Meanwhile, strong gusty winds associated with the eastward progression of an intensifying upper atmospheric storm out of New Mexico made travel hazardous in. Touch device users, explore by touch or with swipe gestures. There was strong upper level dynamics all coming together to produce strong tornado-producing supercells. The tornado slung mud across the inside of the windshield which made it difficult to drive. Deaths were near normal . Used by permission of author Don Burgess. One tree near a house fell onto a power line, causing an electrical surge that set the kitchen of the house on fire. Norman, OKNational Weather Center120 David L. Boren Blvd. -56 NWS WFO, Norman, OK. The Southwest National Bank Building was completely obliterated, leaving nothing behind except for its vault. Several vehicles, including a bus, were flipped and tossed. He was great at identifying cloud structures. The first tornado formed near Crowell, Texas, at around 3:05p.m. About 35 minutes later, the first killer one of the outbreak ripped through Vernon and killed 11 people. The tornado then crossed a short span of open fields before moving into the Colonial Park area. When autocomplete results are available use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. Flash Flood Warnings Still at F4 intensity as it moved east-northeastward, the tornado moved over a greenbelt area, passing just barely south of Midwestern State University as it severely damaged several more housing additions. At 1730 CST (5:30 PM), a core of greater than 50 dBZ and two mesocyclones were seen with the storm. All but one of the 12 large glass windows in the tower were blown out, and control tower personnel had only abandoned their tower posts 4 minutes before. By noon, all doubt was gone. From the blizzards that traditionally pound the Panhandle each winter to the enduring heat that scorches vast sections of Texas later in the summer, Texas in the meteorological sense truly is the "Land of Contrast." The following severe weather account is by Gene Moore. One mobile home was completely destroyed on Bobby Point Road, prompting an F1 rating. Storm Data, Weather Safety ), April 20, 1951 - A small, brief tornado touched down near Wichita Falls and was accompanied by light hail. Sixteen of the 25 got in vehicles to evade the tornado, and 11 of the 16 homes which were left did not incur damage by the tornado. It was the costliest tornado in history until the F5 Moore-Oklahoma City tornado struck in 1999. . Winds gusted the 93 miles per hour (mph) in Guadalupe Mountain National Park at mid-afternoon, while wind gusts of 60 mph or more stirred up dust and sand that reduced visibilities at many points from El Paso to Midland to 3 miles; at Lubbock visibilities dropped to 1 1/2 miles by late afternoon. Wayne Collamore, View looking west about 3-4 miles east of Harrold on Highway 320 at about 4:15 pm CST. as derived from photogrammetric analysis. Beyond the shopping mall, the tornado crossed a greenbelt area, skirted Midwestern State University on its south side, and severely damaged several more housing additions (Colonial Park, Hursh, Southmoor, Southwinds, and Southern Hills). Thus, the tornado damage/intensity was officially rated as a strong F4 tornado. April 10th, 1979 started out like any other day in Texoma. No fatalities or injuries occurred. Eyewitnesses described details of the storm differently, but they were unanimous on one point -- it was an awesome, terrifying experience beyond anything they had encountered before. In addition, the damage paths of all three were wider than normal. According the Weather Bureau from the time, "The large funnel alternately dipped and soared, and was followed by trailer funnel, 2 funnels touched ground; witnesses reported spotting a third." The Wichita Falls tornado cut a wide swath of dam. Weather Radio, About Us As we drove northeast on US 70, debris was still falling to the ground. Other homes, barns, and outbuildings were damaged. Pat Blacklock, View looking northwest from south shore of Lake Wichita at the tornado approaching Wichita Falls, Texas. Very large groups of people gathered in tornado-vulnerable places, such as schools, stadiums (such as Memorial Stadium), and outdoor events, are disasters waiting to happen. At the time I had a 16 mm film camera and I set up shop on a fence post and started shooting. (Documented and rated F2 by Grazulis. While photographing this shot I began to feel vibration in the camera. Special Weather Statements It was the remains of her home. Lubbock, Wichita Falls, Waco, and of course Fort Worth come to mind, even Austin had one dancing around over the Capitol dome in 1922. Explore. The NOAA Natural Disaster Report 80-1, "The Red River Valley Tornadoes of April 10, 1979" is available, and a synopsis and discussion of the event by Don Burgess can also be perused from this site. After the tornado left Wichita Falls and travelled northeast, it entered Clay County and changed its appearance. April 17, 1977 - A "freak tornado" moved from east to west across a 2-mile path in the western sections of Wichita Falls. At the time we passed in front of the funnel the mud road had become slick enough that the car was not going very fast anymore. Residents of Seymour reported that the tornado was preceded by very heavy rain and hail almost 2 inches in diameter. Fortunately, its long path on the ground was mostly over open farmland so that it caused relatively few casualties and small total property damage. The most notable tornado was another F4 tornado that destroyed most of the southern part of Wichita Falls, Texas, and is commonly referred to as "Terrible Tuesday" by many . Also, the second story of the press box at the high school football stadium was blown off and scattered across the playing field. 38 On April 10, 1979, a series of deadly tornadoes broke out near the Texas-Oklahoma border. About Our Office I had a good full frame shot of the suction spots rotating about the base of the funnel. Fire Weather Submit a Spot Forecast It didn't seem like any storms were in the area. We sat up to photograph to the east of the tornado and shot back west and north as it passed. One piece of farm equipment was destroyed and damage occurred to fences and trees. In addition to the tornado which developed near Wichita Falls, sustained winds of 35 to 45 mph from the southeast with gusts near 60 mph developed across western north Texas during the mid-evening of the 10th and persisted through much of the night. 1 A tornado struck Waco and McLennan County on May 11, 1953, inflicting 114 deaths, 597 injuries, and damages of $4i.2 million. The twister, which had a wide funnel, shrouded the community in darkness as it swept eastward south of Vernon and along the east side of the city, resulting in millions of dollars in damage and 11 directly killed by the tornado (10 in Vernon and 1 in Lockett, TX). Every year in the United States the threat of a catastrophe looms whenever tornadoes approach large gatherings of people. A home was badly damaged, losing a large portion of its front side. Damage as severe as F4 was found along most of the track across the city. A furniture warehouse was also destroyed when severe winds tore the back wall and roof off of the building. Dr. Ted Fujita of the University of Chicago used these surveys to estimate the F-scale and probable wind speeds associated with the tornado. The half-mile wide tornado crossed the Red River into Oklahoma about 9 miles north-northeast of Electra. To date, it is the most damaging tornado in US history. Barns were destroyed and livestock was killed, including horses on two farms. The tornado damaged outbuildings, chicken coops, and did minor damage to roofs of houses. The majority of the fatalities were in vehicles, and a number of those victims left homes that were undamaged by the tornado only to be caught in its deadly path as they tried to flee. The third supercell was the one that formed the Seymour and Wichita Falls tornadoes as part of a three-member tornado family. My chase partner for the day was Eddie Sims who had chased for years with Jim Leonard. As seen in the photographs by Winston Wells (Tornado Track Figure; Location #10), the tornado became multi-vortex, displaying as many as five satellite vortices rotating around the center of circulation. The tornado moved to the north-northwest during its life before lifting 2 miles from Burkburnett. View looking west-southwest at the approaching tornado from Ligon Coliseum at Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, Texas. The tornado leveled a mobile home park on the north side of U.S. Highway 287, but residents had evacuated that area and no fatalities occurred in the park. Just minutes later all counties included in Watch Area #67 were being alerted through statements by the NWS Forecast Offices (WSFOs) at Fort Worth and Oklahoma City. CoCoRaHS Flood Warnings Additionally, the tornado caused roughly $15 million in property damage with about 225 homes destroyed and another 250 damaged. As the much drier air whipped eastward out of the southern High Plains just after noon, thunderstorms, some of which were very heavy, boiled up in parts of the eastern High Plains and quickly spilled over into the Low Rolling Plains. April 3, 1964 - A violent tornado struck the northwest section of Wichita Falls and Sheppard Air Force Base, killing 7 persons and injuring 111 other people. Several strong to violent tornadoes touched down throughout the region that day. Stability indices indicated the air throughout central. Occasionally the digitization process introduces transcription errors or other problems; we are continuing to work to improve these archived versions. Please select one of the following: Local Enhanced Radar (Central Oklahoma-KTLX), Local Standard Radar (KTLX-low bandwidth), Local Enhanced Radar (Southwest OK/Western North TX-KFDR), Local Standard Radar (KFDR-low bandwidth), Local Standard Radar (KVNX-low bandwidth), Averages and Records for OKC, Wichita Falls & Lawton, NOAA Tech Memo NWS SR-209 (Speheger, D., 2001: "Corrections to the Historic Tornado Database"), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Near Kamay - Wichita Valley Airport - Sheppard AFB, NW Wichita Falls (FM-369/ Seymour Highway)- Sheppard AFB, Wichita Falls (near Midwestern University), 3 ENE Holliday- Wichita Falls- 4 E Byers- NNE of Waurika OK, Wichita Falls (4 SSW - 1 E center of town). ), August 11, 1953 - This summertime tornado touched down at 7:00 pm CST in Wichita Falls and moved northeastward through the suburbs of the city. A fourth tornado touched down just outside of Seymour an hour later, but again damage was comparatively minor. We continued south passing a damage path across the highway from the Harrold tornado. Three homes were destroyed and others were damaged. Storm Spotter Training Each lasted for an hour or more and left a continuous track of ground damage 35 miles or longer. Non Precipitation Warnings They moved northeastward, and as a trio spawned families of tornadoes. As it turned out we would have driven into Vernon just before a major tragedy unfolded with injuries and death. Sorry, the location you searched for was not found. One man was killed at a dairy farm in Dean. A large number of cars were smashed and some people were killed along U.S. Highway 287. The night time tornadoes, although strong, were not as devastating as the ones that occurred in the Red River Valley during the afternoon. Tours. A powerful tornado tore through the Wichita, Kansas, area Friday night, leveling dozens of structures in the city of Andover, according to officials. When was the last time there was a tornado in Wichita? The most notable tornado was another F4 tornado that destroyed most of the southern part of Wichita Falls, Texas, and is commonly referred to as "Terrible Tuesday" by many meteorologists. ), March 27, 1939 - This tornado touched down north-northwest of Wichita Falls and moved northeastward into Clay County. Driving north on Texas 267 we witnessed the Thalia tornado. 2. Air Quality The strongest wind measurement logged on the USWB equipment located 1 mile south of the air base was a 55-knot peak gust. Losses eligible for Federal disaster relief totaled $63 million, but Federal disaster assistance did not cover additional millions in damages. Frank Gohlke's portfolio of 40 black and white photographs, which capture the devastation of the 1979 Wichita Falls Tornado and the landscape a year later, will be on exhibition to mark the anniversary of Terrible Tuesday, April 10, 1979. Several strong to violent tornadoes touched down throughout the region that day. Major damage in the. However, widespread high winds from the parent supercell thunderstorm also produced extensive damage in the Wichita Falls, Iowa Park and Burkburnett areas. Dissipation of the tornado occurred northwest of Waurika, Oklahoma, bringing the path length to 36 miles in Texas, and 11 miles in Oklahoma. Three isolated supercells, forming in mid afternoon, moved northeastward as a trio and were responsible for the worst part of the outbreak. The tornado then crossed over Kemp Boulevard and destroyed several commercial businesses, including a restaurant, resulting in several additional fatalities. All the storms this day exhibited violent cloud motions. Several apartment complexes and many homes were destroyed, with several of the first deaths occurring in this area. On April 3, 1964, a devastating F5 tornado hit the northern region of Wichita Falls and Sheppard Air Force Base. Winter Weather Safety, Special Programs These are 40 before/after pairings, as he shot dramatically injured locations . The Wichita Falls tornado alone killed 42 people and caused $400 million in damage ($1.93billion in today's dollars). Published In . It is estimated that 5,000 families, consisting of almost 20,000 people, were left homeless in Wichita Falls. Local Climate Data We give still life with tornado and numerous ebook collections from fictions to scientific research in any way. See the article in its original context from. Overall, mobile homes and permanent homes lead fatality location totals with 44.8% and 26.2% of all deaths occurring in these structures, respectively. Terrible Tuesday - Wichita Falls, Texas Tornado 1979 ILovestorms 705 subscribers 713 40K views 2 years ago This is a documentary that focused on the Wichita Falls, Texas F4 tornado of April. February 16, 2023. The Wichita Falls area has been visited by tornadoes many times over the course of its history. The tornado was 1.5 miles wide as it passed through 8 miles of residential area in Wichita Falls. The Red River Valley tornado outbreak of April 10, 1979 is one of the most significant tornado outbreaks that ever occurred in western north Texas and southern Oklahoma. April 3, 1964 - A violent tornado struck the northwest section of Wichita Falls and Sheppard Air Force Base, killing 7 persons and injuring 111 other people. To preserve these articles as they originally appeared, The Times does not alter, edit or update them. Anyone can read what you share. About the time the tornado entered town, it changed appearance, becoming one large black cloud of condensation and debris. Historic tornado in Wichita KS McConnell AFB 1991. A darker version of this image shows the rain curtain extending around the vortex. View looking west-northwest from south shore of Lake Wichita at the tornado approaching Wichita Falls, Texas. The passage of a violent tornado through an 8-mile section of a city is an almost unheard-of natural disaster. 5) The Wichita Falls Tornado - April 10, 1979. There we hoped the dryline and warm front would intersect with a strong jet stream. The tornado cut through a field and went into a housing addition on the southwest edge of Sheppard AFB. Note that the 50 dBZ core was no longer evident. 5. Severe weather warnings had been in effect for Wichita County and Wichita Falls for almost an hour. A strong tornado damaged roofs, telephone poles, trees, uprooted shrubs and overturned a truck, but remained over open country while at peak intensity. The tornado moved northeastward as was described as a "dirty green funnel." (1979-2009) The Red River Valley Tornado. We received the following letter from Joel Manes, who was living in Wichita Falls, Texas on April 10, 1979. Some or all of the walls remained for well-built homes (photos 4-6 on the damage photo tab) and bathrooms in particular provided good protection. 15:25 F4. T. T. Fujita, noted tornado researcher from the University of Chicago, said, 'The damage path was one of the widest I have ever seen, and its intensity was almost equal to that of the giant storm that leveled Xenia, Ohio, in the 1974 tornado outbreak. The giant tornado was a massive black column extending from the low striated base of the inky clouds to the ground. The injury count for this tornado was 1,740, the most injuries ever recorded for an F4/EF4 tornado. After moving out of Faith Village, the tornado flattened several businesses, including a restaurant, on Kemp Boulevard. Surprisingly, very few fatalities occurred in Faith Village. It is estimated that 5,000 families, containing 20,000 residents, were left homeless in Wichita Falls. Several brief touchdowns in Seymour resulted in scattered roof damage and one overturned truck. Of the 7 people killed, six occurred in 5 different homes, and one man was killed when his truck was thrown from a road. We were rushed to get into position. Most of the destroyed homes had some of these interior walls still standing after the tornado. It seems that almost every major Texas city has had to deal with a tornado at least once. We think this was the early stages of the Vernon tornado. The messages were fanned out by NOAA Weather Wire, NOAA Weather Radio, and by direct phone calls to media outlets for radio and TV broadcasters to the public. We didn't get phone guidance and it was before on-board equipment. February 21, 1994 - Thunderstorms developed in the western part of north Texas during the afternoon hours of February 21st and produced a small weak tornado, hail up to nickel size and damaging winds. 45 people died in the Wichita Falls tornado. Living in Tornado Alley, I'm most familiar with tornados. The powerful vortex, although rated only F-2, had winds of over 200 MPH. Winter Weather Warnings Inevitably each year some sector of Texas suffers from the effects of a tornado strike, a blinding snowstorm, a violent hail-bearing thunderstorm, or a raging sand- or dust storm. All NOAA. Storm Events Database, tornadoes, 04-10-1979. Stones as large as two inches were reported further to our northeast. With surface pressures in the southern High Plains plunging rapidly, a low pressure center formed in the vicinity of Lubbock around noon (Figure 15). Vehicles (cars, pickups, and trucks) are poor protection and should be avoided during tornado situations in larger cities where travel is congested and tornado escape routes are not readily available and open for use. The tornado's first fatalities were recorded in the apartment complex and adjoining housing area. 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