Pat Blacklock, View looking north-northwest from south shore of Lake Wichita at the tornado approaching Wichita Falls, Texas. 3. One man was killed at a dairy farm in Dean. "It was just a regular old day. Upper Air Maps Forty-two people were killed outright by the storm, while 3 others died of heart attacks. The tornado moved to the north-northwest during its life before lifting 2 miles from Burkburnett. Each parallelogram on the map below represents the approximate aerial coverage shown in each photo. April 10, 2001 - This tornado developed on the south side of Wichita Falls at 11:46 pmCST, a short distance from Lake Wichita. 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. The tornado killed 42 Wichita Falls residents and caused over $200 million in damages, leaving 20 percent of the city's population homeless. The F5 storm tore through Wichita and Andover, leaving a path of destruction in its wake. It was produced in 1984 and has a run time of 19 minutes, 30 seconds. wichita falls tornado 1979 deathsare there really purple owls "The damage path was one of the widest I have ever seen, and its intensity was almost equal to that of the giant . A total of 10 people received injuries due to the high winds. A dry line had formed from the Childress low southward, and temperatures had become very warm in west Texas. Local Storm Reports On that day, at least 13 separate tornadoes touched down in the Texas/Oklahoma area, striking Wichita Falls, Vernon, Seymour, and a number of other towns. The long, slender tornado was milky white in appearance and was accompanied by a loud roar. The tornado then moved east-northeast into the Western hills neighborhood, south of Southwest Parkway. We received the following letter from Joel Manes, who was living in Wichita Falls, Texas on April 10, 1979. A sharp temperature gradient immediately preceded the movement of the drier air into the region at 850 mb (Figure 20), while at 700 mb the axis of maximum winds was positioned directly overhead the upper Red River valley (Figure 21) and appreciable vertical motion was evident (Figure 22). Hail ranged in sizes "from mothballs to pineapples." Caused a total of $449,000 in damage. Before leaving the east side of the city, the tornado destroyed the Sun Valley housing area, the Sunnyside Heights Mobile Home Park, and several large commercial businesses, including the Levi Strauss Plant. 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. Storm Pictures. Elizabeth was born on January. The spring of 1979 was a very active tornado period for the plains states. That said, it's never mentioned just how that wind gust was recorded, and . Tornado F-scale ratings prior to 1950, as well as most tornado data are referenced from Significant Tornadoes, 1680-1991 by T. P. Grazulis. Other homes, barns, and outbuildings were damaged. 38 On April 10, 1979, a series of deadly tornadoes broke out near the Texas-Oklahoma border. The maximum F-scale rating was F1, however most damage was rated F0. The moonlight felt like a reminder of the pain and sorrow that awaited him as he stared at its yellow haze. ), 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. 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. No fatalities or injuries occurred. We decided to make a break for it to the east which was not a smart move. Childress lay in the path of the advancing low pressure center, as surface pressure fell drastically and winds backed during the afternoon before the much drier continental air enveloped the region in the evening (Figure 17). Thanks to Bob Davies-Jones from NSSL we saw another tornado as the storm moved into Wichita Falls. This followed an earlier warning at 5:08 pm, due to the Rocky Point tornado. View looking west-northwest from south shore of Lake Wichita at the tornado approaching Wichita Falls, Texas. Severe Thunderstorm Warnings 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. 5) The Wichita Falls Tornado - April 10, 1979. [7] It is the principal city of the Wichita Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Archer, Clay, and Wichita counties. Those sources of meteorological data used in this report consist of: official rainfall, snowfall, temperature, wind, sunshine, and moisture data as provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in the publications, "Climatological Data: Texas," "Local Climatological Data" (for selected cities), "Storm Data, and "Daily Weather Maps;" weather teletype reports (circuits "A" and "C") from the National Weather Service surface and upper-air observing network; surface and upper-air facsimile charts provided by the National Meteorological Center of NOAA; newspaper accounts; and photographic data obtained by the author. Wayne Collamore, View looking west just east of Harrold on Highway 320 at about 4:15 pm CST. Six cross-country steel transmission towers were destroyed just east of Farm Road 2650. The number of reported injuries approached 1,800 although hundreds of additional minor injuries were never recorded. In slightly more than 10 minutes, the tornado passed across the southern tip of the city leaving 11 dead, more than 60 injured, and several hundred homes destroyed or damaged. This information is part of Stamboom Vermeij by Truus Vermeij on Genealogy Online. 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. Severe weather warnings had been in effect for Wichita County and Wichita Falls for almost an hour. Norman, OKNational Weather Center120 David L. Boren Blvd. Pinterest. (Rated F2 by the NWS. ), 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. Prior to its touchdown, a funnel was first observed about 10 miles to the west-southwest. It was a large, but distant funnel that may have been the beginning of the horrific tornado that moved through that city. Photographs indicated that it was a large, cylindrical tornado with a well organized debris cloud. 44 homes and mobile homes were damaged or destroyed. Wichita Falls, Texas, on April 10, 1979. Winston Wells, Current Hazards Moving into the city, the tornado first struck Memorial Stadium and McNiel Junior High School (location #1 on the damage path diagram), severely damaging both structures. among them is this still life with tornado that can be your partner. In this stage, the tornado did extensive damage just south of Dean and near Byars, destroying a large number of rural homes, but causing no more fatalities. Tornado Pictures. 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. After the tornado left Wichita Falls and travelled northeast, it entered Clay County and changed its appearance. Forecast Discussion, Warnings and Other Products 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. More widespread home destruction occurred in Colonial Park and several more apartment complexes were demolished. 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. 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). The tornado moved across Highway 287 and caused light damage before entering Wichita County about 5 miles northeast of Harrold. 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. Even though lesson #3 (above) is true in a violent tornado, the only complete guarantee of safety comes from an underground shelter, an above-ground shelter, or an extremely strongly-built building. Several other mobile homes in the area sustained minor damage, and homes to the east on Carriage Lane also received minor damage. Undoubtedly, this earlier warning and the afternoon Vernon tornado had primed the Wichita Falls populace to the threat of additional tornado activity. Several deaths in the Vernon tornado occurred because persons were caucht in autcmobiles that were tossed 15:25 F4. I'm surprised he got the tornado in the frame. Published In . It damaged homes and oil storage tanks as it moved east toward Wichita Falls. ), April 20, 1951 - A small, brief tornado touched down near Wichita Falls and was accompanied by light hail. The wide swath of damage can also be seen by viewing the NASA aerial photographs (aerial photos 1-10 on the damage photo tab) and the other aerial photographs (photos 7 & 8 on the damage photo tab). Violent weather became more widespread as the afternoon progressed. 3.64K subscribers Kory King and SkyWarn 6 weather forecaster John Cameron talk about the national weather historical significance of the 1979 Terrible Tuesday tornado outbreak in Texoma. To the north of Southwest Parkway, the tornado destroyed many houses in the Western Hills Addition. It's the day an F-4 tornado ravaged the city of Wichita Falls. View looking west-northwest near Memorial Stadium in Wichita Falls, Texas at wall cloud on the southwestern edge of the thunderstorm. Tornado Database Tornado was well documented on film and by NSSL storm researchers. Wichita Falls has had three major tornado strikes in its history. To date, it is the most damaging tornado in US history. 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. 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. The tornado was about a half-mile wide when it struck Memorial Stadium, snapping light standards and causing heavy damage to the field house. March 3, 1973 - The Wichita Falls police department reported a small tornado touching down briefly in the vicinity of Midwestern University. 10. Pat Blacklock, View looking northwest from south shore of Lake Wichita at the tornado approaching Wichita Falls, Texas. It began at 4:57 p.m. about a mile-and-a-half south of Clearwater. Winter Weather Extensive wind damage to about 100 homes and outbuildings occurred in Burkburnett where two 40-foot smoke stacks were also toppled. Approaching Harrold, Texas from the southeast on Highway 287 - view is looking west at 4:00 pm CST. Numerous other disruptive weather events, including torrential, flash-flooding rains, scattered but frequent incidents of hail, and a widespread dust and sand storm, highlighted April, an unusually wet but seasonably mild month for most Texans. Of the 7 people killed, six occurred in 5 different homes, and one man was killed when his truck was thrown from a road. The tornado moved northeastward as was described as a "dirty green funnel." Two oil storage tanks were blown away and several homes were unroofed near Farm Road 2650 as the tornado approached Wichita Falls. 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. The tornado was photographed from the south during this period by Pat Blacklock location #5). Wayne Collamore, Approaching Harrold, Texas from the southeast on Highway 287 - view is looking west at about 4:05 pm CST. The twister did level a number of telephone poles along Highway 283, before dissipating just east of 283 near Maybelle. No damage was reported from this small, weak tornado and it was rated F0. 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. 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. The tornado continued into Clay County, resulting in no deaths, but 40 additional injuries. 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. Sep 18, 2004. Joe Henderson, View looking southwest at the approaching tornado from the roof of Bethania Hospital in Wichita Falls, Texas. During this time I navigated and Eddie drove. Satellite Imagery, Forecasts No explanation for the unusually low reflectivity values with that phase of the storm (sensed by several radars) has been developed. Those who were caught in automobiles and trucks made up a high percentage of the fatalities. The thunderstorm that fostered that tornado also produced hail up to 3 inches in diameter west of Harrold. A 368-foot radio antenna and 2 others antennas were blown down, and multiple power lines were downed. Tornado Understand a Tornado: A tornado is a violently rotating column of air extending from the base of a thunderstorm down to the ground. Wichita Falls(/wtt/WITCH-i-tah) is a city in and the seat of governmentof Wichita County, Texas, United States. Wichita Falls Tornado. ), 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. According to the American National Red Cross, 7,759 families suffered losses in the storms (Table 1). By RAEGAN SCHARFETTER, ANNIE GIMBEL. Robert Molet. Two trailers were destroyed, and three homes were damaged. Additional tornadoes were reported across the Southern Plains as well as in the Mississippi River Valley on April 1112. Nationwide, Current Conditions In the Wichita Falls area, damage occurred to ~75 homes, 15 trailer homes, high school, and numerous outbuildings. A large number of roofs were damaged at the air base, and buildings at the Wichita Valley Airport also suffered roof damage. The tornado was eventually rated F5 and was the first violent tornado on record to strike the Wichita Falls area. He was great at identifying cloud structures. Forty-two peoples were killed and over 1700 injured. ", 1 The Storm Prediction Center is now located in Norman, Oklahoma 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. They survived! Seventeen hundred injuries were reported in Wichita Falls. Tornado data and F-scale ratings for tornadoes from 1950 to the present are referenced from NWS records. Minor damage occurred to some fences and the area. Also, tornado survivors said that some golf ball size hail fell prior to and immediately after the tornado. 16 of those 25 vehicle related deaths were from people leaving their homes to escape the. The storm killed eight people in Sandusky before moving east over Lake Erie and striking Lorain, where 72 were killed. 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 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. It seems that almost every major Texas city has had to deal with a tornado at least once. The intense damage averaged between one quarter and one half of a mile in width. 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. Aviation Weather The tornado just missed two busloads of students who were returning from a game in Burkburnett. The mall was on the north side of the tornado path and appeared to escape the most violent winds. Barely one week later, phenomenally great amounts of rainfall poured on the southeastern sector of the State, taking 4 lives and inundating parts of numerous communities. Sirens blew as the tornado bore down on Vernon. Only 5 of the homes that were left actually incurred damage. ), March 31, 1892 - A tornado hit parts of Iowa Park where a house was moved 30 feet and destroyed, injuring 3 occupants. About 65 people attended the funeral. National Weather Service Watch. Just after 5:00 p.m., another tornado spawned by the same thunderstorm system crashed into Lawton, Oklahoma. The lights of wichita shone bright now. 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. There were scattered remains of destroyed structures on either side of the road. The twister was almost a mile wide when it entered the Faith Village neighborhood on the north side of the east-west oriented Southwest Parkway. People from the shopping center took shelter in refrigerator vaults, in restrooms, and under closets. After the tornado, a thorough investigation of the damage was performed by Texas Tech University, Institute for Disaster Research, and the University of Chicago. The tornado then crossed over Kemp Boulevard and destroyed several commercial businesses, including a restaurant, resulting in several additional fatalities. For the most part, however, rainfall amounts were modest, with only a few points collecting more than 1 inch (Figure 27). Three people were killed in the restaurant. Apr 20, 2012 - The April 10, 1979 tornado in Wichita Falls. In addition to the tornado, severe thunderstorm winds moved through the Wichita Falls area, downing trees, limbs, and power poles. McNiel Junior High School is shown in the middle left of this and all of the following photos. Hail to 1.75 inches was also reported south of the city. 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. At the Iowa Park Fairgrounds, wind damage covered a 4-block area. Dallas Times Herald photo by Mark Perlstein Almost 40 years ago, a massive F4 tornado tore through Wichita Falls, in an event that the Dallas Times Herald and Wichita Falls Times labeled Terrible Tuesday. Wildfire Safety Damage also occurred to machinery, homes, and outbuildings. One mobile home was completely destroyed on Bobby Point Road, prompting an F1 rating. It is estimated that 5,000 families, containing 20,000 residents, were left homeless in Wichita Falls. Flood/Flash Flood Safety Local Storm Reports I survived an enormous North Texas twister on April 10, 1979 that took 52 lives when three vortexes merged into one. Air Quality We proceeded southwest toward Seymour witnessing a small tornado near Lake Kemp that was accompanied by golf ball size hail. A small home was swept away in the affected area, and factories and warehouses were unroofed. But before the day's end, three very large, devastating tornadoes swept across the area leaving scores dead and hundreds injured. 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). No fatalities or injuries occurred. Living in Tornado Alley, I'm most familiar with tornados. Numbers for 1979 were similar to that of 1980. This line raced northeastward, spilling heavy rains, hail and high winds on numerous communities. Had we gotten stuck in the damage of the town the chase would have been over. Wolfgang Lange, View looking southwest near Memorial Stadium in Wichita Falls, Texas at wall cloud on the southwestern edge of the thunderstorm. Submit a Spot Forecast After taking his last picture of the approaching tornado, Mr. Lange retreated to the apartment complex laundry room and hid between heavy commercial washers and dryers, escaping with only minor injuries. This huge F4 first touched down about 3 miles northeast of Holliday. Most tornadoes form in the U.S., although some events may take place internationally. 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. 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. Scary stuff. Multiple locations were found. In addition, the damage paths of all three were wider than normal. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration The Red River Valley Tornado Outbreak, one of the most significant outbreaks on record for this region, occurred on April 10, 1979. 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). The storm intercept teams noted that the tornado developed from a rotating wall cloud in the Seymour area. Please select one of the following: Table 1 -- Casualty and Property Losses -, GOES Visible Satellite Images (1530Z 4/10/1979 - 0014Z 4/11/1979), GOES Infrared Satellite Images (0000Z - 0600Z 4/11/1979). 1964, and another in 1979. 25 of those deaths were vehicle related. Still other tornadoes struck the communities of Lockett and Seymour a short time later, killing one inhabitant in Lockett. Fortunately, the tornado moved through rural areas and did not affect any housing at this stage. 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. The 1979 tornado cut a wide path of destruction through Wichita Falls homes and apartments. 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. The second supercell spawned one that moved 74 miles (119km). 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