The 1953 Flint–Worcester tornado outbreak was a devastating tornado outbreak sequence spanning three days, two that featured tornadoes each causing at least 90 deaths—an F5 occurring in Flint, Michigan on June 8, 1953, and an F4 in Worcester, Massachusetts the next day. The Worcester 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 US. In addition to the fatalities, over 1,000 people were injured and 4,000 buildings were damaged. The tornado caused $52 million in damage, which translates to more than $350 million in today’s dollars. These tornadoes are among the deadliest in U S history and were caused by the same storm system that moved eastward across the nation. The tornadoes are also related together in the public mind because, for a brief period following the Worchester tornado, it was debated in the U.S. Congress whether recent atomic bomb testing in the upper atmosphere had caused the tornadoes. Congressman James Van Zandt (R-Penn.) was among several members of Congress who expressed their belief that the June 4th bomb testing created the tornadoes, which occurred far outside the traditional tornado alley. They demanded a response from the government. Meteorologists quickly dispelled such an assertion, and Congressman Van Zandt later retracted his statement.
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1986: World's heaviest hailstone falls in Bangladesh
1981: Person talking on phone killed by lightning
1841: 12" of snow falls in Philadelphia
1999: 3" of rain brings flooding to Hong Kong
1996: Spring storm dumps snow on US East coast
1993: Several tornadoes rip through West Bengal, India
1938: Blizzard leaves 20' snow drifts in Texas
1977: Wintry weather impacts first Blue Jays game
1936: Tornado devastates town of Gainesville, GA
1816: The Eruption of Mount Tambora
1933: The Akron airship disaster
1974: The "Super Tornado Outbreak"
1837: 17" of snow falls in St. Louis, MO
1997: The "Great April Fools Day Snowstorm"
1807: Early chronicled winter storm strikes upstate New York
1843: 2' of snow falls in Indiana
1848: Ice jam causes Niagara Falls to run dry
2005: Storms along East coast brings heavy rain and flooding
1980: Winnipeg, Manitoba reaches March record-high
2014: Powerful Nor'Easter strikes New England
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