In the evening hours of May 20, 1957, a large and long-track tornado would move through portions of eastern Kansas and areas in western Missouri, killing forty-four people and injuring over five hundred more. The tornado was the deadliest to strike the Kansas City metropolitan area, deadliest worldwide in 1957, and damage in the city would later receive a rating of F5 on the Fujita scale; the first of three worldwide to receive this rating in 1957.
 The F5 Ruskin Heights tornado near Spring Hill, Kansas. | |
| Meteorological history | |
|---|---|
| Formed | May 20, 1957, 7:15 p.m. CDT (UTC−05:00) |
| Dissipated | May 20, 1957, 8:53 p.m. CDT (UTC−05:00) |
| Duration | 1 hour and 38 minutes |
| F5 tornado | |
| on the Fujita scale | |
| Highest winds | >261 mph (420 km/h) |
| Overall effects | |
| Fatalities | 44 |
| Injuries | 531 |
| Damage | $2,500,000 ($27,120,000 in 2024 USD) |
The tornado would touch down near Williamsburg at 7:15 p.m., moving to the northeast. As the tornado neared Homewood, it took on a visible multi-vortex shape and would loft gravestones in the air. As it passed near areas around Spring Hill, the tornado leveled numerous buildings and killed seven people in Kansas before crossing state lines into Missouri, where the worst damage would be observed in the Martin City area. The tornado left an estimated eighty-five percent of Martin City "uninhabitable", and would kill another thirty-seven people before dissipating at 8:53 p.m., over an hour after touching down.
Meteorological synopsis
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The outbreak coincided with elevated tornado activity: May 1957 had the most tornadoes of any month to date, with 231 reported. This was due to a persistent atmospheric circulation being favorable for activity. In particular, the period May 19–26 was one of the most intense to date since the founding of the United States Weather Bureau, with 124 tornadoes being observed during the week of May 20–26.[1] At 00:30 UTC (7:30 p.m. CDT) on May 20, a 75-to-80-knot (86 to 92 mph; 139 to 148 km/h) mid-level jet stream bisected dew points of 65 °F (18 °C), coincident with a 986-millibar (29.1 inHg) low-pressure area and warm front over southeastern Nebraska. Soundings and surface weather observations indicated a robust, unstable warm sector, showing 3,000 J/kg of surface-based convective available potential energy (CAPE) and the presence of strong wind shear, all which favored the development of supercells.[2][3] At 17:00 UTC (12:00 p.m. CDT) the Severe Local Storms Unit (SELS) in Kansas City had already issued a severe weather watch, mentioning tornadoes, for the Kansas–Nebraska state line and its environs. Subsequent updates covered much of the eastern Great Plains, from the Green Country to southeastern Nebraska. Upon formation, severe thunderstorms traveled at up to 42 mph (68 km/h), attended by extremely large hail.[2][3] A supercell formed S of Emporia, Kansas and moved NE toward Kansas City, producing multiple tornadoes, with the strongest being the Ruskin Heights tornado.[4]
Tornado summary
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This violent, long-tracked, multiple-vortex event was likely a family of tornadoes. Forming near Williamsburg, it moved northeastward through several counties, producing near-continuous damage; a single tornado was likely present for 50 mi (80 km) or more. Around Homewood, the tornado was attended by up to 10 tentacle-like vortices or satellite tornadoes, producing major damage to rural property and carrying gravestones miles away. Near Homewood, it was determined from ground surveys that two tornadoes were on the ground at the time, with the
second one being rated F3.[5][6] Passing near Ottawa, Rantoul, and Spring Hill, it leveled many homes and caused seven fatalities. It also damaged a drive-in, motel, and truck stop. South of Wellsville, the tornado may have dissipated and reformed; it then continued uninterruptedly for the rest of its life.
Along the Kansas–Missouri border the tornado followed a near-straight line, causing $1 million in losses in Kansas, along with seven deaths. Affecting the southern suburbs of Kansas City, it entered Missouri, tearing through Martin City, Hickman Mills, and Ruskin Heights, along with the northeastern side of Grandview. An occupied car was thrown into a water tower; the occupants survived.[7] Ground scouring was observed near Hickman Mills, and large trees were snapped.[8] Housing incurred F5 damage, besides some businesses at a shopping center. Some areas were reportedly "swept clean", and a newly built brick school in Ruskin Heights was badly damaged; 85% of Martin City was uninhabitable. In total, over 800 homes and businesses were damaged or destroyed.[9] In all the tornado claimed 37 lives in Missouri and injured 500 or more people. Debris from Hickman Mills was found in Iowa, 165 mi (266 km) away, and other debris was carried aloft 30,000 ft (9,100 m; 5.7 mi; 9.1 km).[10]
Historically, the 1957 F5 was not the only significant tornado to affect the area: an F3 tornado also affected Martin City and nearby Holmes Park on May 23, 1946, destroying or damaging chicken coops, silos, a marketplace, barns, and homes. The tornado killed a couple and injured five people.[10]
Aftermath
editMartial law was declared in Ruskin Heights and neighboring areas. National Guard troops were called in in order to assist with rescue and cleanup operations.[11] In total, the tornado caused $2,500,000 ($27,120,000 in 2024 USD) in damage in Kansas and Missouri. A memorial was constructed to honor the victims of the tornado; it was completed in May 1958.[5] In September 2024, the memorial was damaged due to a car crash.[12]
| Name | Age | State | City |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gladys Erwin | 54 | Missouri | Hickman Mills |
| Linda Sue Stewart | 0 | ||
| Goldie Taylor | 49 | ||
| Caroline Kay Taylor | 3 | ||
| Cornelia Davis | 25 | ||
| Katherine Sue Davis | 7 | ||
| Marjorie Wackemagle Hower | 31 | ||
| Oral Glenn Hower | 35 | ||
| John Hower | 9 | ||
| Lena Rucker | 39 | ||
| Gerald Rucker | 41 | ||
| Dorothy Lavonne Leopold | 31 | ||
| Harold Keith Leopold | 11 | ||
| Charles Johnston | 36 | Ruskin Heights | |
| Catherine Armon | 31 | ||
| Alta Guyll | 41 | ||
| George Kildow | 45 | ||
| Robert W. Yost, Jr | 9 | ||
| Diane Rossi | 7 | ||
| Hester Timm | 39 | ||
| Denise Woodling | 3 | ||
| Maxine Nehring | 30 | ||
| Jeanette Nelson Dorris | 79 | ||
| Arthur Frechette | 80 | ||
| Charles Thompson | 50 | ||
| Amma Marsh | 78 | Kansas | Ottawa |
| James A. Marsh | 84 | ||
| Isham Davis | 34 | Spring Hill | |
| Barbara Davis | 31 | ||
| Pamela Davis | 7 | ||
| Tamera Davis | 5 | ||
| Lowell Atkinson | 43 | Missouri | Martin City |
| Margaret Erlene Smith | 24 | ||
| Joseph Vinchier | 78 | Grandview | |
| Randall McGill | 0 | ||
| Edward S. Henton | 50 | ||
| Bessie Knorpp Smith | 50 | ||
| Maybelle Gabbert | 73 | Knob Town | |
| Henry Gabbert | 71 | ||
| Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown[note 1] |
| Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | |
| Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | |
| Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | |
| Unknown | Unknown | Unknown |
See also
edit- Fargo tornado, another F5 tornado that would touch down the same year
- 2011 Joplin tornado, a large and destructive EF5 tornado that would strike Missouri over 50 years later
Notes and footnotes
editNotes
edit- ^ Location, age and name of deceased person is not known.
Footnotes
edit- ^ Dunn, Carlos (May 1957). "THE WEATHER AND CIRCULATION OF MAY 1957" (PDF). American Meteorological Society.
- ^ a b "Ruskin Heights Tornado of May 20 1957". Kansas City/Pleasant Hill, MO Weather Forecast Office. Pleasant Hill, Missouri: National Weather Service. Retrieved September 4, 2024.
- ^ a b Jonathan Finch. "North America Tornado Cases 1950 to 1959". Bangladesh Tornadoes. Retrieved September 4, 2024.
- ^ Narramore, Jen (May 20, 2019). "Ruskin Heights F5 Tornado – May 20, 1957". TornadoTalk. Retrieved November 29, 2024.
- ^ a b Wells, Michael (May 17, 2017). "The Ruskin Heights Tornado: Sixty Years Since". The Kansas City Public Library. Retrieved November 28, 2024.
- ^ "Storm Events Database - Event Details | National Centers for Environmental Information". www.ncdc.noaa.gov. Retrieved November 28, 2024.
- ^ "Survivor describes flying into water tower on KC's deadliest tornado anniversary". FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports. May 21, 2022. Retrieved December 2, 2024.
- ^ "Thursday marks 64 years since the most destructive and deadliest tornado in Kansas City history". FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports. May 20, 2021. Retrieved December 2, 2024.
- ^ "CAUGHT IN THE PATH, THE RUSKIN HEIGHTS TORNADO". JCHS. December 18, 2023. Retrieved December 2, 2024.
- ^ a b Multiple sources:
- "55th Anniversary of the Ruskin Heights-Hickman Mills Tornado". NOAA's National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office Kansas City/Pleasant Hill, MO. Pleasant Hill, Missouri: National Weather Service. Archived from the original on June 5, 2008. Retrieved September 4, 2024.
- Brewer 1997, pp. 5, 13, 31, 106–7
- Edwards, Roger, ed. (March 19, 2021). "F5 and EF5 Tornadoes of the United States, 1950-present". The Online Tornado FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions about Tornadoes. Norman, Oklahoma: Storm Prediction Center. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
- Grazulis 1984, p. A-67
- Grazulis 1993, pp. 923, 1007
- Grazulis 2001b, p. 22
- "Ruskin Heights Tornado Memorial". Ruskin Heights Tornado. Ruskin Heights, Missouri: Ruskin Heights Memorial Tree Arbor Foundation. June 11, 2007. Archived from the original on September 29, 2007. Retrieved September 4, 2024.
- USWB 1957, p. 185
- ^ a b "Ruskin Tornado 21 May 1957". The Kansas City Times. May 21, 1957. p. 1. Retrieved November 30, 2024.
- ^ "Push to rebuild after Ruskin Heights Tornado Memorial damaged". FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports. November 28, 2024. Retrieved December 1, 2024.
- ^ Euston, Diane (May 16, 2017). "The New Santa Fe Trailer: Remembering the Ruskin Heights Tornado 60 Years Later". The New Santa Fe Trailer. Retrieved December 2, 2024.
Further reading
edit- "55th Anniversary of the Ruskin Heights-Hickman Mills Tornado". NOAA's National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office Kansas City/Pleasant Hill, MO. Pleasant Hill, Missouri: National Weather Service. Archived from the original on June 5, 2008. Retrieved September 4, 2024.