1953 Sarnia tornado outbreak

A localized, but devastating series of three intense tornadoes affected Iowa, Michigan, and Ontario during May 20-21, 1953. Eight people were killed and at least 75 others were injured.[1]

1953 Sarnia tornado outbreak

Part of the tornado outbreaks of 1953
Aftermath: the photo here was taken by Gordon Cooke, a chemical engineer at Imperial Oil, a couple of days later as the cleanup began.
Type	Tornado outbreak
Duration	May 20–21, 1953
Tornadoes confirmed	3
Max. rating^1	F4 tornado
Duration of tornado outbreak^2	2 days
Casualties	8 fatalities, At least 75 injuries
Areas affected	Iowa, Michigan, Ontario
^1Most severe tornado damage; see Fujita scale ^2Time from first tornado to last tornado

Confirmed tornadoes

Confirmed tornadoes by Fujita rating

FU	F0	F1	F2	F3	F4	F5	Total
0	0	0	0	2	1	0	3

• According to Thomas P. Grazulis, an F2 tornado destroyed or damaged a motel and several barns as it affected six farms near Chelsea and Blairstown, Iowa, on May 20. The tornado reportedly struck Tama and Benton counties in Iowa. However, it is not officially listed.[2]

May 20 event

List of confirmed tornadoes – Wednesday, May 20, 1953[note 1]

F#	Location	County / Parish	State	Start Coord.	Time (UTC)	Path length	Max width	Summary	Refs
F3	NE of Zenorsville to SW of Lime Springs	Story, Hardin, Butler, Chicasaw, Howard	IA	42.15°N 93.7°W / 42.15; -93.7 (Zenorsville (May 20, F3))	0300	116.1 mi (186.8 km)	400 yd (370 m)	1 death – A long-tracked, strong tornado family caused major damage while passing through the rural communities of Story City, Hubbard, Ackley, and Southern Alta Vista. The first member of the family felled trees and was observed as a narrow funnel near Charles City. Many barns, outbuildings, and a silo were destroyed on at least 10 farms. The tornado family also killed hundreds of chickens. The sole fatality may have been from a heart attack and therefore indirectly attributable to the tornado at most. Tornado researcher Thomas P. Grazulis assessed the tornado family as having caused F2-level damage.	[3][2]
F3	Eastern Cedar Rapids to NNW of Wyoming	Linn, Jones	IA	41.98°N 91.57°W / 41.98; -91.57 (Cedar Rapids (May 20, F3))	0410	38.6 mi (62.1 km)	400 yd (370 m)	A strong tornado touched down on the eastern side of Cedar Rapids and tracked east-northeastward, hitting the town of Martelle. The town sustained major damage as multiple homes and businesses were heavily damaged or destroyed. The tornado dissipated halfway between Onslow and Wyoming. In all, the tornado affected 10 farms, destroyed or damaged several barns, and unroofed a house. Seven people were injured. Grazulis classified the tornado as an F2.	[4][2]

May 21 event

List of confirmed tornadoes – Thursday, May 21, 1953[note 1]

F#	Location	County / Parish	State / Province	Start Coord.	Time (UTC)	Path length	Max width	Summary	Refs
F4	N of Smiths Creek, MI to Port Huron, MI to Sarnia, ON to S of Stratford, ON	St. Clair (MI), Lambton (ON), Middlesex (ON)	MI, ON	41.73°N 98.93°W / 41.73; -98.93 (Smiths Creek (May 21, F4))	2121	≥75 mi (121 km)	≥1,760 yd (1,610 m)	7 deaths – See section on this tornado – At least 68 people were injured.	[5][6]

Port Huron, Michigan–Sarnia, Ontario

Port Huron, Michigan–Sarnia, Ontario

F4 tornado
Max. rating^1	F4 tornado
Casualties	7 fatalities, ≥68 injuries
^1Most severe tornado damage; see Fujita scale

Main article: 1953 Sarnia tornado

This large, violent tornado touched down just before 4:30 p.m. near Smiths Creek, Michigan, southwest of Port Huron. It moved northeast and quickly strengthened before hitting Port Huron, resulting in widespread F3 and F4 damage. Two people were killed in Port Huron and 68 more were injured. Close to 400 homes were damaged or destroyed in the United States with monetary losses totaling $2.6 million ($24.4 million 2018 USD).[2] Crossing the St. Clair River into Canada, the 1-mile-wide (1.6 km) tornado moved into Canada just south of Sarnia Harbour.[7][2] Moving to the northeast, the tornado moved directly through Downtown Sarnia, Ontario, where almost 100 commercial buildings sustained damage.[6] At least 150 homes on the more suburban outskirts of the city were damaged and in some instances reduced to rubble. Before exiting Sarnia, the tornado curved even further to the northeast and began to weaken, as its path narrowed to approximately 30 m (33 yd) across.[6] The tornado then restrengthened as it moved into rural Lambton and Middlesex Counties, with more F4 damage was inflicted upon farmsteads and homes near Nairn, before it dissipated south of Stratford.[2] This suggested a total path length exceeding 120 km (75 mi), though it is highly probable that this damage path was made up of more than one tornado, possibly as many as four.[8] Overall, the tornado killed seven people and injured at least 68.[5][6]

See Also

• List of tornadoes and tornado outbreaks
  • List of North American tornadoes and tornado outbreaks

Notes

1. All dates are based on the local time zone where the tornado touched down; however, all times are in Coordinated Universal Time for consistency.

References

1. "Tornado History Project: 1953". www.tornadohistoryproject.com.
2. Grazulis, Thomas P. (July 1993). Significant Tornadoes 1680–1991: A Chronology and Analysis of Events. St. Johnsbury, Vermont: The Tornado Project of Environmental Films. p. 972. ISBN 1-879362-03-1.
3. "Tornado History Project: 19530520.19.11". www.tornadohistoryproject.com.
4. "Tornado History Project: 19530428.40.20". www.tornadohistoryproject.com.
5. "Tornado History Project: 19530521.26.2". www.tornadohistoryproject.com.
6. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on April 2, 2012. Retrieved June 15, 2011.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
7. "Our History – Bluewater Power Distribution". Archived from the original on September 10, 2011. Retrieved June 17, 2011.
8. Tornadoes - Atmospheric Hazards Web Site - Ontario - Adaptation and Impacts Research Group - [Meteorological Service of Canada - The Green Lane]

Sources

• Grazulis, T. (1990). Significant Tornadoes: 1880–1989, Vol. 2. St. Johnsbury, Vermont: Environmental Films.