At the Iowa Park Fairgrounds, wind damage covered a 4-block area. Sirens blew as the tornado bore down on Vernon. 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. Non Precipitation Warnings No explanation for the unusually low reflectivity values with that phase of the storm (sensed by several radars) has been developed. US Dept of Commerce Further to the northeast we could see a very large tornado with reddish suction spots rotating about the circulation. By this time teams from NSSL and the University of Oklahoma had arrived. 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. 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. In addition, 93 mobile homes were devastated. Here we goa hymn request from Erlene: Great Is His Faithfulness, sung by the Collingsworth Family. These supercells caused the most damaging tornadoes of the outbreak. The Wichita Falls storm produced a third and final tornado about 2000 CST (8:00 PM) near Pruitt, OK. Please select one of the following: Local Enhanced Radar (Central Oklahoma-KTLX), Local Standard Radar (KTLX-low bandwidth), Local Enhanced Radar (Southwest OK/Western North TX-KFDR), Local Standard Radar (KFDR-low bandwidth), Local Standard Radar (KVNX-low bandwidth), Averages and Records for OKC, Wichita Falls & Lawton, NOAA Tech Memo NWS SR-209 (Speheger, D., 2001: "Corrections to the Historic Tornado Database"), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Near Kamay - Wichita Valley Airport - Sheppard AFB, NW Wichita Falls (FM-369/ Seymour Highway)- Sheppard AFB, Wichita Falls (near Midwestern University), 3 ENE Holliday- Wichita Falls- 4 E Byers- NNE of Waurika OK, Wichita Falls (4 SSW - 1 E center of town). Wolfgang Lange, View looking southwest near Memorial Stadium in Wichita Falls, Texas at wall cloud on the southwestern edge of the thunderstorm. 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 . Most of the deaths were in Wichita Falls and Vernon, Texas, and Lawton, Oklahoma. . We didn't get phone guidance and it was before on-board equipment. I didn't want to move. Winter Weather Warnings Why the Red River Valley between Childress and Bowie received the most severe outbreak of thunderstorms is explained by Figures 19-26. Rain was beginning to rotate totally around the funnel at this time and the tornado was producing an audible roar so loud it was hard to communicate. 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. ", 1 The Storm Prediction Center is now located in Norman, Oklahoma Local Climate Data 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. Forty-two people were killed outright by the storm, while 3 others died of heart attacks. 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. 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. 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. (Rated F2 by the NWS. It was the costliest tornado in history until the F5 Moore-Oklahoma City tornado struck in 1999. . The tornado was 1.5 miles wide as it passed through 8 miles of residential area in Wichita Falls. One thousand and sixty-two apartment units and condominiums were demolished and 130 damaged. Casualty data were supplied by the Texas and Oklahoma NWS offices. While the tornado was passing, it sounded like a train was coming directly through the house. Wolfgang Lange, View looking southwest near Memorial Stadium in Wichita Falls, Texas at the time of tornado touchdown. (Documented and rated F2 by Grazulis. We couldn't make it into Wichita Falls because we almost ran out of gas. Damage also occurred to machinery, homes, and outbuildings. It was a large, but distant funnel that may have been the beginning of the horrific tornado that moved through that city. Residents of Seymour reported that the tornado was preceded by very heavy rain and hail almost 2 inches in diameter. A number of people were also killed or injured in the parking lot of Sikes Senter (sic) Mall, also on Kemp Boulevard. Flood Warnings 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. As a result of the early warning, the casualty list of 3 dead and 109 injured was relatively small despite the destruction of several hundred homes and businesses. ), 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. Undoubtedly, this earlier warning and the afternoon Vernon tornado had primed the Wichita Falls populace to the threat of additional tornado activity. [19] Homes were unroofed and barns were destroyed. This page was last edited on 25 February 2023, at 02:48. 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 . 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). Surface Maps McNiel Junior High, a new concrete/steel-reinforced building was not built well enough to provide safe shelter from the tornado. Fortunately, no one was killed or injured by the tornado. The Red River Valley Tornadoes of April 10, 1979. . He died on July 16, 1979 in El Arenal, Spanje (Palma de Mallorca). We left NSSL in Norman, Oklahoma at 10:30 AM to our target of Vernon, TX. The tornado blew many of those vehicles off those roadways, inflicting numerous fatalities. Watch. The majority of the fatalities were in vehicles, and a number of those victims left homes that were undamaged by the tornado only to be caught in its deadly path as they tried to flee. Tornado Database Local Climate Data Childress lay in the path of the advancing low pressure center, as surface pressure fell drastically and winds backed during the afternoon before the much drier continental air enveloped the region in the evening (Figure 17). It began at 4:57 p.m. about a mile-and-a-half south of Clearwater. By afternoon, the warm front had lifted to the vicinity of the Red River, and a new low pressure area had formed near Childress. To the north of Southwest Parkway, the tornado destroyed many houses in the Western Hills Addition. The tornadoes pictured here were part of the Red River Valley Outbreak, the biggest event of that year. After the tornado, a thorough investigation of the damage was performed by Texas Tech University, Institute for Disaster Research, and the University of Chicago. ), April 24, 1923 - A tornado blew apart five homes 3 miles south-southwest of Burkburnett and 6 oil derricks where also destroyed. 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). He is now self-employed and lives with his family in San Antonio, Texas. I survived an enormous North Texas twister on April 10, 1979 that took 52 lives when three vortexes merged into one. Three people were killed in the restaurant. Severe Weather Safety Historical weather events. More than 1700 injuries occurred within Wichita Falls. Other data were supplied by the American National Red Cross. During this interval, the tornado was photographed by Professor Joe Henderson of Midwestern State University from the Ligon Coliseum (location #7). Earlier on the same day, several tornadoes hit farther west. The western portion of the school building was crushed by the intense winds. Those who were caught in automobiles and trucks made up a high percentage of the fatalities. 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). Graphical Forecasts Precipitation was to our west through southwest and wrapped around the tornado. 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. The maximum F-scale rating was F1, however most damage was rated F0. A fourth tornado touched down just outside of Seymour an hour later, but again damage was comparatively minor. 25 of the 42 fatalities from the tornado were vehicle related, 16 of which were of people who left their homes to evade the massive tornado. Museum of the Kansas National Guard . As the tornado crossed Kemp Boulevard in Wichita Falls, several commercial businesses, including a restaurant, were destroyed with several additional fatalities. This was the most spectacular event I had ever witnessed to date. WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) . Most people heeded the warnings and took shelter inside interior, small rooms in their homes. Northeast of Wichita Falls, the tornado entered Clay County and changed its appearance. 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). Flood/Flash Flood Safety Wichita Falls Tornado. The following table includes data and summaries from the tornadoes that occurred in the area since the late 1800's. It then became calm before the winds began to pick up. In the early afternoon hours, three supercell thunderstorms formed. The tornado was photographed from the south during this period by Pat Blacklock location #5). (This tornado was documented and rated F2 by Tom Grazulis in his book, Significant Tornadoes. 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. Evan got up, the moonlight bouncing off his not so wicked blue eyes. -56 NWS WFO, Norman, OK. In addition, approximately 140 mobile homes were destroyed, two schools were demolished and 11 others sustained serious damage. Photographs indicated that it was a large, cylindrical tornado with a well organized debris cloud. A darker version of this image shows the rain curtain extending around the vortex. The mall was on the north side of the tornado path and appeared to escape the most violent winds. Violent weather became more widespread as the afternoon progressed. February 18, 2023 (64 years old) View obituary. 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. The Wichita Falls area has been visited by tornadoes many times over the course of its history. Tours. One F4 tornado impacted Vernon, Texas. 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. CoCoRaHS A deepening low pressure system formed in Colorado as a warm front lifted north pulling warm, moist, unstable air. 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. The following images and text copyright Gene Moore unless otherwise indicated. More Observations Skywarn Storm Spotters Fire Weather 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. Widespread downburst winds and hail brought damages of $200,000 to the town of Iowa Park alone. February 21, 1994 - Thunderstorms developed in the western part of north Texas during the afternoon hours of February 21st and produced a small weak tornado, hail up to nickel size and damaging winds. The North Texas town of Wichita Falls has seen three major tornadoesin 1958, 1964, and another in 1979. Non Precipitation Warnings 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. The tornado moved to the north-northwest during its life before lifting 2 miles from Burkburnett. 1979 tornado outbreak leaves massive damage and 57 dead in Texoma. A small home was swept away in the affected area, and factories and warehouses were unroofed. During this time I navigated and Eddie drove. No one was killed and only several major injuries occurred among the approximately one thousand shoppers who were in the mall. The powerful vortex, although rated only F-2, had winds of over 200 MPH. It looked killer from the beginning. Our path across the Red River was always through Lawton; then we usually took a short cut on OK 36 and OK 5 through open wheat country to Fredrick and Vernon. Neighbors took shelter together while federal and local groups assembled. (Documented and rated F2 by Grazulis. February 16, 2023. Meanwhile, strong gusty winds associated with the eastward progression of an intensifying upper atmospheric storm out of New Mexico made travel hazardous in. Further statistics reveal that 25 of the deaths were auto-related. Apr 8, 2009 #1 NWS OUN has put up a nice page for the 30th anniversary of this monster: . The reason for the death toll being as high is that the twister struck many poorly constructed homes that provided little safety. Satellite Imagery, Forecasts The Red River Valley Tornado Outbreak of 10 April 1979 Location Help Wintry and Cold Conditions Continue Across Much of the U.S. A destructive and deadly tornado outbreak impacted the Red River Valley on April 10, 1979. The tornado exited Texas about 4 miles east of Byers, uprooting over 200 trees along the Red River. The tornado just missed two busloads of students who were returning from a game in Burkburnett. Several homes were demolished, and a number of barns were partially destroyed. (Rated F2 by the NWS.). Wrecked cars were smashed against bridge abutments, a power plant was knocked out, and part of a high school was destroyed. NWS Two barns were also destroyed and scattered across a field. That supercell was in progress just to our northeast, although there was no direct route to catch the fast moving storm. Several buildings were torn apart and a cemetery was damaged. It's the day an F-4 tornado ravaged the city of Wichita Falls. First indications of tornado damage were near Harrold, which is located approximately 16 miles southwest of Vernon. It is believed that many more minor injuries were never recorded.[5][6][7]. Wichita Falls has had three major tornado strikes in its history. The tornado then crossed a short span of open fields before moving into the Colonial Park area. But as the day progressed, and the storms began to form, a good day turned into a bad day. 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. 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 . Air Quality Would we have seen the tornado and diverted? The trees on the southwest edge of the city were denuded of limbs and bark. Several strong to violent tornadoes touched down throughout the region that day. Fortunately, its long path on the ground was mostly over open farmland so that it caused relatively few casualties and small total property damage. Tornado was well documented on film and by NSSL storm researchers. Caused $190,000 in damage. 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). 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. Pat Blacklock, View looking north from south shore of Lake Wichita at the tornado approaching Wichita Falls, Texas. All NOAA. Minor wind damage and hail to 2 inches in diameter occurred north of the tornado track in Wichita Falls, in conjunction with its parent supercell. Two trailers were destroyed, and three homes were damaged. In 1978 Wichita Falls was the host of the first NCAA Division I-AA championship game. Aviation Weather Norman, OKNational Weather Center120 David L. Boren Blvd. Read More. 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. So they adopt the religion of Christianity. ", "Storm spotter networks were alerted. The tornado then swept through the Southmoor area, destroying homes and a shopping center. It seems that almost every major Texas city has had to deal with a tornado at least once. Summer Weather Safety Those sources of meteorological data used in this report consist of: official rainfall, snowfall, temperature, wind, sunshine, and moisture data as provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in the publications, "Climatological Data: Texas," "Local Climatological Data" (for selected cities), "Storm Data, and "Daily Weather Maps;" weather teletype reports (circuits "A" and "C") from the National Weather Service surface and upper-air observing network; surface and upper-air facsimile charts provided by the National Meteorological Center of NOAA; newspaper accounts; and photographic data obtained by the author. 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. Mr. Molet continued to take photographs until the wind blew him into his garage. The following severe weather account is by Gene Moore. Eddie was trying to tell me something; finally with some tugging, he got my attention. 44 homes and mobile homes were damaged or destroyed. Interview She and her family couldn't find their dog. Wolfgang Lange, View looking southwest near Memorial Stadium in Wichita Falls, Texas at the approaching tornado. Most of the destroyed homes had some of these interior walls still standing after the tornado. 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. passed away on Thursday, February 23, 2023 in Wichita Falls Texas. This line raced northeastward, spilling heavy rains, hail and high winds on numerous communities. 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. McNeil Junior High school was next in the path of the tornado and the school was severely damaged. Near the center of the tornado and about a half mile south of the mall, a church was demolished with one person killed inside the building. The heaviest damage in the apartments occurred in the second story of two-story buildings. The lights of wichita shone bright now. Most of the homes in Faith Village were demolished. Please try another search. It is estimated that 5,000 families, containing 20,000 residents, were left homeless in Wichita Falls. 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