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. Homes and businesses were torn apart in the McGehee area. Caused a total of $449,000 in damage. Most of the homes in Faith Village were demolished. Winston Wells, Current Hazards 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. Air Quality Most people heeded the warnings and took shelter inside interior, small rooms in their homes. Storm Spotter Training Wolfgang Lange, View looking southwest near Memorial Stadium in Wichita Falls, Texas at the approaching tornado. More Observations The Terrible Tuesday video can be viewed via the NWS Norman YouTube Channel or below. Large tornado destroyed several barns and scattered debris over a large area. Five bus passengers were injured when they took shelter in a ditch, only to have the bus roll onto them. Weather Bureau records. The tornado's worst winds generally missed the Sikes Senter Shopping Mall to the South, but a few of the stores were heavily damaged and many cars in the mall parking lot were blown some distance and stacked on top of each other. The Wichita Falls tornado formed several miles southwest of the city in Archer County, and traveled over mostly open terrain. The second supercell spawned one that moved 74 miles (119km). Here we goa hymn request from Erlene: Great Is His Faithfulness, sung by the Collingsworth Family. At the end of the outbreak, 54 people lost their lives in Texas, three were killed in Oklahoma and one was killed in Indiana. Maximum path length was about 3/4 mile and the width was 50 to 60 yards. (Rated F5 by the NWS.). The Red River Valley Tornado Outbreak, one of the most significant outbreaks on record for this region, occurred on April 10, 1979. Used by permission of author Don Burgess. In addition, the damage paths of all three were wider than normal. See the article in its original context from. This page was last edited on 25 February 2023, at 02:48. Homes were unroofed and barns were destroyed. The tornado blew many of those vehicles off those roadways, inflicting numerous fatalities. An explanation of both the causes and effects of the many and varied weather systems that affected Texans during the year has been the central objective of this endeavor. Local Non Precipitation Warnings As we drove northeast on US 70, debris was still falling to the ground. Select western north Texas tornado statistics by decade, county or city from the menus or maps below. Evan got up, the moonlight bouncing off his not so wicked blue eyes. Three isolated supercells, forming in mid afternoon, moved northeastward as a trio and were responsible for the worst part of the outbreak. February 16, 2023. The killer tornadoes that ravaged parts of three Texas communities near the Red River late in the afternoon stemmed from a wave of very intense thunderstorms that developed shortly after noon when a dry line advanced rapidly eastward out of the High Plains ahead of an approaching Pacific cold front. I can't say for sure, chasing was different back then. There we hoped the dryline and warm front would intersect with a strong jet stream. No fatalities or injuries occurred. The tornado dissipatedtwo minutes later and caused no damage. Minor wind damage and hail to 2 inches in diameter occurred north of the tornado track in Wichita Falls, in conjunction with its parent supercell. 1970s. One somewhat unique characteristic of the damage was the wide swath F4 damage; many violent tornadoes produce only a narrow swath of their most intense damage. 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. Thread starter Rob Satkus; Start date Apr 8, 2009; Forums. This information is part of Stamboom Vermeij by Truus Vermeij on Genealogy Online. The tornado originated from a weak thunderstorm with a radar top of only 16,000 feet. (Rated F1 by the NWS. Today. Other homes, barns, and outbuildings were damaged. Historical weather events. We examined the circumstances of death and injury among victims of the tornado that struck Wichita Falls, Texas, on 10 April 1979. Averages and Records A total of 2 people were seriously injured along the tornado's path, but most of injuries people received were minor. Extensive wind damage to about 100 homes and outbuildings occurred in Burkburnett where two 40-foot smoke stacks were also toppled. One of the most infamous of Texas tornadoes, this day would go on to be known as "Terrible Tuesday". Instead of going through Vernon we dropped further south through Seymour, then north on Texas 267. Damage as severe as F4 was found along most of the track across the city. Sorry, the location you searched for was not found. The brick building at the water works plant was heavily damaged, and a woman suffered a broken back when her home was destroyed 3 miles south of Burkburnett. 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. The first tornado formed near Seymour at around 4:53 pm. Wolfgang Lange. Below are some quick facts about the event from the NWS Norman: Other data were supplied by the American National Red Cross. Overall, the outbreak produced nearly 30 tornadoes and a large number of damaging wind and severe hail reports. Satellite Imagery, Forecasts He is now self-employed and lives with his family in San Antonio, Texas. It is estimated that 5,000 families, consisting of almost 20,000 people, were left homeless in Wichita Falls. The lights of wichita shone bright now. He was great at identifying cloud structures. Just after 5:00 p.m., another tornado spawned by the same thunderstorm system crashed into Lawton, Oklahoma. Tornado Database Beyond that point, three more tornadoes were spawned with the fifth and last tornado doing severe damage to the southern portion of Lawton, OK (three fatalities). (Colonial Park, Hursh, Southmoor, Southwinds, and Southern Hills) A number of people tried to flee as the tornado moved along US 281 and 287 by driving east on Southwest Parkway. One F4 tornado impacted Vernon, Texas. Half of the injuries sustained by Vernon residents were deemed critical by city officials. There was much scientific discussion and debate concerning the possibility that the some of the damage was severe enough, and wind speeds high enough, for the tornado to be rated F5. High winds in Burkburnett toppled several large trees and damaged limbs, signs, and fences throughout town. Air Quality A number of people tried the flee from the tornado as it crossed the south side of the city by getting in cars and driving east on Southwest Parkway, north on US Highway 281 and east again on US Highway 287. Why the Red River Valley between Childress and Bowie received the most severe outbreak of thunderstorms is explained by Figures 19-26. A mattress fell beside the vehicle and I looked out to see a woman standing in what appeared to be a junk yard. Well-built modern houses, in general, offer fairly good protection from tornadoes. The following severe weather account is by Gene Moore. Caused $190,000 in damage. Moving into the air base proper, the tornado destroyed 5 unoccupied 2-story barracks, damaged a hanger, power installations, transformer station, paint shop, and the base's 10-story control tower. The passage of a violent tornado through an 8-mile section of a city is an almost unheard-of natural disaster. 3. The Wichita Falls storm produced its first tornado at 1653 CST (4:53 PM) near Seymour, TX. Although his house was completely destroyed, Mr. Molet escaped with only minor injuries as his pickup truck was blown over him, protecting him from the worst winds and debris. - May 31st, 2010 . 4. Wolfgang Lange, View looking southwest near Memorial Stadium in Wichita Falls, Texas at the approaching tornado. Wichita Falls Buries the First of 44 Tornado Victims, https://www.nytimes.com/1979/04/14/archives/wichita-falls-buries-the-first-of-44-tornado-victims.html. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Tornado was well documented on film and by NSSL storm researchers. Past Weather Events Galvanized roofing and 2x4 rafters from the barn were thrown along a 100-yard path for 3/4 of a mile. A total of 10 people received injuries due to the high winds. Fire Weather The following images and text copyright Gene Moore unless otherwise indicated. The tornado's worst winds generally missed the Sikes Senter Shopping Mall to the South, but a few of the stores were heavily damaged and >many cars in the mall parking lot were blown some distance and stacked on top of each other. 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 two worst damage points appeared to be McNiel Junior High (location #1 on the damage path diagram; photos 9-15 on the damage photo tab) and the Southwest National Bank (location #4; no close-up photographs available). Surface Maps Lawton had been alerted by Tornado Watch #67 and had received a tornado warning issued by WSFO Oklahoma City. Published In . Local The Norman Doppler radar was used to collect dense data (0.5o azimuth spacing and 150 meter gate spacing) on the Wichita Falls storm during the interval leading to the formation of the violent tornado. By afternoon, the warm front had lifted to the vicinity of the Red River, and a new low pressure area had formed near Childress. These supercells caused the most damaging tornadoes of the outbreak. Tours. The Wichita Falls storm formed north of Abilene, TX. ), March 31, 1892 - A tornado hit parts of Iowa Park where a house was moved 30 feet and destroyed, injuring 3 occupants. So they adopt the religion of Christianity. While only on the ground for 35 minutes, the 800-foot-wide twister killed seven people, injured 111, and destroyed 225 homes. Wayne Collamore. A large number of cars were smashed and some people were killed along U.S. Highway 287. One thousand and sixty-two apartment units and condominiums were demolished and 130 damaged. Also nearby, about 10 utility poles were snapped near the top with debris falling on fences and other sheet metal buildings. About the Artist: Frank Gohlke is a leading figure in American landscape photography. To commemorate this event, the National Weather Service in Norman, Oklahoma has compiled a large amount of information including: tornado photos of the Wichita Falls, Vernon, Seymour, and Harrold, TX tornadoes; damage photos; images of radar and satellite data; other maps and diagrams of the event; and storm data for Oklahoma and western north Texas. April 8, 1961 - A small tornado formed near Kamay at 4:00 pmCST, moved northeast across the Wichita Valley Airport, and then moved into Sheppard AFB. ", "The thunderstorm system that produced the Vernon tornado crossed the Red River and left a 50-mile-long skipping track of tornado damage through Oklahoma. Within 30 minutes the tornado, with a track that varied between 1/2 and 1 1/2 miles wide and 8 miles long, had sped across the southern portion of Wichita Falls. Apr 20, 2012 - The April 10, 1979 tornado in Wichita Falls. Barns were destroyed and livestock was killed, including horses on two farms. Numbers for 1979 were similar to that of 1980. Seventeen hundred injuries were reported in Wichita Falls. In addition, many businesses, cars, trees, windows, TV antennas, and power poles incurred damage. On that spring day, three large supercell storms developed, each producing a series of tornadoes that moved quickly across the northern Texas and southern Oklahoma plains. Joe Landon Haney. On the first street of houses to the northeast of Lange's apartment complex, Robert Molet also photographed the approaching tornado (location #3). When it was all over, an 8 mile swath of the city over a mile wide was . The tornado was preceded by strong winds, and then followed at once by heavy rain and hail, which covered a 200-square mile area. [7] It is the principal city of the Wichita Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Archer, Clay, and Wichita counties. Wichita Falls Tornado 1979. Earlier on the same day, several tornadoes hit farther west. We proceeded southwest toward Seymour witnessing a small tornado near Lake Kemp that was accompanied by golf ball size hail. Local Climate Data Violent weather became more widespread as the afternoon progressed. The first in a series of tornadoes struck near Foard City shortly after 3 o'clock destroying several rural homes, barns, and farm equipment. Hail the size of golf balls preceded the touchdown and continued for approximately 15 minutes. Severe damage in the Pruitt City area. After extensive engineering analysis of the winds necessary to produce the observed structural failure to those buildings, it was concluded that all of the damage could have been produced by winds in the upper part of the F4 range (230 - 260 mph). WICHITA FALLS The tenth day of April is a day that will be forever etched in the history of the city of Wichita Falls.42 years ago, on April 10, 1979, a severe weather outbreak in North Texas . On April 10, 1979, a huge F4 tornado touched down just outside of Wichita Falls. |. There were a total 42 tornado fatalities in Wichita Falls, of which 25 were vehicle related. Updated: Feb. 23, 2023 at 7:25 AM PST. The F5 storm tore through Wichita and Andover, leaving a path of destruction in its wake. The storm that produced an EF-4 tornado a mile wide would ultimately leave over fifty people dead, displace one fifth of Wichita Falls' population, and change the landscape of our city forever. After moving northeast of Seymour, the tornado intensified. Sorry, the location you searched for was not found. Rain was beginning to rotate totally around the funnel at this time and the tornado was producing an audible roar so loud it was hard to communicate. This tornado was part of an outbreak of tornadoes that occurred on May 25-26, 1955 across the southern Great Plains, and included the deadly F5 tornadoes at Blackwell, OK and Udall, KS. A number of people were also killed or injured in the parking lot of Sikes Senter (sic) Mall, also on Kemp Boulevard. This is a digitized version of an article from The Timess print archive, before the start of online publication in 1996. 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. Most of the deaths were in Wichita Falls and Vernon, Texas, and Lawton, Oklahoma. One person was injured. A woman was injured when her truck rolled into the ditch in which she was taking cover. The tornado first touched down at 2:35 pm CST north of the intersection of Farm Road 369 and Seymour Highway. Fortunately, on April 10, 1979, McNiel Junior High was almost totally unoccupied when the tornado struck and a worse catastrophe was avoided. Wichita Falls Tornado. Wildfire Safety After crossing U.S. Highway 281, the twister then struck the Sun Valley neighborhood and destroyed additional homes, apartments, and businesses on the south side of U.S. Highway 287. All NOAA. These figures include 12 counties. This was the most spectacular event I had ever witnessed to date. Meteorologists still refer to that day as Terrible Tuesday because of the immense devastation and the sheer numbers. (Rated F3 by the NWS. A fourth tornado touched down just outside of Seymour an hour later, but again damage was comparatively minor. Eleven of the 16 people left homes that were not even damaged. More. Caused over $300,000 in damage to homes, barns, and a rock crushing plant. The most recent exceptionally destructive storm to hit the Wichita Falls area occurred on April 3, 1964, when a tornado killed 7 people, injured 111, and caused $15 million in damages, including 225 homes that were completely destroyed. More than 1700 injuries occurred within Wichita Falls. NOAA Disaster Survey Report 80-1, Chapter 1. Forty-two people were killed outright by the storm and 3 others died as a result of heart attacks. (Rated F2 by the NWS. The formation of the tornado and its movement toward the Memorial Stadium and McNiel Junior High School were captured by Wolfgang Lange from the front of his apartment complex which was across the street from school building (Tornado Track Figure; Location #2). The storm spawned a second tornado that moved through the south and east sides of Wichita Falls at around 6:00 pm. Living in Tornado Alley, I'm most familiar with tornados. The tornado then crossed a short span of open fields before moving into the Colonial Park area. Eddie complained, but kept fighting the wheel. On April 10, 1979, a devastating tornado struck Wichita Falls in North Texas. The twister cut a swath through one-third of the city and killed. ), June 6, 1936 - A tornado touched down at 5:20 pm CST and moved southeastward over a path of 440 yards wide by four miles long caused damage of $50,000 in Wichita Falls and injured two people, although one person may have been hurt due to a lightning strike. among them is this still life with tornado that can be your partner. We didn't get phone guidance and it was before on-board equipment. The other times were outbreaks on June 8, 1974 and May 3, 1999. Weather Radio, About Us Two oil storage tanks were blown away and several homes were unroofed near Farm Road 2650 as the tornado approached Wichita Falls. About Our Office Residents of Wichita Falls and Wichita County had been receiving severe weather warnings for close to an hour before the tornado reached the city around 6 p.m. (Documented and rated F2 by Grazulis. 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