Air Quality Troy Glover. About Our Office The Wichita Falls storm produced its first tornado at 1653 CST (4:53 PM) near Seymour, TX. July 21, 1961 - A small, weak tornado touched down briefly in the eastern part of Wichita Falls, about 3 miles from the airport. Barely one week later, phenomenally great amounts of rainfall poured on the southeastern sector of the State, taking 4 lives and inundating parts of numerous communities. Suite 2400Norman, OK 73072(405) 325-3816Comments? Instead of going through Vernon we dropped further south through Seymour, then north on Texas 267. Winston Wells, Current Hazards The powerful vortex, although rated only F-2, had winds of over 200 MPH. Precipitation was to our west through southwest and wrapped around the tornado. Such a total would mean that between 10% and 20% of the population of the city was displaced by the tornado. Weather and Chasing. We knew the storms were coming, but didn't want to meet fast moving cells head-on in the low visibilities north of the warm front. Flash Flood Warnings Meanwhile, President Carter declared Oklahoma a major disaster area as a result of the tornadoes, making Federal funds available for relief and recovery efforts. ), 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. The tornado was eventually rated F5 and was the first violent tornado on record to strike the Wichita Falls area. Violent weather became more widespread as the afternoon progressed. Three barns were destroyed as well. 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. I had a good full frame shot of the suction spots rotating about the base of the funnel. 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. DOC/NOAA, January, 1980: Red River Valley Tornadoes of April 10, 1979. Fortunately, no one was killed or injured by the tornado. Meanwhile, strong gusty winds associated with the eastward progression of an intensifying upper atmospheric storm out of New Mexico made travel hazardous in. Cool Photos. Mr. Carter also dispatched a special assistant, Jack H. Watson Jr., to this city of 125,000 people in northern Texas to survey the tornado damage. The twister was almost a mile wide when it entered the Faith Village neighborhood on the north side of the east-west oriented Southwest Parkway. 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). Undoubtedly, this earlier warning and the afternoon Vernon tornado had primed the Wichita Falls populace to the threat of additional tornado activity. A detailed mapping of each house and public/commercial building in the city led to the construction of an F-scale map. 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). 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. Home; Exhibits and Displays A second severe thunderstorm pounded the area just north of Brownwood with hail having a diameter of 3 to 3 1/2 inches. 3 Comanche County, OK. 17:05 F3. Additional tornadoes were reported across the Southern Plains as well as in the Mississippi River Valley on April 1112. ), 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. The tornado then crossed over Kemp Boulevard and destroyed several commercial businesses, including a restaurant, resulting in several additional fatalities. Seventeen hundred injuries were reported in Wichita Falls. During this interval, the tornado was photographed by Professor Joe Henderson of Midwestern State University from the Ligon Coliseum (location #7). 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. Thanks to Bob Davies-Jones from NSSL we saw another tornado as the storm moved into Wichita Falls. View looking west-northwest from south shore of Lake Wichita at the tornado approaching Wichita Falls, Texas. About the Artist: Frank Gohlke is a leading figure in American landscape photography. Prior to its touchdown, a funnel was first observed about 10 miles to the west-southwest. Ben Milam Elementary School was heavily damaged, as the cafeteria-auditorium was completely destroyed and exterior class rooms were pummeled by flying debris. 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. The deadliest tornadoes to strike in Texas in 26 years ravaged parts of four communities near the Red River on April 10, taking 53 lives, injuring 1808, and causing damage worth $427 million1. 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. Upper Air Maps Hail ranged in sizes "from mothballs to pineapples." On April 10, 1979, a huge F4 tornado touched down just outside of Wichita Falls. I had never witnessed anything of this magnitude. As the tornado neared the road it began to shrink in size and slowed a little, aiding our hasty retreat. A very intense spring storm shifted out of the Rocky Mountains on April 10, generating lines of severe thunderstorms that swept across the northern portion of the State. To the south of the warm front, moist, unstable air was streaming northward. Submit a Spot Forecast An aerial view shows the destructive force of a powerful tornado that swept through Wichita Falls, Texas, on April 10, 1979. Pat Blacklock. In addition, the author hopes that the analyses will serve as a handy source of reference to those who seek to recall the past and those whose research work attempts to relate the weather to other aspects of human existence. Three thousand and ninety-five homes were destroyed and 600 were damaged. Elizabeth was born on January. The tornado exited Texas about 4 miles east of Byers, uprooting over 200 trees along the Red River. By 1800 CST (6:00 PM), the storm had taken on a very classic supercell look with the tornado-associated mesocyclone and hook echo in the right rear portion of the echo. (Rated F1 by the NWS. The number of reported injuries approached 1,800 although hundreds of additional minor injuries were never recorded. The second supercell spawned one that moved 74 miles (119km). Fifty mph sustained inflow winds were occurring at this time. At the time we passed in front of the funnel the mud road had become slick enough that the car was not going very fast anymore. National Weather Service McNiel Junior High, a new concrete/steel-reinforced building was not built well enough to provide safe shelter from the tornado. Multiple locations were found. Used by permission of author Don Burgess. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. The thunderstorm that fostered that tornado also produced hail up to 3 inches in diameter west of Harrold. The Wichita Falls area has been visited by tornadoes many times over the course of its history. much of the Trans-Pecos region. 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). Tornadoes are capable of completely destroying well-made structures, uprooting trees, and hurling objects through the air like deadly missiles. The intense damage averaged between one quarter and one half of a mile in width. 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). Three homes were destroyed and others were damaged. It's the day an F-4 tornado ravaged the city of Wichita Falls. The tornado then moved east-northeast into the Western hills neighborhood, south of Southwest Parkway. We were rushed to get into position. Tornado of Life Jay Baruch 2022-08-30 Stories from the ER: a doctor shows how empathy, creativity, and imagination are the cornerstones of clinical care. The width of the F1 damage was generally as wide as one mile, and the extent of the F0 damage was even wider, but so widespread that it was not mapped. Several strong to violent tornadoes touched down throughout the region that day. April 26, 1991. It damaged several homes and businesses before going into Wichita Falls where it . Apr 20, 2012 - The April 10, 1979 tornado in Wichita Falls. StormReady Winter Weather Warnings Historic tornado in Wichita KS McConnell AFB 1991. 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). We decided to make a break for it to the east which was not a smart move. Numbers for 1979 were similar to that of 1980. Norman, OKNational Weather Center120 David L. Boren Blvd. 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. The event would put Wichita Falls in the national news and history books, while almost taking it off of the map. ), June 6, 1936 - A tornado touched down at 5:20 pm CST and moved southeastward over a path of 440 yards wide by four miles long caused damage of $50,000 in Wichita Falls and injured two people, although one person may have been hurt due to a lightning strike. Please try another search. 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. Sep 18, 2004. Tornado tore a large section of roof from an elementary school near. Inside the mall, portions of the JC Penney store collapsed while other stores sustained light to moderate damage. Fortunately, its long path on the ground was mostly over open farmland so that it caused relatively few casualties and small total property damage. Most tornadoes form in the U.S., although some events may take place internationally. 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. 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. Non Precipitation Warnings The tornado expanded in size as it crossed Southwest Parkway, throwing automobiles about and leveling a number of businesses, including a bank and a fire station. The first in a series of tornadoes struck near Foard City shortly after 3 o'clock destroying several rural homes, barns, and farm equipment. While photographing this shot I began to feel vibration in the camera. Storm Pictures. We sat up to photograph to the east of the tornado and shot back west and north as it passed. Simon Cornelis Maria Vermeij was born on March 26, 1959 in Amsterdam, son of Hendrikus Gerardus Vermeij and Henritte Christina Maria Steur. Other data were supplied by the American National Red Cross. -56 NWS WFO, Norman, OK. No damage was reported from this small, weak tornado and it was rated F0. We think this was the early stages of the Vernon tornado. Very large groups of people gathered in tornado-vulnerable places, such as schools, stadiums (such as Memorial Stadium), and outdoor events, are disasters waiting to happen. The two worst damage points appeared to be McNiel Junior High (location #1 on the damage path diagram; photos 9-15 on the damage photo tab) and the Southwest National Bank (location #4; no close-up photographs available). 2. Most of the homes in Faith Village were demolished. Final totals across three states were 181 killed and 970 injured. . Casualty data were supplied by the Texas and Oklahoma NWS offices. 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. There was much scientific discussion and debate concerning the possibility that the some of the damage was severe enough, and wind speeds high enough, for the tornado to be rated F5. View looking west-southwest at the approaching tornado from Ligon Coliseum at Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, Texas. He shot these images one handed while driving down a dirt road. The other times were outbreaks on June 8, 1974 and May 3, 1999. 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. Apr 20, 2012 - The April 10, 1979 tornado in Wichita Falls. Unsolved Death in Wichita Falls, TX. Property damages to both civilian properties and Sheppard were set at over $15 million. In Wichita Falls, an emergency hotline to key local officials, TV, and radio stations assured rapid and complete local dissemination. This line raced northeastward, spilling heavy rains, hail and high winds on numerous communities. 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. Caused over $300,000 in damage to homes, barns, and a rock crushing plant. But before the day's end, three very large, devastating tornadoes swept across the area leaving scores dead and hundreds injured. Even though lesson #3 (above) is true in a violent tornado, the only complete guarantee of safety comes from an underground shelter, an above-ground shelter, or an extremely strongly-built building. The night time tornadoes, although strong, were not as devastating as the ones that occurred in the Red River Valley during the afternoon. View looking southwest near Memorial Stadium in Wichita Falls, Texas at the approaching tornado. David Ehrenfeld read the 23d Psalm over the pearl white coffin. Aug 23, 2005 163 3 0 58 Norman Ok www.chasestories.com. 128 followers. 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. Surface Maps At 1730 CST (5:30 PM), a core of greater than 50 dBZ and two mesocyclones were seen with the storm. We 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). A total of 2 homes were completely destroyed with 31 homes and 17 mobile homes being damaged. Current Hazards WICHITA FALLS, Tex., April 13 (UPI) Survivors of the tornado that devastated the southern part of this oil and agriculture center began burying their dead today while city officials tried to keep sightseers and looters away. Flood Warnings ), May 9, 1951 - A supercell thunderstorm produced a small, narrow tornado that moved east-northeastward along a 5-mile path from Iowa Park to near Wichita Falls. Thus, he stood in his backyard driveway and photographed the destruction of the apartment complex and the beginning of destruction in his neighborhood. Soon thereafter tornadoes were spotted near Crosby ton and Plainview and golfball size hail fell near Tulia, Afton, and Washburn (High Plains). Pat Blacklock, View looking northwest from south shore of Lake Wichita at the tornado approaching Wichita Falls, Texas. 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. Winter Weather Safety, Special Programs We were on our own. Wolfgang Lange, View looking southwest near Memorial Stadium in Wichita Falls, Texas at the approaching tornado. Two barns were also destroyed and scattered across a field. 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. The tornado continued into Clay County, resulting in no deaths, but 40 additional injuries. However, widespread high winds from the parent supercell thunderstorm also produced extensive damage in the Wichita Falls, Iowa Park and Burkburnett areas. All of them happened in the first half of April. Beyond the shopping mall, the tornado crossed a greenbelt area, skirted Midwestern State University on its south side, and severely damaged several more housing additions (Colonial Park, Hursh, Southmoor, Southwinds, and Southern Hills). The tornado was coming down, but getting photography was difficult. 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 destructive and deadly tornado outbreak impacted the Red River Valley on April 10, 1979. Homes were unroofed and barns were destroyed. Lawton was as ready as a community could be for the tornado. Fortunately, the tornado moved through rural areas and did not affect any housing at this stage. To the north of Southwest Parkway, the tornado destroyed many houses in the Western Hills Addition. About the time the tornado entered town, it changed appearance, becoming one large black cloud of condensation and debris. Sixteen of these 25 were people who entered their cars trying to evade the tornado. Surprisingly, very few fatalities occurred in Faith Village. The destructive and deadly tornado outbreak impacted the Red River Valley on April 10, 1979. The publication was written and prepared by George W. Bomar of Weather Modification & Technology Section of the Texas Department of Water Resources. 1 A tornado struck Waco and McLennan County on May 11, 1953, inflicting 114 deaths, 597 injuries, and damages of $4i.2 million. 2 All times in Central Standard Time. 1964, and another in 1979. The trees on the southwest edge of the city were denuded of limbs and bark. 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. Several apartment complexes and many homes were destroyed, with several of the first deaths occurring in this area. February 18, 2023 (64 years old) View obituary. This report is an attempt to describe thoroughly but concisely the noteworthy elements of the Texas weather scene throughout 1979. We continued to drive east on a dirt road from Mabelle, Texas which is basically an intersection with a couple of old buildings. StormReady Tornado Warnings, Climate and Past Weather Widespread downburst winds and hail brought damages of $200,000 to the town of Iowa Park alone. The third supercell was the one that formed the Seymour and Wichita Falls tornadoes as part of a three-member tornado family. Mr. Molet continued to take photographs until the wind blew him into his garage. Only three times in my chase career have I seen vertical storm tower velocities this strong. Please select one of the following: Table 1 -- Casualty and Property Losses -, GOES Visible Satellite Images (1530Z 4/10/1979 - 0014Z 4/11/1979), GOES Infrared Satellite Images (0000Z - 0600Z 4/11/1979). Bailey Turnpike to Lawton we were in low clouds with light fog and drizzle. A Doppler radar view of the three supercells is available. Please Contact Us. Assuredly, no two years weatherwise in Texas are even remotely similar, for the community that reeled one year from a capricious dry spell likely is the recipient of plenty of rain in the following year, while a not-too-distant neighboring locale that hurt from a disastrous hailstorm one Spring experiences relative calm during the following year's storm season. ", "Early on April 10, NWS forecasters became aware of the threat of severe weather. - May 31st, 2010 . Horner was . A deepening low pressure system formed in Colorado as a warm front lifted north pulling warm, moist, unstable air. 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. 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. As we drove south on the H.E. Tornado data and F-scale ratings for tornadoes from 1950 to the present are referenced from NWS records. Hail the size of golf balls preceded the touchdown and continued for approximately 15 minutes. 1 Wilbarger County, TX. The moonlight felt like a reminder of the pain and sorrow that awaited him as he stared at its yellow haze. When it was all over, an 8 mile swath of the city over a mile wide was . ", "Despite excellent warning lead-time and multiple soundings of the sirens, some people of Wichita Falls either did not hear the warnings or failed to take prescribed lifesaving actions. 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 school building was totally destroyed by the tornado. (Documented and rated F2 by Grazulis. 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. A number of people were also killed or injured in the parking lot of Sikes Senter (sic) Mall, also on Kemp Boulevard. Lubbock, Wichita Falls, Waco, and of course Fort Worth come to mind, even Austin had one dancing around over the Capitol dome in 1922. Averages and Records Burgess, D. W., 1982. Pinterest. Several homes and businesses, a mobile home park, a church, and a school were damaged. Damage also occurred to machinery, homes, and outbuildings. A tool shed was blown away, trees uprooted, and utility poles damaged, and the Pontiac Company building was destroyed. "Automobiles are a steel death trap in a tornado . At the surface, an already strong low pressure area in southeast Colorado was beginning to deepen further, and a warm front was starting to lift northward from central Texas. Members of the Wichita Falls Repeater Club Weather Spotters manned their pre-planned command post on the NWS Office (WSO) and deployed radio-equipped members to vantage points that assured good observation coverage southwest of the city. apartments in dallas that allow airbnb Uncovering hot babes since 1919. The twister cut a swath through one-third of the city and killed. Tuesday, April 10, 1979 seemed like a perfect spring day - right up until a tornado appeared seemingly out of nowhere, cutting a path through Wilbarger County and Vernon that left 11 dead, dozens injured and millions of dollars of property destroyed. Homes in Faith Village were demolished devastating tornadoes swept across the area leaving scores and... 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