM this evening.”

– Sent via teletype at 545 PM545 PM!! (Credit: Chittick)

Assumption CollegeAssumption CollegeBefore…Before…

Credit: ChittickCredit: Chittick

and After…and After…

Uncantena Avenue, off Clark Streetin the upper Burncoat area

Credit: Chittick

Credit: ChittickCredit: Chittick

Sheet metal wrapped around Sheet metal wrapped around debarked trees…debarked trees…

Corner of Holden St. and Brentwood Dr., Holden, MA

Overshooting top from parent thunderstorm Overshooting top from parent thunderstorm as it moved away…as it moved away…

Credit: ChittickCredit: ChittickEstimated tops over Estimated tops over 70,00070,000 feet! feet!

(B. Vonnegut & A. Bemis)

Hand drawn tracks ofHand drawn tracks ofthree tornadoes thatthree tornadoes that

affected New Englandaffected New Englandon June 9, 1953 fromon June 9, 1953 from

the Worcester Weatherthe Worcester WeatherBureau officeBureau office

F3 Tornado in ExeterF3 Tornado in Exeterat about 520 PMat about 520 PM

F3 Tornado from Sutton toF3 Tornado from Sutton tonorthern Mansfieldnorthern Mansfield

Official Tracks of Massachusetts Tornadoes – June 9, 1953

Credit: BAMSCredit: BAMS

Worcester’s Final StatisticsWorcester’s Final Statistics F4 damage

– On ground 84 minutes and 46 miles, up to one mile wide 94 people killed, 1300 injured (#4 in U.S.) 4000 buildings damaged or destroyed Debris found in the Boston area and on Cape Cod

– Frozen mattress found in Massachusetts Bay near Weymouth

– Books and clothing found at Blue Hill and on outer Cape Cod (Provincetown/Chatham/Eastham <110 miles away>)

Reports of hail from Portland-Bangor-Eastport, ME– 1/4 to 3/4 inch in squall line, no tornadoes reported

$52.1M damage (1953 dollars); $1.14B (1997 dollars <adjusted for wealth & inflation>)

AftermathAftermath Recently formed Weather Bureau Severe

Weather Unit (SWU) in mid 1952 (SPC history)– Did well in forecasting the Iowa and Flint tornadoes,

but “caught by surprise” by New England tornadoes on June 9, especially the severity of the Worcester storm

– Renamed Severe Local Storms Warning Center (SELS) on June 17, 1953 Reorganized in part because of these storms as well as

Waco, TX in May (114 dead)– One forecaster and SELS supervisor requested transfer

out of unit by end of 1953– Moved to Kansas City from Washington in 1954

Worcester Rating re-assessment– Blue ribbon committee held in summer 2005 to

possibly re-rate tornado to an F5– Only storm other than Hurricane Andrew that this was

done for

AftermathAftermath Eventual deployment of weather radar

nationwide– Research radar at MIT saw Worcester tornado,

only the 4th tornado seen on radar at that time

Warning system– Noted that several warnings were received by

various agencies in central Massachusetts, but never passed on to other communities

– Eventual development of warning system for emergency management and citizens

– Improvement of radio and television communications

ResearchResearch Cloud electrification of severe thunderstorms

– Paper in Atmospheric Research in 1999 in honor of Bernard Vonnegut (Williams, et al) Vonnegut researched severe storms, lightning and

tornadic activity after his experience with Worcester tornado

– Vonnegut and Bemus noted from 600-1200 flashes per minute in the Worcester storm Only visual observation of stroke rate in nighttime

tornadic supercell Lightning from the storm could be seen offshore until

midnight June 10 Debris fallout from tornadic thunderstorms

– Former Tornado Debris Project out of Oklahoma University Used Worcester reports in their historic research for

BAMS article in 1995 (J. Snow, et al)

Credits and ReferencesCredits and References

Significant Tornadoes 1680 – 1991 by Thomas P. Grazulis

What Is So Rare as a Day in June: Worcester Tornado June 9, 1953 (Multimedia presentation) by William Chittick

Tornado! 84 Minutes, 94 Lives by John O’Toole “The Squall Line and Massachusetts Tornadoes of

June 9, 1953,” Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society (BAMS), Vol. 36 No. 3, March 1955, pp. 109-122.

NOAA Central Library Data Imaging Project – U.S. Daily Weather Maps (online)

Credits and ReferencesCredits and References

Plymouth State College WXP NCEP/NCAR Reanalysis Map Generator (online)

Boston Globe Worcester Telegram and Gazette NWS Taunton archival data NWS Detroit/Pontiac, MI website

– http://www.crh.noaa.gov/dtx/1953beecher/ NOAA News Online, May 5, 2003 article Flint, MI, Public Library

– http://www.flint.lib.mi.us/gallery/beechertornado/ index.shtml