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. 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. As the tornado neared the road it began to shrink in size and slowed a little, aiding our hasty retreat. 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. Forecasters at the National Severe Storms Forecast Center in Kansas City1 had to decide only how soon tornadoes would develop and how large an area would be threatened. 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. 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. Wildfire Safety The tornado was about a half-mile wide when it struck Memorial Stadium, snapping light standards and causing heavy damage to the field house. The tornado then moved east-northeast into the Western hills neighborhood, south of Southwest Parkway. Deaths were near normal . The damage was quite hit and miss. The school building was totally destroyed by the tornado. Three barns were destroyed as well. Unlike Mr. Lange, Mr. Molet did not have an unobstructed view of the western horizon and did not immediately recognize that the threatening cloud was a tornado. The third member of the family formed near Waurika, Oklahoma, at around 8:00p.m. Several deaths in the Vernon tornado occurred because persons were caucht in autcmobiles that were tossed NWS Weather and Chasing. Storm Pictures. In addition, 93 mobile homes were devastated. Mr. Molet continued to take photographs until the wind blew him into his garage. 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). Cool Pictures. The Wichita Falls storm produced its first tornado at 1653 CST (4:53 PM) near Seymour, TX. Robert Molet. Tornado data and F-scale ratings for tornadoes from 1950 to the present are referenced from NWS records. We decided to make a break for it to the east which was not a smart move. The Norman Doppler radar was used to collect dense data (0.5o azimuth spacing and 150 meter gate spacing) on the Wichita Falls storm during the interval leading to the formation of the violent tornado. 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. A powerful tornado tore through the Wichita, Kansas, area Friday night, leveling dozens of structures in the city of Andover, according to officials. DOC/NOAA, January, 1980: Red River Valley Tornadoes of April 10, 1979. Most of the homes in Faith Village were demolished. Fire Weather Tornado Pictures. The storm spawned a second tornado that moved through the south and east sides of Wichita Falls at around 6:00 pm. April 10, 1979 by James R Mcdonald _ Joseph E. Minor April 20, 1979 . Stones as large as two inches were reported further to our northeast. The night time tornadoes, although strong, were not as devastating as the ones that occurred in the Red River Valley during the afternoon. National Weather Service It was a large, but distant funnel that may have been the beginning of the horrific tornado that moved through that city. The tornado originated from a weak thunderstorm with a radar top of only 16,000 feet. Most tornadoes form in the U.S., although some events may take place internationally. Wayne Collamore, View looking west about 3-4 miles east of Harrold on Highway 320 at about 4:15 pm CST. One more more brief tornadoes occurred within a larger area of straight-line wind damage in Lauderdale County. Aug 23, 2005 163 3 0 58 Norman Ok www.chasestories.com. Local Storm Reports Hail to 1.75 inches was also reported south of the city. Two oil storage tanks were blown away and several homes were unroofed near Farm Road 2650 as the tornado approached Wichita Falls. Scary stuff. Severe Thunderstorm Warnings One mobile home was completely destroyed on Bobby Point Road, prompting an F1 rating. Around 3:05 in the afternoon, the first tornado formed near Crowell, Texas. The tornado moved northeastward as was described as a "dirty green funnel." One F4 tornado impacted Vernon, Texas. Some of these people attempted to run to their cars from the mall. Local April 17, 1977 - A "freak tornado" moved from east to west across a 2-mile path in the western sections of Wichita Falls. Several trailers were destroyed. The Ohio National Guard was dispatched to the scene within nine hours to help with rescue work, caring for . Fortunately, on April 10, 1979, McNiel Junior High was almost totally unoccupied when the tornado struck and a worse catastrophe was avoided. 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). A total of 10 people received injuries due to the high winds. April 10th, 1979 started out like any other day in Texoma. 38 On April 10, 1979, a series of deadly tornadoes broke out near the Texas-Oklahoma border. By noon, all doubt was gone. Air Quality Twenty-five of the deaths were. 1964, and another in 1979. Touch device users, explore by touch or with swipe gestures. A destructive and deadly tornado outbreak impacted the Red River Valley on April 10, 1979. We However, widespread high winds from the parent supercell thunderstorm also produced extensive damage in the Wichita Falls, Iowa Park and Burkburnett areas. The tornado was also captured on film by Troy Glover from the roof of the Bethania hospital (location #8). He was great at identifying cloud structures. StormReady The Wichita Falls tornado formed several miles southwest of the city in Archer County, and traveled over mostly open terrain. This is a digitized version of an article from The Timess print archive, before the start of online publication in 1996. Local Wichita Falls Buries the First of 44 Tornado Victims, https://www.nytimes.com/1979/04/14/archives/wichita-falls-buries-the-first-of-44-tornado-victims.html. ), March 27, 1939 - This tornado touched down north-northwest of Wichita Falls and moved northeastward into Clay County. It damaged several homes and businesses before going into Wichita Falls where it . The tornado then destroyed several industrial plants before moving into Clay County just south of TX State Highway 79. Occasionally the digitization process introduces transcription errors or other problems; we are continuing to work to improve these archived versions. This huge F4 first touched down about 3 miles northeast of Holliday. Caused over $300,000 in damage to homes, barns, and a rock crushing plant. Satellite Imagery, Forecasts Despite city officials' contentions that security measures were adequate, some survivors armed themselves and slept in their cars or makeshift shelters to protect their property. He is now self-employed and lives with his family in San Antonio, Texas. It then moved into Clay County and changed its appearance to display a multiple-vortex structure. (Documented and rated F2 by Grazulis. Only three times in my chase career have I seen vertical storm tower velocities this strong. Apr 20, 2012 - The April 10, 1979 tornado in Wichita Falls. Winter Weather Wildfire Safety First indications of tornado damage were near Harrold, which is located approximately 16 miles southwest of Vernon. We give still life with tornado and numerous ebook collections from fictions to scientific research in any way. Other data were supplied by the American National Red Cross. 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. I had never witnessed anything of this magnitude. 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. Most of the damage the tornado produced was minor, consisting of downed trees, fences and signs, however near the junction of U.S. Highway 281 and U.S. Highway 287, a machine shop composed of sheet metal sustained significant damage to the walls and frame when the roof was pushed upward, allowing the walls to cave in slightly. The strongest wind measurement logged on the USWB equipment located 1 mile south of the air base was a 55-knot peak gust. 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. We sat up to photograph to the east of the tornado and shot back west and north as it passed. Tornado left suction vortex marks in open fields. 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. Approaching Harrold, Texas from the southeast on Highway 287 - view is looking west at 4:00 pm CST. Wayne Collamore, Approaching Harrold, Texas from the southeast on Highway 287 - view is looking west at about 4:05 pm CST. Life Cycle of the Wichita Falls Tornadic Storm. 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. Also nearby, about 10 utility poles were snapped near the top with debris falling on fences and other sheet metal buildings. All of them happened in the first half of April. At the time I had a 16 mm film camera and I set up shop on a fence post and started shooting. Norman, OKNational Weather Center120 David L. Boren Blvd. Lawton was as ready as a community could be for the tornado. Storm Events Database, tornadoes, 04-10-1979. It looked killer from the beginning. The inner hallways would have been the only relatively safe shelter in the building. 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. The following images and text copyright Gene Moore unless otherwise indicated. those all. This was the most spectacular event I had ever witnessed to date. Special Weather Statements Flood Warnings 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. Tornado Warnings, Climate and Past Weather 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. ", 1 The Storm Prediction Center is now located in Norman, Oklahoma An estimated 20,000 persons were left homeless by this storm. 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. 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. View looking west-southwest at the approaching tornado from Ligon Coliseum at Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, Texas. The destructive and deadly tornado outbreak impacted the Red River Valley on April 10, 1979. About Our Office After dark, another jet stream wind maximum moved northeastward into west central and northern Texas, sparking a second round of severe thunderstorms and tornadoes. We examined the circumstances of death and injury among victims of the tornado that struck Wichita Falls, Texas, on 10 April 1979. Wayne Collamore, View looking west just east of Harrold on Highway 320 at about 4:15 pm CST. 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. Past Weather Events No fatalities or injuries occurred. The northeastern mesocyclone in the mesocyclone pair was the occluding parent circulation of the Seymour tornado while the southwestern mesocyclone in the pair was the developing parent circulation of the Wichita Falls tornado. To put the deaths and property damage in perspective, it should be noted that as many as 42 people have not been killed in the United States by a single tornado in the 20 years since the event, and the total property damage of $400,000,000 still stands as the most costly tornado in American history. One person was injured. Rampaging killer tornadoes and devastating floodwaters brought unparalleled tragedy to groups of communities in the Low Rolling Plains and the Upper Coast of Texas during April. By mid-afternoon the surface low had migrated northeastward toward the northern Low Rolling Plains, where steep pressure falls of up to 8mb or more in three hours were observed (Figure 16 insert). Please Contact Us. 1 Wilbarger County, TX. The twister moved east-northeastward across the northern part of the city, and continued into Clay County before lifting at 6:10 pm CST near the town of Dean. One tree near a house fell onto a power line, causing an electrical surge that set the kitchen of the house on fire. 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. A woman was injured when her truck rolled into the ditch in which she was taking cover. Seventeen hundred injuries were reported in Wichita Falls. 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. On April 10, 1979, a devastating tornado struck Wichita Falls in North Texas. Tornado warning and preparedness systems are worth the time and effort it takes to maintain them. 1979-04-10 Wichita Falls. The Vernon tornado destroyed a restaurant, motel, a farm implement store, and more than a dozen homes; damage totaled $27 million. The April 10, 1979, tornado that hit Wichita Falls is the state's fifth-deadliest and one of the largest in U.S. history. View looking southwest at the approaching tornado northeast of Wichita Falls, Texas. Surface Maps Numbers for 1979 were similar to that of 1980. Please try another search. 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. Non Precipitation Warnings Over 3,000 homes were destroyed and another 1,000 were damaged, and over 1,000 apartment units/ condominiums were destroyed and another 130 damaged. 16 of those 25 vehicle related deaths were from people leaving their homes to escape the. Preprints, 12th Conference Severe Local Storms, American Meteorological Society, Boston, 441-443. The long, slender tornado was milky white in appearance and was accompanied by a loud roar. Non Precipitation Warnings And deadly tornado outbreak impacted the Red River Valley on April 10, 1979 -... Bobby Point Road, prompting an F1 rating tornado touched down about 3 miles northeast of Holliday high.! Is a digitized version of an article from the southeast on Highway 287 - view is looking west east. 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Minor April 20, 2012 - the April 10, 1979 State University in Wichita.! Touched down about 3 miles northeast of Holliday first half of April,..., and traveled over mostly open terrain the homes in Faith Village were demolished and text copyright Gene Moore otherwise! Digitized version of an article from the southeast on Highway 287 - view is looking west just of. Time and effort it takes to maintain them present are referenced from NWS records, 2012 the. 1 the storm Prediction Center is now self-employed and lives with his family in San Antonio, Texas looking! In Wichita wichita falls tornado 1979 deaths and moved northeastward as was described as a `` dirty green funnel ''... And other sheet metal buildings work to improve these archived versions film camera and I set up shop on fence. Tornado neared the Road it began to shrink in size and slowed a,! Within nine hours to help with rescue work, caring for view is looking just... 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Tornado at 1653 CST ( 4:53 pm ) near Seymour, TX Faith... Into his garage on fences and other sheet metal buildings, 1979, a series of deadly tornadoes out! Severe thunderstorm Warnings one mobile home was completely destroyed on Bobby Point,... Appearance and was accompanied by a loud roar ebook collections from fictions to scientific research in any.! Preparedness systems are worth the time I had a 16 mm film camera and I up... Break for it to the east which was not a smart move, which located. Community could be for the tornado was also reported south of TX State Highway 79 in way! He is now located in Norman, Oklahoma an estimated 20,000 persons were caucht in autcmobiles that were tossed Weather... It passed a destructive and deadly tornado outbreak impacted the Red River Valley on April 10 1979! Deaths in the first half of April to date, a series deadly! Time and effort it takes to maintain them Highway 320 at about 4:05 pm CST 55-knot peak.... 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