The May 1957 Central Plains tornado outbreak sequence was a

tornado outbreak sequence A tornado outbreak sequence, or tornado outbreak day sequence, sometimes referred to as an extended tornado outbreak, is a period of continuous or nearly continuous high tornado activity consisting of a series of tornado outbreaks over multiple days ...

that took place across the US Central Plains from May 19 to May 21, 1957. The most destructive tornado of the outbreak was rated at F5, the highest level, and is often called the Ruskin Heights tornado. The worst of the damage occurred in Ruskin Heights, a suburb and housing development south of

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City (abbreviated KC or KCMO) is the largest city in Missouri by population and area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the 36th most-populous city in the United States. It is the central ...

. A total of 57 tornadoes were reported from

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...

to the

Mississippi Valley The Mississippi River is the List of longest rivers of the United States (by main stem), second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest Drainage system (geomorphology), drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson B ...

and 59 people were killed during the outbreak, including 44 in the Ruskin Heights tornado.

Background

F5 Ruskin Heights, Missouri tornado in Kansas 1957

Confirmed tornadoes

May 19 event

May 20 event

May 21 event

Williamsburg−Spring Hill, Kansas/Ruskin Heights–Raytown, Missouri

This violent, long-tracked, multiple vortex F5 tornado began near Williamsburg, and moved NE through several counties. Major damage occurred in rural areas near

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

and Spring Hill, where homes were completely leveled and several fatalities occurred. The tornado continued into the southern suburbs of

Kansas City The Kansas City metropolitan area is a bi-state metropolitan area anchored by Kansas City, Missouri. Its 14 counties straddle the border between the U.S. states of Missouri (9 counties) and Kansas (5 counties). With and a population of more ...

, tearing through Martin City, Raytown, Hickman Mills, and Ruskin Heights. Entire blocks of homes were completely leveled, many of which were swept cleanly away with debris wind-rowed long distances through nearby fields. Some homes had their anchor-bolted subflooring ripped away, leaving only basements behind. Many businesses including a grocery store, a shopping center, and restaurants were completely destroyed. A few of the businesses at the shopping center sustained F5 damage. Vehicles were thrown through the air and destroyed, and the steel-reinforced Ruskin Heights High School was badly damaged. A canceled check from Hickman Mills was found 165 miles away in

Ottumwa, Iowa Ottumwa ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Wapello County, Iowa, United States. The population was 25,529 at the time of the 2020 U.S. Census. Located in the state's southeastern section, the city is split into northern and southern halves b ...

. This event might have been a

tornado family A tornado family is a series of tornadoes spawned by the same supercell thunderstorm. These families form a line of successive or parallel tornado paths and can cover a short span or a vast distance. Tornado families are sometimes mistaken as a sin ...

rather than a single tornado, as there was possible break in the damage path south of

Wellsville, Kansas Wellsville is a city in Franklin County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 1,953. History Wellsville was platted in 1870. The community was named after D.L. Wells, a railroad construction engineer. ...

. Grazulis rated the tornado an F4, but said probable F5 damage occurred in Ruskin Heights; he subsequently rated the tornado F5.

References

Bibliography

* ''Caught in the Path'', () by Carolyn Glenn Brewer.

Notes

External links

Ruskin Heights Tornado website

NOAA page of Carter County, Missouri tornado
F5 tornadoes Tornadoes of 1957 Tornadoes in Kansas Tornadoes in Missouri 1957 natural disasters in the United States May 1957 events in the United States {{Weather-stub