![]() ![]() The meteorological conditions present on were prime for severe thunderstorm development, namely supercell thunderstorm development. Hail reports denoted by blue circles and labeled by hail size. ![]() Tornadoes denoted by red triangles and labeled by "F" scale. The spotter network that in the present day provides such valuable information to the National Weather Service was not in place in 1957, explaining the sparsity of hail and damaging wind reports displayed in the graphic report. ![]() The Ruskin Heights tornado was one of thirty-five confirmed tornadoes that impacted areas of Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Missouri on May 20, 1957, including a devastating tornado accompanied by hail seven inches in diameter that struck Concordia, Kansas. The tornado earned the most extreme damage rating of that time, F5, as it carved a path ranging from one-tenth to nearly one-half mile wide (700 yards) sped northeast at approximately 42 miles per hour. Though post-mortems of major tornado events are common today, only two damage reports were conducted for tornadoes in 1957, one of them for "Kansas-Missouri" or Ruskin Heights tornado. Below is an image taken from the cover of the official damage report of the "Kansas-Missouri" tornado. Though labeled the Ruskin Heights tornado, the tornado actually began its 71 mile path near Williamsburg, Kansas at 6:15 pm LST. The tornado event of thereafter earned the local moniker of the Ruskin Heights tornado due to the extreme devastation and loss of life that occurred in this Kansas City neighborhood. The most destructive and deadly of these tornadoes occurred on the evening of May 20, 1957. On rare occasions, less than 20 percent based on official records, the Kansas City area and the surrounding area has experienced significant tornadoes. The majority of tornadoes have been classified as weak to moderate tornadoes, the most common types of tornadoes to affect all parts of the United States. Since 1950, more than 300 tornadoes have been reported in the area now served by the National Weather Service Forecast Office in Pleasant Hill. ![]()
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