Weather and Chasing. Tours. Weather Radio, About Us A second severe thunderstorm pounded the area just north of Brownwood with hail having a diameter of 3 to 3 1/2 inches. This page was last edited on 25 February 2023, at 02:48. One person was injured. About Our Office Widespread downburst winds and hail brought damages of $200,000 to the town of Iowa Park alone. ", "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. 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. Apr 20, 2012 - The April 10, 1979 tornado in Wichita Falls. Satellite Imagery, Forecasts The tornado was photographed from the south during this period by Pat Blacklock location #5). 2. Read More. Golfball-size hail fell prior to and immediately after the tornado passed along a track that took it into Oklahoma (where it dissipated near Waurika). The tornado blew many of those vehicles off those roadways, inflicting numerous fatalities. Over 100 commercial businesses, some of them large manufacturing concerns, were destroyed. After dodging power lines, broken poles, and busted trees we dropped south on US 183/283 on the east side of Vernon. By RAEGAN SCHARFETTER, ANNIE GIMBEL. March 3, 1973 - The Wichita Falls police department reported a small tornado touching down briefly in the vicinity of Midwestern University. The formation of the tornado and its movement toward the Memorial Stadium and McNiel Junior High School were captured by Wolfgang Lange from the front of his apartment complex which was across the street from school building (Tornado Track Figure; Location #2). Maximum path length was about 3/4 mile and the width was 50 to 60 yards. Homes were unroofed and barns were destroyed. Sorry, the location you searched for was not found. (Rated F2 by the NWS.). When it was all over, an 8 mile swath of the city over a mile wide was . Twenty-five of the deaths were. Casualty data were supplied by the Texas and Oklahoma NWS offices. Galvanized roofing and 2x4 rafters from the barn were thrown along a 100-yard path for 3/4 of a mile. One tree near a house fell onto a power line, causing an electrical surge that set the kitchen of the house on fire. 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. No fatalities or injuries occurred. Flood/Flash Flood Safety 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 . 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 . Unsolved Death in Wichita Falls, TX. An aerial view shows the destructive force of a powerful tornado that swept through Wichita Falls, Texas, on April 10, 1979. Per the SPC Database, 25 tornadoes occurred mainly in TX and OK with one lone tornado in KS. Stability indices indicated the air throughout central. After the tornado, a thorough investigation of the damage was performed by Texas Tech University, Institute for Disaster Research, and the University of Chicago. Storm Spotter Training More. It looked killer from the beginning. View looking west-southwest at the approaching tornado from Ligon Coliseum at Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, Texas. Most of the deaths were in Wichita Falls and Vernon, Texas, and Lawton, Oklahoma. Skywarn Storm Spotters 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. 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. About the Artist: Frank Gohlke is a leading figure in American landscape photography. The trees on the southwest edge of the city were denuded of limbs and bark. Tornado tore a large section of roof from an elementary school near. Local Climate Data The tornado moved eastward, was a visible as a column of dust that extended from the ground to the base of its parent thunderstorm, and was probably a landspout tornado. At the Iowa Park Fairgrounds, wind damage covered a 4-block area. Special Weather Statements by Glasstire May 2, 2017. Meanwhile, President Carter declared Oklahoma a major disaster area as a result of the tornadoes, making Federal funds available for relief and recovery efforts. ), March 27, 1939 - This tornado touched down north-northwest of Wichita Falls and moved northeastward into Clay County. Damage to city property totaled $5 million while Sheppard AFB had $10 million in damages. The twister did level a number of telephone poles along Highway 283, before dissipating just east of 283 near Maybelle. I had never witnessed anything of this magnitude. The tornado first touched down at 2:35 pm CST north of the intersection of Farm Road 369 and Seymour Highway. Hail the size of golf balls preceded the touchdown and continued for approximately 15 minutes. Thus, he stood in his backyard driveway and photographed the destruction of the apartment complex and the beginning of destruction in his neighborhood. A destructive and deadly tornado outbreak impacted the Red River Valley on April 10, 1979. On Saturday, June 28, 1924, a deadly F4 tornado struck the Lake Erie shoreline communities of Sandusky and Lorain, Ohio. Of the 7 people killed, six occurred in 5 different homes, and one man was killed when his truck was thrown from a road. I had a good full frame shot of the suction spots rotating about the base of the funnel. There was strong upper level dynamics all coming together to produce strong tornado-producing supercells. After crossing U.S. Highway 281, the twister then struck the Sun Valley neighborhood and destroyed additional homes, apartments, and businesses on the south side of U.S. Highway 287. 128 followers. More Observations 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. 3.64K subscribers Kory King and SkyWarn 6 weather forecaster John Cameron talk about the national weather historical significance of the 1979 Terrible Tuesday tornado outbreak in Texoma. 15:25 F4. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. The damage was quite hit and miss. The tornado then crossed over Kemp Boulevard and destroyed several commercial businesses, including a restaurant, resulting in several additional fatalities. More widespread home destruction occurred in Colonial Park and several more apartment complexes were demolished. Winter Weather Safety, Special Programs There were 59 reported tornados on the ground in the . The NOAA Natural Disaster Report 80-1, "The Red River Valley Tornadoes of April 10, 1979" is available, and a synopsis and discussion of the event by Don Burgess can also be perused from this site. 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. It then moved into Clay County and changed its appearance to display a multiple-vortex structure. 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. Numbers for 1979 were similar to that of 1980. Winter Weather 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. All the storms this day exhibited violent cloud motions. Surprisingly, very few fatalities occurred in Faith Village. ), 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. (1 death) April 10 - Texas, Oklahoma (11 deaths) April 10 - Texas, . He shot these images one handed while driving down a dirt road. Alberty, R. A., D. W. Burgess and T. T. Fujita, 1980: Severe weather events of 10 April 1979. This route took us in front of the advancing vortex and provided a pretty exciting ride. 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). (Documented and rated F2 by Grazulis. If McNiel Junior High had been fully occupied by students and teachers at the time of the tornado, there would have been hundreds of additional casualties and many more deaths. During this interval, the tornado was photographed by Professor Joe Henderson of Midwestern State University from the Ligon Coliseum (location #7). #1. The tornado was 1.5 miles wide as it passed through 8 miles of residential area in Wichita Falls. Total damage in Wichita Falls was estimated at $400 million (in 1979 dollars). Updated: Feb. 23, 2023 at 7:25 AM PST. Barns were destroyed and homes sustained roof damage. Sixteen of these 25 were people who entered their cars trying to evade the tornado. Flood Warnings Lubbock, Wichita Falls, Waco, and of course Fort Worth come to mind, even Austin had one dancing around over the Capitol dome in 1922. ", "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. No fatalities or injuries occurred. Property damages to both civilian properties and Sheppard were set at over $15 million. Special Weather Statements April 20, 1974 - A small tornado touched down briefly 5 miles northeast of the National Weather Service office in Wichita Falls. Living in Tornado Alley, I'm most familiar with tornados. 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. Aloft, the strong wind maximum was over the Red River area, producing significant vertical wind shear. Elizabeth was born on January. Approaching Harrold, Texas from the southeast on Highway 287 - view is looking west at 4:00 pm CST. The lights of wichita shone bright now. ), 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. First indications of tornado damage were near Harrold, which is located approximately 16 miles southwest of Vernon. About 65 people attended the funeral. Meanwhile, strong gusty winds associated with the eastward progression of an intensifying upper atmospheric storm out of New Mexico made travel hazardous in. apartments in dallas that allow airbnb Uncovering hot babes since 1919. Norman, OKNational Weather Center120 David L. Boren Blvd. Three houses were destroyed and several others were damaged. The tornado then swept through the Southmoor area, destroying homes and a shopping center. We were rushed to get into position. It was spectacular to watch! Caused over $300,000 in damage to homes, barns, and a rock crushing plant. The following text comes from Chapter I of the NOAA Natural Disaster Report 80-1, "The Red River Valley Tornadoes of April 10, 1979. 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. Air Quality But before the day's end, three very large, devastating tornadoes swept across the area leaving scores dead and hundreds injured. View obituary. More than 1700 injuries occurred within Wichita Falls. It first destroyed an apartment complex, where the first fatalities took place, as it moved along Southwest Parkway. For the first time in years we altered that route. StormReady April 10, 1979 by James R Mcdonald _ Joseph E. Minor April 20, 1979 . View looking southwest at the approaching tornado northeast of Wichita Falls, Texas. The tornado was about a half-mile wide when it struck Memorial Stadium, snapping light standards and causing heavy damage to the field house. Surface Maps The first in a series of tornadoes struck near Foard City shortly after 3 o'clock destroying several rural homes, barns, and farm equipment. 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. The tornado finally ended near Waurika, OK after traveling 47 miles. He was great at identifying cloud structures. Preprints, 12th Conference Severe Local Storms, American Meteorological Society, Boston, 441-443. (Documented and rated F2 by Grazulis. Local ", 1 The Storm Prediction Center is now located in Norman, Oklahoma Tours. The tornadoes caused 32 injuries, 29 deaths, and an estimated $20 million in personal and commercial insured losses. DOC/NOAA, January, 1980: Red River Valley Tornadoes of April 10, 1979. A small home was swept away in the affected area, and factories and warehouses were unroofed. The Wichita Falls area has been visited by tornadoes many times over the course of its history. Large tornado destroyed several barns and scattered debris over a large area. A fourth tornado touched down just outside of Seymour an hour later, but again damage was comparatively minor. This means that those people who moved to the center part of their houses, got down low, and covered themselves, by-in-large escaped with their lives, sustaining injuries instead of death. They survived! 8. Why the Red River Valley between Childress and Bowie received the most severe outbreak of thunderstorms is explained by Figures 19-26. We proceeded southwest toward Seymour witnessing a small tornado near Lake Kemp that was accompanied by golf ball size hail. This image was taken as the tornado widened and approached our position. Had we gotten stuck in the damage of the town the chase would have been over. The late afternoon lighting was much different on this storm giving a yellowish cast as we looked southwest. Summer Weather Safety 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. Caused a total of $449,000 in damage. 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). Some of these people attempted to run to their cars from the mall. April 10th, 1979 started out like any other day in Texoma. Using spotter and radar reports, Lawton officials sounded the siren system to warn the people of the approaching storm. 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