. The Wichita Falls storm formed north of Abilene, TX. These are 40 before/after pairings, as he shot dramatically injured locations . One of the tornadoes, having a width that varied from 1/2 to 1 1/2 miles, cut a swath of devastation across the southern sector of Wichita Falls in less than 30 minutes, killing 42 persons, injuring more than 1700, and burying dozens of city blocks under tons of debris. 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. T. T. Fujita, noted tornado researcher from the University of Chicago, said, 'The damage path was one of the widest I have ever seen, and its intensity was almost equal to that of the giant storm that leveled Xenia, Ohio, in the 1974 tornado outbreak. This storm appeared insignificant compared to what we had seen so we drifted southwest in search of something better. The giant tornado was a massive black column extending from the low striated base of the inky clouds to the ground. ", "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. Aviation Weather 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 tornado exited Texas about 4 miles east of Byers, uprooting over 200 trees along the Red River. Approaching Harrold, Texas from the southeast on Highway 287 - view is looking west at 4:00 pm CST. The tornado continued into Clay County, resulting in no deaths, but 40 additional injuries. Summer Weather Safety Weather and Chasing. 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 . In Wichita Falls, an emergency hotline to key local officials, TV, and radio stations assured rapid and complete local dissemination. Non Precipitation Warnings Meteorologists still refer to that day as Terrible Tuesday because of the immense devastation and the sheer numbers. Usually hail is a problem in this position, but we encountered none on this storm. Ashley found that 69.2% of all tornado fatalities from 1985 to 2005 occurred in either mobile or permanent homes, illustrating the enhanced vulnerability of these particular housing structures. Tornado was well documented on film and by NSSL storm researchers. As the first violent tornado on record to hit the Wichita Falls area, [18] it left seven dead and more than 100 injured. National Weather Service Daily Weather History The mall was on the north side of the tornado path and appeared to escape the most violent winds. May 23, 1888 - A tornado moved northeastward and passed 6 miles west of Wichita Falls during the evening of May 23, 1888. Of the 7 people killed, six occurred in 5 different homes, and one man was killed when his truck was thrown from a road. 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. Please Contact Us. Earlier on the same day, several tornadoes hit farther west. There was strong upper level dynamics all coming together to produce strong tornado-producing supercells. 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. There we hoped the dryline and warm front would intersect with a strong jet stream. By the end of the day we had seen four tornadoes, Thalia, Vernon (although not well), Lake Kemp, and Seymour. It inflicted additional F0-F2 damage south of Dean and Byers, but no more fatalities occurred. Weather Bureau records. National Weather Service Casualty data were supplied by the Texas and Oklahoma NWS offices. Overall, the outbreak killed 58 people and injured 1,927 others. As seen in the photographs by Winston Wells (Tornado Track Figure; Location #10), the tornado became multi-vortex, displaying as many as five satellite vortices rotating around the center of circulation. 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. 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. 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. Several brief touchdowns in Seymour resulted in scattered roof damage and one overturned truck. The heaviest damage in the apartments occurred in the second story of two-story buildings. Wolfgang Lange. He later moved to Oklahoma City where he worked in TV weather before working for the federal government. 4. A woman was injured when her truck rolled into the ditch in which she was taking cover. Hazardous Weather Outlook To The storm killed eight people in Sandusky before moving east over Lake Erie and striking Lorain, where 72 were killed. A destructive and deadly tornado outbreak impacted the Red River Valley on April 10, 1979. Just after 5:00 p.m., another tornado spawned by the same thunderstorm system crashed into Lawton, Oklahoma. One thousand and 62 apartment units and condominiums were destroyed, and 93 mobile homes were demolished. At the end of the outbreak, 54 people lost their lives in Texas, three were killed in Oklahoma and one was killed in Indiana. 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. Several buildings were torn apart and a cemetery was damaged. Please Contact Us. Horner was . . Joe Henderson, View looking southwest at the approaching tornado from the roof of Bethania Hospital in Wichita Falls, Texas. 44 homes and mobile homes were damaged or destroyed. Summer Weather Safety 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. [8] The tornado cut a path 8 miles (13km) through the city, with significant devastation. |. The late afternoon lighting was much different on this storm giving a yellowish cast as we looked southwest. This report is an attempt to describe thoroughly but concisely the noteworthy elements of the Texas weather scene throughout 1979. The warnings were being broadcast repeatedly by two local TV stations and three local radio stations which were receiving continuously updated information over the emergency hotline connecting them with the Wichita Falls WSO. Flash Flood Warnings That said, it's never mentioned just how that wind gust was recorded, and . Fortunately, no one was killed or injured by the tornado. Homes were unroofed and barns were destroyed. Mr. Molet continued to take photographs until the wind blew him into his garage. The western portion of the school building was crushed by the intense winds. Known as the Red River Valley tornado outbreak or "Terrible Tuesday," 30 tornadoes ran rampant. Ingredients for a devastating severe weather event were beginning to come together on the morning of April 10. 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). wichita falls tornado 1979 deathsare there really purple owls "The damage path was one of the widest I have ever seen, and its intensity was almost equal to that of the giant . I can't say for sure, chasing was different back then. Caused $190,000 in damage. 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. One man was killed at a dairy farm in Dean. I had a good full frame shot of the suction spots rotating about the base of the funnel. 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. View looking west-northwest from south shore of Lake Wichita at the tornado approaching Wichita Falls, Texas. ", "When the giant tornado struck Wichita Falls just before 6:00 p.m., most people were not surprised. A killer tornado, which spread death and destruction through Wilbarger County and the city of Vernon during the mid afternoon on Tuesday, April 10, 1979, is pictured here as it formed near the Five-In-One Community. An aerial view shows the destructive force of a powerful tornado that swept through Wichita Falls, Texas, on April 10, 1979. Rampaging killer tornadoes and devastating floodwaters brought unparalleled tragedy to groups of communities in the Low Rolling Plains and the Upper Coast of Texas during April. There were at times five separate vortices visible within the tornado. Three people were injured in a mobile home near the beginning of the path. Other data was found using U.S. Multiple locations were found. NWS Tornado Database 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. by Glasstire May 2, 2017. The tornado moved northeastward as was described as a "dirty green funnel." Norman, OKNational Weather Center120 David L. Boren Blvd. The northern supercell, the Vernon-Lawton storm, produced its first tornado at 1505 CST (3:05 PM) south of Crowell, TX. About the time the tornado entered town, it changed appearance, becoming one large black cloud of condensation and debris. 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. As the tornado crossed Kemp Boulevard in Wichita Falls, several commercial businesses, including a restaurant, were destroyed with several additional fatalities. 45 people died in the Wichita Falls tornado. Storm Spotter Training Ben Milam Elementary School was heavily damaged, as the cafeteria-auditorium was completely destroyed and exterior class rooms were pummeled by flying debris. It was the remains of her home. Also, the second story of the press box at the high school football stadium was blown off and scattered across the playing field. 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