This Day in Weather History

On This Day In Weather History - May 20
Local
1957	A major (F4-4-4 on the Fujita-Pearson scale) tornado struck the southwest suburbs of Ruskin Heights, Hickman Hills and Martin City during the evening hours. The tornado killed forty-one persons and left hundreds homeless along its path from Kansas into Missouri. It was on the ground for at least an hour and a half, killing 44 and injuring 531.
National
1957	A canceled check was found in Ottumwa, IA blown all the way from Hickman Mills, a Kansas City suburb, by an F5 multi-vortex tornado. That's nearly 200 miles.
1957	An F5 tornado touched down southwest of Kansas City, then traveled 71 miles through the suburbs. The tornado killed 45 people and left a path of near-total destruction in its wake. All that remained at one house was a small table with a fish bowl sitting on top, with the fish still swimming inside.
1996	In Niagra, Ontario a tornado struck a drive-in theater that was about to show the feature movie, Twister.