Multiple locations were found. More than 1700 injuries occurred within Wichita Falls. Strong inflow winds associated with the tornado and the larger-scale mesocyclonic winds rotating around the tornado produced light damage over almost all of the city. The Harrold tornado was in its formative stages at about the time the Vernon tornado was crossing the Red River. Hail ranged in sizes "from mothballs to pineapples." Barns were destroyed and livestock was killed, including horses on two farms. The Wichita Falls tornado cut a wide swath of dam. Mr. Molet continued to take photographs until the wind blew him into his garage. One more more brief tornadoes occurred within a larger area of straight-line wind damage in Lauderdale County. About the Artist: Frank Gohlke is a leading figure in American landscape photography. A number of people were also killed or injured in the parking lot of Sikes Senter (sic) Mall, also on Kemp Boulevard. Joe Landon Haney. among them is this still life with tornado that can be your partner. Large tornado destroyed several barns and scattered debris over a large area. 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. (Rated F2 by the NWS.). A 368-foot radio antenna and 2 others antennas were blown down, and multiple power lines were downed. Aloft, the strong wind maximum was over the Red River area, producing significant vertical wind shear. 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. Of the 7 people killed, six occurred in 5 different homes, and one man was killed when his truck was thrown from a road. It then became calm before the winds began to pick up. The tornado's first fatalities were recorded in the apartment complex and adjoining housing area. When it was all over, an 8 mile swath of the city over a mile wide was . Stones as large as two inches were reported further to our northeast. After dark, another jet stream wind maximum moved northeastward into west central and northern Texas, sparking a second round of severe thunderstorms and tornadoes. Thread starter Rob Satkus; Start date Apr 8, 2009; Forums. 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. 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. Only three times in my chase career have I seen vertical storm tower velocities this strong. Additional light rural damage occurred in the miles of Wichita County that the tornado covered. David Ehrenfeld read the 23d Psalm over the pearl white coffin. The heaviest damage in the apartments occurred in the second story of two-story buildings. The long, slender tornado was milky white in appearance and was accompanied by a loud roar. ), 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. 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. Deaths An Estimated 42 people died Apr 20, 2012 - The April 10, 1979 tornado in Wichita Falls. Damage to city property totaled $5 million while Sheppard AFB had $10 million in damages. Following the deadly Red River Valley tornado outbreak, the National Weather Service, in partnership with FEMA and the American Red Cross, produced a documentary called "Terrible Tuesday" that chronicled the events in Wichita Falls on April 10, 1979. About $15 million of damage occurred as the tornado destroyed homes immediately south of TX State Highway 79, from Wichita Falls into the Dean and Petrolia areas. 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. Non Precipitation Warnings 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). TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. One F4 tornado impacted Vernon, Texas. Storm Data, Weather Safety No damage was reported from this small, weak tornado and it was rated F0. Most of the deaths were in Wichita Falls and Vernon, Texas . FAQ Most of the deaths were in Wichita Falls and Vernon, Texas, and Lawton, Oklahoma. With surface pressures in the southern High Plains plunging rapidly, a low pressure center formed in the vicinity of Lubbock around noon (Figure 15). Troy Glover. Meteorologists still refer to that day as Terrible Tuesday because of the immense devastation and the sheer numbers. 2. It is estimated that 5,000 families, containing 20,000 residents, were left homeless in Wichita Falls. Museum of the Kansas National Guard . The first tornado formed near Seymour at around 4:53 pm. View obituary. Tornado data and F-scale ratings for tornadoes from 1950 to the present are referenced from NWS records. Local Overall, mobile homes and permanent homes lead fatality location totals with 44.8% and 26.2% of all deaths occurring in these structures, respectively. In addition, the damage paths of all three were wider than normal. Other data were supplied by the American National Red Cross. The giant tornado was a massive black column extending from the low striated base of the inky clouds to the ground. There were a total 42 tornado fatalities in Wichita Falls, of which 25 were vehicle related. The electrical power to local stations was down from the storm which prevented the gas pumps from operating and us from getting more gas. Two reports can be found on this web site. Twenty-five of the deaths were. 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. Approximately 30 houses in the addition were damage with some houses suffering extensive damage. National Weather Service 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. Three homes were destroyed and others were damaged. By noon, all doubt was gone. In the upper atmosphere, the nose of an extremely strong jet stream wind maximum was moving eastward through northern Mexico, preparing to turn northeastward and take aim on Texas and Oklahoma. Air Quality 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). By RAEGAN SCHARFETTER, ANNIE GIMBEL. 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). (Rated F2 by the NWS. This line raced northeastward, spilling heavy rains, hail and high winds on numerous communities. By this time teams from NSSL and the University of Oklahoma had arrived. '", "When the day had ended, the tornadoes had left in their wake a tragically high toll -- 56 dead and 1916 injured. Flash Flood Warnings Elizabeth Burk Newton. 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). The tornado blew many of those vehicles off those roadways, inflicting numerous fatalities. Please try another search. 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. Forty-two peoples were killed and over 1700 injured. Well-built modern houses, in general, offer fairly good protection from tornadoes. The clouds in the flanking lines exploded up the back of the storm through the back-sheared anvil to the overshooting top. While photographing this shot I began to feel vibration in the camera. The Wichita Falls tornado of April 10, 1979 was one of thirteen tornadoes which rampaged across parts of north Texas and Oklahoma that "Terrible Tuesday." This over one mile-wide beast. Local Climate Data While the leading edge of the moist, tropical air had already surged northward across the Red River, giving Wichita Falls a vigorous southeasterly wind and a climbing dew point (Figure 16), the advancing edge of much drier, continental air swept eastward out of the High Plains and undercut the less dense and more moist tropical air. During this time I was trying to shoot pictures through the window. Nationwide, Current Conditions Additional tornadoes were reported across the Southern Plains as well as in the Mississippi River Valley on April 1112. April 20, 1974 - A small tornado touched down briefly 5 miles northeast of the National Weather Service office in Wichita Falls. The clouds would roll over like they were collapsing into a deep hold. Texas was extremely unstable early in the evening (Figure 25). 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. Flood/Flash Flood Safety The inner hallways would have been the only relatively safe shelter in the building. much of the Trans-Pecos region. The tornado finally ended near Waurika, OK after traveling 47 miles. 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. Norman, OKNational Weather Center120 David L. Boren Blvd. (Documented and rated F2 by Grazulis. Each parallelogram on the map below represents the approximate aerial coverage shown in each photo. The wide swath of damage can also be seen by viewing the NASA aerial photographs (aerial photos 1-10 on the damage photo tab) and the other aerial photographs (photos 7 & 8 on the damage photo tab). Over 3,000 homes were destroyed and another 1,000 were damaged, and over 1,000 apartment units/ condominiums were destroyed and another 130 damaged. 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 number of reported injuries approached 1,800 although hundreds of additional minor injuries were never recorded. We were rushed to get into position. 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). 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