The mall was on the north side of the tornado path and appeared to escape the most violent winds. As a result of the early warning, the casualty list of 3 dead and 109 injured was relatively small despite the destruction of several hundred homes and businesses. The President decided last night to send Mr. Watson to express his personal concern about the disaster, in which at least 58 persons were killed in four communities along the TexasOklahoma border 44 in Wichita Falls, 11 in nearby Vernon and Harrold, Tex., and three others in Lawton, Okla., 60 miles north of here. Special Weather Statements 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. We were under an extensive rain free updraft area on the southeast side of the storm. This page documents the tornadoes and tornado outbreaks of 1979, primarily in the United States. Below are some quick facts about the event from the NWS Norman: 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, The suffering and destruction caused by the Wichita Falls tornado is nearly inconceivable. Questions? The most recent exceptionally destructive storm to hit the Wichita Falls area occurred on April 3, 1964, when a tornado killed 7 people, injured 111, and caused $15 million in damages, including 225 homes that were completely destroyed. In addition, approximately 140 mobile homes were destroyed, two schools were demolished and 11 others sustained serious damage. The following severe weather account is by Gene Moore. The police chief and county sheriff conferred and dispatched patrol cars to the southwest edge of town to watch for the approaching storm. 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. Does Wichita Texas get tornadoes? 8. Bulletin American Meteorological Society, 61, 1033-34. Robert Molet. 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. At about the time the tornado was developing at Harrold, 1.5 to 3 inch diameter hailstones were reported 7 miles west of Harrold. Storm Data, Weather Safety (Colonial Park, Hursh, Southmoor, Southwinds, and Southern Hills) A number of people tried to flee as the tornado moved along US 281 and 287 by driving east on Southwest Parkway. 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. 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). The third member of the family formed near Waurika, Oklahoma, at around 8:00p.m. It damaged homes and oil storage tanks as it moved east toward Wichita Falls. Wayne Collamore, View looking west just east of Harrold on Highway 320 at about 4:15 pm CST. Wichita Falls, Texas, on April 10, 1979. 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. At this time the tornado was just getting planted well to our southwest. After dodging power lines, broken poles, and busted trees we dropped south on US 183/283 on the east side of Vernon. 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). ), 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. It is interesting to note that the Seymour and Wichita Falls tornadoes both formed during periods of relative decline in storm-top height and reflectivity values, a characteristic that has been noted for a number of supercell storms that have produced several cycles of tornadoes. Ingredients for a devastating severe weather event were beginning to come together on the morning of April 10. The tornado finally ended near Waurika, OK after traveling 47 miles. No one was killed and only several major injuries occurred among the approximately one thousand shoppers who were in the mall. To the south of the warm front, moist, unstable air was streaming northward. 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 . North Texas County DA to seek death penalty for Tanner Horner, man accused of killing Athena Strand. We didn't get phone guidance and it was before on-board equipment. A deepening low pressure system formed in Colorado as a warm front lifted north pulling warm, moist, unstable air. ", "The three main storms in the Red River Valley outbreak were giant tornadoes. Still at F4 intensity as it moved east-northeastward, the tornado moved over a greenbelt area, passing just barely south of Midwestern State University as it severely damaged several more housing additions. Eight persons were killed outside, 4 were killed in homes or apartments, and 4 others died in public buildings. 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. 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. In particular, note the sharp decline in reflectivity near the genesis time and during the life of the Wichita Falls tornado with maximum values less than 45 dBZ for a brief period. [8] The tornado cut a path 8 miles (13km) through the city, with significant devastation. The moonlight felt like a reminder of the pain and sorrow that awaited him as he stared at its yellow haze. Prior to its touchdown, a funnel was first observed about 10 miles to the west-southwest. Amateur radio storm spotters turned in the first report of the storm, which allowed 5 to 10 minutes of valuable warning time. Fire Weather 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. 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. Elizabeth Lee Burk Newton 82 of Wichita Falls Tx. 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. It is estimated that 5,000 families, containing 20,000 residents, were left homeless in Wichita Falls. 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. Stones as large as two inches were reported further to our northeast. A destructive and deadly tornado outbreak impacted the Red River Valley on April 10, 1979. As we drove south on the H.E. 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. By mid-afternoon the surface low had migrated northeastward toward the northern Low Rolling Plains, where steep pressure falls of up to 8mb or more in three hours were observed (Figure 16 insert). 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). Flash Flood Warnings The tornado just missed two busloads of students who were returning from a game in Burkburnett. In 1978 Wichita Falls was the host of the first NCAA Division I-AA championship game. Neighbors took shelter together while federal and local groups assembled. No injuries or deaths occurred during this tornado. Overall, the outbreak killed 58 people and injured 1,927 others. 44 homes and mobile homes were damaged or destroyed. The 1979 tornado cut a wide path of destruction through Wichita Falls homes and apartments. 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. In Wichita Falls, an emergency hotline to key local officials, TV, and radio stations assured rapid and complete local dissemination. Averages and Records It was on the ground for 11 miles. Multiple vortices are seen in this photo. The Ohio National Guard was dispatched to the scene within nine hours to help with rescue work, caring for . 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. Numerous other thunderstorms trekked across the area between Abilene, Wichita Falls, and Brownwood during the early evening, as the surface front, now occluded in the Panhandle, pushed relentlessly eastward. The tornado then destroyed several industrial plants before moving into Clay County just south of TX State Highway 79. Rivers and Lakes At Sheppard Air Force Base, winds up to 70 mph tore countless limbs from trees and knocked out windows on some base housing units. (This tornado was documented and rated F2 by Tom Grazulis in his book, Significant Tornadoes. (Rated F5 by the NWS.). When autocomplete results are available use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. "Automobiles are a steel death trap in a tornado . Tours. They survived! Toggle navigation. Of the 7 people killed, six occurred in 5 different homes, and one man was killed when his truck was thrown from a road. 1979 tornado outbreak leaves massive damage and 57 dead in Texoma. Other ingredients for a volatile weather situation were also present: a major upper-air trough extending from the southern Rockies into northern Mexico, migrating eastward into western Texas and deepening significantly at the same time (Figure 11); a strong wind shear from the surface to 500 millibars and a thin layer of very moist air at the surface with rapid drying immediately above at about 700 mb (Figure 12 and Figure 13). We were on our own. Rob Satkus EF2. Hail the size of golf balls preceded the touchdown and continued for approximately 15 minutes. 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