The third supercell was the one that formed the Seymour and Wichita Falls tornadoes as part of a three-member tornado family. Air Quality The tornadoes destroyed the press box and lights at Memorial Stadium, which lead to the Pioneer Bowl being. Skywarn Storm Spotters They moved northeastward, and as a trio spawned families of tornadoes. Toggle navigation. 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. While photographing this shot I began to feel vibration in the camera. The tornado slung mud across the inside of the windshield which made it difficult to drive. Fifty mph sustained inflow winds were occurring at this time. (1979-2009) The Red River Valley Tornado. Flood Warnings 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). ), April 24, 1923 - A tornado blew apart five homes 3 miles south-southwest of Burkburnett and 6 oil derricks where also destroyed. Gene is a graduate of Oklahoma University who photographed storms when he lived in Norman, Oklahoma during the 1970s. (Rated F2 by the NWS. Undoubtedly, this earlier warning and the afternoon Vernon tornado had primed the Wichita Falls populace to the threat of additional tornado activity. Used by permission of author Don Burgess. 10. Overall, the outbreak killed 58 people and injured 1,927 others. Over 100 commercial businesses, some of them large manufacturing concerns, were destroyed. A dry line had formed from the Childress low southward, and temperatures had become very warm in west Texas. More than 1700 injuries occurred within Wichita Falls. A mattress fell beside the vehicle and I looked out to see a woman standing in what appeared to be a junk yard. The Ohio National Guard was dispatched to the scene within nine hours to help with rescue work, caring for . The 1979 tornado cut a wide path of destruction through Wichita Falls homes and apartments. Three homes were destroyed and others were damaged. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. (Rated F2 by the NWS. Data modified as described in NOAA Tech Memo NWS SR-209 (Speheger, D., 2001: "Corrections to the Historic Tornado Database"). The publication was written and prepared by George W. Bomar of Weather Modification & Technology Section of the Texas Department of Water Resources. 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. Several trailers were destroyed. View obituary. He is now self-employed and lives with his family in San Antonio, Texas. Apr 8, 2009 #1 NWS OUN has put up a nice page for the 30th anniversary of this monster: . Storm Pictures. Scary stuff. All of them happened in the first half of April. 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 . During this time I was trying to shoot pictures through the window. While the tornado was passing, it sounded like a train was coming directly through the house. Damage to city property totaled $5 million while Sheppard AFB had $10 million in damages. Tornado Pictures. Special Weather Statements Final totals across three states were 181 killed and 970 injured. This most damaging tornado in Texas history was not finished, however. have just been raked by debris from rear flank downdraft surge wrapping around the tornado - tornado now in a sunlit position relative to us - getting really spectacular! All NOAA. A number of people were also killed or injured in the parking lot of Sikes Senter (sic) Mall, also on Kemp Boulevard. 44 homes and mobile homes were damaged or destroyed. Touch device users, explore by touch or with swipe gestures. Upper Air Maps The tornado was coming down, but getting photography was difficult. Meteorologists still refer to that day as Terrible Tuesday because of the immense devastation and the sheer numbers. With an east-northeast movement, it entered Wichita County and damaged a few rural homes and a string of metal high-voltage towers. 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. He died on July 16, 1979 in El Arenal, Spanje (Palma de Mallorca). Forty-two people were killed outright by the storm, while 3 others died of heart attacks. Fire Weather Three people were injured in a mobile home near the beginning of the path. 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). As the first violent tornado on record to hit the Wichita Falls area, [18] it left seven dead and more than 100 injured. The tornado finally ended near Waurika, OK after traveling 47 miles. February 18, 2023 (64 years old) View obituary. It is estimated that 5,000 families, containing 20,000 residents, were left homeless in Wichita Falls. At about the time the tornado was developing at Harrold, 1.5 to 3 inch diameter hailstones were reported 7 miles west of Harrold. StormReady Severe Weather Safety Rivers and Lakes For. Norman, OKNational Weather Center120 David L. Boren Blvd. Minor damage occurred to some fences and the area. Deaths An Estimated 42 people died April 3, 1964 - A violent tornado struck the northwest section of Wichita Falls and Sheppard Air Force Base, killing 7 persons and injuring 111 other people. 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. 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). Three thousand and ninety-five homes were destroyed and 600 were damaged. Daily Weather History Local ", "The thunderstorm system that produced the Vernon tornado crossed the Red River and left a 50-mile-long skipping track of tornado damage through Oklahoma. Further to the northeast we could see a very large tornado with reddish suction spots rotating about the circulation. ), March 27, 1939 - This tornado touched down north-northwest of Wichita Falls and moved northeastward into Clay County. Total damage in the city was estimated at $400 million; five thousand families (or about 20,000 people) were left homeless. One piece of farm equipment was destroyed and damage occurred to fences and trees. The brick building at the water works plant was heavily damaged, and a woman suffered a broken back when her home was destroyed 3 miles south of Burkburnett. Joe Landon Haney. 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. 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. Local Storm Reports Frank Gohlke's portfolio of 40 black and white photographs, which capture the devastation of the 1979 Wichita Falls Tornado and the landscape a year later, will be on exhibition to mark the anniversary of Terrible Tuesday, April 10, 1979. Tornado Database The most active portion of the advancing dry line traversed this sector of the Low Rolling Plains at precisely the time of occurrence of the tornado outbreak (Figure 19). Two reports can be found on this web site. 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. As it moved north of Southwest Parkway, the tornado destroyed many homes in both the Western Hills Addition and the Faith Village Addition and severely damaged Ben Milam Elementary School. The tornado moved northeastward as was described as a "dirty green funnel." 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 . NWS ), March 31, 1892 - A tornado hit parts of Iowa Park where a house was moved 30 feet and destroyed, injuring 3 occupants. Living in Tornado Alley, I'm most familiar with tornados. Flood Warnings The tornado was associated with a line of thunderstorms that produced very heavy rains in the Wichita Falls area. After moving northeast of Seymour, the tornado intensified. Other homes, barns, and outbuildings were damaged. By afternoon, the warm front had lifted to the vicinity of the Red River, and a new low pressure area had formed near Childress. The huge thunderstorm that yielded the Seymour tornado also pounded Holliday with baseball-size hail and an area west of Iowa Park with golfball-size hail. A 368-foot radio antenna and 2 others antennas were blown down, and multiple power lines were downed. The school building was totally destroyed by the tornado. Surface Maps We continued south passing a damage path across the highway from the Harrold tornado. Seventeen hundred injuries were reported in Wichita Falls. 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. 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. Although his house was completely destroyed, Mr. Molet escaped with only minor injuries as his pickup truck was blown over him, protecting him from the worst winds and debris. 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. . That supercell was in progress just to our northeast, although there was no direct route to catch the fast moving storm. (Documented and rated F2 by Grazulis. Three barns were destroyed as well. Upper Air Maps As the tornado crossed Kemp Boulevard., several commercial businesses, including a restaurant, were destroyed with several additional fatalities. 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. The killer tornadoes that ravaged parts of three Texas communities near the Red River late in the afternoon stemmed from a wave of very intense thunderstorms that developed shortly after noon when a dry line advanced rapidly eastward out of the High Plains ahead of an approaching Pacific cold front. The Wichita Falls area has been visited by tornadoes many times over the course of its history. CoCoRaHS By RAEGAN SCHARFETTER, ANNIE GIMBEL. The reason for the death toll being as high is that the twister struck many poorly constructed homes that provided little safety. 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. Flash Flood Warnings Alberty, R. A., D. W. Burgess and T. T. Fujita, 1980: Severe weather events of 10 April 1979. So they adopt the religion of Christianity. Well-built modern houses, in general, offer fairly good protection from tornadoes. We examined the circumstances of death and injury among victims of the tornado that struck Wichita Falls, Texas, on 10 April 1979. 1964, and another in 1979. One more more brief tornadoes occurred within a larger area of straight-line wind damage in Lauderdale County. 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 . Aloft, the strong wind maximum was over the Red River area, producing significant vertical wind shear. It began at 4:57 p.m. about a mile-and-a-half south of Clearwater. Forty-two people were killed outright by the storm and 3 others died as a result of heart attacks. The tornado continued into Clay County, resulting in no deaths, but 40 additional injuries. The tornado dissipatedtwo minutes later and caused no damage. Please try another search. 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. The first tornado formed near Seymour at around 4:53 pm. Galvanized roofing and 2x4 rafters from the barn were thrown along a 100-yard path for 3/4 of a mile. Troy Glover. He shot these images one handed while driving down a dirt road. Meanwhile, President Carter declared Oklahoma a major disaster area as a result of the tornadoes, making Federal funds available for relief and recovery efforts. 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. During its life, radar-derived storm tops exceeded 50,000 feet and reflectivities were higher than 50 dBZ. 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. 2. Caused over $300,000 in damage to homes, barns, and a rock crushing plant. A destructive and deadly tornado outbreak impacted the Red River Valley on April 10, 1979. However, widespread high winds from the parent supercell thunderstorm also produced extensive damage in the Wichita Falls, Iowa Park and Burkburnett areas. Weather and Chasing. One mobile home was completely destroyed on Bobby Point Road, prompting an F1 rating. Witnesses saw several small twisters during the formation. I had never witnessed anything of this magnitude. Most people heeded the warnings and took shelter inside interior, small rooms in their homes. The atmosphere in the Low Rolling Plains was highly unstable (with a Totals Index above 50 and a strong positive K Index extending southward out of western Oklahoma); very vigorous lifting of such unsettled air by the advancing dry line seemed sure to trigger violence (Figure 14). Known as the Red River Valley tornado outbreak or "Terrible Tuesday," 30 tornadoes ran rampant. Wildfire Safety ", "The three main storms in the Red River Valley outbreak were giant tornadoes. Numbers for 1979 were similar to that of 1980. The most recent exceptionally destructive storm to hit the Wichita Falls area occurred on April 3, 1964, when a tornado killed 7 people, injured 111, and caused $15 million in damages, including 225 homes that were completely destroyed. ", "Early on April 10, NWS forecasters became aware of the threat of severe weather. All NOAA. More. 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. Overall, the outbreak produced nearly 30 tornadoes and a large number of damaging wind and severe hail reports. 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). A mobile home was destroyed near Faxson, resulting in two serious injuries. Life Cycle of the Wichita Falls Tornadic Storm. This is a digitized version of an article from The Timess print archive, before the start of online publication in 1996. Winter Weather We didn't get phone guidance and it was before on-board equipment. One man was killed at a dairy farm in Dean. For the first time in years we altered that route. Precipitation was to our west through southwest and wrapped around the tornado. ", "To the people of the Red River Valley in Texas and Oklahoma, nothing about the weather appeared unusual during the early hours of April 10, 1979: it was business as usual. Two barns were also destroyed and scattered across a field. Wolfgang Lange, View looking southwest near Memorial Stadium in Wichita Falls, Texas at the approaching tornado. Aviation Weather Winter Weather Safety, Special Programs This image was taken as the tornado widened and approached our position. It's the day an F-4 tornado ravaged the city of Wichita Falls. Unsolved Death in Wichita Falls, TX. To the south of the warm front, moist, unstable air was streaming northward. 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). Flood/Flash Flood Safety Losses eligible for Federal disaster relief totaled $63 million, but Federal disaster assistance did not cover additional millions in damages. Eyewitnesses described details of the storm differently, but they were unanimous on one point -- it was an awesome, terrifying experience beyond anything they had encountered before. FU F0 F1 F2 F3 F4 F5 0 10 19 . 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. Three thousand and 95 homes were destroyed while roofs of many other buildings were sheared away. It is estimated that 5,000 families, consisting of almost 20,000 people, were left homeless in Wichita Falls. 45 people died in the Wichita Falls tornado. (Documented and rated F2 by Grazulis. Special Weather Statements Overall, mobile homes and permanent homes lead fatality location totals with 44.8% and 26.2% of all deaths occurring in these structures, respectively. Current Hazards Tornado Warnings, Climate and Past Weather Despite passing north of the Sikes Senter Shopping Mall, intense winds from the outer circulation of the tornado heavily damaged a few stores and blew many cars in the mall's parking lot some distance away from where they originated and stacked on top of each other. The tornado has widened and intensified at this stage. Eleven of the 16 people left homes that were not even damaged. Horner was . 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. 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. The tornado just missed two busloads of students who were returning from a game in Burkburnett. 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). These are 40 before/after pairings, as he shot dramatically injured locations . Half of the injuries sustained by Vernon residents were deemed critical by city officials. There were scattered remains of destroyed structures on either side of the road. Although roughly 4,000 homes were struck by the tornado, there were only five fatalities of people inside homes along the path of the tornado. Storm Spotter Training July 21, 1961 - A small, weak tornado touched down briefly in the eastern part of Wichita Falls, about 3 miles from the airport. 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). April 17, 1977 - A "freak tornado" moved from east to west across a 2-mile path in the western sections of Wichita Falls. Fortunately, its long path on the ground was mostly over open farmland so that it caused relatively few casualties and small total property damage. April 10, 1979 by James R Mcdonald _ Joseph E. Minor April 20, 1979 . By the end of the day we had seen four tornadoes, Thalia, Vernon (although not well), Lake Kemp, and Seymour. High winds in Burkburnett toppled several large trees and damaged limbs, signs, and fences throughout town. Tours. The tornado destroyed 2 homes north-northwest of Wichita Falls, and damaged 3 homes near Thornberry. To date, it is the most damaging tornado in US history. ), 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. 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. those all. Elizabeth Burk Newton. The Wichita Falls tornado formed several miles southwest of the city in Archer County, and traveled over mostly open terrain. At 1730 CST (5:30 PM), a core of greater than 50 dBZ and two mesocyclones were seen with the storm. This was the most spectacular event I had ever witnessed to date. The Wichita Falls storm formed north of Abilene, TX. The Red River Valley Tornado Outbreak, one of the most significant outbreaks on record for this region, occurred on April 10, 1979. The following text comes from Chapter I of the NOAA Natural Disaster Report 80-1, "The Red River Valley Tornadoes of April 10, 1979. It looked killer from the beginning. Those who were caught in automobiles and trucks made up a high percentage of the fatalities. "Automobiles are a steel death trap in a tornado . The heaviest damage in the apartments occurred in the second story of two-story buildings. Barns were destroyed and livestock was killed, including horses on two farms. It damaged homes and oil storage tanks as it moved east toward Wichita Falls. A woman was injured when her truck rolled into the ditch in which she was taking cover. 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. DOC/NOAA, January, 1980: Red River Valley Tornadoes of April 10, 1979. Just after 5:00 p.m., another tornado spawned by the same thunderstorm system crashed into Lawton, Oklahoma. 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. Frost Tornado. Please Contact Us. Flash Flood Warnings The destructive and deadly tornado outbreak impacted the Red River Valley on April 10, 1979. Evan got up, the moonlight bouncing off his not so wicked blue eyes. He later moved to Oklahoma City where he worked in TV weather before working for the federal government. Such a total would mean that between 10% and 20% of the population of the city was displaced by the tornado. An aerial view shows the destructive force of a powerful tornado that swept through Wichita Falls, Texas, on April 10, 1979. We decided to make a break for it to the east which was not a smart move. Crossing into Oklahoma, the tornado inflicted additional damage near Waurika before dissipating. Wichita Falls has had three major tornado strikes in its history. ), April 20, 1951 - A small, brief tornado touched down near Wichita Falls and was accompanied by light hail. The Terrible Tuesday video can be viewed via the NWS Norman YouTube Channel or below. 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. The storm intercept teams noted that the tornado developed from a rotating wall cloud in the Seymour area. [7] It is the principal city of the Wichita Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Archer, Clay, and Wichita counties. Also, the second story of the press box at the high school football stadium was blown off and scattered across the playing field. ", "At Vernon, reports of earlier damage to the southwest of the city had alerted spotters and city officials. Meanwhile, strong gusty winds associated with the eastward progression of an intensifying upper atmospheric storm out of New Mexico made travel hazardous in. 3. Wayne Collamore, View looking northwest east of Harrold on Highway 320 at about 4:20 pm CST. 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