Worcester tornado
Clockwise from top: A photograph of the violent tornado as it was passing through Shrewsbury after striking Worcester; A radar image of the Supercell that produced the Worcester tornado; The tracks of the Massachusetts tornadoes of June 9, the top path is the track of the Worcester tornado | |
| F4 tornado | |
|---|---|
| on the Fujita scale | |
| Highest winds | 250–300 miles per hour (400–480 km/h) |
| Overall effects | |
| Fatalities | 94 |
| Injuries | 1,288 |
| Damage | $52.193 million (1953 USD) |
| Areas affected | Worcester County in Massachusetts, principally in and near Worcester, Shrewsbury, Southborough, and Westborough |
Part of the 1953 Flint–Worcester tornado outbreak sequence and tornado outbreaks of 1953 | |
The Worcester tornado was a deadly tornado that struck the city of Worcester, Massachusetts and surrounding areas on Tuesday, June 9, 1953. It struck the final day of the Flint–Worcester tornado outbreak sequence. The tornado remained on the ground for 78 minutes, covering a distance of 48 miles (77 km), injuring 1,288 people and killing 94, making it one of the deadliest tornadoes in U.S. history, and it was the deadliest tornado to hit New England. A total of 4,000 buildings were damaged or destroyed, and the National Weather Service estimated that 10,000 people were left homeless. The tornado caused $52.193 million ($590 million in 2023 when adjusted for inflation) in damage, ranking it the costliest tornado recorded in its time.
At approximately 4:25 p.m. EDT, the tornado developed in a forest near the town of Petersham and moved through Barre, where two people were killed. It then moved through the western suburbs of Worcester, where 11 more people were killed. The storm then passed through Worcester, destroying Assumption College and several other buildings, killing 60 people. After striking Worcester, it killed 21 more people in the towns of Shrewsbury, Southborough, and Westborough, before dissipating over Framingham.