Tornado was well documented on film and by NSSL storm researchers. This was the most spectacular event I had ever witnessed to date. 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. Wolfgang Lange, View looking southwest near Memorial Stadium in Wichita Falls, Texas at the approaching tornado. It is estimated that 5,000 families, containing 20,000 residents, were left homeless in Wichita Falls. 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. ), May 26, 1955 - A small tornado touched down briefly at 1:38 am CST, moved northeastward along a narrow, 1-mile path and demolished a "washateria" and produced severely damaged several utility poles, business structures, homes, and trees. The Wichita Falls area has been visited by tornadoes many times over the course of its history. Special Weather Statements Winter Weather Warnings The giant tornado was a massive black column extending from the low striated base of the inky clouds to the ground. The following text contains excerpts from the Texas Department of Water Resources publication "A Review of Texas' Weather in 1979: The Year of Devastating Tornadoes and Flash Floods" published in 1980. At about the time the tornado was developing at Harrold, 1.5 to 3 inch diameter hailstones were reported 7 miles west of Harrold. Although high numbers of deaths have occurred in vehicles during tornadoes, the occurrences are rare. NWS We From the blizzards that traditionally pound the Panhandle each winter to the enduring heat that scorches vast sections of Texas later in the summer, Texas in the meteorological sense truly is the "Land of Contrast." Inside the mall, portions of the JC Penney store collapsed while other stores sustained light to moderate damage. Two barns were also destroyed and scattered across a field. Further eastward, most houses in the Faith Village Addition were destroyed, and Ben Milam Elementary School was severely damaged (location #6). ", 1 The Storm Prediction Center is now located in Norman, Oklahoma The Wichita Falls area has been visited by tornadoes many times over the course of its history. It damaged homes and oil storage tanks as it moved east toward Wichita Falls. Those who were caught in automobiles and trucks made up a high percentage of the fatalities. Several homes and businesses, a mobile home park, a church, and a school were damaged. We examined the circumstances of death and injury among victims of the tornado that struck Wichita Falls, Texas, on 10 April 1979. The tornado was associated with a line of thunderstorms that produced very heavy rains in the Wichita Falls area. Hail to 1.75 inches was also reported south of the city. Nationwide, Current Conditions 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. As the tornado crossed Kemp Boulevard., several commercial businesses, including a restaurant, were destroyed with several additional fatalities. Click on the numbers on the map below or on each individual photo to see a larger image of that photo. The tornado then swept through the Southmoor area, destroying homes and a shopping center. Touch device users, explore by touch or with swipe gestures. 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. This report summarizes the injuries and deaths associated with these tornadoes based on information from emergency department and hospital records and death certificates. Large tornado destroyed several barns and scattered debris over a large area. 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. Skywarn Storm Spotters Only three times in my chase career have I seen vertical storm tower velocities this strong. 1 A tornado struck Waco and McLennan County on May 11, 1953, inflicting 114 deaths, 597 injuries, and damages of $4i.2 million. Storm Data, Weather Safety Summer Weather Safety Several trailers were destroyed. among them is this still life with tornado that can be your partner. Tornado data and F-scale ratings for tornadoes from 1950 to the present are referenced from NWS records. Weather Bureau records. Weather and Chasing. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 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. 45 people died in the Wichita Falls tornado. View looking west-southwest at the approaching tornado from Ligon Coliseum at Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, Texas. The Wichita Falls storm formed north of Abilene, TX. Winter Weather Safety, Special Programs . The late afternoon lighting was much different on this storm giving a yellowish cast as we looked southwest. Records taken from the Storm Prediction Center archive data, "Storm Data", and data from the National Weather Service office in Norman. 1. Submit a Spot Forecast Over 100 commercial businesses, some of them large manufacturing concerns, were destroyed. The storm's second tornado, the terrible Wichita Falls tornado, formed at 1755 CST (5:55 PM) to the southwest of the city and moved through the southern and eastern sides of Wichita Falls shortly after 1800 CST (6:00 PM). Thread starter Rob Satkus; Start date Apr 8, 2009; Forums. 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. 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. 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 . (Documented and rated F2 by Grazulis. 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. 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. A sharp temperature gradient immediately preceded the movement of the drier air into the region at 850 mb (Figure 20), while at 700 mb the axis of maximum winds was positioned directly overhead the upper Red River valley (Figure 21) and appreciable vertical motion was evident (Figure 22). Graphical Forecasts A destructive and deadly tornado outbreak impacted the Red River Valley on April 10, 1979. Several other mobile homes in the area sustained minor damage, and homes to the east on Carriage Lane also received minor damage. Approximately 30 houses in the addition were damage with some houses suffering extensive damage. Numbers for 1979 were similar to that of 1980. The tornado then crossed over Kemp Boulevard and destroyed several commercial businesses, including a restaurant, resulting in several additional fatalities. According to the American National Red Cross, 7,759 families suffered losses in the storms (Table 1). 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. During this period, large hail was occurring in the central and northern portions of Wichita Falls as the tornado devastated the southern portion of the city. Damage to city property totaled $5 million while Sheppard AFB had $10 million in damages. Updated: Feb. 23, 2023 at 7:25 AM PST. During this interval, the tornado was photographed by Professor Joe Henderson of Midwestern State University from the Ligon Coliseum (location #7). One of the tornadoes, having a width that varied from 1/2 to 1 1/2 miles, cut a swath of devastation across the southern sector of Wichita Falls in less than 30 minutes, killing 42 persons, injuring more than 1700, and burying dozens of city blocks under tons of debris. 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 highly unsettled atmosphere out ahead of the advancing dry air is illustrated by the sounding taken at Stephenville just as the gargantuan tornado was hitting Wichita Falls; the lowest 300 mb of the atmosphere was highly convectively unstable (Figure 24). First indications of tornado damage were near Harrold, which is located approximately 16 miles southwest of Vernon. 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 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. We were on our own. After dodging power lines, broken poles, and busted trees we dropped south on US 183/283 on the east side of Vernon. View looking west-northwest from south shore of Lake Wichita at the tornado approaching Wichita Falls, Texas. Most of the deaths were in Wichita Falls and Vernon, Texas . View looking southwest at the approaching tornado northeast of Wichita Falls, Texas. Per the SPC Database, 25 tornadoes occurred mainly in TX and OK with one lone tornado in KS. April 8, 1961 - A small tornado formed near Kamay at 4:00 pmCST, moved northeast across the Wichita Valley Airport, and then moved into Sheppard AFB. One mobile home was completely destroyed on Bobby Point Road, prompting an F1 rating. Forty-two peoples were killed and over 1700 injured. 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). 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. April 26, 1962 - This tornado initially touched down at 10:45 pmCST on the Sheppard Access Road near Sheppard AFB, damaging several cars, and destroying a a 100 x 30 foot metal building at a motor company. But as the day progressed, and the storms began to form, a good day turned into a bad day. Robert Molet. 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. All the storms this day exhibited violent cloud motions. To commemorate this event, the National Weather Service in Norman, Oklahoma has compiled a large amount of information including: tornado photos of the Wichita Falls, Vernon, Seymour, and Harrold, TX tornadoes; damage photos; images of radar and satellite data; other maps and diagrams of the event; and storm data for Oklahoma and western north Texas. The tornado moved across Highway 287 and caused light damage before entering Wichita County about 5 miles northeast of Harrold. Please Contact Us. In Texas: Clay, Foard, Wichita and Wilbarger; and in Oklahoma: Carter, Cleveland, Comanche, Cotton, Jefferson, Pottawatomie, Stephens and Tillman. It then became calm before the winds began to pick up. Known as the Red River Valley tornado outbreak or "Terrible Tuesday," 30 tornadoes ran rampant. June 16, 1997 - A survey conducted by a National Weather Service meteorologist confirmed that an F1 tornado touched down briefly about 5 miles southeast of Burkburnett (or 1.5 miles north of the north end of Sheppard AFB). Data modified as described in NOAA Tech Memo NWS SR-209 (Speheger, D., 2001: "Corrections to the Historic Tornado Database"). Tornado caused $3,500,000 to the downtown business district in. Wildfire Safety Pat Blacklock, View looking north from south shore of Lake Wichita at the tornado approaching Wichita Falls, Texas. To avoid getting trapped, it's been my policy to avoid blasted cities when ever possible. Please try another search. It 's been my policy to avoid blasted cities when ever possible the day progressed, and the (! On US 183/283 on the map below or on each individual photo to a! 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