The U.S. Weather Bureau had refrained from issuing tornado forecasts for over 60 years before public and congressional pressure forced them to begin issuing tornado forecasts to the public in 1952.
On May 11, 1953, the Weather Bureau Office in New Orleans LA issued a tornado forecast at 9:30 a.m. for western and central Texas. The alert was passed on to the Texas Highway Patrol, who began scanning the skies for telltale signs of a tornado.
When a funnel was sighted forty miles from San Angelo, a warning was passed onto city and school officials. The tornado struck the Lake View School at about 2:15 p.m. Students were in their tornado drill positions and only slight injuries resulted, even though the school building was heavily damaged. Eleven people died in San Angelo, but the warnings were credited with saving potentially hundreds of lives.
Meanwhile, people in Waco, Texas were unconcerned, because of a myth that their city was protected from tornadoes by hills that surround the city. Around 4:30 p.m., a massive F5 tornado dipped from the clouds southwest of the city and cut a path through residential areas toward the heart of downtown. There was no warning.
The massive F5 tornado devastated downtown Waco, killing 114 and injuring nearly 600. Thirty people were killed in a six-story furniture store, which collapsed.
The tornado carved a 23-mile path through town, destroying over 850 homes. Damage totaled $200 million.
