1953: Tornado outbreak strikes Vicksburg, MS

The city of Vicksburg lies hard against the Mississippi River at a sharp bend in that river. Located on a high bluff on the east bank of the Mississippi River across from Louisiana, Vicksburg was built by French colonists in 1719. It was incorporated as Vicksburg in 1825 named after Methodist missionary Newitt Vick. In the American Civil War, it was a key Confederate river-port, and its surrender to Union General Ulysses S. Grant, in July 1863, after a month’s long siege marked the turning-point of the war. Much destruction was visited upon the city as it held out with constant shelling from cannon fire. On December 5, 1953 Vicksburg, was visited by a tornado outbreak that was a deadly severe weather event that affected northeastern Louisiana, southeastern Arkansas, and western Mississippi on December 5, 1953. At least four confirmed tornadoes touched down. One of the tornadoes produced F5 damage as it moved through the city of Vicksburg, causing 38 deaths and injuring at least 270 along the seven-mile path of devastation. Historical records show that the ravages visited upon the city from the severe weather in on single afternoon caused more damage and destruction than months of war.

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