The 1953 Vicksburg, Mississippi

Vicksburg, Mississippi

Vicksburg is a city in Warren County, Mississippi, United States. It is the only city in Warren County. It is located northwest of New Orleans on the Mississippi and Yazoo rivers, and due west of Jackson, the state capital. In 1900, 14,834 people lived in Vicksburg; in 1910, 20,814; in 1920,...

 tornado outbreak

Tornado outbreak

While there is no single agreed upon definition, generally at least 6-10 tornadoes produced by the same synoptic scale weather system is considered a tornado outbreak. The tornadoes usually occur within the same day, or continue into the early morning hours of the succeeding day, and within the...

was a deadly severe weather

Severe weather

Severe weather phenomena are weather conditions that are hazardous to human life and property.- Examples Include :Severe weather can occur under a variety of situations, but three characteristics are generally needed: a temperature or moisture boundary, moisture, and , instability in the...

 event that affected northeastern Louisiana

Louisiana

Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...

, southeastern Arkansas

Arkansas

Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...

, and western Mississippi

Mississippi

Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...

 on December 5, 1953. At least four confirmed tornado

Tornado

A tornado is a violent, dangerous, rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. They are often referred to as a twister or a cyclone, although the word cyclone is used in meteorology in a wider...

es touched down; one of the tornadoes produced F5 damage on the Fujita scale

Fujita scale

The Fujita scale , or Fujita-Pearson scale, is a scale for rating tornado intensity, based primarily on the damage tornadoes inflict on human-built structures and vegetation...

 as it moved through the city of Vicksburg, causing 38 deaths in the area. It remains the fourth deadliest tornado to affect the U.S. state

U.S. state

A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...

 of Mississippi; behind the 1840 Natchez tornado

Great Natchez Tornado

The Great Natchez Tornado hit Natchez, Mississippi on May 7, 1840. It is the second deadliest single tornado in United States history, killing 317 people . It is also the only recorded massive tornado in the U.S.A. that killed more people than it injured: only 109 were injured...

, the 1936 Tupelo

Tupelo

The tupelo , black gum, or pepperidge tree, genus Nyssa , is a small genus of about 9 to 11 species of trees with alternate, simple leaves...

 tornado - see Tupelo-Gainesville tornado outbreak - and the March 3, 1966 Jackson tornado

Candlestick Park Tornado

On March 3, 1966, a violent F5 tornado, dubbed the Candlestick Park tornado after the name of a Jackson, Mississippi shopping mall which was leveled by the storm, wrought catastrophic damage in Mississippi and Alabama along a track. The tornado first touched down in Hinds County, Mississippi...

. It is one of four F5 tornadoes recorded in Mississippi since 1950.

Summary

The first tornado touched down near Bernice, Louisiana

Bernice, Louisiana

Bernice is a town in Union Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 1,809 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Monroe Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...

 and moved northeast to the Mount Union area, injuring 16 people. The second tornado featured the longest continuous track of the event, traveling 58.3 miles (93.8 km) across northeastern Louisiana and southeastern Arkansas. Both tornadoes caused damage equivalent to F2 intensity. The third tornado became the deadliest event during the outbreak. It touched down over the Mississippi River

Mississippi River

The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...

 and moved northeast across the city of Vicksburg, dissipating south of Villanova, Mississippi. The tornado was preceded by heavy rains as it moved through the city. Twelve blocks of the city's business district were affected by the tornado, and fires also burned cotton. The tornado broke the city's gas line, and it remained out of service after repairs. Residents were forced to avoid cooked food as temperatures dropped to 31°F overnight on December 6. In total, 270 people received injuries. The tornado is officially estimated to have been a F5 tornado on the Fujita scale; however, the rating is questionable, since the tornado demolished frail structures. The final tornado of the outbreak produced F2 damage and caused 11 injuries near the Mississippi River in Coahoma County, Mississippi. In addition, severe thunderstorm winds injured seven people near Clarksdale, Mississippi

Clarksdale, Mississippi

Clarksdale is a city in Coahoma County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 20,645 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Coahoma County....

.

Confirmed tornadoes

Official tornadoes
F# Fujita scale The Fujita scale , or Fujita-Pearson scale, is a scale for rating tornado intensity, based primarily on the damage tornadoes inflict on human-built structures and vegetation...	| Location	| County	| Time (UTC Coordinated Universal Time Coordinated Universal Time is the primary time standard by which the world regulates clocks and time. It is one of several closely related successors to Greenwich Mean Time. Computer servers, online services and other entities that rely on having a universally accepted time use UTC for that purpose... )	| Path length	| Damage
Louisiana Louisiana Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
F2	S of Bernice Bernice, Louisiana Bernice is a town in Union Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 1,809 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Monroe Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...  to S of Mount Union	Union Union Parish, Louisiana Union Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Farmerville....	2300	9.7 miles (15.6 km)	Unknown
F2	N of Spencer, Louisiana to NNW of Cosgrove, Arkansas	Union Union Parish, Louisiana Union Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Farmerville.... , Morehouse Morehouse Parish, Louisiana Morehouse Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Bastrop. In 2000, the parish population was 31,021....  (Louisiana Louisiana Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties... ), Ashley (Arkansas Arkansas Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River... )	2400	58.3 miles (93.8 km)	Heavy damages to homes were reported near Spencer and Rocky Branch. 11 injuries were confirmed.
Mississippi Mississippi Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
F5	NE of Delta Delta, Louisiana Delta is a village in Madison Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 239 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Tallulah Micropolitan Statistical Area.As the birthplace of Madam C.J...  to NE of Vicksburg Vicksburg, Mississippi Vicksburg is a city in Warren County, Mississippi, United States. It is the only city in Warren County. It is located northwest of New Orleans on the Mississippi and Yazoo rivers, and due west of Jackson, the state capital. In 1900, 14,834 people lived in Vicksburg; in 1910, 20,814; in 1920,...	Warren Warren County, Mississippi -National protected areas:* Theodore Roosevelt National Wildlife Refuge * Vicksburg National Military Park -Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 49,644 people, 18,756 households, and 13,222 families residing in the county. The population density was 85 people per square mile...	2445	9 miles (14.5 km)	38 fatalities occurred. The tornado destroyed electrical services to the city, and it also initiated several fires. Buildings were "shambles" along four city blocks, and the downtown business district was adversely affected. Many automobiles were submerged by debris. 937 buildings were demolished or received damage, while nearly 1,300 people lost their homes. Damages approached $25 million (1953 USD United States dollar The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies.... ).
F2	SW of Sherard Sherard, Mississippi Sherard is an unincorporated community located in Coahoma County, Mississippi, United States. Sherard is located along Mississippi Highway 1 west of Clarksdale.Although Sherard is unincorporated, it has a post office and a zip code of 38669....  to SE of Ragan	Coahoma Coahoma County, Mississippi -Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 30,622 people, 10,553 households, and 7,482 families residing in the county. The population density was 55 people per square mile . There were 11,490 housing units at an average density of 21 per square mile...	0215	8.2 miles (13.2 km)	Unknown
Sources: NCDC National Climatic Data Center The United States National Climatic Data Center in Asheville, North Carolina is the world's largest active archive of weather data. The center became established in late 1951, with the move into the new facility occurring in early 1952....  Storm Event Database, SPC Storm Prediction Center The Storm Prediction Center , located in Norman, Oklahoma, is tasked with forecasting the risk of severe thunderstorms and tornadoes in the contiguous United States. The agency issues convective outlooks, mesoscale discussions, and watches as a part of this process... Storm Data, Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991: Chronology and Analysis of Events by Thomas P. Grazulis