So they adopt the religion of Christianity. The tornado was 1.5 miles wide as it passed through 8 miles of residential area in Wichita Falls. I didn't want to move. 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. Tornado Database It is believed that many more minor injuries were never recorded.[5][6][7]. Fire Weather Additional tornadoes were reported across the Southern Plains as well as in the Mississippi River Valley on April 1112. Tours. Over 3,000 homes were destroyed and another 1,000 were damaged, and over 1,000 apartment units/ condominiums were destroyed and another 130 damaged. 1 A tornado struck Waco and McLennan County on May 11, 1953, inflicting 114 deaths, 597 injuries, and damages of $4i.2 million. Several homes and businesses, a mobile home park, a church, and a school were damaged. No fatalities or serious injuries occurred, but 13 people were treated for minor injuries, mostly as a result of flying glass. It then moved into Clay County and changed its appearance to display a multiple-vortex structure. Property damages to both civilian properties and Sheppard were set at over $15 million. Satellite Imagery, Forecasts FU F0 F1 F2 F3 F4 F5 0 10 19 . Historic tornado in Wichita KS McConnell AFB 1991. 45 people died in the Wichita Falls tornado. Storm Events Database, tornadoes, 04-10-1979. April 10, 1979 - The tornado, which was part of a tornado outbreak in the Red River valley area, began at 5:50 pmCST on the southwest flank of its parent supercell thunderstorm about 3 miles east-northeast of Holliday. Summer Weather Safety As the tornado crossed Kemp Boulevard., several commercial businesses, including a restaurant, were destroyed with several additional fatalities. The Wichita Falls tornado alone killed 42 people and caused $400 million in damage ($1.93billion in today's dollars). The tornado developed on the extreme northeast side of Seymour and moved northeast to about 2 miles north-northeast of Maybelle. The tornado continued into Clay County, resulting in no deaths, but 40 additional injuries. Science And Nature . Known as the Red River Valley tornado outbreak or "Terrible Tuesday," 30 tornadoes ran rampant. The tornado exited Texas about 4 miles east of Byers, uprooting over 200 trees along the Red River. The first in a series of tornadoes struck near Foard City shortly after 3 o'clock destroying several rural homes, barns, and farm equipment. FAQ It looked killer from the beginning. To the south of the warm front, moist, unstable air was streaming northward. One piece of farm equipment was destroyed and damage occurred to fences and trees. It was a large, but distant funnel that may have been the beginning of the horrific tornado that moved through that city. ), April 20, 1951 - A small, brief tornado touched down near Wichita Falls and was accompanied by light hail. Most tornadoes form in the U.S., although some events may take place internationally. Hail to 1.75 inches was also reported south of the city. The tornado then crossed a short span of open fields before moving into the Colonial Park area. During this interval, the tornado was photographed by Professor Joe Henderson of Midwestern State University from the Ligon Coliseum (Tornado Track Figure; Location #7) and by Troy Glover from the roof of the Bethania Hospital (Tornado Track Figure; Location #8). This page documents the tornadoes and tornado outbreaks of 1979, primarily in the United States. 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. Two oil storage tanks were blown away and several homes were unroofed near Farm Road 2650 as the tornado approached Wichita Falls. At 1730 CST (5:30 PM), a core of greater than 50 dBZ and two mesocyclones were seen with the storm. Sirens blew as the tornado bore down on Vernon. Most people heeded the warnings and took shelter inside interior, small rooms in their homes. 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. 25 of the 42 fatalities from the tornado were vehicle related, 16 of which were of people who left their homes to evade the massive tornado. One F4 tornado impacted Vernon, Texas. NWS 4. Bailey Turnpike to Lawton we were in low clouds with light fog and drizzle. Wichita Falls plagued by tornadoes on April 10, 1979 A tornado set down at 5:50 p.m. about three miles east-northeast of Holliday. The storm occurred in a largely uninhabited area, but heavily damaged a barn by unroofing it and buckling two of the barn walls outward. 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. Aloft, the strong wind maximum was over the Red River area, producing significant vertical wind shear. This image was taken as the tornado widened and approached our position. View looking southwest at the approaching tornado northeast of Wichita Falls, Texas. Local View obituary. Total damage in the city was estimated at $400 million; five thousand families (or about 20,000 people) were left homeless. The passage of a violent tornado through an 8-mile section of a city is an almost unheard-of natural disaster. We received the following letter from Joel Manes, who was living in Wichita Falls, Texas on April 10, 1979. The southern supercell, the Wichita Falls storm, produced its first tornado at 1653 CST (4:53 PM) near Seymour, TX. The long, slender tornado was milky white in appearance and was accompanied by a loud roar. April 10, 2001 - This tornado developed on the south side of Wichita Falls at 11:46 pmCST, a short distance from Lake Wichita. (Rated F3 by the NWS. Following the deadly Red River Valley tornado outbreak, the National Weather Service, in partnership with FEMA and the American Red Cross, produced a documentary called "Terrible Tuesday" that chronicled the events in Wichita Falls on April 10, 1979. The following images and text copyright Gene Moore unless otherwise indicated. 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. More than 40 died, and about 1,700 were injured. 15:25 F4. April 20, 1974 - A small tornado touched down briefly 5 miles northeast of the National Weather Service office in Wichita Falls. Severe, tornado-producing, thunderstorms erupted along the dry line and moved eastward along and north of the warm front, continuing into the night in central and northeast Oklahoma. Unlike Mr. Lange, Mr. Molet did not have an unobstructed view of the western horizon and did not immediately recognize that the threatening cloud was a tornado. This followed an earlier warning at 5:08 pm, due to the Rocky Point tornado. A few intense thunderstorms erupted at about the same time in the northwestern portion of North Central Texas; small hail and high winds raked Gainesville and Decatur during the noon hour. 44 homes and mobile homes were damaged or destroyed. It was on the ground for 11 miles. But before the day's end, three very large, devastating tornadoes swept across the area leaving scores dead and hundreds injured. February 18, 2023 (64 years old) View obituary. ", "At Vernon, reports of earlier damage to the southwest of the city had alerted spotters and city officials. He later moved to Oklahoma City where he worked in TV weather before working for the federal government. There is no doubt that hundreds of lives were saved by the news media and siren warnings. The following table includes data and summaries from the tornadoes that occurred in the area since the late 1800's. Unlike Mr. Lange, Mr. Molet did not have an unobstructed view of the western horizon and did not immediately recognize that the threatening cloud was a tornado. Meteorologists still refer to that day as Terrible Tuesday because of the immense devastation and the sheer numbers. Galvanized roofing and 2x4 rafters from the barn were thrown along a 100-yard path for 3/4 of a mile. |. Occasionally the digitization process introduces transcription errors or other problems; we are continuing to work to improve these archived versions. The tornado's first fatalities were recorded in the apartment complex and adjoining housing area. 2. Ingredients for a devastating severe weather event were beginning to come together on the morning of April 10. We examined the circumstances of death and injury among victims of the tornado that struck Wichita Falls, Texas, on 10 April 1979. Miss Mahon's parents and five brothers and sisters wept as the Rev. A number of people were also killed or injured in the parking lot of Sikes Senter (sic) Mall, also on Kemp Boulevard. Six barns and two homes were destroyed. A second severe thunderstorm pounded the area just north of Brownwood with hail having a diameter of 3 to 3 1/2 inches. Precipitation was to our west through southwest and wrapped around the tornado. National Weather Service 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. Historic data, especially before 1950, are likely incomplete. Driving north on Texas 267 we witnessed the Thalia tornado. Fortunately, no one was killed or injured by the tornado. Additional light rural damage occurred in the miles of Wichita County that the tornado covered. Approaching Harrold, Texas from the southeast on Highway 287 - view is looking west at 4:00 pm CST. 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. Apr 20, 2012 - The April 10, 1979 tornado in Wichita Falls. I had never witnessed anything of this magnitude. The tornado was eventually rated F5 and was the first violent tornado on record to strike the Wichita Falls area. He shot these images one handed while driving down a dirt road. 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. passed away on Thursday, February 23, 2023 in Wichita Falls Texas. Caused a total of $449,000 in damage. ), 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. It is estimated that 5,000 families, consisting of almost 20,000 people, were left homeless in Wichita Falls. Wildfire Safety They were flying by faster than I thought any bird could go; I wonder what they thought After this scene the tornado became wrapped in the rain and difficult to photograph. Each lasted for an hour or more and left a continuous track of ground damage 35 miles or longer. It seems that almost every major Texas city has had to deal with a tornado at least once. Thread starter Rob Satkus; Start date Apr 8, 2009; Forums. April 26, 1962 - This tornado initially touched down at 10:45 pmCST on the Sheppard Access Road near Sheppard AFB, damaging several cars, and destroying a a 100 x 30 foot metal building at a motor company. Deaths An Estimated 42 people died Fortunately, its long path on the ground was mostly over open farmland so that it caused relatively few casualties and small total property damage. One thousand and sixty-two apartment units and condominiums were demolished and 130 damaged. A Doppler radar view of the three supercells is available. Wichita Falls, Texas, on April 10, 1979. 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). Deaths were near normal . A 368-foot radio antenna and 2 others antennas were blown down, and multiple power lines were downed. 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. Tornado warning and preparedness systems are worth the time and effort it takes to maintain them. The lights of wichita shone bright now. Thunderstorm winds blew a sheet metal roof off a horse barn just east of Sheppard Air Force Base, tore off part of the roof of a radio station 6 miles southwest of Wichita Falls, tore a patio roof off a house in Wichita Falls. The heaviest damage in the apartments occurred in the second story of two-story buildings. Eight persons were killed outside, 4 were killed in homes or apartments, and 4 others died in public buildings. Surprisingly, very few fatalities occurred in Faith Village. During its life, radar-derived storm tops exceeded 50,000 feet and reflectivities were higher than 50 dBZ. (1 death) April 10 - Texas, Oklahoma (11 deaths) April 10 - Texas, . More. 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). 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. Winston Wells, View looking southwest at the approaching tornado northeast of Wichita Falls, Texas. First indications of tornado damage were near Harrold, which is located approximately 16 miles southwest of Vernon. A large number of roofs were damaged at the air base, and buildings at the Wichita Valley Airport also suffered roof damage. The storm killed eight people in Sandusky before moving east over Lake Erie and striking Lorain, where 72 were killed. A very intense spring storm shifted out of the Rocky Mountains on April 10, generating lines of severe thunderstorms that swept across the northern portion of the State. Please try another search. Past Weather Events The following text comes from Chapter I of the NOAA Natural Disaster Report 80-1, "The Red River Valley Tornadoes of April 10, 1979. Tornado Database Dissipation of the tornado occurred northwest of Waurika, Oklahoma, bringing the path length to 36 miles in Texas, and 11 miles in Oklahoma. Unsolved Death in Wichita Falls, TX. The Wichita Falls area has been visited by tornadoes many times over the course of its history. The effects of passage of both the warm front from the Gulf and later the dry line from the west were pronounced at points like Abilene, where rapidly falling surface pressures, a soaring temperature, and a sudden plunge in dew point (signaling the arrival of the dry line) identified well the events that combined to cause devastation farther to the north a few hours later (Figure 18). Although roughly 4,000 homes were struck by the tornado, there were only five fatalities of people inside homes along the path of the tornado. One mobile home was completely destroyed on Bobby Point Road, prompting an F1 rating. This page was last edited on 25 February 2023, at 02:48. To the north of Southwest Parkway, the tornado destroyed many houses in the Western Hills Addition. The most active portion of the advancing dry line traversed this sector of the Low Rolling Plains at precisely the time of occurrence of the tornado outbreak (Figure 19). Three houses were destroyed and several others were damaged. Hazardous Weather Outlook [7] It is the principal city of the Wichita Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Archer, Clay, and Wichita counties. Please Contact Us. Well-built modern houses, in general, offer fairly good protection from tornadoes. Minor damage occurred to some fences and the area. The mall was on the north side of the tornado path and appeared to escape the most violent winds. ), May 9, 1951 - A supercell thunderstorm produced a small, narrow tornado that moved east-northeastward along a 5-mile path from Iowa Park to near Wichita Falls. McNeil Junior High school was next in the path of the tornado and the school was severely damaged. Major damage in the. A total of 2 homes were completely destroyed with 31 homes and 17 mobile homes being damaged. 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. A powerful tornado tore through the Wichita, Kansas, area Friday night, leveling dozens of structures in the city of Andover, according to officials. The Red River Valley Tornadoes of April 10, 1979. . Nationwide, Current Conditions A tornado on the gust front developed at 3:01 pmCST near Wichita Falls Municipal Airport and traveled east approximately 1/2 mile before dissipating near Sheppard AFB at 3:04 pmCST. Tornado Watch #67 was issued at 1:55 p.m. Central Standard Time (CST)2 calling for tornadoes, large hail, and damaging thunderstorm winds in portions of a 30,000-square-mile area in north central Texas and southwest Oklahoma. The storm's second tornado, the terrible Wichita Falls tornado, formed at 1755 CST (5:55 PM) to the southwest of the city and moved through the southern and eastern sides of Wichita Falls shortly after 1800 CST (6:00 PM). Although high numbers of deaths have occurred in vehicles during tornadoes, the occurrences are rare. In particular, note the sharp decline in reflectivity near the genesis time and during the life of the Wichita Falls tornado with maximum values less than 45 dBZ for a brief period. The destruction in Wichita Falls resulted in 42 dead, 1,740 injured, over 3,000 homes destroyed and damage of approximately $400 million. Rampaging killer tornadoes and devastating floodwaters brought unparalleled tragedy to groups of communities in the Low Rolling Plains and the Upper Coast of Texas during April. Two barns were also destroyed and scattered across a field. . Tornadoes are capable of completely destroying well-made structures, uprooting trees, and hurling objects through the air like deadly missiles. April 10, 1979 by James R Mcdonald _ Joseph E. Minor April 20, 1979 . Members of the Wichita Falls Repeater Club Weather Spotters manned their pre-planned command post on the NWS Office (WSO) and deployed radio-equipped members to vantage points that assured good observation coverage southwest of the city. Multiple vortices are seen in this photo. The northern supercell, the Vernon-Lawton storm, produced its first tornado at 1505 CST (3:05 PM) south of Crowell, TX. May 30, 2001 - This tornado was observed at 6:30 pm CST by three people over northern portions of Lake Wichita, or 6 miles southwest of Wichita Falls. March 3, 1973 - The Wichita Falls police department reported a small tornado touching down briefly in the vicinity of Midwestern University. The storm's second tornado, the terrible Wichita Falls tornado, formed at 1755 CST (5:55 PM) to the southwest of the city and moved through the southern and eastern sides of Wichita Falls shortly after 1800 CST (6:00 PM). After moving northeast of Seymour, the tornado intensified. This most damaging tornado in Texas history was not finished, however. Winston Wells, Current Hazards Six cross-country steel transmission towers were destroyed just east of Farm Road 2650. As a result of the early warning, the casualty list of 3 dead and 109 injured was relatively small despite the destruction of several hundred homes and businesses. 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. A mattress fell beside the vehicle and I looked out to see a woman standing in what appeared to be a junk yard. Wrecked cars were smashed against bridge abutments, a power plant was knocked out, and part of a high school was destroyed. McNiel Junior High, a new concrete/steel-reinforced building was not built well enough to provide safe shelter from the tornado. Tornado Warnings, Climate and Past Weather Daily Weather History The highly unsettled atmosphere out ahead of the advancing dry air is illustrated by the sounding taken at Stephenville just as the gargantuan tornado was hitting Wichita Falls; the lowest 300 mb of the atmosphere was highly convectively unstable (Figure 24). Our path across the Red River was always through Lawton; then we usually took a short cut on OK 36 and OK 5 through open wheat country to Fredrick and Vernon. Damage as severe as F4 was found along most of the track across the city. Tours. One F4 tornado impacted Vernon, Texas.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. A detailed mapping of each house and public/commercial building in the city led to the construction of an F-scale map. Forecast Discussion, Warnings and Other Products Click on the numbers on the map below or on each individual photo to see a larger image of that photo. The school building was totally destroyed by the tornado. In 1978 Wichita Falls was the host of the first NCAA Division I-AA championship game. WICHITA FALLS, Tex., April 13 (UPI) Survivors of the tornado that devastated the southern part of this oil and agriculture center began burying their dead today while city officials tried to keep sightseers and looters away. At the end of the outbreak, 54 people lost their lives in Texas, three were killed in Oklahoma and one was killed in Indiana. Tornado caused $3,500,000 to the downtown business district in. Suite 2400Norman, OK 73072(405) 325-3816Comments? The Wichita Falls tornado, with how black . In many years at least some portions of the Lone Star State experience destruction or severe damage from an untimely freeze, a debilitating drought, or a lengthy spell of excessive rains. Flood Warnings It began at 4:57 p.m. about a mile-and-a-half south of Clearwater. Wolfgang Lange, View looking southwest near Memorial Stadium in Wichita Falls, Texas at the time of tornado touchdown. Wolfgang Lange. Casualty data were supplied by the Texas and Oklahoma NWS offices. Explore. On the evening of April 10th 1979 an F4 tornado touched down outside Wichita Falls TX and carved a 47 mile long path of destruction that would become the costliest Tornado in United States History. In the upper atmosphere, the nose of an extremely strong jet stream wind maximum was moving eastward through northern Mexico, preparing to turn northeastward and take aim on Texas and Oklahoma. The tornado killed 42 Wichita Falls residents and caused over $200 million in damages, leaving 20 percent of the city's population homeless. This information is part of Stamboom Vermeij by Truus Vermeij on Genealogy Online. 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. Golfball-size hail fell prior to and immediately after the tornado passed along a track that took it into Oklahoma (where it dissipated near Waurika). 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