1953 Vicksburg tornado

During the afternoon hours of December 5, 1953, a violent and deadly tornado struck the city of Vicksburg, located in the state of Mississippi, causing catastrophic damage to the downtown and residential areas on the north side. The tornado was part of a larger tornado outbreak sequence which primarily affected the Deep South. The tornado would track 7 miles through Madison Parish, LA and Warren County, MS where it would claim 38 lives, injure a further 270,and cause $25 million 1953 USD in damages. The tornado would be commonly known as the Vicksburg tornado.

The exact location of where the tornado touched down is unknown, however storm reports indicated the tornado first touched down in Madison Parish near Delta, LA. The tornado would cross the Mississippi River and intensify as it struck Vicksburg from the southwest. The tornado would tear through industrial areas on the southwest before going through downtown. Multiple hotels, banks, and even a movie theater sustained major damage, while multiple other businesses would collapse, or sustain heavy damage. The tornado would then impact residential areas on the north side of the city, leveling countless homes, with multiple nearby neighborhoods sustaining heavy damage. The tornado then crossed through western sections of Vicksburg National Military Park, heavily damaging more residential buildings. The tornado would then enter the community of Waltersville, where many more homes and a church would be destroyed, and one more life would be claimed. The tornado entered heavily rural areas to the north before dissipating shortly after.