This page was last edited on 25 February 2023, at 02:48. Each parallelogram on the map below represents the approximate aerial coverage shown in each photo. (1979-2009) The Red River Valley Tornado. April 20, 1974 - A small tornado touched down briefly 5 miles northeast of the National Weather Service office in Wichita Falls. The event would put Wichita Falls in the national news and history books, while almost taking it off of the map. Last year the Wichita Falls Museum of Art featured a show by the acclaimed American landscape photographer Frank Gohlke of his photographs of Wichita Falls in the aftermath of a massive tornado that destroyed so much of the town in 1979. Several strong to violent tornadoes touched down throughout the region that day. At this time the tornado was just getting planted well to our southwest. A total of 2 homes were completely destroyed with 31 homes and 17 mobile homes being damaged. High winds in Burkburnett toppled several large trees and damaged limbs, signs, and fences throughout town. NWS The Ohio National Guard was dispatched to the scene within nine hours to help with rescue work, caring for . Surprisingly, very few fatalities occurred in Faith Village. Would we have seen the tornado and diverted? Overall, the outbreak produced nearly 30 tornadoes and a large number of damaging wind and severe hail reports. 25 of those deaths were vehicle related. Wind gusts to 100 mph were observed at the observation site. (Rated F1 by the NWS. Using spotter and radar reports, Lawton officials sounded the siren system to warn the people of the approaching storm. 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. 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). It damaged homes and oil storage tanks as it moved east toward Wichita Falls. Texas was extremely unstable early in the evening (Figure 25). A mobile home was destroyed near Faxson, resulting in two serious injuries. It moved northeastward across U.S. Highway 287 into the Sunset Terrace addition, and then crossed the Red River Expressway (U.S. Highway 277) into the Lincoln Heights addition and eventually Sheppard Air Force Base. The tornado was at the top of the hill less than a mile away. The tornado just missed two busloads of students who were returning from a game in Burkburnett. Winter Weather Warnings Several trailers were destroyed. Wichita Falls plagued by tornadoes on April 10, 1979 A tornado set down at 5:50 p.m. about three miles east-northeast of Holliday. 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. No one was killed and only several major injuries occurred among the approximately one thousand shoppers who were in the mall. Thanks to Bob Davies-Jones from NSSL we saw another tornado as the storm moved into Wichita Falls. 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. The Wichita Falls storm produced a third and final tornado about 2000 CST (8:00 PM) near Pruitt, OK. 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. The Southwest National Bank Building was totally destroyed except for its concrete vault, a proxy for an above-ground shelter. Neighbors took shelter together while federal and local groups assembled. Two reports can be found on this web site. April 10th, 1979 started out like any other day in Texoma. The tornado then crossed over Kemp Boulevard and destroyed several commercial businesses, including a restaurant, resulting in several additional fatalities. Deaths were near normal . Tornado Understand a Tornado: A tornado is a violently rotating column of air extending from the base of a thunderstorm down to the ground. July 21, 1961 - A small, weak tornado touched down briefly in the eastern part of Wichita Falls, about 3 miles from the airport. Storm Data, Weather Safety Known as the Red River Valley tornado outbreak or "Terrible Tuesday," 30 tornadoes ran rampant. 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. Approximately 30 houses in the addition were damage with some houses suffering extensive damage. Yesterday the President issued a similar declaration for Wichita Falls. Three people were killed in the restaurant. A thunderstorm that pelted the Coleman area with golfball-size hail also generated a tornado that caused considerable damage to power lines and outbuildings north of the city. To the north of Southwest Parkway, the tornado destroyed many houses in the Western Hills Addition. Elizabeth Burk Newton. We sat up to photograph to the east of the tornado and shot back west and north as it passed. Several strong to violent tornadoes touched down throughout the region that day. Stability indices indicated the air throughout central. Moving into the city, the tornado first struck Memorial Stadium and McNiel Junior High School (location #1 on the damage path diagram), severely damaging both structures. I had never witnessed anything of this magnitude. 3 Comanche County, OK. 17:05 F3. The night time tornadoes, although strong, were not as devastating as the ones that occurred in the Red River Valley during the afternoon. Such a total would mean that between 10% and 20% of the population of the city was displaced by the tornado. Wayne Collamore, View looking west about 3-4 miles east of Harrold on Highway 320 at about 4:15 pm CST. Pat Blacklock. This storm appeared insignificant compared to what we had seen so we drifted southwest in search of something better. The following table includes data and summaries from the tornadoes that occurred in the area since the late 1800's. ", "At Vernon, reports of earlier damage to the southwest of the city had alerted spotters and city officials. A deepening low pressure system formed in Colorado as a warm front lifted north pulling warm, moist, unstable air. Wolfgang Lange, View looking southwest near Memorial Stadium in Wichita Falls, Texas at the time of tornado touchdown. The tornado dissipatedtwo minutes later and caused no damage. Forty-two people were killed outright by the storm, while 3 others died of heart attacks. Alberty, R. A., D. W. Burgess and T. T. Fujita, 1980: Severe weather events of 10 April 1979. 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. Air Quality The F5 storm tore through Wichita and Andover, leaving a path of destruction in its wake. Wayne Collamore, View looking northwest east of Harrold on Highway 320 at about 4:20 pm CST. Ben Milam Elementary School was heavily damaged, as the cafeteria-auditorium was completely destroyed and exterior class rooms were pummeled by flying debris. NOAA Disaster Survey Report 80-1, Chapter 1. For the first time in years we altered that route. Wayne Collamore, Approaching Harrold, Texas from the southeast on Highway 287 - view is looking west at about 4:05 pm CST. Summer Weather Safety According to the American National Red Cross, 7,759 families suffered losses in the storms (Table 1). A few hours earlier that day, another tornado tore through Vernon, killing 10 residents and injuring more than 60 others. A mattress fell beside the vehicle and I looked out to see a woman standing in what appeared to be a junk yard. 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! The third supercell was the one that formed the Seymour and Wichita Falls tornadoes as part of a three-member tornado family. Continuing at F4 intensity, the now massive wedge tornado, which was at its maximum 1.5 miles (2.4km) wide, cut a 2.5-mile (4.0km) swath of destruction through the south side of town. ), March 17, 1952 - A small, weak tornado touched down about 5 miles south-southwest of the Wichita Falls Airport where some buildings were unroofed and smaller buildings blown down. Unsolved Death in Wichita Falls, TX. among them is this still life with tornado that can be your partner. Fire Weather Used by permission of author Don Burgess. Occasionally the digitization process introduces transcription errors or other problems; we are continuing to work to improve these archived versions. Several other mobile homes in the area sustained minor damage, and homes to the east on Carriage Lane also received minor damage. (Rated F2 by the NWS. Three houses were destroyed and several others were damaged. On April 10, 1979, a devastating tornado struck Wichita Falls in North Texas. Just after 5:00 p.m., another tornado spawned by the same thunderstorm system crashed into Lawton, Oklahoma. 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. He is now self-employed and lives with his family in San Antonio, Texas. Losses eligible for Federal disaster relief totaled $63 million, but Federal disaster assistance did not cover additional millions in damages. Damage also occurred to machinery, homes, and outbuildings. . 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. The following images and text copyright Gene Moore unless otherwise indicated. Damage as severe as F4 was found along most of the track across the city. In 1978 Wichita Falls was the host of the first NCAA Division I-AA championship game. 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, radar-derived storm tops exceeded 50,000 feet and reflectivities were higher than 50 dBZ, a core of greater than 50 dBZ and two mesocyclones, tornado-associated mesocyclone and hook echo in the right rear portion of the echo, its movement toward the stadium and junior high, >many cars in the mall parking lot were blown some distance and stacked on top of each other, Map of the Red River Valley Tornado Outbreak in North Texas and southern Oklahoma by (Fujita and Wakimoto), Map of Significant Weather Events which occurred between 6 AM CST April 10, 1979 and 6 AM CST April 11, 1979 (Burgess), Tornado Watch Box #67 issued by the National Severe Storms Forecast Center - valid 230 PM to 700 PM CST, April 10, 1979, Storm Track of the Wichita Falls, Texas Supercell on April 10, 1979 (Burgess), Time/Height Profile of the Wichita Falls, Texas Supercell on April 10, 1979 (Burgess), Map of Radar Reflectivity and Mesocyclone Positions of the Wichita Falls, Texas Supercell at 530 pm CST, April 10, 1979 (Burgess), Map of Radar Reflectivity and Mesocyclone Position of the Wichita Falls, Texas Supercell at 600 pm CST, April 10, 1979 (Burgess), Approximate Damage Path of the Wichita Falls Tornado on April 10, 1979 (, Map of the Red River Valley Area of Oklahoma and Texas Showing Communities and Counties Affected by the April 10, 1979 Tornadoes (NOAA Natural Disaster Report 80-1), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 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wichita falls tornado 1979 deaths