A series of destructive tornadoes struck

North Dakota North Dakota ( ) is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the indigenous Dakota people, Dakota and Sioux peoples. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north and by the U.S. states of Minneso ...

and

Iowa Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...

as part of a much larger severe weather event that took place on June 27, 1953. The most powerful tornado was a violent F5 tornado that obliterated farmlands east of

Anita, Iowa Anita is a city in Cass County, Iowa, United States, platted in 1869 and incorporated in 1875. The population was 963 at the 2020 census. Lake Anita State Park is located just outside the town. History A violent F5 tornado occurred just east ...

. In all, five tornadoes touched down, killing one, injuring five, and causing $305,000 (1953 USD) in damage. Several other casualties also occurred from non-tornadic events that day as well.

Meteorological synopsis

A large area of severe thunderstorms formed over an area stretching from

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, producing wind, hail, flooding, and lightning. The tornado activity was mostly confined to a small zone in central Iowa, where an outflow boundary branched off a low-pressure system in the western part of state along the southern portion of the state coupled with a tight pressure gradient at 500 mb level. Temperatures in the area were in the upper 70s to upper 90s with dewpoint values in the lower 70s. Iowa had four tornadoes over a four-hour and 15 minute period. An additional tornado also touched down in eastern

. The severe activity spread eastward over the next two days, bringing additional severe weather impacts all the way to the

East Coast of the United States The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, the Atlantic Coast, and the Atlantic Seaboard, is the region encompassing the coast, coastline where the Eastern United States meets the Atlantic Ocean; it has always pla ...

Confirmed tornadoes

Anita/Adair, Iowa

This violent, but short-tracked tornado, later rated as an F5 on the

Fujita Scale The Fujita scale (F-Scale; ), or Fujita–Pearson scale (FPP scale), is a scale for rating tornado intensity, based primarily on the damage tornadoes inflict on human-built structures and vegetation. The official Fujita scale category is determ ...

, moved east-northeast for only about 0.1 miles. Despite the tornado’s short path, it managed to hit 4 farms at peak intensity, east of Anita. According to Thomas P. Grazulis in Significant Tornadoes, "virtually nothing was left on the site of one of a farm near the county line." Heavy farming machinery was thrown up to 100 yards away, and 2 by 4 planks were driven into trees.

Non-tornadic events

A severe squall line pushed through the southern part of

, causing a long swath of widespread wind damage and power outages. Two people were injured in Indianola while another was injured in Ottumwa. Seven hereford cows were also killed by lightning in Mt. Vernon as well. Another severe squall line moved through

Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

, with high winds damaging buildings and vehicles. One person drowned after their sailboat was overturned and three others were injured elsewhere throughout the city. In

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, a boy was injured in Linneus and seven

Holstein cow The Holstein Friesian is an international breed or group of breeds of dairy cattle. It originated in Frisia, stretching from the Dutch province of North Holland to the German state of Schleswig-Holstein. It is the dominant breed in industrial ...

s were killed in

Savannah A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) biome and ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach th ...

due to lightning. Several farms and towns in

Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...

also suffered damage due to lightning, strong winds, and hail the size of golf balls.

Notes

References