The 1953 Waco Tornado Killed 114 People

The tornado touched down southwest of Waco near Lorena at about 4:10 p.m., then cut into downtown. It killed 114 people and injured 597. More than 600 homes and businesses were destroyed, and more than 1,000 were damaged. The National Weather Service calls it Texas's deadliest tornado since 1900.

The response changed more than Waco's skyline. A warning conference held the next month pushed better communication between weather offices, local officials, and the public. The National Weather Service links that work to early SKYWARN development and the later national weather-radar network.