What the record says
On 10 May 1953, a tornado touched down near Chester, Iowa. The Storm Prediction Center records its path as 162 miles long and up to 100 yards wide, rated F4 on the Fujita (F) scale. It killed 2 people and injured 24.
- F4Fujita rating
- 2deaths
- 24injuries
- 162 mipath length
- 100 ydmaximum width
It has its own page because it was rated 4 or 5.
This page gives the official record's figures. Numbers of deaths and injuries are sometimes revised after a survey, and they cannot convey what the day was like for the people who lived through it.
Counties it crossed
- Howard County, Iowa
- Fillmore County, Minnesota
- Winona County, Minnesota
- Buffalo County, Wisconsin
- Chippewa County, Wisconsin
- Clark County, Wisconsin
- Eau Claire County, Wisconsin
- Price County, Wisconsin
- Taylor County, Wisconsin
- Trempealeau County, Wisconsin
The start point was at 43.45, -92.40 and the end point at 45.50, -90.42 (latitude, longitude).
How to read this path
The Storm Prediction Center records most tornadoes as a straight line from the point where they touched down to the point where they lifted. The real path usually curved and was not the same width all the way along. The width given is the widest part. Older records are less precise, and the record starts in 1950.
Source: the NOAA Storm Prediction Center database, public domain.
Other notable tornadoes in Iowa
- Hansell, Iowa tornado15 May 1968, F5, 13 deaths, 462 injuries, 62.1 miles long
- Cedar Falls, Iowa tornado25 May 2008, EF5, 9 deaths, 70 injuries, 41 miles long
- Belmond, Iowa tornado14 October 1966, F5, 6 deaths, 172 injuries, 9.7 miles long
- Newton, Iowa tornado5 March 2022, EF4, 6 deaths, 5 injuries, 70.6 miles long
- Rhodes, Iowa tornado16 September 1978, F3, 6 deaths, 45 injuries, 31.8 miles long
- Oelwein, Iowa tornado15 May 1968, F5, 5 deaths, 156 injuries, 13.1 miles long
Other notable tornadoes of 1953
- Flushing, Michigan tornado8 June 1953, F5, 116 deaths, 844 injuries, 18.9 miles long
- Waco, Texas tornado11 May 1953, F5, 114 deaths, 597 injuries, 20.9 miles long
- Framingham, Massachusetts tornado9 June 1953, F4, 94 deaths, 1,228 injuries, 34.9 miles long
- Vicksburg, Mississippi tornado5 December 1953, F5, 38 deaths, 270 injuries, 9 miles long
- Warner Robins, Georgia tornado30 April 1953, F4, 18 deaths, 300 injuries, 1 mile long
All tornadoes of 1953 · Iowa tornado history · All notable tornadoes