He had allegedly been sexually assaulted, tortured, murdered, then his body ran through a full cycle in the dishwasher- officials speculated the killer had . 4. About 65 people attended the funeral. 5) The Wichita Falls Tornado - April 10, 1979. The mall was on the north side of the tornado path and appeared to escape the most violent winds. That supercell was in progress just to our northeast, although there was no direct route to catch the fast moving storm. The first in a series of tornadoes struck near Foard City shortly after 3 o'clock destroying several rural homes, barns, and farm equipment. Storm Data, Weather Safety Ingredients for a devastating severe weather event were beginning to come together on the morning of April 10. Wolfgang Lange, View looking southwest near Memorial Stadium in Wichita Falls, Texas at wall cloud on the southwestern edge of the thunderstorm. I'm surprised he got the tornado in the frame. Tours. One man was killed at a dairy farm in Dean. May 23, 1888 - A tornado moved northeastward and passed 6 miles west of Wichita Falls during the evening of May 23, 1888. The northern supercell, the Vernon-Lawton storm, produced its first tornado at 1505 CST (3:05 PM) south of Crowell, TX. The tornadoes pictured here were part of the Red River Valley Outbreak, the biggest event of that year. A thunderstorm that pelted the Coleman area with golfball-size hail also generated a tornado that caused considerable damage to power lines and outbuildings north of the city. Watch. Elizabeth Burk Newton. CoCoRaHS Ben Faltinowski. As the tornado neared the road it began to shrink in size and slowed a little, aiding our hasty retreat. 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. Lawton had been alerted by Tornado Watch #67 and had received a tornado warning issued by WSFO Oklahoma City. The tornado developed on the extreme northeast side of Seymour and moved northeast to about 2 miles north-northeast of Maybelle. It rapidly intensified to F4 intensity as it entered the city near Memorial Stadium by McNiel Jr. High School on Southwest Parkway, which was located to the west of Wichita Falls at approximately 6:07p.m., damaging both structures severely. Daily Weather History Also nearby, about 10 utility poles were snapped near the top with debris falling on fences and other sheet metal buildings. We think this was the early stages of the Vernon tornado. All of them happened in the first half of April. Property damage in the affected areas included 225 homes destroyed, with 50 homes suffering major damage, 200 homes incurring minor damage, and 16 other building receiving major damage. Forty-two people were killed outright by the storm, while 3 others died of heart attacks. No fatalities or injuries occurred. On the first street of houses to the northeast of Lange's apartment complex, Robert Molet also photographed the approaching tornado (location #3). We were rushed to get into position. age through the southern half of tne city. National Severe Storms Laboratory storm chasers photographed the tornado, which formed beneath the southwest flank of the severe thunderstorm. Many of the 1,800 injured, however, were in homes. Several homes and businesses, a mobile home park, a church, and a school were damaged. Anyone can read what you share. Bulletin American Meteorological Society, 61, 1033-34. A strong tornado damaged roofs, telephone poles, trees, uprooted shrubs and overturned a truck, but remained over open country while at peak intensity. Instead of going through Vernon we dropped further south through Seymour, then north on Texas 267. Apr 20, 2012 - The April 10, 1979 tornado in Wichita Falls. US Dept of Commerce A few hours earlier that day, another tornado tore through Vernon, killing 10 residents and injuring more than 60 others. 1 A tornado struck Waco and McLennan County on May 11, 1953, inflicting 114 deaths, 597 injuries, and damages of $4i.2 million. Storm Pictures. This page documents the tornadoes and tornado outbreaks of 1979, primarily in the United States. Non Precipitation Warnings The tornado was coming down, but getting photography was difficult. See the article in its original context from. Past Weather Events 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. Further eastward, most houses in the Faith Village Addition were destroyed, and Ben Milam Elementary School was severely damaged (location #6). 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. 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. To the south of the warm front, moist, unstable air was streaming northward. have just been raked by debris from rear flank downdraft surge wrapping around the tornado - tornado now in a sunlit position relative to us - getting really spectacular! Pat Blacklock, View looking northwest from south shore of Lake Wichita at the tornado approaching Wichita Falls, Texas. 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. Skywarn Storm Spotters More than 1700 injuries occurred within Wichita Falls. 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). Wichita Falls(/wtt/WITCH-i-tah) is a city in and the seat of governmentof Wichita County, Texas, United States. After the tornado, a thorough investigation of the damage was performed by Texas Tech University, Institute for Disaster Research, and the University of Chicago. Small buildings were damaged or destroyed, and roofs, signs, oil field derricks and tanks were damaged. The first tornado formed near Crowell, Texas, at around 3:05p.m. About 35 minutes later, the first killer one of the outbreak ripped through Vernon and killed 11 people. During this period, large hail was occurring in the central and northern portions of Wichita Falls as the tornado devastated the southern portion of the city. Please try another search. Wayne Collamore, Approaching Harrold, Texas from the southeast on Highway 287 - view is looking west at about 4:05 pm CST. Only three times in my chase career have I seen vertical storm tower velocities this strong. This route took us in front of the advancing vortex and provided a pretty exciting ride. 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. Robert Molet. Data modified as described in NOAA Tech Memo NWS SR-209 (Speheger, D., 2001: "Corrections to the Historic Tornado Database"). ", "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. The following text contains excerpts from the Texas Department of Water Resources publication "A Review of Texas' Weather in 1979: The Year of Devastating Tornadoes and Flash Floods" published in 1980. The following severe weather account is by Gene Moore. Only 5 of the homes that were left actually incurred damage. Damage also occurred to machinery, homes, and outbuildings. Stones as large as two inches were reported further to our northeast. More widespread home destruction occurred in Colonial Park and several more apartment complexes were demolished. ", "Storm spotter networks were alerted. Total damage in Wichita Falls was estimated at $400 million (in 1979 dollars). 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. During this interval, the tornado was photographed by Professor Joe Henderson of Midwestern State University from the Ligon Coliseum (location #7). 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. The tornado was at the top of the hill less than a mile away. July 21, 1961 - A small, weak tornado touched down briefly in the eastern part of Wichita Falls, about 3 miles from the airport. 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. A large number of cars were smashed and some people were killed along U.S. Highway 287. February 20, 2023 (92 years old) View obituary. 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. (Rated F1 by the NWS. Three thousand and ninety-five homes were destroyed and 600 were damaged. 2 All times in Central Standard Time. One more more brief tornadoes occurred within a larger area of straight-line wind damage in Lauderdale County. No fatalities or injuries occurred. All the storms this day exhibited violent cloud motions. Aug 23, 2005 163 3 0 58 Norman Ok www.chasestories.com. In addition, many businesses, cars, trees, windows, TV antennas, and power poles incurred damage. Weather Radio, About Us Cool Photos. 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). An estimated 20,000 persons were left homeless by this storm. Precipitation was to our west through southwest and wrapped around the tornado. Also, tornado survivors said that some golf ball size hail fell prior to and immediately after the tornado. The storm intercept teams noted that the tornado developed from a rotating wall cloud in the Seymour area. No fatalities or injuries occurred. Surface Maps He later moved to Oklahoma City where he worked in TV weather before working for the federal government. The tornado first touched down at 2:35 pm CST north of the intersection of Farm Road 369 and Seymour Highway. He shot these images one handed while driving down a dirt road. Witnesses saw several small twisters during the formation. 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. We 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. Miss Mahon's parents and five brothers and sisters wept as the Rev. 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. As the tornado crossed Kemp Boulevard in Wichita Falls, several commercial businesses, including a restaurant, were destroyed with several additional fatalities. It seems that almost every major Texas city has had to deal with a tornado at least once. The tornado originated from a weak thunderstorm with a radar top of only 16,000 feet. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Aloft, the strong wind maximum was over the Red River area, producing significant vertical wind shear. At about the time the tornado was developing at Harrold, 1.5 to 3 inch diameter hailstones were reported 7 miles west of Harrold. Below are some quick facts about the event from the NWS Norman: People from the shopping center took shelter in refrigerator vaults, in restrooms, and under closets. . Submit a Spot Forecast Wolfgang Lange, View looking southwest near Memorial Stadium in Wichita Falls, Texas at the approaching tornado. Large tornado destroyed several barns and scattered debris over a large area. More Observations A number of people tried the flee from the tornado as it crossed the south side of the city by getting in cars and driving east on Southwest Parkway, north on US Highway 281 and east again on US Highway 287. The tornado leveled a mobile home park on the north side of U.S. Highway 287, but residents had evacuated that area and no fatalities occurred in the park. 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. April 10, 2001 - This tornado developed on the south side of Wichita Falls at 11:46 pmCST, a short distance from Lake Wichita. Around 3:05 in the afternoon, the first tornado formed near Crowell, Texas. We examined the circumstances of death and injury among victims of the tornado that struck Wichita Falls, Texas, on 10 April 1979. Most of the destroyed homes had some of these interior walls still standing after the tornado. It damaged several homes and businesses before going into Wichita Falls where it . When autocomplete results are available use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. Severe weather warnings had been in effect for Wichita County and Wichita Falls for almost an hour. Thus, he stood in his backyard driveway and photographed the destruction of the apartment complex and the beginning of destruction in his neighborhood. 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). This was especially true of the Wichita Falls tornado, whose more than 1-mile-wide path of damage is one of the biggest on record. Local Storm Reports FU F0 F1 F2 F3 F4 F5 0 10 19 . 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. ), April 24, 1923 - A tornado blew apart five homes 3 miles south-southwest of Burkburnett and 6 oil derricks where also destroyed. In slightly more than 10 minutes, the tornado passed across the southern tip of the city leaving 11 dead, more than 60 injured, and several hundred homes destroyed or damaged. The intense damage averaged between one quarter and one half of a mile in width. . Numerous other disruptive weather events, including torrential, flash-flooding rains, scattered but frequent incidents of hail, and a widespread dust and sand storm, highlighted April, an unusually wet but seasonably mild month for most Texans. Minor damage occurred to some fences and the area. One piece of farm equipment was destroyed and damage occurred to fences and trees. Winter Weather Safety, Special Programs The lights of wichita shone bright now. [19] We didn't get phone guidance and it was before on-board equipment. WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) . Wichita Falls has had three major tornado strikes in its history. The tornado then crossed a short span of open fields before moving into the Colonial Park area. 15:55 F2. 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. The Wichita Falls tornado, with how black . Excerpts from the Texas Department of Water Resources publication, "A Review of Texas' Weather in 1979: The Year of Devastating Tornadoes and Flash Floods," is also available. Three homes were destroyed and others were damaged. The funnel was quite close at this time and large black crows were caught up in the outer circulation. One F4 tornado impacted Vernon, Texas. April 26, 1991, saw one of the biggest, if not the biggest, tornadoes in Wichita history. Heavy lake effect snow, strong winds, and reduced visibilities continue downwind of the Great Lakes. After dodging power lines, broken poles, and busted trees we dropped south on US 183/283 on the east side of Vernon. Stability indices indicated the air throughout central. Dallas Times Herald photo by Mark Perlstein Almost 40 years ago, a massive F4 tornado tore through Wichita Falls, in an event that the Dallas Times Herald and Wichita Falls Times labeled Terrible Tuesday. 25 of those deaths were vehicle related. 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. Unsolved Death in Wichita Falls, TX. We left NSSL in Norman, Oklahoma at 10:30 AM to our target of Vernon, TX. 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. Prior to its touchdown, a funnel was first observed about 10 miles to the west-southwest. Meanwhile, behind the dry line and cool front in the High Plains, the atmosphere quickly stabilized, and drying out was evident in the lower half of the atmosphere below 500 mb (Figure 26). After moving out of Faith Village, the tornado flattened several businesses, including a restaurant, on Kemp Boulevard. The large Wichita Falls F4 tornado moving through town. The tornado finally ended near Waurika, OK after traveling 47 miles. Well-built modern houses, in general, offer fairly good protection from tornadoes. 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 of the deaths were in Wichita Falls and Vernon, Texas, and Lawton, Oklahoma. The siren system for the city was sounded three times, the last around 5:50 p.m., just as the storm spotters reported the tornado approaching Memorial Stadium in the southwestern suburbs of Wichita Falls. Does Wichita Texas get tornadoes? Frank Gohlke's portfolio of 40 black and white photographs, which capture the devastation of the 1979 Wichita Falls Tornado and the landscape a year later, will be on exhibition to mark the anniversary of Terrible Tuesday, April 10, 1979. It sped into Clay County, causing no deaths but 40 injuries and damage in the communities of Dean and Petrolia that amounted to $15 million. Violent weather became more widespread as the afternoon progressed. The tornado was also captured on film by Troy Glover from the roof of the Bethania hospital (location #8). April 2, 1958 - A funnel was first spotted 8 miles southwest of Wichita Falls before touching down at 5:40 pmCST near the intersection 4th Street and Lamar Street near the Wichita River. The effects of passage of both the warm front from the Gulf and later the dry line from the west were pronounced at points like Abilene, where rapidly falling surface pressures, a soaring temperature, and a sudden plunge in dew point (signaling the arrival of the dry line) identified well the events that combined to cause devastation farther to the north a few hours later (Figure 18). 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. The trees on the southwest edge of the city were denuded of limbs and bark. The following table includes data and summaries from the tornadoes that occurred in the area since the late 1800's. -56 NWS WFO, Norman, OK. Wrecked cars were smashed against bridge abutments, a power plant was knocked out, and part of a high school was destroyed. As bad as the tornado was, it could have been worse. View looking southwest near Memorial Stadium in Wichita Falls, Texas at the approaching tornado. It then became calm before the winds began to pick up. 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). Two reports can be found on this web site. Inside the mall, portions of the JC Penney store collapsed while other stores sustained light to moderate damage. 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. This information is part of Stamboom Vermeij by Truus Vermeij on Genealogy Online. This storm appeared insignificant compared to what we had seen so we drifted southwest in search of something better. Gene is a graduate of Oklahoma University who photographed storms when he lived in Norman, Oklahoma during the 1970s. ", "When the giant tornado struck Wichita Falls just before 6:00 p.m., most people were not surprised. Tornado Watch #67 was issued at 1:55 p.m. Central Standard Time (CST)2 calling for tornadoes, large hail, and damaging thunderstorm winds in portions of a 30,000-square-mile area in north central Texas and southwest Oklahoma. Aerial Reconnaissance photos- Source Don Burgess; Credit: NASA, Mission 399; Roll: #3; Film Type: 50-397; Frames: 041 to 050; Date: 4/12/1979, Damage photos - Source: Don Burgess; Credit: NSSL; Institute for Disaster Research, at Texas Tech University, Harrold, TX photos - Credit: Wayne Collamore, Doppler Radar images - Source: Don Burgess; Credit: NSSL, Satellite images - Source: Dennis McCarthy, Former MIC, NWSFO OUN; Credit: NOAA/NWS. The following images and text have been provided by permission of the author are to be used for informational purposes only. A detailed mapping of each house and public/commercial building in the city led to the construction of an F-scale map. McNiel Junior High, a new concrete/steel-reinforced building was not built well enough to provide safe shelter from the tornado. (Documented and rated F2 by Grazulis. 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). Forecast Discussion, Warnings and Other Products Scary stuff. Records taken from the Storm Prediction Center archive data, "Storm Data", and data from the National Weather Service office in Norman. It moved northeastward across U.S. Highway 287 into the Sunset Terrace addition, and then crossed the Red River Expressway (U.S. Highway 277) into the Lincoln Heights addition and eventually Sheppard Air Force Base. One mobile home was completely destroyed on Bobby Point Road, prompting an F1 rating. We decided to make a break for it to the east which was not a smart move. By RAEGAN SCHARFETTER, ANNIE GIMBEL. Six cross-country steel transmission towers were destroyed just east of Farm Road 2650. The long, slender tornado was milky white in appearance and was accompanied by a loud roar. 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. The sun had set, and the moon was now a crescent. Tornado left suction vortex marks in open fields. 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). April 8, 1961 - A small tornado formed near Kamay at 4:00 pmCST, moved northeast across the Wichita Valley Airport, and then moved into Sheppard AFB. Per the SPC Database, 25 tornadoes occurred mainly in TX and OK with one lone tornado in KS. Damage as severe as F4 was found along most of the track across the city. 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