In the afternoon of May 11, 1953, a powerful and deadly tornado directly struck the city of Waco, Texas, killing 114 people and injuring 597 more.

[1] May 11 was a warm, moist day, with dewpoints in the lower 70s and temperatures ranging from the mid 70s inland to low 80s along the coast.

As it neared Waco, operators of weather radar at Texas A&M University detected a hook echo in association with the parent supercell.

[6] The city received about $9 million (1953 USD) to help with recovery efforts,[3] however poor organization proved to be a challenge.

Initially, the tornado also severed communications between downtown Waco and outlying areas, so assistance was slow to arrive.

[2] The chaotic relief efforts eventually spurred greater coordination between civilians and local governments, leading to the development of civil defense.

[11] Notably, the Waco event was one of the first instances that proved the effectiveness of radar in tracking tornadogenesis; coincidentally, another such case occurred later in the same year.

[4] Researchers concluded that improved communications, coupled with the formation of radar coverage, could lead to accurate tornado warnings, thereby reducing loss of life in future storms.

This task proved especially important following the devastating loss of life at Waco and Worcester, along with the June 8 catastrophe at Flint, Michigan, in the same year.

[12] The state of Texas supported the implementation of 20 radar facilities, each with a 200-mile-wide (320 km) radius, that proved successful in reducing death tolls in later tornadoes.