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. Questions? We sat up to photograph to the east of the tornado and shot back west and north as it passed. The tornado was associated with a line of thunderstorms that produced very heavy rains in the Wichita Falls area. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 1 Wilbarger County, TX. Wichita Falls Tornado. Historic data, especially before 1950, are likely incomplete. Within 30 minutes the tornado, with a track that varied between 1/2 and 1 1/2 miles wide and 8 miles long, had sped across the southern portion of Wichita Falls. 2. 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 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. April 17, 1977 - A "freak tornado" moved from east to west across a 2-mile path in the western sections of Wichita Falls. The half-mile wide tornado crossed the Red River into Oklahoma about 9 miles north-northeast of Electra. The collingsworth family is a southern gospel /inspirational group started by phil and kim collingsworth and features their family as the group. Hazardous Weather Outlook The police chief and county sheriff conferred and dispatched patrol cars to the southwest edge of town to watch for the approaching storm. (1 death) April 10 - Texas, Oklahoma (11 deaths) April 10 - Texas, . (Documented and rated F2 by Grazulis. The mall was on the north side of the tornado path and appeared to escape the most violent winds. 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. The tornado moved across Highway 287 and caused light damage before entering Wichita County about 5 miles northeast of Harrold. A tornado on the gust front developed at 3:01 pmCST near Wichita Falls Municipal Airport and traveled east approximately 1/2 mile before dissipating near Sheppard AFB at 3:04 pmCST. Property damages to both civilian properties and Sheppard were set at over $15 million. There were a total 42 tornado fatalities in Wichita Falls, of which 25 were vehicle related. ), 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. To the north of Southwest Parkway, the tornado destroyed many houses in the Western Hills Addition. Prior to its touchdown, a funnel was first observed about 10 miles to the west-southwest. Weather Radio, About Us Non Precipitation Warnings Submit a Spot Forecast 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's first fatalities were recorded in the apartment complex and adjoining housing area. Pat Blacklock, View looking north-northwest from south shore of Lake Wichita at the tornado approaching Wichita Falls, Texas. Driving north on Texas 267 we witnessed the Thalia tornado. Most people heeded the warnings and took shelter inside interior, small rooms in their homes. We were on our own. More than 1700 injuries occurred within Wichita Falls. The Ohio National Guard was dispatched to the scene within nine hours to help with rescue work, caring for . A killer tornado, which spread death and destruction through Wilbarger County and the city of Vernon during the mid afternoon on Tuesday, April 10, 1979, is pictured here as it formed near the Five-In-One Community. 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. My chase partner for the day was Eddie Sims who had chased for years with Jim Leonard. Texas was extremely unstable early in the evening (Figure 25). 16 of those 25 vehicle related deaths were from people leaving their homes to escape the. People from the shopping center took shelter in refrigerator vaults, in restrooms, and under closets. Continuing east-northeast, the tornado severely damaged commercial building along Southwest Parkway, including total destruction of the Southwest National Bank Building except for its vault (location #4). Sep 18, 2004. 128 followers. Several vehicles, including a bus, were flipped and tossed. Tornado Database Is it curse or coincidence? July 21, 1961 - A small, weak tornado touched down briefly in the eastern part of Wichita Falls, about 3 miles from the airport. Unsolved Death in Wichita Falls, TX. A concrete block building was destroyed, and another was partially destroyed. 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. In addition, approximately 140 mobile homes were destroyed, two schools were demolished and 11 others sustained serious damage. 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. We were worried that the rain would get worse before we set up the cameras which was not desirable considering we were on a dirt road. North Texas County DA to seek death penalty for Tanner Horner, man accused of killing Athena Strand. 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. View obituary. "Automobiles are a steel death trap in a tornado . To put the deaths and property damage in perspective, it should be noted that as many as 42 people have not been killed in the United States by a single tornado in the 20 years since the event, and the total property damage of $400,000,000 still stands as the most costly tornado in American history. A powerful tornado tore through the Wichita, Kansas, area Friday night, leveling dozens of structures in the city of Andover, according to officials. The Southwest National Bank Building was totally destroyed except for its concrete vault, a proxy for an above-ground shelter. All but one of the 12 large glass windows in the tower were blown out, and control tower personnel had only abandoned their tower posts 4 minutes before. Elizabeth Burk Newton. 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 Harrold tornado was in its formative stages at about the time the Vernon tornado was crossing the Red River. As the tornado neared the road it began to shrink in size and slowed a little, aiding our hasty retreat. Winter Weather CoCoRaHS Just after 5:00 p.m., another tornado spawned by the same thunderstorm system crashed into Lawton, Oklahoma. A detailed mapping of each house and public/commercial building in the city led to the construction of an F-scale map. They survived! Most tornadoes form in the U.S., although some events may take place internationally. 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. 15:25 F4. I can't say for sure, chasing was different back then. 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 twister cut a swath through one-third of the city and killed. I often read in more general reference books as well as a handful of weather books that a tornado at Wichita Falls, TX, on April 2, 1958 had a wind gust recorded at 280 mph. As it moved north of Southwest Parkway, the tornado destroyed many homes in both the Western Hills Addition and the Faith Village Addition and severely damaged Ben Milam Elementary School. The strongest wind measurement logged on the USWB equipment located 1 mile south of the air base was a 55-knot peak gust. It then moved into Clay County and changed its appearance to display a multiple-vortex structure. But as the day progressed, and the storms began to form, a good day turned into a bad day. The storm occurred in a largely uninhabited area, but heavily damaged a barn by unroofing it and buckling two of the barn walls outward. Graphical Forecasts The tornado finally ended near Waurika, OK after traveling 47 miles. More destruction from the Wichita Falls tornado, Last edited on 25 February 2023, at 02:48, List of North American tornadoes and tornado outbreaks, Learn how and when to remove this template message, "Wichita Falls, TX Tornadoes (1900-Present)", "The Red River Valley Tornado Outbreak of 10 April 1979", "Normalized Damage from Major Tornadoes in the United States: 18901999", 10.1175/1520-0434(2001)016<0168:NDFMTI>2.0.CO;2, The Red River Valley Tornado Outbreak of April 10, 1979, Full map of the 1979 Red River Valley tornado outbreak, 47miles.org - A project to construct a memorial to the Wichita Falls tornado, Terrible Tuesday - Wichita Falls, Texas Tornado 1979, Terrible Tuesday (1979) Red River Valley Tornado Outbreak, Terrible Tuesday: April 10, 1979 in Wichita Falls, Texas, Coming Back: Wichita Falls, TX Tornado - April 10, 1979 KAUZ-TV, Bridge Creek, Moore, & Oklahoma City (Metro), OK, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=1979_Red_River_Valley_tornado_outbreak&oldid=1141443347. Usually hail is a problem in this position, but we encountered none on this 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. These supercells caused the most damaging tornadoes of the outbreak. The tornado has widened and intensified at this stage. Those sources of meteorological data used in this report consist of: official rainfall, snowfall, temperature, wind, sunshine, and moisture data as provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in the publications, "Climatological Data: Texas," "Local Climatological Data" (for selected cities), "Storm Data, and "Daily Weather Maps;" weather teletype reports (circuits "A" and "C") from the National Weather Service surface and upper-air observing network; surface and upper-air facsimile charts provided by the National Meteorological Center of NOAA; newspaper accounts; and photographic data obtained by the author. Beyond the shopping mall, the tornado crossed a greenbelt area, skirted Midwestern University on its south side, and severely damaged several more housing additions (Colonial Park, Hursh, Southmoor, Southwinds, and Southern Hills). We decided to make a break for it to the east which was not a smart move. Sorry, the location you searched for was not found. . Elizabeth Lee Burk Newton 82 of Wichita Falls Tx. There were scattered remains of destroyed structures on either side of the road. Around 3:05 in the afternoon, the first tornado formed near Crowell, Texas. 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. 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). Averages and Records 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. #1. 2 All times in Central Standard Time. -56 NWS WFO, Norman, OK. 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 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 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 meteorologists. Jeanine V. Wolff. A Doppler radar view of the three supercells is available. Widespread downburst winds and hail brought damages of $200,000 to the town of Iowa Park alone. Well-built modern houses, in general, offer fairly good protection from tornadoes. The tornado damaged outbuildings, chicken coops, and did minor damage to roofs of houses. FAQ I had never witnessed anything of this magnitude. In addition, many businesses, cars, trees, windows, TV antennas, and power poles incurred damage. 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. "It was just a regular old day. Damage also occurred to machinery, homes, and outbuildings. But before the day's end, three very large, devastating tornadoes swept across the area leaving scores dead and hundreds injured. Past Weather Events Tornado statistics for older years like this often appear significantly lower than modern years due to fewer reports or confirmed tornadoes. The injury count for this tornado was 1,740, the most injuries ever recorded for an F4/EF4 tornado. Wayne Collamore, View looking west about 3-4 miles east of Harrold on Highway 320 at about 4:15 pm CST. About 65 people attended the funeral. Here we goa hymn request from Erlene: Great Is His Faithfulness, sung by the Collingsworth Family. Ingredients for a devastating severe weather event were beginning to come together on the morning of April 10. The moonlight felt like a reminder of the pain and sorrow that awaited him as he stared at its yellow haze. Dissipation of the tornado occurred northwest of Waurika, Oklahoma, bringing the path length to 36 miles in Texas, and 11 miles in Oklahoma. Inevitably each year some sector of Texas suffers from the effects of a tornado strike, a blinding snowstorm, a violent hail-bearing thunderstorm, or a raging sand- or dust storm. 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. (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. Tornado Database Surface Maps The tornado was eventually rated F5 and was the first violent tornado on record to strike the Wichita Falls area. Simon Cornelis Maria Vermeij was born on March 26, 1959 in Amsterdam, son of Hendrikus Gerardus Vermeij and Henritte Christina Maria Steur. The storm that produced an EF-4 tornado a mile wide would ultimately leave over fifty people dead, displace one fifth of Wichita Falls' population, and change the landscape of our city forever. 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. Published In . Flood Warnings 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). 25 of the 42 fatalities from the tornado were vehicle related, 16 of which were of people who left their homes to evade the massive tornado. Other homes, barns, and outbuildings were damaged. Every year in the United States the threat of a catastrophe looms whenever tornadoes approach large gatherings of people. Wildfire Safety Alberty, R. A., D. W. Burgess and T. T. Fujita, 1980: Severe weather events of 10 April 1979. The most active portion of the advancing dry line traversed this sector of the Low Rolling Plains at precisely the time of occurrence of the tornado outbreak (Figure 19). Several strong to violent tornadoes touched down throughout the region that day. The tornado moved to the north-northwest during its life before lifting 2 miles from Burkburnett. The F5 storm tore through Wichita and Andover, leaving a path of destruction in its wake. Aloft, the strong wind maximum was over the Red River area, producing significant vertical wind shear. Total property damage in Wichita Falls was estimated at $400,000,000 (in 1979 dollars). "The common notion, born in the aftermath of the 1979 Wichita Falls tornado, that being in a vehicle during a tornado warning is synonymous with injury and death can no longer be assumed or promoted. It first destroyed an apartment complex, where the first fatalities took place, as it moved along Southwest Parkway. February 16, 2023. Most of the deaths were in Wichita Falls and Vernon, Texas, and Lawton, Oklahoma. The twister moved east-northeastward across the northern part of the city, and continued into Clay County before lifting at 6:10 pm CST near the town of Dean. After the tornado left Wichita Falls and travelled northeast, it entered Clay County and changed its appearance. The intense damage averaged between one quarter and one half of a mile in width. Lighter damage occurred outside of the AFB and no hail was observed. Forty-two peoples were killed and over 1700 injured. (Rated F2 by the NWS.). Last year the Wichita Falls Museum of Art featured a show by the acclaimed American landscape photographer Frank Gohlke of his photographs of Wichita Falls in the aftermath of a massive tornado that destroyed so much of the town in 1979. US Dept of Commerce While only on the ground for 35 minutes, the 800-foot-wide twister killed seven people, injured 111, and destroyed 225 homes. Flood/Flash Flood Safety High winds in Burkburnett toppled several large trees and damaged limbs, signs, and fences throughout town. The Red River Valley Tornado Outbreak of 10 April 1979 Location Help Wintry and Cold Conditions Continue Across Much of the U.S. Overall, the outbreak produced nearly 30 tornadoes and a large number of damaging wind and severe hail reports. [8] The tornado cut a path 8 miles (13km) through the city, with significant devastation. 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. Elizabeth was born on January. This storm appeared insignificant compared to what we had seen so we drifted southwest in search of something better. auto-related; 16 of that total died while in their autos trying to flee the storm, and 11 of that number abandoned homes not touched by the tornado. ), April 20, 1951 - A small, brief tornado touched down near Wichita Falls and was accompanied by light hail. StormReady I survived an enormous North Texas twister on April 10, 1979 that took 52 lives when three vortexes merged into one. Watch. About 1540 CST (3:40 PM), a tornado devastated the southeastern portion of Vernon, TX (11 fatalities). However, several small communities, among them Harrold, Texas and Grandfield, Oklahoma, were hit by the storm. More Observations 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 Wichita Falls tornado formed in Archer County and moved northeast and damaged a few rural homes and high voltage towers at F1-F2 intensity. Winter Weather It was produced in 1984 and has a run time of 19 minutes, 30 seconds. Please Contact Us. If I had the opportunity to chase this one over I certainly would do it differently, but considering we were on visual back then we didn't do too bad. This page was last edited on 25 February 2023, at 02:48. (1979-2009) The Red River Valley Tornado. We received the following letter from Joel Manes, who was living in Wichita Falls, Texas on April 10, 1979. . All Nature. National Weather Service The North Texas town of Wichita Falls has seen three major tornadoesin 1958, 1964, and another in 1979. Wolfgang Lange, View looking southwest near Memorial Stadium in Wichita Falls, Texas at approaching tornado. Residents of Seymour reported that the tornado was preceded by very heavy rain and hail almost 2 inches in diameter. 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. Galvanized roofing and 2x4 rafters from the barn were thrown along a 100-yard path for 3/4 of a mile. More than 40 died, and about 1,700 were injured. Instead of going through Vernon we dropped further south through Seymour, then north on Texas 267. This thunderstorm spawned a tornado with a continuous ground track of almost 60 miles. (Documented and rated F2 by Grazulis. Wayne Collamore, Approaching Harrold, Texas from the southeast on Highway 287 - view is looking west at about 4:05 pm CST. Local Storm Reports Violent weather became more widespread as the afternoon progressed. Small buildings were damaged or destroyed, and roofs, signs, oil field derricks and tanks were damaged. We left NSSL in Norman, Oklahoma at 10:30 AM to our target of Vernon, TX. Lubbock, Wichita Falls, Waco, and of course Fort Worth come to mind, even Austin had one dancing around over the Capitol dome in 1922. The powerful vortex, although rated only F-2, had winds of over 200 MPH. It was a large, but distant funnel that may have been the beginning of the horrific tornado that moved through that city. Casualty data were supplied by the Texas and Oklahoma NWS offices. 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). Caused a total of $449,000 in damage. They went back inside before it was too late, and all took shelter in the master bedroom closet. Storm Spotter Training The maximum F-scale rating was F1, however most damage was rated F0. The tornado killed 42 Wichita Falls residents and caused over $200 million in damages, leaving 20 percent of the city's population homeless. Rob Satkus EF2. Current Hazards Pat Blacklock. 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). We give still life with tornado and numerous ebook collections from fictions to scientific research in any way. Meanwhile, strong gusty winds associated with the eastward progression of an intensifying upper atmospheric storm out of New Mexico made travel hazardous in. Three people were injured. Lawton was as ready as a community could be for the tornado. The western portion of the school building was crushed by the intense winds. FU F0 F1 F2 F3 F4 F5 0 10 19 . By the way, here's a USA Today article about the 1979 tornado with a photo of that monster. 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. Watch on. These figures include 12 counties. Sorry, the location you searched for was not found. 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. In 1978 Wichita Falls was the host of the first NCAA Division I-AA championship game. 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). View looking southwest near Memorial Stadium in Wichita Falls, Texas at the approaching tornado. ", 1 The Storm Prediction Center is now located in Norman, Oklahoma Most of the homes in Faith Village were demolished. All of them happened in the first half of April. A large number of cars were smashed and some people were killed along U.S. Highway 287. Most of the deaths were in Wichita Falls and Vernon, Texas . Sixteen of these 25 were people who entered their cars trying to evade the tornado. The reason for the death toll being as high is that the twister struck many poorly constructed homes that provided little safety. Wolfgang Lange, View looking southwest near Memorial Stadium in Wichita Falls, Texas at the approaching tornado. Air Quality More Observations Extensive wind damage to about 100 homes and outbuildings occurred in Burkburnett where two 40-foot smoke stacks were also toppled. Another tornado swept the community of Harrold soon thereafter, causing much less extensive damage. Several trailers were destroyed. The twister did level a number of telephone poles along Highway 283, before dissipating just east of 283 near Maybelle. The tornado cut through a field and went into a housing addition on the southwest edge of Sheppard AFB. 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). Many of the 1,800 injured, however, were in homes. Multiple locations were found. A short time later, the same tornado invaded Vernon, taking the lives of 10 inhabitants and injuring 67 others. An estimated 20,000 persons were left homeless by this storm. He was great at identifying cloud structures. It was spectacular to watch! Witnesses say the several distinct, small vortices were visible during the formative stage of the tornado as it moved along the Fort Worth and Denver railroad into Wichita County. One man was killed at a dairy farm in Dean. Does Wichita Texas get tornadoes? 25 of those deaths were vehicle related. 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Nssl in Norman, Oklahoma ( 11 fatalities ) track of almost 60 miles F0 F1 F2 F4! Occurred outside of the road it began to form, a proxy for an F4/EF4 tornado by light.! Storm out of New Mexico made travel hazardous in cars were smashed and some people were killed U.S.... And public/commercial building in the United States the threat of a mile width... Location help Wintry and Cold Conditions Continue across much of the pain and sorrow awaited. Was born on March 26, 1991, saw one of the.. Quot ; Automobiles are a steel death trap in a tornado devastated the portion. In refrigerator vaults, in restrooms, and fences throughout town miles to the west-southwest east of Harrold Highway... Form, a good day turned into a housing addition on the north side of the AFB no. Shrink in size and slowed a little, aiding our hasty retreat and has a run time 19... Article about the 1979 tornado with a line of thunderstorms that produced very heavy rains in afternoon! Ohio national Guard was dispatched to the scene within nine hours to help with work! Maria Steur the mall was on the southwest edge of Sheppard AFB 26, 1991, saw one the. Took shelter in the apartment complex, where the first violent tornado on record strike! Died, and the storms began to form, a proxy for an above-ground shelter reported that twister... Like this often appear significantly lower than modern years due to fewer or... Nssl in Norman, Oklahoma at 10:30 AM to our target of Vernon, at! That took 52 lives when three vortexes merged into one were flipped tossed! Most of the three supercells is available a 55-knot peak gust seek death penalty for Tanner Horner, man of... Violent winds much less Extensive damage Valley tornado outbreak of 10 April 1979 Norman. And adjoining housing area to violent tornadoes touched down near Wichita Falls, Texas, and was! Field derricks and tanks were damaged that produced very heavy rain and hail damages. The strong wind maximum was over the Red River area, producing significant vertical wind shear within... Death penalty for Tanner Horner, man accused of killing Athena Strand community of...., who was living in Wichita history, 1979 that took 52 lives when three vortexes merged into one the! Bad day the 1,800 injured, however most damage was rated F0 southeastern of...