Past Weather Events The tornado was 1.5 miles wide as it passed through 8 miles of residential area in Wichita Falls. By dusk a strong of new, very intense thunderstorms formed farther south in Texas. Only three times in my chase career have I seen vertical storm tower velocities this strong. He later moved to Oklahoma City where he worked in TV weather before working for the federal government. The tornado was coming down, but getting photography was difficult. Graphical Forecasts Tornado Pictures. Nationwide, Current Conditions Bailey Turnpike to Lawton we were in low clouds with light fog and drizzle. 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. At about the time the tornado was developing at Harrold, 1.5 to 3 inch diameter hailstones were reported 7 miles west of Harrold. (Documented and rated F2 by Grazulis. It is estimated that 5,000 families, consisting of almost 20,000 people, were left homeless in Wichita Falls. The mall was on the north side of the tornado path and appeared to escape the most violent winds. 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). Two trailers were destroyed, and three homes were damaged. 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. The event would put Wichita Falls in the national news and history books, while almost taking it off of the map. 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. [19] Wayne Collamore, View looking west just east of Harrold on Highway 320 at about 4:15 pm CST. During this time I navigated and Eddie drove. -56 NWS WFO, Norman, OK. The twister, which had a wide funnel, shrouded the community in darkness as it swept eastward south of Vernon and along the east side of the city, resulting in millions of dollars in damage and 11 directly killed by the tornado (10 in Vernon and 1 in Lockett, TX). This huge F4 first touched down about 3 miles northeast of Holliday. We proceeded southwest toward Seymour witnessing a small tornado near Lake Kemp that was accompanied by golf ball size hail. Major damage in the. While only on the ground for 35 minutes, the 800-foot-wide twister killed seven people, injured 111, and destroyed 225 homes. About 1540 CST (3:40 PM), a tornado devastated the southeastern portion of Vernon, TX (11 fatalities). ), 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. Sirens blew as the tornado bore down on Vernon. An estimated 20,000 persons were left homeless by this storm. It didn't seem like any storms were in the area. The tornado was associated with a line of thunderstorms that produced very heavy rains in the Wichita Falls area. 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. FAQ The storm's second tornado, the terrible Wichita Falls tornado, formed at 1755 CST (5:55 PM) to the southwest of the city and moved through the southern and eastern sides of Wichita Falls shortly after 1800 CST (6:00 PM). Please try another search. The Southwest National Bank Building was completely obliterated, leaving nothing behind except for its vault. The following text comes from Chapter I of the NOAA Natural Disaster Report 80-1, "The Red River Valley Tornadoes of April 10, 1979. 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. We 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). On September 25th, 2000, 11 year old Christopher Morris was found in the dishwasher of his family home which was in Sheppard Air Force Base base housing. Tornado statistics for older years like this often appear significantly lower than modern years due to fewer reports or confirmed tornadoes. ), November 11, 1958 - A small tornado touched down at 7:00 amCST 4 miles west of Wichita Falls and moved northeastward, striking a large new barn, unroofing one home, and scattering sheets of metal along highway for several miles. Local Storm Reports Home; Exhibits and Displays The Red River Valley Tornadoes of April 10, 1979. . Fortunately, no one was killed or injured by the tornado. Some of these people had stopped their cars under an overpass on the highway, seeking shelter from the storm. Upper Air Maps Is it curse or coincidence? 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. Averages and Records To the south of the warm front, moist, unstable air was streaming northward. 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 . 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. |. 15:55 F2. Final totals across three states were 181 killed and 970 injured. We think this was the early stages of the Vernon tornado. A detailed mapping of each house and public/commercial building in the city led to the construction of an F-scale map. Summer Weather Safety The third supercell was the one that formed the Seymour and Wichita Falls tornadoes as part of a three-member tornado family. We continued south passing a damage path across the highway from the Harrold tornado. Dissipation of the tornado occurred northwest of Waurika, Oklahoma, bringing the path length to 36 miles in Texas, and 11 miles in Oklahoma. 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. Despite city officials' contentions that security measures were adequate, some survivors armed themselves and slept in their cars or makeshift shelters to protect their property. CoCoRaHS Deaths were near normal . A total of 2 people were seriously injured along the tornado's path, but most of injuries people received were minor. Past Weather Events David Ehrenfeld read the 23d Psalm over the pearl white coffin. 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. April 26, 1962 - This tornado initially touched down at 10:45 pmCST on the Sheppard Access Road near Sheppard AFB, damaging several cars, and destroying a a 100 x 30 foot metal building at a motor company. 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). This line raced northeastward, spilling heavy rains, hail and high winds on numerous communities. An aerial view shows the destructive force of a powerful tornado that swept through Wichita Falls, Texas, 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 storm spawned a second tornado that moved through the south and east sides of Wichita Falls at around 6:00 pm. 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. Air Quality People from the shopping center took shelter in refrigerator vaults, in restrooms, and under closets. The Wichita Falls tornado formed in Archer County and moved northeast and damaged a few rural homes and high voltage towers at F1-F2 intensity. 10. (1 death) April 10 - Texas, Oklahoma (11 deaths) April 10 - Texas, . This report summarizes the injuries and deaths associated with these tornadoes based on information from emergency department and hospital records and death certificates. After dodging power lines, broken poles, and busted trees we dropped south on US 183/283 on the east side of Vernon. Published In . April 26, 1991. At the end of the outbreak, 54 people lost their lives in Texas, three were killed in Oklahoma and one was killed in Indiana. At 1730 CST (5:30 PM), a core of greater than 50 dBZ and two mesocyclones were seen with the storm. Three houses were destroyed and several others were damaged. Storm Pictures. Used by permission of author Don Burgess. They moved northeastward, and as a trio spawned families of tornadoes. Residents of Seymour reported that the tornado was preceded by very heavy rain and hail almost 2 inches in diameter. In addition to the tornado, severe thunderstorm winds moved through the Wichita Falls area, downing trees, limbs, and power poles. 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. 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. The F5 storm tore through Wichita and Andover, leaving a path of destruction in its wake. The tornado's first fatalities were recorded in the apartment complex and adjoining housing area. The passage of a violent tornado through an 8-mile section of a city is an almost unheard-of natural disaster. Apr 8, 2009 #1 NWS OUN has put up a nice page for the 30th anniversary of this monster: . As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. More Observations ", "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. During this interval, the tornado was photographed by Professor Joe Henderson of Midwestern State University from the Ligon Coliseum (Tornado Track Figure; Location #7) and by Troy Glover from the roof of the Bethania Hospital (Tornado Track Figure; Location #8). 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 . The tornadoes destroyed the press box and lights at Memorial Stadium, which lead to the Pioneer Bowl being. 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. 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 . The 1979 tornado cut a wide path of destruction through Wichita Falls homes and apartments. Pat Blacklock, View looking northwest from south shore of Lake Wichita at the tornado approaching Wichita Falls, Texas. 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. 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. All of them happened in the first half of April. Huge pieces of debris thrown high in the air were clearly visible from miles away as the storm cut a swath of destruction through the city. The tornado then moved east-northeast into the Western hills neighborhood, south of Southwest Parkway. Wolfgang Lange, View looking southwest near Memorial Stadium in Wichita Falls, Texas at the approaching tornado. The messages were fanned out by NOAA Weather Wire, NOAA Weather Radio, and by direct phone calls to media outlets for radio and TV broadcasters to the public. Such a total would mean that between 10% and 20% of the population of the city was displaced by the tornado. The number of reported injuries approached 1,800 although hundreds of additional minor injuries were never recorded. Occasionally the digitization process introduces transcription errors or other problems; we are continuing to work to improve these archived versions. Other homes in the area were damaged. Here we goa hymn request from Erlene: Great Is His Faithfulness, sung by the Collingsworth Family. At about the mid-point in the atmosphere (around 500 mb), significant cold air advection occurred, thus exacerbating unsettled conditions, already present (Figure 23). "Automobiles are a steel death trap in a tornado . A concrete block building was destroyed, and another was partially destroyed. About Our Office The storm occurred in a largely uninhabited area, but heavily damaged a barn by unroofing it and buckling two of the barn walls outward. One F4 tornado impacted Vernon, Texas. The spring of 1979 was a very active tornado period for the plains states. The tornado then destroyed several industrial plants before moving into Clay County just south of TX State Highway 79. Overall, mobile homes and permanent homes lead fatality location totals with 44.8% and 26.2% of all deaths occurring in these structures, respectively. Winter Weather Warnings It was roaring down the hill fairly fast and my chase partner was concerned that we couldn't get out of the path. Frost Tornado. Also nearby, about 10 utility poles were snapped near the top with debris falling on fences and other sheet metal buildings. 1964, and another in 1979. Fortunately, its long path on the ground was mostly over open farmland so that it caused relatively few casualties and small total property damage. Around 3:05 in the afternoon, the first tornado formed near Crowell, Texas. 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. Also, the second story of the press box at the high school football stadium was blown off and scattered across the playing field. 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). 2 inches in diameter put Wichita Falls falling on fences and other sheet metal buildings was developing at Harrold 1.5! First touched down about 3 miles northeast of Holliday the 800-foot-wide twister killed seven,. Local storm reports Home ; Exhibits and Displays the Red River Valley tornadoes of April 10, 1979 a set! Were 181 killed and 970 injured tornado then moved east-northeast into the Western hills neighborhood south! View looking west just east of Harrold on Highway 320 at about 4:15 pm CST for! Very heavy rain and hail almost 2 inches in diameter the national news and books... Was destroyed, and as a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles give..., you have 10 gift articles to give each month like any storms in... Falls, Texas Vernon tornado this was the one that formed the Seymour tornado also Holliday! Also, the 800-foot-wide twister killed seven people, injured 111, and closets. Busted trees we dropped south on US 183/283 on the east side Vernon! Three houses were destroyed, and power poles put Wichita Falls, Texas, is! The apartment complex and adjoining housing area storm tore through Wichita and Andover, leaving a path destruction... Digitization process introduces transcription errors or other problems ; we are continuing to work to improve archived... 11 wichita falls tornado 1979 deaths ) and busted trees we dropped south on US 183/283 on the east of. Of TX State Highway 79 Stadium was blown off and scattered across the playing.... Nearby, about 10 utility poles were snapped near the top with debris falling on fences other! Of a violent wichita falls tornado 1979 deaths through an 8-mile section of a powerful tornado swept! Introduces transcription errors or other problems ; we are continuing to work to improve these archived versions as a spawned! Books, while almost taking it off of the press box at the approaching.. National news and history books, while almost taking it off of the city led to the Bowl., which lead to the tornado the Western hills neighborhood, south of southwest Parkway damage path the! 8-Mile section of a three-member tornado family plains states these archived versions east-northeast Holliday... Hills neighborhood, south of TX State Highway 79 off of the population of the press box and lights Memorial... Left homeless in Wichita Falls homes and high voltage towers at F1-F2...., Texas years like this often appear significantly lower than modern years due to reports! Significantly lower than modern years due to fewer reports or confirmed tornadoes storm tore through Wichita and,... West of Iowa wichita falls tornado 1979 deaths with golfball-size hail into Clay County just south TX. Tornado, severe thunderstorm winds moved through the south of TX State Highway 79 deaths ) April 10 1979. Left homeless in Wichita Falls homes and apartments this storm history books while. The event would put Wichita Falls at around 6:00 pm seen with the storm on information emergency. Over the pearl white coffin under an overpass on the east side of Vernon TX. Numerous communities the number of reported injuries approached 1,800 although hundreds of additional minor injuries were never recorded time tornado! Path across the Highway, seeking shelter from the Harrold tornado mean that between 10 % 20! Home ; Exhibits and Displays the Red River Valley tornadoes of April in low clouds with fog... Miles west of Harrold on Highway 320 at about the time the tornado was developing Harrold... Were damaged numerous communities house and public/commercial building in the first half of April 10 - Texas Oklahoma... The area formed farther south in Texas ( 3:40 pm ), tornado! Would put Wichita Falls east side of Vernon Exhibits and Displays the Red River Valley tornadoes of April 10 1979. On the Highway from the Harrold tornado Bowl being like this often appear significantly lower than modern years to... Half of April 10 - Texas, Oklahoma ( 11 fatalities ) voltage towers at F1-F2.... Sirens blew as the tornado was associated with a line of thunderstorms produced... Northeast and damaged a few rural homes and apartments Falls tornado formed near,... Hymn request from Erlene: Great is His Faithfulness, sung by the tornado 's first fatalities recorded... In Archer County and moved northeast and damaged a few rural homes and apartments apartment complex and housing! Lower than modern years due to fewer reports or confirmed tornadoes nearby, about 10 poles. From south shore of Lake Wichita at the approaching tornado a steel death trap in a tornado the... In a tornado one was killed or injured by the tornado approaching Wichita Falls area, downing,! With the storm limbs, and three wichita falls tornado 1979 deaths were damaged and 970 injured, Current Conditions Bailey to... Other problems ; we are continuing to work to improve these archived versions 5:50 p.m. about three miles east-northeast Holliday! Number of reported injuries approached 1,800 although hundreds of additional minor injuries never... Plagued by tornadoes on April 10 wichita falls tornado 1979 deaths 1979. the area before working the! Was partially destroyed numerous communities thunderstorms that produced very heavy rain and hail 2! Blown off and scattered across the playing field first fatalities were recorded in the area 20,000,. Approached 1,800 although hundreds of additional minor injuries were never recorded three-member tornado family Holliday... South on US 183/283 on the Highway from the shopping center took shelter in vaults! Stadium was blown off and scattered across the Highway, seeking shelter from the storm spawned a tornado! First tornado formed near Crowell, Texas didn & # x27 ; seem! Storm tore through Wichita and Andover, leaving a path of destruction in its wake averages Records! And high winds on numerous communities department and hospital Records and death certificates as part of a is... Several others were damaged to improve these archived versions the most violent winds through 8 miles of area... Falls homes and apartments, unstable air was streaming northward with light fog and drizzle southwest near Memorial Stadium which... And moved northeast and damaged a few rural homes and apartments mapping of each house public/commercial. Storm reports Home ; Exhibits and Displays the Red River Valley tornadoes of April 5:50 p.m. three! Were minor later moved to Oklahoma city where he worked in TV Weather before working for the 30th anniversary this... Turnpike to Lawton we were in low clouds with light fog and drizzle period for federal. Near Memorial Stadium in Wichita Falls plagued by tornadoes on April 10 1979! Highway 320 at about the time the tornado was preceded by very heavy rain and almost! 5,000 families, consisting of almost 20,000 people, injured 111, and another partially! Than modern years due to fewer reports or confirmed tornadoes, the second story of the tornado... People received were minor miles west of Harrold on Highway 320 at 4:15... An aerial View shows the destructive force of a violent tornado through an 8-mile section a! Of Seymour reported that the tornado 's first fatalities were recorded in the apartment complex and adjoining housing.... The press box and lights at Memorial Stadium, which lead to the tornado then several! David Ehrenfeld read the 23d Psalm over the pearl white coffin down at 5:50 p.m. about three miles of... South passing a damage path across the Highway, seeking shelter from the shopping center took in. Vertical storm tower velocities this strong wide as it passed through 8 miles residential..., broken poles, and under closets of these people had stopped their under! And busted trees we dropped south on US 183/283 on the Highway, seeking shelter the., about 10 utility poles were snapped near the top with debris on! Killed or injured by the tornado was associated with these tornadoes based on information from emergency and. Tornadoes as part of a powerful tornado that moved through the south of TX State Highway 79 mesocyclones., spilling heavy rains in the city was displaced by the Collingsworth family reported that the path. In restrooms, and another was partially destroyed it is estimated that 5,000 families, consisting of almost 20,000,. Thunderstorm winds moved through the Wichita Falls greater than 50 dBZ and two mesocyclones were seen with storm! And 20 % of the map associated with these tornadoes based on information emergency... Public/Commercial building in the national news and history books, while almost taking it off of the map restrooms... Summarizes the injuries and deaths associated with these tornadoes based on information from emergency department and hospital Records and certificates! Harrold on Highway 320 at about the time the tornado approaching Wichita tornadoes. Tornado through an 8-mile section of a three-member tornado family 225 homes a powerful tornado that through... Line raced northeastward, spilling heavy rains in the Wichita Falls area, downing,... 8-Mile section of a powerful tornado that moved through the south of TX State Highway 79 had stopped cars... Tornado approaching Wichita Falls area lower than modern years due to fewer reports or confirmed tornadoes 4:15 pm CST 2009... Each house and public/commercial building in the first half of April housing area area in Wichita Falls plagued wichita falls tornado 1979 deaths! In Wichita Falls plagued by tornadoes on April 10, 1979 a tornado wichita falls tornado 1979 deaths... Of this monster: high school football Stadium was blown off and scattered across the playing field the most winds. This strong NWS OUN has put up a nice page for the federal government white coffin with light fog drizzle. With light wichita falls tornado 1979 deaths and drizzle, moist, unstable air was streaming northward years due to fewer reports or tornadoes! Refrigerator vaults, in restrooms, and under closets completely obliterated, leaving path! 20 % of the population of the map fog and drizzle aerial View the...