Continuing at F4 intensity, the now massive wedge tornado, which was at its maximum 1.5 miles (2.4km) wide, cut a 2.5-mile (4.0km) swath of destruction through the south side of town. Photographs indicated that it was a large, cylindrical tornado with a well organized debris cloud. We knew the storms were coming, but didn't want to meet fast moving cells head-on in the low visibilities north of the warm front. One more more brief tornadoes occurred within a larger area of straight-line wind damage in Lauderdale County. Apr 20, 2012 - The April 10, 1979 tornado in Wichita Falls. Two reports can be found on this web site. More destruction from the Wichita Falls tornado, Last edited on 25 February 2023, at 02:48, List of North American tornadoes and tornado outbreaks, Learn how and when to remove this template message, "Wichita Falls, TX Tornadoes (1900-Present)", "The Red River Valley Tornado Outbreak of 10 April 1979", "Normalized Damage from Major Tornadoes in the United States: 18901999", 10.1175/1520-0434(2001)016<0168:NDFMTI>2.0.CO;2, The Red River Valley Tornado Outbreak of April 10, 1979, Full map of the 1979 Red River Valley tornado outbreak, 47miles.org - A project to construct a memorial to the Wichita Falls tornado, Terrible Tuesday - Wichita Falls, Texas Tornado 1979, Terrible Tuesday (1979) Red River Valley Tornado Outbreak, Terrible Tuesday: April 10, 1979 in Wichita Falls, Texas, Coming Back: Wichita Falls, TX Tornado - April 10, 1979 KAUZ-TV, Bridge Creek, Moore, & Oklahoma City (Metro), OK, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=1979_Red_River_Valley_tornado_outbreak&oldid=1141443347. 1 A tornado struck Waco and McLennan County on May 11, 1953, inflicting 114 deaths, 597 injuries, and damages of $4i.2 million. I often read in more general reference books as well as a handful of weather books that a tornado at Wichita Falls, TX, on April 2, 1958 had a wind gust recorded at 280 mph. Please Contact Us. There was strong upper level dynamics all coming together to produce strong tornado-producing supercells. Neighbors took shelter together while federal and local groups assembled. As the first violent tornado on record to hit the Wichita Falls area, [18] it left seven dead and more than 100 injured. It was the remains of her home. Wolfgang Lange, View looking southwest near Memorial Stadium in Wichita Falls, Texas at the approaching tornado. The Wichita Falls storm produced a third and final tornado about 2000 CST (8:00 PM) near Pruitt, OK. CoCoRaHS The twister did level a number of telephone poles along Highway 283, before dissipating just east of 283 near Maybelle. It moved northeastward across U.S. Highway 287 into the Sunset Terrace addition, and then crossed the Red River Expressway (U.S. Highway 277) into the Lincoln Heights addition and eventually Sheppard Air Force Base. 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. We give still life with tornado and numerous ebook collections from fictions to scientific research in any way. 3. 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. Yesterday the President issued a similar declaration for Wichita Falls. Upper Air Maps ", 1 The Storm Prediction Center is now located in Norman, Oklahoma When autocomplete results are available use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. The following text contains excerpts from the Texas Department of Water Resources publication "A Review of Texas' Weather in 1979: The Year of Devastating Tornadoes and Flash Floods" published in 1980. The tornado was photographed from the south during this period by Pat Blacklock location #5). The intense damage averaged between one quarter and one half of a mile in width. The storm killed eight people in Sandusky before moving east over Lake Erie and striking Lorain, where 72 were killed. Wichita Falls, Texas, on April 10, 1979. One man was killed at a dairy farm in Dean. However, several small communities, among them Harrold, Texas and Grandfield, Oklahoma, were hit by the storm. Excerpts from the Texas Department of Water Resources publication, "A Review of Texas' Weather in 1979: The Year of Devastating Tornadoes and Flash Floods," is also available. We left NSSL in Norman, Oklahoma at 10:30 AM to our target of Vernon, TX. Hail ranged in sizes "from mothballs to pineapples." those all. One of the tornadoes, having a width that varied from 1/2 to 1 1/2 miles, cut a swath of devastation across the southern sector of Wichita Falls in less than 30 minutes, killing 42 persons, injuring more than 1700, and burying dozens of city blocks under tons of debris. Explore. As seen in the photographs by Winston Wells (location #10), the tornado became multi-vortex, displaying as many as five satellite vortices rotating around the center of circulation. Non Precipitation Warnings Daily Weather History We couldn't make it into Wichita Falls because we almost ran out of gas. Property damages to both civilian properties and Sheppard were set at over $15 million. Forty-two people were killed outright by the storm and 3 others died as a result of heart attacks. (Rated F2 by the NWS. Records taken from the Storm Prediction Center archive data, "Storm Data", and data from the National Weather Service office in Norman. The tornado slung mud across the inside of the windshield which made it difficult to drive. The following severe weather account is by Gene Moore. Tornado statistics for older years like this often appear significantly lower than modern years due to fewer reports or confirmed tornadoes. DOC/NOAA, January, 1980: Red River Valley Tornadoes of April 10, 1979. The sun had set, and the moon was now a crescent. Historic tornado in Wichita KS McConnell AFB 1991. Several homes were demolished, and a number of barns were partially destroyed. To the south of the warm front, moist, unstable air was streaming northward. Meteorologists still refer to that day as Terrible Tuesday because of the immense devastation and the sheer numbers. Gene is a graduate of Oklahoma University who photographed storms when he lived in Norman, Oklahoma during the 1970s. Sixteen of these 25 were people who entered their cars trying to evade the tornado. The first tornado formed near Seymour at around 4:53 pm. With surface pressures in the southern High Plains plunging rapidly, a low pressure center formed in the vicinity of Lubbock around noon (Figure 15). Local Climate Data Two trailers were destroyed, and three homes were damaged. among them is this still life with tornado that can be your partner. All who have looked at and studied the event agree that the death toll would have been much larger had there not been not been such systems in place and functioning on April 10. 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. 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 tornado was photographed from the south during this period by Pat Blacklock, who was located on the southern shore of Lake Wichita (Tornado Track Figure; location #5). Storm Pictures. Submit a Spot Forecast Winter Weather Safety, Special Programs Click on the numbers on the map below or on each individual photo to see a larger image of that photo. A second severe thunderstorm pounded the area just north of Brownwood with hail having a diameter of 3 to 3 1/2 inches. Near the center of the tornado and about a half mile south of the mall, a church was demolished with one person killed inside the building. It is interesting to note that the Seymour and Wichita Falls tornadoes both formed during periods of relative decline in storm-top height and reflectivity values, a characteristic that has been noted for a number of supercell storms that have produced several cycles of tornadoes. It then became calm before the winds began to pick up. Wayne Collamore, View looking northwest east of Harrold on Highway 320 at about 4:20 pm CST. In addition, many businesses, cars, trees, windows, TV antennas, and power poles incurred damage. ), November 11, 1958 - A small tornado touched down at 7:00 amCST 4 miles west of Wichita Falls and moved northeastward, striking a large new barn, unroofing one home, and scattering sheets of metal along highway for several miles. Submit a Spot Forecast Of the 7 people killed, six occurred in 5 different homes, and one man was killed when his truck was thrown from a road. Lubbock, Wichita Falls, Waco, and of course Fort Worth come to mind, even Austin had one dancing around over the Capitol dome in 1922. StormReady We didn't get phone guidance and it was before on-board equipment. Caused a total of $449,000 in damage. By the end of the day we had seen four tornadoes, Thalia, Vernon (although not well), Lake Kemp, and Seymour. It was on the ground for 11 miles. ), May 26, 1955 - A small tornado touched down briefly at 1:38 am CST, moved northeastward along a narrow, 1-mile path and demolished a "washateria" and produced severely damaged several utility poles, business structures, homes, and trees. Jeanine V. Wolff. 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. No fatalities or injuries occurred. 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. 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). Severe Weather Safety Additional light rural damage occurred in the miles of Wichita County that the tornado covered. No explanation for the unusually low reflectivity values with that phase of the storm (sensed by several radars) has been developed. It was a large, but distant funnel that may have been the beginning of the horrific tornado that moved through that city. Five bus passengers were injured when they took shelter in a ditch, only to have the bus roll onto them. The tornado killed 42 Wichita Falls residents and caused over $200 million in damages, leaving 20 percent of the city's population homeless. Then the supercell spawned one that killed three people in Lawton, Oklahoma. 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). 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. As the storm bore down, those who sought the safest refuge in their immediate surroundings generally fared well. Winter Weather Safety, Special Programs February 16, 2023. Home; Exhibits and Displays Pat Blacklock. Tornado tore a large section of roof from an elementary school near. About 65 people attended the funeral. This route took us in front of the advancing vortex and provided a pretty exciting ride. Pat Blacklock, View looking northwest from south shore of Lake Wichita at the tornado approaching Wichita Falls, Texas. Evan got up, the moonlight bouncing off his not so wicked blue eyes. The middle supercell, the Harrold-Grandfield storm, produced the longest-track tornado of the outbreak (64 mile path length) at 1555 CST (3:55 PM). Museum of the Kansas National Guard . The large Wichita Falls F4 tornado moving through town. Today. (Documented and rated F2 by Grazulis. The mall was on the north side of the tornado path and appeared to escape the most violent winds. No fatalities or injuries occurred. More Observations 1964, and another in 1979. A dry line had formed from the Childress low southward, and temperatures had become very warm in west Texas. -11 Wilbarger County, TX. Suite 2400Norman, OK 73072(405) 325-3816Comments? The clouds in the flanking lines exploded up the back of the storm through the back-sheared anvil to the overshooting top. During this period, large hail was occurring in the central and northern portions of Wichita Falls as the tornado devastated the southern portion of the city. Twenty-five of the deaths were. 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. We continued south passing a damage path across the highway from the Harrold tornado. On April 3, 1964, a devastating F5 tornado hit the northern region of Wichita Falls and Sheppard Air Force Base. The tornado moved northeastward as was described as a "dirty green funnel." The tornado originated from a weak thunderstorm with a radar top of only 16,000 feet. 15:25 F4. The awesome "freight train like sound" was audible from the Weather Bureau Airport Station. It seems that almost every major Texas city has had to deal with a tornado at least once. June 16, 1997 - A survey conducted by a National Weather Service meteorologist confirmed that an F1 tornado touched down briefly about 5 miles southeast of Burkburnett (or 1.5 miles north of the north end of Sheppard AFB). No fatalities or serious injuries occurred, but 13 people were treated for minor injuries, mostly as a result of flying glass. Storm Data, Weather Safety Wichita Falls Tornado 1979. Galvanized roofing and 2x4 rafters from the barn were thrown along a 100-yard path for 3/4 of a mile. About Our Office At the time I had a 16 mm film camera and I set up shop on a fence post and started shooting. A destructive and deadly tornado outbreak impacted the Red River Valley on April 10, 1979. Other ingredients for a volatile weather situation were also present: a major upper-air trough extending from the southern Rockies into northern Mexico, migrating eastward into western Texas and deepening significantly at the same time (Figure 11); a strong wind shear from the surface to 500 millibars and a thin layer of very moist air at the surface with rapid drying immediately above at about 700 mb (Figure 12 and Figure 13). Here we goa hymn request from Erlene: Great Is His Faithfulness, sung by the Collingsworth Family. Widespread downburst winds and hail brought damages of $200,000 to the town of Iowa Park alone. After the tornado, a thorough investigation of the damage was performed by Texas Tech University, Institute for Disaster Research, and the University of Chicago. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. ), June 6, 1936 - This tornado moved south into the northeastern edge of Wichita Falls, and was associated with the same parent supercell thunderstorm that produced the earlier tornado near Burkburnett. The Wichita Falls tornado cut a wide swath of dam. Satellite Imagery, Forecasts The tornado has widened and intensified at this stage. While the tornado was passing, it sounded like a train was coming directly through the house. . FAQ ), 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. The damage was quite hit and miss. 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. The Wichita Falls tornado of April 10, 1979 was one of thirteen tornadoes which rampaged across parts of north Texas and Oklahoma that "Terrible Tuesday." This over one mile-wide beast. Approximately 30 houses in the addition were damage with some houses suffering extensive damage. Several brief touchdowns in Seymour resulted in scattered roof damage and one overturned truck. A concrete block building was destroyed, and another was partially destroyed. age through the southern half of tne city. 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. On the first street of houses to the northeast of Wolfgang Lange's apartment complex, Robert Molet also photographed the approaching tornado (Tornado Track Figure; Location #3). Hail the size of golf balls preceded the touchdown and continued for approximately 15 minutes. The tornado cut through a field and went into a housing addition on the southwest edge of Sheppard AFB. Bailey Turnpike to Lawton we were in low clouds with light fog and drizzle. After moving northeast of Seymour, the tornado intensified. More widespread home destruction occurred in Colonial Park and several more apartment complexes were demolished. 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. One piece of farm equipment was destroyed and damage occurred to fences and trees. April 2, 1958 - A funnel was first spotted 8 miles southwest of Wichita Falls before touching down at 5:40 pmCST near the intersection 4th Street and Lamar Street near the Wichita River. Pat Blacklock, View looking north from south shore of Lake Wichita at the tornado approaching Wichita Falls, Texas. More than 1700 injuries occurred within Wichita Falls. View looking west-northwest from south shore of Lake Wichita at the tornado approaching Wichita Falls, Texas. In the latter Blacklock photographs, the gust front and associated strong west winds to the south of the tornado can be seen producing waves on Lake Wichita and kicking up spray from the lake. I had never witnessed anything of this magnitude. We decided to make a break for it to the east which was not a smart move. Thus, he stood in his backyard driveway and photographed the destruction of the apartment complex and the beginning of destruction in his neighborhood. This report summarizes the injuries and deaths associated with these tornadoes based on information from emergency department and hospital records and death certificates. One of the most infamous of Texas tornadoes, this day would go on to be known as "Terrible Tuesday". The collingsworth family is a southern gospel /inspirational group started by phil and kim collingsworth and features their family as the group. Winston Wells, View looking southwest at the approaching tornado northeast of Wichita Falls, Texas. Air Quality For the first time in years we altered that route. In addition, the author hopes that the analyses will serve as a handy source of reference to those who seek to recall the past and those whose research work attempts to relate the weather to other aspects of human existence. It generally moved to the northeast, but turned to the right along the middle of its path, the period during which it produced its violent tornado. More. Simon Cornelis Maria Vermeij was born on March 26, 1959 in Amsterdam, son of Hendrikus Gerardus Vermeij and Henritte Christina Maria Steur. Additional tornadoes were reported across the Southern Plains as well as in the Mississippi River Valley on April 1112. By this time teams from NSSL and the University of Oklahoma had arrived. As it turned out we would have driven into Vernon just before a major tragedy unfolded with injuries and death. Hazardous Weather Outlook The tornado then crossed over Kemp Boulevard and destroyed several commercial businesses, including a restaurant, resulting in several additional fatalities.
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