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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1899: The coldest airmass to move into the US
1994: Airmass brings 1-2' of snow to the I-95 corridor
1972: Torrential downpours cause flooding in Calama, Chile
1969: The Mayor Lindsay Storm
1835: Bitter cold kills orange trees in Florida
2008: Powerful storm strikes Western US
The Blizzard of 2010
1892: Temperature reaches -90.4 in Verkhoyansk, Russia
The Super Tuesday Severe Weather Outbreak
1961: Massive snowstorm strikes Northeastern states
1952: The Groundhog Day Storm
2011: Massive storm dumps snow on plains states
1911: Tamarack, CA records 32.5' of snowfall in one month
1966: The most intense cold arctic outbreak to strike southern states
1921: The Great Olympic Blowdown
2014: Historic winter storm moves through Southern US
1922: The Knickerbocker Storm
1978: One of the greatest blizzards in North American history
1990: The "Burns Day storm"
1925: Solar eclipse causes rapid temperature drop in New Jersey
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