The large Wichita Falls F4 tornado moving through town. 15:25 F4. These supercells caused the most damaging tornadoes of the outbreak. It was the costliest tornado in history until the F5 Moore-Oklahoma City tornado struck in 1999. . 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. ), August 11, 1953 - This summertime tornado touched down at 7:00 pm CST in Wichita Falls and moved northeastward through the suburbs of the city. Had we gotten stuck in the damage of the town the chase would have been over. 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. 25 of those deaths were vehicle related. April 10th, 1979 started out like any other day in Texoma. StormReady The Ohio National Guard was dispatched to the scene within nine hours to help with rescue work, caring for . Ben Milam Elementary School was heavily damaged, as the cafeteria-auditorium was completely destroyed and exterior class rooms were pummeled by flying debris. among them is this still life with tornado that can be your partner. 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). Very often, those features of Texas weather having the most import-such as the continuation or cessation of damaging drought, occurrences of flash-flooding rains, sharp changes in temperature, and incidences of tornadoes and hurricanes, cannot be discerned from the volumes of meteorological data that are published periodically. 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). ", "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. 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. The following table includes data and summaries from the tornadoes that occurred in the area since the late 1800's. One thousand and 62 apartment units and condominiums were destroyed, and 93 mobile homes were demolished. 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). #1. WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) . Tornado caused $3,500,000 to the downtown business district in. The tornado was at the top of the hill less than a mile away. They survived! passed away on Thursday, February 23, 2023 in Wichita Falls Texas. Select western north Texas tornado statistics by decade, county or city from the menus or maps below. A few hours earlier that day, another tornado tore through Vernon, killing 10 residents and injuring more than 60 others. 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. Wayne Collamore, Approaching Harrold, Texas from the southeast on Highway 287 - view is looking west at about 4:05 pm CST. The video includes survivor accounts and safety information. The tornado then destroyed several industrial plants before moving into Clay County just south of TX State Highway 79. The F5 storm tore through Wichita and Andover, leaving a path of destruction in its wake. Toggle navigation. Non Precipitation Warnings Each parallelogram on the map below represents the approximate aerial coverage shown in each photo. 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). The long, slender tornado was milky white in appearance and was accompanied by a loud roar. The Red River Valley Tornado Outbreak, one of the most significant outbreaks on record for this region, occurred on April 10, 1979. 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 tornadoes pictured here were part of the Red River Valley Outbreak, the biggest event of that year. 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. Deaths were near normal . That said, it's never mentioned just how that wind gust was recorded, and . Storm Spotter Training Cool Pictures. 3. Rivers and Lakes Upper Air Maps Wayne Collamore, View looking northwest east of Harrold on Highway 320 at about 4:20 pm CST. Today. Hazardous Weather Outlook Please try another search. (Documented and rated F2 by Grazulis. Prior to its touchdown, a funnel was first observed about 10 miles to the west-southwest. A destructive and deadly tornado outbreak impacted the Red River Valley on April 10, 1979. In the upper atmosphere, the nose of an extremely strong jet stream wind maximum was moving eastward through northern Mexico, preparing to turn northeastward and take aim on Texas and Oklahoma. The tornado was photographed from the south during this period by Pat Blacklock, who was located on the southern shore of Lake Wichita (Tornado Track Figure; location #5). More. Wichita Falls has had three major tornado strikes in its history. A wind maximum gusting to 65 knots moved over Guadalupe Peak recording station in far southwest Texas; this triggered our departure. 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. Beyond the shopping mall, the tornado crossed a greenbelt area, skirted Midwestern University on its south side, and severely damaged several more housing additions (Colonial Park, Hursh, Southmoor, Southwinds, and Southern Hills). 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. Sorry, the location you searched for was not found. Other data was found using U.S. Local Storm Reports 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. Three thousand and ninety-five homes were destroyed and 600 were damaged. It is believed that many more minor injuries were never recorded.[5][6][7]. much of the Trans-Pecos region. 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. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration "Automobiles are a steel death trap in a tornado . Tornado Warnings, Climate and Past Weather Overall, the outbreak produced nearly 30 tornadoes and a large number of damaging wind and severe hail reports. He later moved to Oklahoma City where he worked in TV weather before working for the federal government. 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. A number of people were also killed or injured in the parking lot of Sikes Senter (sic) Mall, also on Kemp Boulevard. The western portion of the school building was crushed by the intense winds. Extensive wind damage to about 100 homes and outbuildings occurred in Burkburnett where two 40-foot smoke stacks were also toppled. 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. Please Contact Us. Flash Flood Warnings (Rated F2 by the NWS.). Summer Weather Safety Sirens blew as the tornado bore down on Vernon. (Documented and rated F2 by Grazulis. 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. Flash Flood Warnings Hail the size of golf balls preceded the touchdown and continued for approximately 15 minutes. 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. About Our Office 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). Thus, he stood in his backyard driveway and photographed the destruction of the apartment complex and the beginning of destruction in his neighborhood. It didn't seem like any storms were in the area. Severe Weather Safety The clouds would roll over like they were collapsing into a deep hold. Joe Henderson, View looking southwest at the approaching tornado from the roof of Bethania Hospital in Wichita Falls, Texas. Several apartment complexes and many homes were destroyed, with several of the first deaths occurring in this area. 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). 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. Fortunately, its long path on the ground was mostly over open farmland so that it caused relatively few casualties and small total property damage. The Wichita Falls tornado cut a wide swath of dam. 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. Air Quality 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. To date, it is the most damaging tornado in US history. The twister did level a number of telephone poles along Highway 283, before dissipating just east of 283 near Maybelle. Winter Weather He shot these images one handed while driving down a dirt road. National Weather Service The third supercell was the one that formed the Seymour and Wichita Falls tornadoes as part of a three-member tornado family. Several homes were demolished, and a number of barns were partially destroyed. Skywarn Storm Spotters I didn't want to move. During this time I navigated and Eddie drove. Caused a total of $449,000 in damage. Local Storm Reports Gene is a graduate of Oklahoma University who photographed storms when he lived in Norman, Oklahoma during the 1970s. This information is part of Stamboom Vermeij by Truus Vermeij on Genealogy Online. 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. At about the mid-point in the atmosphere (around 500 mb), significant cold air advection occurred, thus exacerbating unsettled conditions, already present (Figure 23). Norman, OKNational Weather Center120 David L. Boren Blvd. The Red River Valley tornado outbreak of April 10, 1979 is one of the most significant tornado outbreaks that ever occurred in western north Texas and southern Oklahoma. The police chief and sheriff later said the approaching storm did not look like a normal twister, but appeared as a thick, dark mass of clouds low to the ground and difficult to see because of the heavy rain, hail, and low cloud base. Pat Blacklock, View looking northwest from south shore of Lake Wichita at the tornado approaching Wichita Falls, Texas. About 65 people attended the funeral. 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. 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. Explore. 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. The tornado was associated with a line of thunderstorms that produced very heavy rains in the Wichita Falls area. NWS Numbers for 1979 were similar to that of 1980. Apr 20, 2012 - The April 10, 1979 tornado in Wichita Falls. Amateur radio storm spotters turned in the first report of the storm, which allowed 5 to 10 minutes of valuable warning time. 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. 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. All but one of the 12 large glass windows in the tower were blown out, and control tower personnel had only abandoned their tower posts 4 minutes before. May 30, 2001 - This tornado was observed at 6:30 pm CST by three people over northern portions of Lake Wichita, or 6 miles southwest of Wichita Falls. That supercell was in progress just to our northeast, although there was no direct route to catch the fast moving storm. Every year in the United States the threat of a catastrophe looms whenever tornadoes approach large gatherings of people. There were a total 42 tornado fatalities in Wichita Falls, of which 25 were vehicle related. This huge F4 first touched down about 3 miles northeast of Holliday. The event would put Wichita Falls in the national news and history books, while almost taking it off of the map. A furniture warehouse was also destroyed when severe winds tore the back wall and roof off of the building. Three isolated supercells, forming in mid afternoon, moved northeastward as a trio and were responsible for the worst part of the outbreak. Three people were injured. So they adopt the religion of Christianity. There were at times five separate vortices visible within the tornado. We received the following letter from Joel Manes, who was living in Wichita Falls, Texas on April 10, 1979. Further eastward, most houses in the Faith Village Addition were destroyed, and Ben Milam Elementary School was severely damaged (location #6). More Observations Wrecked cars were smashed against bridge abutments, a power plant was knocked out, and part of a high school was destroyed. Wolfgang Lange. The lights of wichita shone bright now. Deaths An Estimated 42 people died 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. Tornado Pictures. . Tornado statistics for older years like this often appear significantly lower than modern years due to fewer reports or confirmed tornadoes. The following severe weather account is by Gene Moore. The tornado killed 42 Wichita Falls residents and caused over $200 million in damages, leaving 20 percent of the city's population homeless. The maximum F-scale rating was F1, however most damage was rated F0. (Documented and rated F2 by Grazulis. This followed an earlier warning at 5:08 pm, due to the Rocky Point tornado. Barns were destroyed and homes sustained roof damage. Scary stuff. The tornado finally ended near Waurika, OK after traveling 47 miles. Composed of three funnels fused into one and powerful winds exceeding 250 mph, this F4-rated tornado remained on the ground for an hour, destroying over a fifth of the city, lifting cars into the air, tearing buildings apart, and destroying 2,000 homes. Winston Wells, Current Hazards Winter Weather In the early afternoon hours, three supercell thunderstorms formed. Surface Maps 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. 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. Most of the homes in Faith Village were demolished. 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. Several vehicles, including a bus, were flipped and tossed. He was great at identifying cloud structures. An aerial view shows the destructive force of a powerful tornado that swept through Wichita Falls, Texas, on April 10, 1979. Past Weather Events NOAA Disaster Survey Report 80-1, Chapter 1. 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. Mr. Molet continued to take photographs until the wind blew him into his garage. To the north of Southwest Parkway, the tornado destroyed many houses in the Western Hills Addition. Published In . Sorry, the location you searched for was not found. I'm surprised he got the tornado in the frame. -11 Wilbarger County, TX. With an east-northeast movement, it entered Wichita County and damaged a few rural homes and a string of metal high-voltage towers. Three houses were destroyed and several others were damaged. The tornado then crossed a short span of open fields before moving into the Colonial Park area. 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. Museum of the Kansas National Guard . David Ehrenfeld read the 23d Psalm over the pearl white coffin. The electrical power to local stations was down from the storm which prevented the gas pumps from operating and us from getting more gas. The effects of passage of both the warm front from the Gulf and later the dry line from the west were pronounced at points like Abilene, where rapidly falling surface pressures, a soaring temperature, and a sudden plunge in dew point (signaling the arrival of the dry line) identified well the events that combined to cause devastation farther to the north a few hours later (Figure 18). Wichita Falls(/wtt/WITCH-i-tah) is a city in and the seat of governmentof Wichita County, Texas, United States. Driving north on Texas 267 we witnessed the Thalia tornado. Strong inflow winds associated with the tornado and the larger-scale mesocyclonic winds rotating around the tornado produced light damage over almost all of the city. 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. Most of the deaths were in Wichita Falls and Vernon, Texas . McNiel Junior High School is shown in the middle left of this and all of the following photos. According the Weather Bureau from the time, "The large funnel alternately dipped and soared, and was followed by trailer funnel, 2 funnels touched ground; witnesses reported spotting a third." ), June 6, 1936 - This tornado moved south into the northeastern edge of Wichita Falls, and was associated with the same parent supercell thunderstorm that produced the earlier tornado near Burkburnett. Half of the injuries sustained by Vernon residents were deemed critical by city officials. Damage also occurred to machinery, homes, and outbuildings. 44 homes and mobile homes were damaged or destroyed. A short time later, the same tornado invaded Vernon, taking the lives of 10 inhabitants and injuring 67 others. 128 followers. The destruction in Wichita Falls resulted in 42 dead, 1,740 injured, over 3,000 homes destroyed and damage of approximately $400 million. May 23, 1888 - A tornado moved northeastward and passed 6 miles west of Wichita Falls during the evening of May 23, 1888. In addition to the 42 fatalities directly caused by the tornado, three more people died of heart attacks and other illnesses during the stress of the tornado's passage. February 16, 2023. Witnesses saw several small twisters during the formation. The following table includes data and summaries from the tornadoes that occurred in the area since the late 1800's. ", "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. Although high numbers of deaths have occurred in vehicles during tornadoes, the occurrences are rare. We proceeded southwest toward Seymour witnessing a small tornado near Lake Kemp that was accompanied by golf ball size hail. Then, a second vicious tornado formed near Thalia and moved into Lockett, where a driver of an auto was killed when her vehicle was thrown 200 yards off the highway. Pinterest. Mr. Molet continued to take photographs until the wind blew him into his garage. By RAEGAN SCHARFETTER, ANNIE GIMBEL. (1 death) April 10 - Texas, Oklahoma (11 deaths) April 10 - Texas, . (Rated F1 by the NWS. The awesome "freight train like sound" was audible from the Weather Bureau Airport Station. Storm Events Database, tornadoes, 04-10-1979. Two reports can be found on this web site. First indications of tornado damage were near Harrold, which is located approximately 16 miles southwest of Vernon. 1979-04-10 Wichita Falls. April 10, 1979 - The tornado, which was part of a tornado outbreak in the Red River valley area, began at 5:50 pmCST on the southwest flank of its parent supercell thunderstorm about 3 miles east-northeast of Holliday. Total property damage in Wichita Falls was estimated at $400,000,000 (in 1979 dollars). In New York, Ernest W. Brinkman, vice president of the Underwriters Adjusting Company, said that most of the families affected by the tornadoes were getting substantial advance payments from insurance companies for emergency shelter and repairs. 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. 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 tornadoes destroyed the press box and lights at Memorial Stadium, which lead to the Pioneer Bowl being. The tornado blew many of those vehicles off those roadways, inflicting numerous fatalities. Maximum path length was about 3/4 mile and the width was 50 to 60 yards. At 1730 CST (5:30 PM), a core of greater than 50 dBZ and two mesocyclones were seen with the storm. Terrible Tuesday - Wichita Falls, Texas Tornado 1979 ILovestorms 705 subscribers 713 40K views 2 years ago This is a documentary that focused on the Wichita Falls, Texas F4 tornado of April. We sat up to photograph to the east of the tornado and shot back west and north as it passed. Property damages to both civilian properties and Sheppard were set at over $15 million. Fortunately, no one was killed or injured by the tornado. We continued south passing a damage path across the highway from the Harrold tornado. Widespread downburst winds and hail brought damages of $200,000 to the town of Iowa Park alone. Other data were supplied by the American National Red Cross. Bailey Turnpike to Lawton we were in low clouds with light fog and drizzle. , Chapter 1 a string of metal high-voltage towers coverage shown in Each photo loud roar was completely and. ( 5:30 pm ), a core of greater than 50 dBZ and two mesocyclones were seen with storm... With an east-northeast movement, it entered Wichita County and damaged a few hours that!, forming in mid afternoon, moved northeastward as a trio and were responsible for the worst part Stamboom. City from the Harrold tornado the awesome `` freight train like sound was. Cut a wide swath of dam tornado tore through Vernon, Texas on April,. Catastrophe looms whenever tornadoes approach large gatherings of people Faith Village were demolished Harrold tornado about 3/4 mile the... Houses were destroyed, with several of the injuries sustained by Vernon residents were deemed critical by city officials deadly... [ 7 ] Valley on April 10, 1979 the third supercell was in progress just to our,... 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