View source for 1953 Flint–Beecher tornado

{{short description|U.S. natural disaster}}
{{Use American English|date=May 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2025}}
{{Infobox weather event
| image              = 1953 Beecher tornado.jpg
| alt                = 
| caption            = Tornado damage in [[Beecher, Michigan]]
| formed             = June 8, 1953, 8:30&nbsp;pm [[Eastern Time Zone|EST]] (UTC−01:30)
| duration             = 
| dissipated           = }}{{Infobox weather event/Tornado
| basin                = atl
| winds                = >261 [[Miles per hour|mph]](420 [[km/h]])<ref>{{cite web | url=https://absolutemichigan.com/michigan/june-8-1953-remembering-flint-beecher-tornado/#:~:text=The%20Flint%2DBeecher%20tornado%20was%20rated%20as%20an%20F5%2C%20the,through%20Genesee%20and%20Lapeer%20counties | title=June 8, 1953: Remembering the Flint-Beecher Tornado | work=Absolute Michigan | date=8 June 2017 }}</ref>
| fujita-scale         = F5
}}{{Infobox weather event/Effects
| year                 =  
| deaths               = 116
| injuries             = 844
| damages              = $19 million (1953 [[United States Dollar|USD]])<ref name="facts">{{cite web|url=http://www.weather.gov/dtx/1953beecher/beecherfacts|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250123063047/https://www.weather.gov/dtx/1953beecher/beecherfacts|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 23, 2025|title=Detroit/Pontiac, MI|work=weather.gov}}</ref>  $223 million (2024 USD)<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.in2013dollars.com/us/inflation/1953?amount=19000000 | title=$19,000,000 in 1953 → 2024 &#124; Inflation Calculator }}</ref>
| affected             = [[Flint, Michigan|Flint]] and [[Beecher, Michigan]] ([[Flint–Worcester tornado outbreak sequence|part of a larger outbreak]])
}}{{Infobox weather event/Footer
| season               = '''[[Flint–Worcester tornado outbreak sequence|1953 Flint–Worcester tornado outbreak sequence]]''' and '''[[Tornadoes of 1953|tornado outbreaks of 1953]]'''
}}
During the evening hours of Monday, June&nbsp;8, 1953, an exceptionally large and violent [[tornado]] struck the north side of [[Flint, Michigan]] and the northern suburb of [[Beecher, Michigan|Beecher]], causing catastrophic damage and hundreds of casualties. Rated as an F5 on the [[Fujita Scale]], the tornado touched down in [[Genesee County, Michigan]], at 8:30&nbsp;p.m. [[Eastern Time Zone|EST]] (01:30 [[UTC]]) and continued on a {{convert|18.6|mi|km|adj=mid|-path}}, causing 116&nbsp;fatalities, 844&nbsp;injuries and an estimated $19&nbsp;million (1953 [[United States Dollar|USD]]) in damage.<ref name="facts"/><ref name="background">{{cite web|url=https://www.weather.gov/dtx/beechermet#background|title=Detroit/Pontiac, MI|work=weather.gov}}</ref>

This was the deadliest tornado in Michigan history and the 10th&nbsp;deadliest in United States history.<ref name="list">{{cite web|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702304520804576341353063936710|title=Tornado Season Is Deadliest Since 1953 – WSJ|author=Timothy W. Martin And Robert Lee Hotz|date=24 May 2011|work=WSJ}}</ref> Most of the casualties and damage occurred in the [[Unincorporated area|unincorporated community]] of Beecher. The tornado was one of eight tornadoes that touched down the same day in eastern lower Michigan and northwest [[Ohio]].<ref name="background" /> It was also part of the larger [[Flint–Worcester tornado outbreak sequence|Flint–Worcester tornado outbreak]] that began over [[Nebraska]] and [[Iowa]], before moving east across the upper [[Great Lakes]] states and [[Ontario]], and on to [[New York (state)|New York]] and [[New England]] causing more deadly tornadoes.

==Meteorological synopsis==
Just prior to the tornado touching down eyewitness accounts recalled that an approaching thunderstorm with several intense lightning strikes turned the northwest sky a dark "black-yellow-green" color.<ref name="journal1">{{cite web |url=http://www.flintjournal.com/125/staff/tornado.html |title=The Staff: Beecher Tornado |accessdate=2013-05-29 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130612090405/http://www.flintjournal.com/125/staff/tornado.html |archivedate=2013-06-12 }}</ref> The US Weather Bureau (predecessor of today's [[National Weather Service]]) observations that evening recorded a temperature of {{convert|78|°F|°C|abbr=on}} with a dew point of {{convert|71|°F|°C|abbr=on}} and a barometric pressure reading that fell to {{convert|28.89|inHg|hPa|lk=in}}.<ref name="facts"/> Surface map analysis showed a frontal system associated with a strong low pressure moving west across lower Michigan.<ref name="surface">{{cite web|url=https://www.weather.gov/dtx/beechermet#Map|title=Detroit/Pontiac, MI|work=weather.gov}}</ref> At 7:30&nbsp;p.m. (00:30 UTC) the Weather Bureau's [[Storm Prediction Center|Severe Storms Unit]] issued a Severe Weather Bulletin alerting of the threat of hazardous weather for southeast lower Michigan.<ref name="background"/>

==Tornado Summary==
At approximately 8:30&nbsp;p.m. the tornado touched down in [[Mount Morris Township, Michigan|Mt. Morris Township]] near the intersection of Webster and Coldwater Roads, east of [[Flushing, Michigan|Flushing]] and northwest of Flint. The first reported observation from the Weather Bureau's Flint station came just minutes after the tornado touched down, "''...unconfirmed Tornado reported 2 mi N Flushing heading ENE possibly hitting Flint 2033 E.''"<ref name="facts"/> It began to take a path directly east down the Coldwater Road corridor, entering the residential neighborhoods of the Beecher district—a Flint suburb. Moving at approximately {{convert|35|mph|km/h|abbr=out}}, the tornado cut a path {{convert|833|yd|m}} wide.<ref name="background"/>

In a time before the routine issuance of [[severe thunderstorm warning|severe thunderstorm]] and [[tornado warning]]s the residents of Beecher had almost no advanced warning other than actually sighting the tornado heading towards them. Victims recalled hearing the incredible roar from the tornado and seeing its black funnel before heading for shelter in home basements.<ref name="mlive">{{cite web|url=http://www.mlive.com/news/flint/index.ssf/2008/06/beecher_tornado_memories.html|title=People share their memories of the Beecher tornado|work=MLive.com|date=8 June 2008}}</ref> The densely populated Beecher neighborhoods took a direct hit, with several single family houses being completely destroyed. Witnesses recalled that the tornado's massive funnel resembled black smoke and was accompanied by smaller [[Multiple-vortex tornado|multiple vortices]].<ref name="mlive" /> Others reported seeing fireballs within the [[Debris ball|debris]] of the tornado.<ref name="keen">Keen, Richard A. Michigan Weather. 1993. American and World Geographic. {{ISBN|1560370467}}</ref> Beecher High School was heavily damaged as it was directly struck. The tornado's path also came close to the North Flint [[Drive-in theater]]. Patrons evacuated the drive-in in their vehicles. Some got into vehicle crashes in the ensuing panic to flee while others inadvertently drove into the path of the tornado after leaving the theater. The theater itself received only minor damage.<ref name="mlive" /><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20110502062537/http://www.fpl.info/gallery/beechertornado/accounts/rachor.shtml Beecher Tornado – Flint Public Library<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
  
After leaving Beecher the tornado took an east-northeast path, following just south of the [[Flint River (Michigan)|Flint River]] where it ravaged farms, causing more casualties and destruction near the rural communities of [[Genesee Township, Michigan|Genesee]], [[Richfield Township, Genesee County, Michigan|Richfield Center]] and [[Columbiaville, Michigan|Columbiaville]].<ref name="background"/><ref name="farms">{{cite web|url=https://www.gendisasters.com/michigan/3374/flint,-mi-tornado-jun-8,-1953|title=Flint, MI Tornado, Jun 1953|work=gendisasters.com}}</ref> The tornado stayed on the ground for {{convert|18.6|mi|km}} and ultimately dissipated north of [[Lapeer, Michigan|Lapeer]] near Five Lakes Road in [[Lapeer County, Michigan|Lapeer County's]] [[Deerfield Township, Lapeer County, Michigan|Deerfield Township]]. Within minutes, a second tornado formed near where the original Flint-Beecher tornado left the ground. That tornado reached F4 wind speeds and continued east through rural farm lands in Lapeer and [[St. Clair County, Michigan|St. Clair Counties]] causing more injuries and damage before moving out over [[Lake Huron]].<ref name="background"/>

==Aftermath==
While most of the tornado's {{convert|18.6|mi|km|adj=mid|-path}} went through rural farmland, the majority of the devastation was concentrated in the Beecher district.<ref name="background"/> 113 of the 116&nbsp;fatalities from the tornado occurred in Beecher, including 54&nbsp;children under the age of 18 with multiple deaths occurring in 20&nbsp;families. The two greatest losses were exacted to the families of Pedro Gatica and Thomas Gensel; both men survived, but lost their entire families. Gatica, a worker at General Motors, had been at work when the tornado struck, while his small home was directly in the path of the storm. His wife Cecilia, who was eight months pregnant with their third child, was killed, as were their two small children and a niece who lived with them.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.mlive.com/living/flint/2008/04/pedro_gatica_rebuilt_his_life.html|title=Pedro Gatica rebuilt his life, family after Beecher tornado of 1953|date=April 29, 2008|website=mlive}}</ref> Gensel had been at home with his wife Vanessa and their four children when their home was blown apart; only Thomas survived.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://stormstalker.wordpress.com/2013/09/05/flint-worcester-outbreak/|title=June 7–9, 1953 — The Flint – Worcester Outbreak|date=September 5, 2013}}</ref> Eight area hospitals, including three in [[Saginaw, Michigan|Saginaw]], were involved in treating victims.<ref name=" facts"/>

Some accounts recalled employees of Flint's automobile industry leaving factories to head to the site to discover whether or not their families had survived.<ref name="keen" /> Large sections of neighborhoods were completely destroyed. It was the last tornado to kill more than a hundred people until it was surpassed by the [[2011 Joplin tornado|Joplin, Missouri, tornado]] on May&nbsp;22, 2011. The last F5&nbsp;tornado in Michigan was the [[Tornado outbreak sequence of April 2–3, 1956#Saugatuck–Hudsonville–Standale, Michigan|Hudsonville-Standale tornado]] of April 3, 1956.<ref name="facts" />

It was debated in the U.S. Congress at the time whether recent atomic bomb testing in the upper atmosphere had caused tornadoes, including this one. Congressman [[James E. Van Zandt]] (R-Penn.) was among several members of Congress who expressed their belief that the June 4th bomb testing created the tornadoes, which occurred far outside the traditional [[tornado alley]]. They demanded a response from the government. Meteorologists quickly dispelled such an assertion, and Congressman Van Zandt later retracted his statement.{{citation needed|date=February 2018}}

==See also==
* [[Flint–Worcester tornado outbreak sequence]]
* [[1953 Worcester tornado]]
* [[List of North American tornadoes and tornado outbreaks]]
*[[List of F5 and EF5 tornadoes|List of F5 and EF5 Tornadoes]]

==Notes==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20101128094454/http://www.tornadohistoryproject.com/outbreaks/the-flint-worcester-tornado-outbreak-1953 Full map of Flint-Worcester tornado outbreak]}} Tornado History Project
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6JPkBN3aUak Video interview of tornado survivor (and nurse) who tended to injured]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20120402075706/http://www.flint.lib.mi.us/gallery/beechertornado/index.shtml Beecher Tornado – Flint Public Library Archive]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080311121109/http://www.mlive.com/fljournal/beecher/ Beecher Tornado – Flint Journal Beecher Tornado Anniversary]
* [http://www.gendisasters.com/michigan/6277/flint-beecher-other-towns-mi-oh-tornadoes-june-1953] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210608134547/http://www.gendisasters.com/michigan/6277/flint-beecher-other-towns-mi-oh-tornadoes-june-1953 |date=2021-06-08 }} at GenDisasters.com
{{F5 and EF5 tornadoes}}{{25 deadliest US tornadoes}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:1953-06-08 Tornado, Flint-Beecher}}
[[Category:F5, EF5 and IF5 tornadoes]]
[[Category:Tornadoes of 1953|06-08, Flint]]
[[Category:Tornadoes in Michigan]]
[[Category:1953 natural disasters in the United States|Tornado, 06-08]]
[[Category:History of Flint, Michigan]]
[[Category:1953 in Michigan|Tornado, 06-08, Flint-Beecher]]
[[Category:June 1953 in the United States|Tornado, 08, Flint-Beecher]]