Many of the 1,800 injured, however, were in homes. Also nearby, about 10 utility poles were snapped near the top with debris falling on fences and other sheet metal buildings. Storm Events Database, tornadoes, 04-10-1979. Caused a total of $449,000 in damage. This was the most spectacular event I had ever witnessed to date. Tornado was well documented on film and by NSSL storm researchers. Several homes were demolished, and a number of barns were partially destroyed. among them is this still life with tornado that can be your partner. The tornado then swept through the Southmoor area, destroying homes and a shopping center. There is no doubt that hundreds of lives were saved by the news media and siren warnings. Usually hail is a problem in this position, but we encountered none on this storm. Storm Spotter Training Galvanized roofing and 2x4 rafters from the barn were thrown along a 100-yard path for 3/4 of a mile. 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. 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. First indications of tornado damage were near Harrold, which is located approximately 16 miles southwest of Vernon. '", "When the day had ended, the tornadoes had left in their wake a tragically high toll -- 56 dead and 1916 injured. Approaching Harrold, Texas from the southeast on Highway 287 - view is looking west at 4:00 pm CST. With an east-northeast movement, it entered Wichita County and damaged a few rural homes and a string of metal high-voltage towers. Continuing east-northeastward, the violent tornado destroyed a large portion of a residential neighborhood before heavily damaging a commercial building along Southwest Parkway. Forecast Discussion, Warnings and Other Products For the most part, however, rainfall amounts were modest, with only a few points collecting more than 1 inch (Figure 27). The formation of the tornado and its movement toward the stadium and junior high were captured by Wolfgang Lange from the front of his apartment complex which was located across the street from the junior high (location #2). The tornado blew many of those vehicles off those roadways, inflicting numerous fatalities. 1. By the way, here's a USA Today article about the 1979 tornado with a photo of that monster. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration The thunderstorm that fostered that tornado also produced hail up to 3 inches in diameter west of Harrold. Winston Wells, View looking southwest at the approaching tornado northeast of Wichita Falls, Texas. 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). The funnel was quite close at this time and large black crows were caught up in the outer circulation. Elizabeth Burk Newton. The electrical power to local stations was down from the storm which prevented the gas pumps from operating and us from getting more gas. The inner hallways would have been the only relatively safe shelter in the building. However, widespread high winds from the parent supercell thunderstorm also produced extensive damage in the Wichita Falls, Iowa Park and Burkburnett areas. While only on the ground for 35 minutes, the 800-foot-wide twister killed seven people, injured 111, and destroyed 225 homes. Tornado Warnings, Climate and Past Weather Nationwide, Current Conditions Deaths were near normal . A large number of roofs were damaged at the air base, and buildings at the Wichita Valley Airport also suffered roof damage. The Wichita Falls storm produced its first tornado at 1653 CST (4:53 PM) near Seymour, TX. Tornado Warnings, Climate and Past Weather That said, it's never mentioned just how that wind gust was recorded, and . 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. It sped into Clay County, causing no deaths but 40 injuries and damage in the communities of Dean and Petrolia that amounted to $15 million. (Colonial Park, Hursh, Southmoor, Southwinds, and Southern Hills) A number of people tried to flee as the tornado moved along US 281 and 287 by driving east on Southwest Parkway. A total of 2 homes were completely destroyed with 31 homes and 17 mobile homes being damaged. Local Storm Reports Witnesses say the several distinct, small vortices were visible during the formative stage of the tornado as it moved along the Fort Worth and Denver railroad into Wichita County. Wayne Collamore, Approaching Harrold, Texas from the southeast on Highway 287 - view is looking west at about 4:05 pm CST. Elizabeth was born on January. The storm killed eight people in Sandusky before moving east over Lake Erie and striking Lorain, where 72 were killed. Pat Blacklock, View looking north from south shore of Lake Wichita at the tornado approaching Wichita Falls, Texas. Fifty mph sustained inflow winds were occurring at this time. This information is part of Stamboom Vermeij by Truus Vermeij on Genealogy Online. Wichita Falls, Texas, on April 10, 1979. Composed of three funnels fused into one and powerful winds exceeding 250 mph, this F4-rated tornado remained on the ground for an hour, destroying over a fifth of the city, lifting cars into the air, tearing buildings apart, and destroying 2,000 homes. In addition, approximately 140 mobile homes were destroyed, two schools were demolished and 11 others sustained serious damage. 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. ", "About the time the Vernon tornado was moving across the Red River into Oklahoma, 20 miles to the south another funnel cloud was dropping out of the thunderstorm clouds approaching Harrold, Texas. The tornado killed 42 Wichita Falls residents and caused over $200 million in damages, leaving 20 percent of the city's population homeless. 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). Losses eligible for Federal disaster relief totaled $63 million, but Federal disaster assistance did not cover additional millions in damages. McNiel Junior High School is shown in the middle left of this and all of the following photos. ", "Early on April 10, NWS forecasters became aware of the threat of severe weather. The Southwest National Bank Building was completely obliterated, leaving nothing behind except for its vault. Three houses were destroyed and several others were damaged. A mattress fell beside the vehicle and I looked out to see a woman standing in what appeared to be a junk yard. He had allegedly been sexually assaulted, tortured, murdered, then his body ran through a full cycle in the dishwasher- officials speculated the killer had . It rapidly intensified to F4 intensity as it entered the city near Memorial Stadium by McNiel Jr. High School on Southwest Parkway, which was located to the west of Wichita Falls at approximately 6:07p.m., damaging both structures severely. In Texas: Clay, Foard, Wichita and Wilbarger; and in Oklahoma: Carter, Cleveland, Comanche, Cotton, Jefferson, Pottawatomie, Stephens and Tillman. By RAEGAN SCHARFETTER, ANNIE GIMBEL. View looking west-northwest near Memorial Stadium in Wichita Falls, Texas at wall cloud on the southwestern edge of the thunderstorm. The twister cut a swath through one-third of the city and killed. A furniture warehouse was also destroyed when severe winds tore the back wall and roof off of the building. 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. The following table includes data and summaries from the tornadoes that occurred in the area since the late 1800's. As the first violent tornado on record to hit the Wichita Falls area, [18] it left seven dead and more than 100 injured. -11 Wilbarger County, TX. Fire Weather Three people were injured. Tours. Past Weather Events Maximum path length was about 3/4 mile and the width was 50 to 60 yards. 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. The North Texas town of Wichita Falls has seen three major tornadoesin 1958, 1964, and another in 1979. While photographing this shot I began to feel vibration in the camera. 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). Toggle navigation. 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. Simon Cornelis Maria Vermeij was born on March 26, 1959 in Amsterdam, son of Hendrikus Gerardus Vermeij and Henritte Christina Maria Steur. Wolfgang Lange, View looking southwest near Memorial Stadium in Wichita Falls, Texas at approaching tornado. The following images and text have been provided by permission of the author are to be used for informational purposes only. The sun had set, and the moon was now a crescent. 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. March 3, 1973 - The Wichita Falls police department reported a small tornado touching down briefly in the vicinity of Midwestern University. Several deaths in the Vernon tornado occurred because persons were caucht in autcmobiles that were tossed 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. 3 Comanche County, OK. 17:05 F3. Storm Data, Weather Safety Local Storm Reports Frank Gohlke's portfolio of 40 black and white photographs, which capture the devastation of the 1979 Wichita Falls Tornado and the landscape a year later, will be on exhibition to mark the anniversary of Terrible Tuesday, April 10, 1979. The following table includes data and summaries from the tornadoes that occurred in the area since the late 1800's. There were a total 42 tornado fatalities in Wichita Falls, of which 25 were vehicle related. View looking west-southwest at the approaching tornado from Ligon Coliseum at Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, Texas. 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. 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. Upper Air Maps According to the American National Red Cross, 7,759 families suffered losses in the storms (Table 1). Two Oklahoma University meteorology students (including Wayne Collamore) photographed the large tornado, which descended from a rotating wall cloud under the southwest flank of the severe thunderstorm. The tornado moved to the north-northwest during its life before lifting 2 miles from Burkburnett. April 17, 1977 - A "freak tornado" moved from east to west across a 2-mile path in the western sections of Wichita Falls. Special Weather Statements Aviation Weather 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. Ashley found that 69.2% of all tornado fatalities from 1985 to 2005 occurred in either mobile or permanent homes, illustrating the enhanced vulnerability of these particular housing structures. February 16, 2023. Despite passing north of the Sikes Senter Shopping Mall, intense winds from the outer circulation of the tornado heavily damaged a few stores and blew many cars in the mall's parking lot some distance away from where they originated and stacked on top of each other. Tornado Database People from the shopping center took shelter in refrigerator vaults, in restrooms, and under closets. One thousand and sixty-two apartment units and condominiums were demolished and 130 damaged. The tornadoes caused 32 injuries, 29 deaths, and an estimated $20 million in personal and commercial insured losses. Wind gusts to 100 mph were observed at the observation site. Caused over $300,000 in damage to homes, barns, and a rock crushing plant. 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. It first destroyed an apartment complex, where the first fatalities took place, as it moved along Southwest Parkway. By this time teams from NSSL and the University of Oklahoma had arrived. Wildfire Safety The tornadoes pictured here were part of the Red River Valley Outbreak, the biggest event of that year. Lawton was as ready as a community could be for the tornado. One tree near a house fell onto a power line, causing an electrical surge that set the kitchen of the house on fire. February 18, 2023 (64 years old) View obituary. 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". The Red River Valley Tornadoes of April 10, 1979. . Crossing into Oklahoma, the tornado inflicted additional damage near Waurika before dissipating. Wichita Falls(/wtt/WITCH-i-tah) is a city in and the seat of governmentof Wichita County, Texas, United States. Eleven of the 16 people left homes that were not even damaged. The Red River Valley Tornado Outbreak of 10 April 1979 Location Help Wintry and Cold Conditions Continue Across Much of the U.S. Miss Mahon's parents and five brothers and sisters wept as the Rev. Please try another search. Tornado Pictures. Strong inflow winds associated with the tornado and the larger-scale mesocyclonic winds rotating around the tornado produced light damage over almost all of the city. One more more brief tornadoes occurred within a larger area of straight-line wind damage in Lauderdale County. Caused $190,000 in damage. While the leading edge of the moist, tropical air had already surged northward across the Red River, giving Wichita Falls a vigorous southeasterly wind and a climbing dew point (Figure 16), the advancing edge of much drier, continental air swept eastward out of the High Plains and undercut the less dense and more moist tropical air. Thus, the tornado damage/intensity was officially rated as a strong F4 tornado. Stability indices indicated the air throughout central. 1 Wilbarger County, TX. Questions? It was a large, but distant funnel that may have been the beginning of the horrific tornado that moved through that city. Severe Thunderstorm Warnings One man was killed at a dairy farm in Dean. The storm spawned a second tornado that moved through the south and east sides of Wichita Falls at around 6:00 pm. 5) The Wichita Falls Tornado - April 10, 1979. It seems that almost every major Texas city has had to deal with a tornado at least once. This route took us in front of the advancing vortex and provided a pretty exciting ride. The tornado was also captured on film by Troy Glover from the roof of the Bethania hospital (location #8). Such a total would mean that between 10% and 20% of the population of the city was displaced by the tornado. In the Wichita Falls area, damage occurred to ~75 homes, 15 trailer homes, high school, and numerous outbuildings. Numbers for 1979 were similar to that of 1980. WICHITA FALLS The tenth day of April is a day that will be forever etched in the history of the city of Wichita Falls.42 years ago, on April 10, 1979, a severe weather outbreak in North Texas . Frost Tornado. Numerous other thunderstorms trekked across the area between Abilene, Wichita Falls, and Brownwood during the early evening, as the surface front, now occluded in the Panhandle, pushed relentlessly eastward. Using spotter and radar reports, Lawton officials sounded the siren system to warn the people of the approaching storm. Averages and Records About the time the tornado entered town, it changed appearance, becoming one large black cloud of condensation and debris. The tornado then crossed a short span of open fields before moving into the Colonial Park area. The lights of wichita shone bright now. -56 NWS WFO, Norman, OK. 38 On April 10, 1979, a series of deadly tornadoes broke out near the Texas-Oklahoma border. Neighbors took shelter together while federal and local groups assembled. Graphical Forecasts The tornado then crossed over Kemp Boulevard and destroyed several commercial businesses, including a restaurant, resulting in several additional fatalities. All the storms this day exhibited violent cloud motions. Satellite Imagery, Forecasts ), 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. 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. CoCoRaHS 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. 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. The tornado damaged outbuildings, chicken coops, and did minor damage to roofs of houses. WICHITA FALLS, Texas (TNN) - April 10th, 1979, a day forever ingrained in the minds of those who lived through it. In the early afternoon hours, three supercell thunderstorms formed. After moving out of Faith Village, the tornado flattened several businesses, including a restaurant, on Kemp Boulevard. On April 3, 1964, a devastating F5 tornado hit the northern region of Wichita Falls and Sheppard Air Force Base. 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 . All Nature. For. Special Weather Statements The destructive and deadly tornado outbreak impacted the Red River Valley on April 10, 1979. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Winston Wells, Current Hazards The tornado finally ended near Waurika, OK after traveling 47 miles. ), March 27, 1939 - This tornado touched down north-northwest of Wichita Falls and moved northeastward into Clay County. In addition to the 42 fatalities directly caused by the tornado, three more people died of heart attacks and other illnesses during the stress of the tornado's passage. 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 three main storms in the Red River Valley outbreak were giant tornadoes. Weather Radio, About Us Past Weather Events The giant tornado was a massive black column extending from the low striated base of the inky clouds to the ground. Questions? 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. T. T. Fujita, noted tornado researcher from the University of Chicago, said, 'The damage path was one of the widest I have ever seen, and its intensity was almost equal to that of the giant storm that leveled Xenia, Ohio, in the 1974 tornado outbreak. Joe Henderson, View looking southwest at the approaching tornado from the roof of Bethania Hospital in Wichita Falls, Texas. (Rated F2 by the NWS.). The most recent exceptionally destructive storm to hit the Wichita Falls area occurred on April 3, 1964, when a tornado killed 7 people, injured 111, and caused $15 million in damages, including 225 homes that were completely destroyed. Sixteen of these 25 were people who entered their cars trying to evade the tornado. To avoid getting trapped, it's been my policy to avoid blasted cities when ever possible. ), April 20, 1951 - A small, brief tornado touched down near Wichita Falls and was accompanied by light hail. 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. Winter Weather Air Quality Several brief touchdowns in Seymour resulted in scattered roof damage and one overturned truck. Residents of Seymour reported that the tornado was preceded by very heavy rain and hail almost 2 inches in diameter. Severe weather warnings had been in effect for Wichita County and Wichita Falls for almost an hour. No damage was reported from this small, weak tornado and it was rated F0. "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. Forty-two peoples were killed and over 1700 injured. Tornado data and F-scale ratings for tornadoes from 1950 to the present are referenced from NWS records. To the north of Southwest Parkway, the tornado destroyed many houses in the Western Hills Addition. During this interval, the tornado was photographed by Professor Joe Henderson of Midwestern State University from the Ligon Coliseum (location #7). 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. Click on the numbers on the map below or on each individual photo to see a larger image of that photo. Thanks to Bob Davies-Jones from NSSL we saw another tornado as the storm moved into Wichita Falls. Historic data, especially before 1950, are likely incomplete. This thunderstorm spawned a tornado with a continuous ground track of almost 60 miles. By noon, all doubt was gone. I survived an enormous North Texas twister on April 10, 1979 that took 52 lives when three vortexes merged into one. 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. 1979 tornado outbreak leaves massive damage and 57 dead in Texoma. (Rated F2 by the NWS.). Beyond that point, three more tornadoes were spawned with the fifth and last tornado doing severe damage to the southern portion of Lawton, OK (three fatalities). The width of the F4 damage in the Wichita Falls tornado approached 0.5 miles in the area of Faith Village and Ben Milam Elementary School (location #6). 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. Heavy lake effect snow, strong winds, and reduced visibilities continue downwind of the Great Lakes. The huge thunderstorm that yielded the Seymour tornado also pounded Holliday with baseball-size hail and an area west of Iowa Park with golfball-size hail. have just been raked by debris from rear flank downdraft surge wrapping around the tornado - tornado now in a sunlit position relative to us - getting really spectacular! Further eastward, most houses in the Faith Village Addition were destroyed, and Ben Milam Elementary School was severely damaged (location #6). . Over 100 commercial businesses, some of them large manufacturing concerns, were destroyed. 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). Seventeen hundred injuries were reported in Wichita Falls. 4. Multiple locations were found. Pinterest. Please try another search. Final totals across three states were 181 killed and 970 injured. The atmosphere in the Low Rolling Plains was highly unstable (with a Totals Index above 50 and a strong positive K Index extending southward out of western Oklahoma); very vigorous lifting of such unsettled air by the advancing dry line seemed sure to trigger violence (Figure 14). During this time I navigated and Eddie drove. A storm appeared on the horizon that had developed far to our south near Abilene. The damage was quite hit and miss. Major damage in the. When it was all over, an 8 mile swath of the city over a mile wide was . 1979-04-10 Wichita Falls. A strong tornado damaged roofs, telephone poles, trees, uprooted shrubs and overturned a truck, but remained over open country while at peak intensity. But before the day's end, three very large, devastating tornadoes swept across the area leaving scores dead and hundreds injured. McNeil Junior High school was next in the path of the tornado and the school was severely damaged. Barns were destroyed and livestock was killed, including horses on two farms. Wolfgang Lange. Radar warnings and alerts from the Weather Bureau office were credited with saving many lives. Six barns and two homes were destroyed. After moving northeast of Seymour, the tornado intensified. 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. 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. Total property damage in Wichita Falls was estimated at $400,000,000 (in 1979 dollars). April 10, 2001 - This tornado developed on the south side of Wichita Falls at 11:46 pmCST, a short distance from Lake Wichita. The deadliest tornadoes to strike in Texas in 26 years ravaged parts of four communities near the Red River on April 10, taking 53 lives, injuring 1808, and causing damage worth $427 million1. Elizabeth Lee Burk Newton 82 of Wichita Falls Tx. Updated: Feb. 23, 2023 at 7:25 AM PST. The tornado just missed two busloads of students who were returning from a game in Burkburnett. All NOAA. A home was badly damaged, losing a large portion of its front side. And condominiums were demolished and 11 others sustained serious damage 32 injuries, 29 Deaths, numerous! Completely destroyed with 31 homes and a rock crushing plant along southwest Parkway joe Henderson, View looking west-southwest the. And did minor damage to homes, high school, and another 1979! On Highway 287 - View is looking west at 4:00 pm CST had set and! 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