wichita falls tornado 1979 deaths

It first destroyed an apartment complex, where the first fatalities took place, as it moved along Southwest Parkway. auto-related; 16 of that total died while in their autos trying to flee the storm, and 11 of that number abandoned homes not touched by the tornado. The width of the F1 damage was generally as wide as one mile, and the extent of the F0 damage was even wider, but so widespread that it was not mapped. Records taken from the Storm Prediction Center archive data, "Storm Data", and data from the National Weather Service office in Norman. No explanation for the unusually low reflectivity values with that phase of the storm (sensed by several radars) has been developed. The intense damage averaged between one quarter and one half of a mile in width. While the families and friends of the victims mourned, National Guard troops manned barricades outside devastated neighborhoods and stopped people who tried to enter the area, turning back any without essential business. The Wichita Falls storm produced a third and final tornado about 2000 CST (8:00 PM) near Pruitt, OK. No one was killed and only several major injuries occurred among the approximately one thousand shoppers who were in the mall. In addition, the damage paths of all three were wider than normal. 38 On April 10, 1979, a series of deadly tornadoes broke out near the Texas-Oklahoma border. Meanwhile, President Carter declared Oklahoma a major disaster area as a result of the tornadoes, making Federal funds available for relief and recovery efforts. (Rated F2 by the NWS. However, widespread high winds from the parent supercell thunderstorm also produced extensive damage in the Wichita Falls, Iowa Park and Burkburnett areas. 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). A tool shed was blown away, trees uprooted, and utility poles damaged, and the Pontiac Company building was destroyed. It seems that almost every major Texas city has had to deal with a tornado at least once. "The common notion, born in the aftermath of the 1979 Wichita Falls tornado, that being in a vehicle during a tornado warning is synonymous with injury and death can no longer be assumed or promoted. A few hours earlier that day, another tornado tore through Vernon, killing 10 residents and injuring more than 60 others. It then became calm before the winds began to pick up. So they adopt the religion of Christianity. . The tornado was also captured on film by Troy Glover from the roof of the Bethania hospital (location #8). Winston Wells, View looking southwest at the approaching tornado northeast of Wichita Falls, Texas. Several brief touchdowns in Seymour resulted in scattered roof damage and one overturned truck. Assuredly, no two years weatherwise in Texas are even remotely similar, for the community that reeled one year from a capricious dry spell likely is the recipient of plenty of rain in the following year, while a not-too-distant neighboring locale that hurt from a disastrous hailstorm one Spring experiences relative calm during the following year's storm season. Witnesses saw several small twisters during the formation. 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. View looking west-southwest at the approaching tornado from Ligon Coliseum at Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, Texas. Several buildings were torn apart and a cemetery was damaged. The tornado blew many of those vehicles off those roadways, inflicting numerous fatalities. This tornado was part of a widespread outbreak of tornadoes that occurred in the Great Plains area including the states of Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas. The following table includes data and summaries from the tornadoes that occurred in the area since the late 1800's. The Wichita Falls tornado alone killed 42 people and caused $400 million in damage ($1.93billion in today's dollars). While only on the ground for 35 minutes, the 800-foot-wide twister killed seven people, injured 111, and destroyed 225 homes. Wolfgang Lange. 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. In the early afternoon hours, three supercell thunderstorms formed. US Dept of Commerce Historical weather events. He was great at identifying cloud structures. Additional tornadoes were reported across the Southern Plains as well as in the Mississippi River Valley on April 1112. Winter Weather The twister did level a number of telephone poles along Highway 283, before dissipating just east of 283 near Maybelle. At the surface, an already strong low pressure area in southeast Colorado was beginning to deepen further, and a warm front was starting to lift northward from central Texas. ), 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. Casualty data were supplied by the Texas and Oklahoma NWS offices. 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. The number of reported injuries approached 1,800 although hundreds of additional minor injuries were never recorded. Meanwhile, behind the dry line and cool front in the High Plains, the atmosphere quickly stabilized, and drying out was evident in the lower half of the atmosphere below 500 mb (Figure 26). Storm Events Database, tornadoes, 04-10-1979. A mattress fell beside the vehicle and I looked out to see a woman standing in what appeared to be a junk yard. Surface Maps It was produced in 1984 and has a run time of 19 minutes, 30 seconds. 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. A total of 2 people were seriously injured along the tornado's path, but most of injuries people received were minor. Eddie was trying to tell me something; finally with some tugging, he got my attention. 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. More than 1700 injuries occurred within Wichita Falls. The Wichita Falls tornado formed in Archer County and moved northeast and damaged a few rural homes and high voltage towers at F1-F2 intensity. Pat Blacklock. The mall was on the north side of the tornado path and appeared to escape the most violent winds. ", "At Vernon, reports of earlier damage to the southwest of the city had alerted spotters and city officials. Please Contact Us. If I had the opportunity to chase this one over I certainly would do it differently, but considering we were on visual back then we didn't do too bad. much of the Trans-Pecos region. February 20, 2023 (92 years old) View obituary. Apr 20, 2012 - The April 10, 1979 tornado in Wichita Falls. Fire Weather Science And Nature . There were at times five separate vortices visible within the tornado. 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. 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. Local Climate Data The tornado was 1.5 miles wide as it passed through 8 miles of residential area in Wichita Falls. Well-built modern houses, in general, offer fairly good protection from tornadoes. Thus, he stood in his backyard driveway and photographed the destruction of the apartment complex and the beginning of destruction in his neighborhood. The collingsworth family is a southern gospel /inspirational group started by phil and kim collingsworth and features their family as the group. Apr 8, 2009 #1 NWS OUN has put up a nice page for the 30th anniversary of this monster: . I had a good full frame shot of the suction spots rotating about the base of the funnel. Most of the deaths were in Wichita Falls and Vernon, Texas, and Lawton, Oklahoma. During the morning, closely monitored air mass movements, temperatures, dew points, and winds had all been shifting towards critical values indicative of severe thunderstorms and potential tornadoes. 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, The suffering and destruction caused by the Wichita Falls tornado is nearly inconceivable. I survived an enormous North Texas twister on April 10, 1979 that took 52 lives when three vortexes merged into one. Fifty mph sustained inflow winds were occurring at this time. The Vernon tornado destroyed a restaurant, motel, a farm implement store, and more than a dozen homes; damage totaled $27 million. About Our Office Watch on. NUMBER FIVE - THE WICHITA FALLS TORNADO - APRIL 10, 1979 One of the most infamous of Texas Tornadoes, this huge F4 first. Tornado of Life Jay Baruch 2022-08-30 Stories from the ER: a doctor shows how empathy, creativity, and imagination are the cornerstones of clinical care. 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. We ", 1 The Storm Prediction Center is now located in Norman, Oklahoma Cool Pictures. A Doppler radar view of the three supercells is available. The trees on the southwest edge of the city were denuded of limbs and bark. Forty-two peoples were killed and over 1700 injured. The second supercell spawned one that moved 74 miles (119km). As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. 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. Only three times in my chase career have I seen vertical storm tower velocities this strong. Major damage in the. Data modified as described in NOAA Tech Memo NWS SR-209 (Speheger, D., 2001: "Corrections to the Historic Tornado Database"). The Red River Valley Tornado Outbreak of 10 April 1979 Location Help Wintry and Cold Conditions Continue Across Much of the U.S. Perennially the State perseveres through frequent bombardments of hail, high winds, and flash floods, often with the accompaniment of tornadoes-as well as the threat of being struck on its coastal flank by a hurricane or intense tropical cyclone. During this time I navigated and Eddie drove. Occasionally the digitization process introduces transcription errors or other problems; we are continuing to work to improve these archived versions. Alberty, R. A., D. W. Burgess and T. T. Fujita, 1980: Severe weather events of 10 April 1979. Nationwide, Current Conditions An estimated 20,000 persons were left homeless by this storm. The following images and text have been provided by permission of the author are to be used for informational purposes only. An aerial view shows the destructive force of a powerful tornado that swept through Wichita Falls, Texas, on April 10, 1979. 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. The moonlight felt like a reminder of the pain and sorrow that awaited him as he stared at its yellow haze. 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). Wichita Falls has had three major tornado strikes in its history. US Dept of Commerce One person was injured. Three thousand and ninety-five homes were destroyed and 600 were damaged. 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. In addition, many businesses, cars, trees, windows, TV antennas, and power poles incurred damage. (Documented and rated F2 by Grazulis. All NOAA. Air Quality Sep 18, 2004. 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. When autocomplete results are available use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. Historic data, especially before 1950, are likely incomplete. There was strong upper level dynamics all coming together to produce strong tornado-producing supercells. The tornado then swept through the Southmoor area, destroying homes and a shopping center. Caused over $300,000 in damage to homes, barns, and a rock crushing plant. Continuing east-northeast, the tornado severely damaged commercial building along Southwest Parkway, including total destruction of the Southwest National Bank Building except for its vault (location #4). The tornado was eventually rated F5 and was the first violent tornado on record to strike the Wichita Falls area. Severe Weather Safety Forty-two people were killed outright by the storm and 3 others died as a result of heart attacks. CoCoRaHS Explore. Wolfgang Lange, View looking southwest near Memorial Stadium in Wichita Falls, Texas at the approaching tornado. Another tornado swept the community of Harrold soon thereafter, causing much less extensive damage. Deaths An Estimated 42 people died The storm killed eight people in Sandusky before moving east over Lake Erie and striking Lorain, where 72 were killed. 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). 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. Two oil storage tanks were blown away and several homes were unroofed near Farm Road 2650 as the tornado approached Wichita Falls. By dusk a strong of new, very intense thunderstorms formed farther south in Texas. Further statistics reveal that 25 of the deaths were auto-related. We also assessed the protective measures taken by a representative sample of community residents who suffered no major injury in order to estimate the relative risk of injury to people directly in the tornado's path. Using the Fujita Scale, a system that measures the intensity of tornadoes much the same way the Richter Scale measures earthquakes, Dr. McDonald rated the Wichita Falls tornado as a high F4 . Aerial Reconnaissance photos- Source Don Burgess; Credit: NASA, Mission 399; Roll: #3; Film Type: 50-397; Frames: 041 to 050; Date: 4/12/1979, Damage photos - Source: Don Burgess; Credit: NSSL; Institute for Disaster Research, at Texas Tech University, Harrold, TX photos - Credit: Wayne Collamore, Doppler Radar images - Source: Don Burgess; Credit: NSSL, Satellite images - Source: Dennis McCarthy, Former MIC, NWSFO OUN; Credit: NOAA/NWS. Wolfgang Lange, View looking southwest near Memorial Stadium in Wichita Falls, Texas at the time of tornado touchdown. As we drove south on the H.E. On September 25th, 2000, 11 year old Christopher Morris was found in the dishwasher of his family home which was in Sheppard Air Force Base base housing. Meteorologists still refer to that day as Terrible Tuesday because of the immense devastation and the sheer numbers. While photographing this shot I began to feel vibration in the camera. The Wichita Falls storm produced its first tornado at 1653 CST (4:53 PM) near Seymour, TX. Suite 2400Norman, OK 73072(405) 325-3816Comments? The storm spawned a second tornado that moved through the south and east sides of Wichita Falls at around 6:00 pm. 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). Read More. [8] The tornado cut a path 8 miles (13km) through the city, with significant devastation. Three houses were destroyed and several others were damaged. Interview She and her family couldn't find their dog. Is it curse or coincidence? A concrete block building was destroyed, and another was partially destroyed. On Saturday, June 28, 1924, a deadly F4 tornado struck the Lake Erie shoreline communities of Sandusky and Lorain, Ohio. Thread starter Rob Satkus; Start date Apr 8, 2009; Forums. Galvanized roofing and 2x4 rafters from the barn were thrown along a 100-yard path for 3/4 of a mile. A second severe thunderstorm pounded the area just north of Brownwood with hail having a diameter of 3 to 3 1/2 inches. (For instance, this was in a 1964 edition of The Guinness Book of Records .) 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. Several vehicles, including a bus, were flipped and tossed. 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. About $15 million of damage occurred as the tornado destroyed homes immediately south of TX State Highway 79, from Wichita Falls into the Dean and Petrolia areas. Wolfgang Lange, View looking southwest near Memorial Stadium in Wichita Falls, Texas at approaching tornado. Averages and Records Winter Weather Safety, Special Programs Most of the homes in Faith Village were demolished. Damage to city property totaled $5 million while Sheppard AFB had $10 million in damages. One F4 tornado impacted Vernon, Texas. Last year the Wichita Falls Museum of Art featured a show by the acclaimed American landscape photographer Frank Gohlke of his photographs of Wichita Falls in the aftermath of a massive tornado that destroyed so much of the town in 1979. Aug 23, 2005 163 3 0 58 Norman Ok www.chasestories.com. While the tornado was passing, it sounded like a train was coming directly through the house. Wayne Collamore. The tornadoes caused 32 injuries, 29 deaths, and an estimated $20 million in personal and commercial insured losses. The tornado cut through a field and went into a housing addition on the southwest edge of Sheppard AFB. A woman was injured when her truck rolled into the ditch in which she was taking cover. 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. 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. 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. At the time I had a 16 mm film camera and I set up shop on a fence post and started shooting. NWS The Harrold tornado was in its formative stages at about the time the Vernon tornado was crossing the Red River. 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. Daily Weather History 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. Northeast of Wichita Falls, the tornado entered Clay County and changed its appearance. 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. (Documented and rated F2 by Grazulis. April 10, 2001 - This tornado developed on the south side of Wichita Falls at 11:46 pmCST, a short distance from Lake Wichita. We continued to drive east on a dirt road from Mabelle, Texas which is basically an intersection with a couple of old buildings. Multiple vortices are seen in this photo. 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. Please Contact Us. 1970s. ), April 20, 1951 - A small, brief tornado touched down near Wichita Falls and was accompanied by light hail. Still other tornadoes struck the communities of Lockett and Seymour a short time later, killing one inhabitant in Lockett. Touch device users, explore by touch or with swipe gestures. The last siren from the city's warning system sounded around 5:50 p.m. the same time that storm spotters reported seeing the tornado . Severe Thunderstorm Warnings He is now self-employed and lives with his family in San Antonio, Texas. ", "Despite excellent warning lead-time and multiple soundings of the sirens, some people of Wichita Falls either did not hear the warnings or failed to take prescribed lifesaving actions. This image was taken as the tornado widened and approached our position. The other times were outbreaks on June 8, 1974 and May 3, 1999. Museum of the Kansas National Guard . The half-mile wide tornado crossed the Red River into Oklahoma about 9 miles north-northeast of Electra. One of the most infamous of Texas tornadoes, this day would go on to be known as "Terrible Tuesday". View obituary. Other homes, barns, and outbuildings were damaged. Pat Blacklock, View looking north-northwest from south shore of Lake Wichita at the tornado approaching Wichita Falls, Texas. The Wichita Falls area has been visited by tornadoes many times over the course of its history. Barns were destroyed and homes sustained roof damage. All of them happened in the first half of April. Tornado Warnings, Climate and Past Weather There were 59 reported tornados on the ground in the . Dissipation of the tornado occurred northwest of Waurika, Oklahoma, bringing the path length to 36 miles in Texas, and 11 miles in Oklahoma. The publication was written and prepared by George W. Bomar of Weather Modification & Technology Section of the Texas Department of Water Resources. 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Were unroofed near Farm Road 2650 as the tornado was in its stages... In damages driveway and photographed the destruction of the author are to be a yard. A., D. W. Burgess and T. T. Fujita, 1980: severe Weather of... And kim collingsworth and features their family as the group paths of all three were wider normal. Killing one inhabitant in Lockett seriously injured along the tornado then swept through Wichita Falls at 6:00! Trees on the ground for 35 minutes, 30 seconds PM ) near,... Tornadoes were reported across the Southern Plains as well as in the first half of a powerful tornado swept. 20 million in damages roof damage and one overturned truck towers at F1-F2 intensity reported across the Plains... Just north of Brownwood with hail having a diameter of 3 to 3 1/2 inches casualty data were by. In my chase career have I seen vertical storm tower velocities this strong over $ 300,000 damage... Was passing, it sounded like a train was coming directly through house! 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Were killed outright by the storm Prediction Center is now self-employed and lives with his family in Antonio. Vertical storm tower velocities this strong there were at times five separate visible. This time modern houses, in general, offer fairly good protection from.... Doppler radar View of the immense devastation and the Pontiac Company building was destroyed the devastation! Had alerted spotters and city officials winds began to pick up at the approaching tornado Terrible Tuesday because of three! And one half of a mile 35 minutes, the damage paths all... By the Texas and Oklahoma NWS offices city had alerted spotters and city officials located in Norman Oklahoma. A dirt Road from Mabelle, Texas which is basically an intersection with a tornado at least once a of... 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