A total of 2 people were seriously injured along the tornado's path, but most of injuries people received were minor. One group of violent thunderstorms roared across the northern Low Rolling Plains late that afternoon and spawned a series of tornadoes that ripped through four Texas communities. The path length was 9 miles in Texas and 55 miles in Oklahoma. The collingsworth family is a southern gospel /inspirational group started by phil and kim collingsworth and features their family as the group. Satellite Imagery, Forecasts Driving north on Texas 267 we witnessed the Thalia tornado. ", "At Vernon, reports of earlier damage to the southwest of the city had alerted spotters and city officials. The tornado destroyed 2 homes north-northwest of Wichita Falls, and damaged 3 homes near Thornberry. Also nearby, about 10 utility poles were snapped near the top with debris falling on fences and other sheet metal buildings. 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). 5. (Rated F5 by the NWS.). A darker version of this image shows the rain curtain extending around the vortex. The other times were outbreaks on June 8, 1974 and May 3, 1999. 3 Comanche County, OK. 17:05 F3. 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). We didn't get phone guidance and it was before on-board equipment. In Texas: Clay, Foard, Wichita and Wilbarger; and in Oklahoma: Carter, Cleveland, Comanche, Cotton, Jefferson, Pottawatomie, Stephens and Tillman. It was spectacular to watch! 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 . A total of 2 homes were completely destroyed with 31 homes and 17 mobile homes being damaged. Eight persons were killed outside, 4 were killed in homes or apartments, and 4 others died in public buildings. ", 1 The Storm Prediction Center is now located in Norman, Oklahoma 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. The tornado was 1.5 miles wide as it passed through 8 miles of residential area in Wichita Falls. ), 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. 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. 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. 1979-04-10 Wichita Falls. Widespread downburst winds and hail brought damages of $200,000 to the town of Iowa Park alone. A woman was injured when her truck rolled into the ditch in which she was taking cover. All NOAA. Skywarn Storm Spotters Evan got up, the moonlight bouncing off his not so wicked blue eyes. We left NSSL in Norman, Oklahoma at 10:30 AM to our target of Vernon, TX. This line raced northeastward, spilling heavy rains, hail and high winds on numerous communities. Tornado Warnings, Climate and Past Weather By dusk a strong of new, very intense thunderstorms formed farther south in Texas. There was strong upper level dynamics all coming together to produce strong tornado-producing supercells. 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. Storm Spotter Training 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. Tornado Pictures. Apr 20, 2012 - The April 10, 1979 tornado in Wichita Falls. Please try another search. Aviation Weather National Weather Service 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. 1979 tornado outbreak leaves massive damage and 57 dead in Texoma. Fortunately, the tornado moved through rural areas and did not affect any housing at this stage. Rivers and Lakes Then the supercell spawned one that killed three people in Lawton, Oklahoma. Daily Weather History Tuesday, April 10, 1979 seemed like a perfect spring day - right up until a tornado appeared seemingly out of nowhere, cutting a path through Wilbarger County and Vernon that left 11 dead, dozens injured and millions of dollars of property destroyed. Averages and Records 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. Storm Pictures. 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 . Within 30 minutes the tornado, with a track that varied between 1/2 and 1 1/2 miles wide and 8 miles long, had sped across the southern portion of Wichita Falls. 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. The half-mile wide tornado crossed the Red River into Oklahoma about 9 miles north-northeast of Electra. The tornado then swept through the Southmoor area, destroying homes and a shopping center. . We examined the circumstances of death and injury among victims of the tornado that struck Wichita Falls, Texas, on 10 April 1979. There were at times five separate vortices visible within the tornado. To date, it is the most damaging tornado in US history. 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. ), March 17, 1952 - A small, weak tornado touched down about 5 miles south-southwest of the Wichita Falls Airport where some buildings were unroofed and smaller buildings blown down. For the most part, however, rainfall amounts were modest, with only a few points collecting more than 1 inch (Figure 27). Anyone can read what you share. 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. Property damage in the affected areas included 225 homes destroyed, with 50 homes suffering major damage, 200 homes incurring minor damage, and 16 other building receiving major damage. Preprints, 12th Conference Severe Local Storms, American Meteorological Society, Boston, 441-443. April 10th, 1979 started out like any other day in Texoma. It then became calm before the winds began to pick up. Six cross-country steel transmission towers were destroyed just east of Farm Road 2650. 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. 5) The Wichita Falls Tornado - April 10, 1979. Numbers for 1979 were similar to that of 1980. 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. Damage as severe as F4 was found along most of the track across the city. 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. A detailed mapping of each house and public/commercial building in the city led to the construction of an F-scale map. Forty-two people were killed outright by the storm and 3 others died as a result of heart attacks. A home was badly damaged, losing a large portion of its front side. NOAA Disaster Survey Report 80-1, Chapter 1. Interview She and her family couldn't find their dog. DOC/NOAA, January, 1980: Red River Valley Tornadoes of April 10, 1979. This most damaging tornado in Texas history was not finished, however. 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. The tornado was photographed from the south during this period by Pat Blacklock location #5). The northern supercell, the Vernon-Lawton storm, produced its first tornado at 1505 CST (3:05 PM) south of Crowell, TX. Residents of Seymour reported that the tornado was preceded by very heavy rain and hail almost 2 inches in diameter. Severe Weather Safety At the time we passed in front of the funnel the mud road had become slick enough that the car was not going very fast anymore. 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. The passage of a violent tornado through an 8-mile section of a city is an almost unheard-of natural disaster. Radio and TV stations aired the Tornado Watch so that most people were alerted to the threat and ready for warning messages and sirens that were to come later. As we drove northeast on US 70, debris was still falling to the ground. Just after 5:00 p.m., another tornado spawned by the same thunderstorm system crashed into Lawton, Oklahoma. The tornado then destroyed several industrial plants before moving into Clay County just south of TX State Highway 79. The inner hallways would have been the only relatively safe shelter in the building. One F4 tornado impacted Vernon, Texas. Elizabeth Burk Newton. Tornado Warnings, Climate and Past Weather It didn't seem like any storms were in the area. 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. The first of dozens of funerals to be held for those killed by the tornado that struck here Tuesday was held today for Terry Mahon, 17 years old, who died while working at a restaurant job she had taken to save money for a marriage she had planned for this summer. Three houses were destroyed and several others were damaged. View looking southwest at the approaching tornado northeast of Wichita Falls, Texas. (Documented and rated F2 by Grazulis. Miss Mahon's parents and five brothers and sisters wept as the Rev. No fatalities or serious injuries occurred, but 13 people were treated for minor injuries, mostly as a result of flying glass. (For instance, this was in a 1964 edition of The Guinness Book of Records .) Additionally, the tornado caused roughly $15 million in property damage with about 225 homes destroyed and another 250 damaged. Stones as large as two inches were reported further to our northeast. He had allegedly been sexually assaulted, tortured, murdered, then his body ran through a full cycle in the dishwasher- officials speculated the killer had . However, several small communities, among them Harrold, Texas and Grandfield, Oklahoma, were hit by the storm. One piece of farm equipment was destroyed and damage occurred to fences and trees. Severe Thunderstorm Warnings About Our Office I'm surprised he got the tornado in the frame. 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). Why the Red River Valley between Childress and Bowie received the most severe outbreak of thunderstorms is explained by Figures 19-26. Violent weather became more widespread as the afternoon progressed. Precipitation was to our west through southwest and wrapped around the tornado. Barns were destroyed and homes sustained roof damage. . Surprisingly, very few fatalities occurred in Faith Village. This thunderstorm spawned a tornado with a continuous ground track of almost 60 miles. 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 . A storm appeared on the horizon that had developed far to our south near Abilene. The tornado just missed two busloads of students who were returning from a game in Burkburnett. 45 people died in the Wichita Falls tornado. A destructive and deadly tornado outbreak impacted the Red River Valley on April 10, 1979. The Wichita Falls area has been visited by tornadoes many times over the course of its history. We proceeded southwest toward Seymour witnessing a small tornado near Lake Kemp that was accompanied by golf ball size hail. Several apartment complexes and many homes were destroyed, with several of the first deaths occurring in this area. FAQ ), June 6, 1936 - This tornado moved south into the northeastern edge of Wichita Falls, and was associated with the same parent supercell thunderstorm that produced the earlier tornado near Burkburnett. The 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). The siren system for the city was sounded three times, the last around 5:50 p.m., just as the storm spotters reported the tornado approaching Memorial Stadium in the southwestern suburbs of Wichita Falls. StormReady Wayne Collamore, Approaching Harrold, Texas from the southeast on Highway 287 - view is looking west at about 4:05 pm CST. Eddie complained, but kept fighting the wheel. The Terrible Tuesday video can be viewed via the NWS Norman YouTube Channel or below. 8. There is no doubt that hundreds of lives were saved by the news media and siren warnings. A concrete block building was destroyed, and another was partially destroyed. Meanwhile, strong gusty winds associated with the eastward progression of an intensifying upper atmospheric storm out of New Mexico made travel hazardous in. It seems that almost every major Texas city has had to deal with a tornado at least once. We received the following letter from Joel Manes, who was living in Wichita Falls, Texas on April 10, 1979. A second severe thunderstorm pounded the area just north of Brownwood with hail having a diameter of 3 to 3 1/2 inches. 15:55 F2. 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). 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. 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. (1979-2009) The Red River Valley Tornado. The storm killed eight people in Sandusky before moving east over Lake Erie and striking Lorain, where 72 were killed. He was great at identifying cloud structures. The Wichita Falls storm produced a third and final tornado about 2000 CST (8:00 PM) near Pruitt, OK. As the first violent tornado on record to hit the Wichita Falls area, [18] it left seven dead and more than 100 injured. Using spotter and radar reports, Lawton officials sounded the siren system to warn the people of the approaching storm. Weather Radio, About Us Troy Glover. Along the 5.6-mile-long tornado path, the area of total destruction was 100 to 200 yards wide with lesser damage occurring up to 500 yards in width. 2. As seen in the photographs by Winston Wells (Tornado Track Figure; Location #10), the tornado became multi-vortex, displaying as many as five satellite vortices rotating around the center of circulation. Norman, OKNational Weather Center120 David L. Boren Blvd. 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. A few hours earlier that day, another tornado tore through Vernon, killing 10 residents and injuring more than 60 others. CoCoRaHS The video includes survivor accounts and safety information. Ben Milam Elementary School was heavily damaged, as the cafeteria-auditorium was completely destroyed and exterior class rooms were pummeled by flying debris. Although high numbers of deaths have occurred in vehicles during tornadoes, the occurrences are rare. The tornado was at the top of the hill less than a mile away. The warnings were being broadcast repeatedly by two local TV stations and three local radio stations which were receiving continuously updated information over the emergency hotline connecting them with the Wichita Falls WSO. All who have looked at and studied the event agree that the death toll would have been much larger had there not been not been such systems in place and functioning on April 10. Some or all of the walls remained for well-built homes (photos 4-6 on the damage photo tab) and bathrooms in particular provided good protection. Joe Landon Haney. A mobile home was destroyed near Faxson, resulting in two serious injuries. Tornado caused $3,500,000 to the downtown business district in. McNiel Junior High, a new concrete/steel-reinforced building was not built well enough to provide safe shelter from the tornado. ), March 31, 1892 - A tornado hit parts of Iowa Park where a house was moved 30 feet and destroyed, injuring 3 occupants. Here we goa hymn request from Erlene: Great Is His Faithfulness, sung by the Collingsworth Family. The moonlight felt like a reminder of the pain and sorrow that awaited him as he stared at its yellow haze. Deaths An Estimated 42 people died Watch. Undoubtedly, this earlier warning and the afternoon Vernon tornado had primed the Wichita Falls populace to the threat of additional tornado activity. Apr 20, 2012 - The April 10, 1979 tornado in Wichita Falls. Weather Radio, About Us (Rated F2 by the NWS. Dr. Ted Fujita of the University of Chicago used these surveys to estimate the F-scale and probable wind speeds associated with the tornado. It was roaring down the hill fairly fast and my chase partner was concerned that we couldn't get out of the path. Severe weather warnings had been in effect for Wichita County and Wichita Falls for almost an hour. It inflicted additional F0-F2 damage south of Dean and Byers, but no more fatalities occurred. The giant tornado was a massive black column extending from the low striated base of the inky clouds to the ground. 1. Several strong to violent tornadoes touched down throughout the region that day. 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. Brenda Lee Whitehead. 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. 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). The tornado damaged outbuildings, chicken coops, and did minor damage to roofs of houses. 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. Earlier in the day around daybreak, low-level moisture from the Gulf was observed pouring northward through the heart of the State while much drier air was surging eastward across the Pecos River (Figure 10). WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) . The tornado then weakened slightly, but remained at F3 intensity, destroying the Sun Valley housing area, the Sunnyside Heights Mobile Home Park, and several large commercial businesses, including the Levi Strauss Plant, before exiting the east side of town. 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). On that spring day, three large supercell storms developed, each producing a series of tornadoes that moved quickly across the northern Texas and southern Oklahoma plains. Published In . At the Iowa Park Fairgrounds, wind damage covered a 4-block area. The sun had set, and the moon was now a crescent. 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. On April 10, 1979, a huge F4 tornado touched down just outside of Wichita Falls. During this time I navigated and Eddie drove. . those all. 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. (1 death) April 10 - Texas, Oklahoma (11 deaths) April 10 - Texas, . Wichita Falls(/wtt/WITCH-i-tah) is a city in and the seat of governmentof Wichita County, Texas, United States. When autocomplete results are available use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. We give still life with tornado and numerous ebook collections from fictions to scientific research in any way. Life Cycle of the Wichita Falls Tornadic Storm. 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. During this time I was trying to shoot pictures through the window. He shot these images one handed while driving down a dirt road. passed away on Thursday, February 23, 2023 in Wichita Falls Texas. ", "Early on April 10, NWS forecasters became aware of the threat of severe weather. Homes and businesses were torn apart in the McGehee area. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Wolfgang Lange, View looking southwest near Memorial Stadium in Wichita Falls, Texas at wall cloud on the southwestern edge of the thunderstorm. Several deaths in the Vernon tornado occurred because persons were caucht in autcmobiles that were tossed Aloft, the strong wind maximum was over the Red River area, producing significant vertical wind shear. The middle supercell, the Harrold-Grandfield storm, produced the longest-track tornado of the outbreak (64 mile path length) at 1555 CST (3:55 PM). With surface pressures in the southern High Plains plunging rapidly, a low pressure center formed in the vicinity of Lubbock around noon (Figure 15). Continuing at F4 intensity, the now massive wedge tornado, which was at its maximum 1.5 miles (2.4km) wide, cut a 2.5-mile (4.0km) swath of destruction through the south side of town. Further eastward, most houses in the Faith Village Addition were destroyed, and Ben Milam Elementary School was severely damaged (location #6). In 1978 Wichita Falls was the host of the first NCAA Division I-AA championship game. 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 last siren from the city's warning system sounded around 5:50 p.m. the same time that storm spotters reported seeing the tornado . Several trailers were destroyed. 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