Flint–Worcester tornado outbreak sequence
An extremely devastating and deadly tornado outbreak sequence impacted the Midwestern and Northeastern United States at the beginning of June 1953. It included two tornadoes that caused at least 90 deaths each—an F5 tornado occurring in Flint, Michigan, on June 8 and an F4 tornado in Worcester, Massachusetts, on June 9. These tornadoes are among the deadliest in United States history and were caused by the same storm system that moved eastward across the nation.
An F4 tornado near Erie, Michigan. | |
| Type | Tornado outbreak |
|---|---|
| Duration | June 7–9, 1953 |
| Tornadoes confirmed | 50 |
| Max. rating1 | F5 tornado |
| Duration of tornado outbreak2 | 3 days |
| Fatalities | 251 fatalities, 2,619 injuries |
| Damage | $340.6 million (1953 USD) $3.88 billion (2024 USD) |
| Areas affected | Midwestern and Northeastern United States |
Part of the tornado outbreaks of 1953 1Most severe tornado damage; see Fujita scale 2Time from first tornado to last tornado | |
The Flint-Worcester Tornadoes were the most infamous storms produced by a larger outbreak of severe weather that began in Nebraska, Iowa and Wisconsin, before moving across the Great Lakes states, and then into New York and New England. Other F3 and F4 tornadoes struck other locations in Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire and Ohio.