On This Day In 1953: The Waco Tornado

May 11^th marks the 69-year anniversary of the deadliest tornado recorded in Texas history, the Waco Tornado.

May 11, 1953, started as a classic late-spring morning in Waco, Texas, as muggy Gulf moisture streamed northward into central Texas, elevating dew points. Temperatures were already in the 70s and 80s by 9:30 a.m. and dew points had soared into the lower 70s. Dissipating storms west of Waco near cities like Abilene, Texas, dispersed outflow boundaries that acted as a mechanism for new storm development.  

The outflow boundaries from morning storms in combination with the warm, moist air mass in place would help trigger intense afternoon thunderstorms along a dry line that was separating warm, humid air from cooler and drier air, creating an ideal environment for tornado development. By 2:30 p.m., a devastating F4 tornado on the Fujita Scale, packing winds between 207 and 260 mph, struck San Angelo, Texas, about 200 miles west of Waco.

Around 4 p.m. local time, intense storms moved toward Waco, Texas. The wind direction in the Waco area was reported from the east-southeast while, nearby locations were seeing more of a southerly wind direction in advance of the low pressure system, which suggested the morning outflow boundary helped create extra spin in the atmosphere to aid in the development of a tornado. At 4:10 p.m. a tornado touched down in Lorena, Texas, just southwest of Waco.

Quickly after touching down, the tornado would plow toward downtown Waco. The one-third mile wide, rain-wrapped tornado destroyed almost everything in its path with little to no warning. The high death toll is partially attributed to the veil of rain that disguised the tornado from residents in its path. In total, 114 people would be killed in Waco, Texas, with nearly 600 more injured. More than 600 homes and businesses were decimated while at least 1,000 buildings were damaged. In today’s currency, the damage cost up to a whopping $406 million. The tornado would end up being rated the highest possible on the Fujita Scale, a F5, packing winds over 261 mph.

This tornado was one of the first examples that connected radar associated hook-echoes with tornado development as radar operators tracked the storm at Texas A&M University. Following the event, steps were implemented to establish a national radar network and report system to help improve lead time in forecasting such dangerous weather.

Today, there are 160 weather radars operated by the NWS. Storm spotters are also able to report severe weather damage and data to the weather service to improve weather warnings and increase lead time.

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Source: weather.gov

Image: Waco, Texas after an F5 tornado hit the city, May 11, 1953. John Dominis/Life Pictures/Shutterstock