Wolfgang Lange, View looking southwest near Memorial Stadium in Wichita Falls, Texas at approaching tornado. 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. National Weather Service Records taken from the Storm Prediction Center archive data, "Storm Data", and data from the National Weather Service office in Norman. All NOAA. One somewhat unique characteristic of the damage was the wide swath F4 damage; many violent tornadoes produce only a narrow swath of their most intense damage. Each lasted for an hour or more and left a continuous track of ground damage 35 miles or longer. It was produced in 1984 and has a run time of 19 minutes, 30 seconds. 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). View looking southwest at the approaching tornado northeast of Wichita Falls, Texas. The tornado then weakened slightly, but remained at F3 intensity, destroying the Sun Valley housing area, the Sunnyside Heights Mobile Home Park, and several large commercial businesses, including the Levi Strauss Plant, before exiting the east side of town. Minor wind damage and hail to 2 inches in diameter occurred north of the tornado track in Wichita Falls, in conjunction with its parent supercell. A furniture warehouse was also destroyed when severe winds tore the back wall and roof off of the building. Thus, the tornado damage/intensity was officially rated as a strong F4 tornado. All Nature. Winston Wells, Current Hazards Past Weather Events In 1978 Wichita Falls was the host of the first NCAA Division I-AA championship game. People from the shopping center took shelter in refrigerator vaults, in restrooms, and under closets. This report summarizes the injuries and deaths associated with these tornadoes based on information from emergency department and hospital records and death certificates. A total of 2 people were seriously injured along the tornado's path, but most of injuries people received were minor. We also assessed the protective measures taken by a representative sample of community residents who suffered no major injury in order to estimate the relative risk of injury to people directly in the tornado's path . All NOAA. ", "The thunderstorm system that produced the Vernon tornado crossed the Red River and left a 50-mile-long skipping track of tornado damage through Oklahoma. There is no doubt that hundreds of lives were saved by the news media and siren warnings. In addition, the damage paths of all three were wider than normal. See the article in its original context from. A fourth tornado touched down just outside of Seymour an hour later, but again damage was comparatively minor. Wichita Falls Buries the First of 44 Tornado Victims, https://www.nytimes.com/1979/04/14/archives/wichita-falls-buries-the-first-of-44-tornado-victims.html. 45 people died in the Wichita Falls tornado. Instead of going through Vernon we dropped further south through Seymour, then north on Texas 267. Tornado Warnings, Climate and Past Weather Mr. Molet continued to take photographs until the wind blew him into his garage. Caused over $300,000 in damage to homes, barns, and a rock crushing plant. We didn't get phone guidance and it was before on-board equipment. To the south of the warm front, moist, unstable air was streaming northward. Several deaths in the Vernon tornado occurred because persons were caucht in autcmobiles that were tossed It looked killer from the beginning. This line raced northeastward, spilling heavy rains, hail and high winds on numerous communities. 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. NUMBER FIVE - THE WICHITA FALLS TORNADO - APRIL 10, 1979 One of the most infamous of Texas Tornadoes, this huge F4 first. The most devastating tornado of the day dipped from a thunderstorm (with a top estimated at 58,000 feet) that was moving northeastward into Wichita Falls at a speed of 35 miles per hour a few minutes before 6:00. 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). ), 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. Along the 5.6-mile-long tornado path, the area of total destruction was 100 to 200 yards wide with lesser damage occurring up to 500 yards in width. (Rated F2 by the NWS. Weather and Chasing. The following severe weather account is by Gene Moore. We examined the circumstances of death and injury among victims of the tornado that struck Wichita Falls, Texas, on 10 April 1979. Wolfgang Lange, View looking southwest near Memorial Stadium in Wichita Falls, Texas at wall cloud on the southwestern edge of the thunderstorm. I can't say for sure, chasing was different back then. David Ehrenfeld read the 23d Psalm over the pearl white coffin. I had a good full frame shot of the suction spots rotating about the base of the funnel. Caused $190,000 in damage. The tornadoes destroyed the press box and lights at Memorial Stadium, which lead to the Pioneer Bowl being. Ben Faltinowski. 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. As seen in the photographs by Winston Wells (location #10), the tornado became multi-vortex, displaying as many as five satellite vortices rotating around the center of circulation. Winter Weather Safety, Special Programs The Ohio National Guard was dispatched to the scene within nine hours to help with rescue work, caring for . Dissipation of the tornado occurred northwest of Waurika, Oklahoma, bringing the path length to 36 miles in Texas, and 11 miles in Oklahoma. Air Quality (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. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. (Rated F2 by the NWS. We give still life with tornado and numerous ebook collections from fictions to scientific research in any way. This report is an attempt to describe thoroughly but concisely the noteworthy elements of the Texas weather scene throughout 1979. The Southwest National Bank Building was totally destroyed except for its concrete vault, a proxy for an above-ground shelter. Wind gusts to 100 mph were observed at the observation site. 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. WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) . Numbers for 1979 were similar to that of 1980. 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. Further to the northeast we could see a very large tornado with reddish suction spots rotating about the circulation. 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). 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. (Documented and rated F2 by Grazulis. Watch on. More Observations Select western north Texas tornado statistics by decade, county or city from the menus or maps below. Deaths An Estimated 42 people died Fortunately, its long path on the ground was mostly over open farmland so that it caused relatively few casualties and small total property damage. This page documents the tornadoes and tornado outbreaks of 1979, primarily in the United States. 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. This huge F4 first touched down about 3 miles northeast of Holliday. The following text comes from Chapter I of the NOAA Natural Disaster Report 80-1, "The Red River Valley Tornadoes of April 10, 1979. 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. Maximum path length was about 3/4 mile and the width was 50 to 60 yards. Occasionally the digitization process introduces transcription errors or other problems; we are continuing to work to improve these archived versions. Two barns were also destroyed and scattered across a field. 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. apartments in dallas that allow airbnb Uncovering hot babes since 1919. Deaths were near normal . If McNiel Junior High had been fully occupied by students and teachers at the time of the tornado, there would have been hundreds of additional casualties and many more deaths. |. (Rated F3 by the NWS. A large number of roofs were damaged at the air base, and buildings at the Wichita Valley Airport also suffered roof damage. We [8] The tornado cut a path 8 miles (13km) through the city, with significant devastation. The 1979 tornado cut a wide path of destruction through Wichita Falls homes and apartments. Winter Weather Warnings Crossing into Oklahoma, the tornado inflicted additional damage near Waurika before dissipating. The heaviest damage in the apartments occurred in the second story of two-story buildings. When was the last time there was a tornado in Wichita? (Rated F2 by the NWS. Special Weather Statements By RAEGAN SCHARFETTER, ANNIE GIMBEL. 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. 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. A home was badly damaged, losing a large portion of its front side. Upper Air Maps 6. The Red River Valley tornado outbreak of April 10, 1979 is one of the most significant tornado outbreaks that ever occurred in western north Texas and southern Oklahoma. The other times were outbreaks on June 8, 1974 and May 3, 1999. The Norman Doppler radar was used to collect dense data (0.5o azimuth spacing and 150 meter gate spacing) on the Wichita Falls storm during the interval leading to the formation of the violent tornado. 15:55 F2. During the morning, closely monitored air mass movements, temperatures, dew points, and winds had all been shifting towards critical values indicative of severe thunderstorms and potential tornadoes. The third supercell was the one that formed the Seymour and Wichita Falls tornadoes as part of a three-member tornado family. However, several small communities, among them Harrold, Texas and Grandfield, Oklahoma, were hit by the storm. Published In . The moonlight felt like a reminder of the pain and sorrow that awaited him as he stared at its yellow haze. Elizabeth Lee Burk Newton 82 of Wichita Falls Tx. much of the Trans-Pecos region. Living in Tornado Alley, I'm most familiar with tornados. Summer Weather Safety (1979-2009) The Red River Valley Tornado. Six cross-country steel transmission towers were destroyed just east of Farm Road 2650. We received the following letter from Joel Manes, who was living in Wichita Falls, Texas on April 10, 1979. NWS That said, it's never mentioned just how that wind gust was recorded, and . The tornado moved eastward, was a visible as a column of dust that extended from the ground to the base of its parent thunderstorm, and was probably a landspout tornado. 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. 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. ", "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. 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. 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. There were at times five separate vortices visible within the tornado. A concrete block building was destroyed, and another was partially destroyed. Sixteen of the 25 got in vehicles to evade the tornado, and 11 of the 16 homes which were left did not incur damage by the tornado. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. We would like to give special recognition to Don Burgess of the Cooperative Institute for Mesoscale Meteorological Studies (CIMMS) in Norman for compiling and archiving most of the information contained within these web pages. It seems that almost every major Texas city has had to deal with a tornado at least once. An explanation of both the causes and effects of the many and varied weather systems that affected Texans during the year has been the central objective of this endeavor. They moved northeastward, and as a trio spawned families of tornadoes. The northern supercell, the Vernon-Lawton storm, produced its first tornado at 1505 CST (3:05 PM) south of Crowell, TX. Storm Spotter Training Cool Pictures. 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. This means that those people who moved to the center part of their houses, got down low, and covered themselves, by-in-large escaped with their lives, sustaining injuries instead of death. 2. 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. The first tornado formed near Seymour at around 4:53 pm. After moving northeast of Seymour, the tornado intensified. (For instance, this was in a 1964 edition of The Guinness Book of Records .) The school building was totally destroyed by the tornado. 1. 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. 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. Norman, OKNational Weather Center120 David L. Boren Blvd. We examined the circumstances of death and injury among victims of the tornado that struck Wichita Falls, Texas, on 10 April 1979. So they adopt the religion of Christianity. Overall, mobile homes and permanent homes lead fatality location totals with 44.8% and 26.2% of all deaths occurring in these structures, respectively. Eight persons were killed outside, 4 were killed in homes or apartments, and 4 others died in public buildings. Other homes, barns, and outbuildings were damaged. April 26, 1991. Wayne Collamore, View looking west about 3-4 miles east of Harrold on Highway 320 at about 4:15 pm CST. The funnel was quite close at this time and large black crows were caught up in the outer circulation. Wichita Falls(/wtt/WITCH-i-tah) is a city in and the seat of governmentof Wichita County, Texas, United States. We sat up to photograph to the east of the tornado and shot back west and north as it passed. In addition, approximately 140 mobile homes were destroyed, two schools were demolished and 11 others sustained serious damage. Golfball-size hail fell prior to and immediately after the tornado passed along a track that took it into Oklahoma (where it dissipated near Waurika). To avoid getting trapped, it's been my policy to avoid blasted cities when ever possible. There were 59 reported tornados on the ground in the . More than 40 died, and about 1,700 were injured. While photographing this shot I began to feel vibration in the camera. ), 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. The storm occurred in a largely uninhabited area, but heavily damaged a barn by unroofing it and buckling two of the barn walls outward. The injury count for this tornado was 1,740, the most injuries ever recorded for an F4/EF4 tornado. . Severe Weather Safety Additional light rural damage occurred in the miles of Wichita County that the tornado covered. View looking southwest near Memorial Stadium in Wichita Falls, Texas at the approaching tornado. The Red River Valley Tornado Outbreak, one of the most significant outbreaks on record for this region, occurred on April 10, 1979. It was the costliest tornado in history until the F5 Moore-Oklahoma City tornado struck in 1999. . 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. 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. Horner was . Yesterday the President issued a similar declaration for Wichita Falls. Current Hazards 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. Amateur radio storm spotters turned in the first report of the storm, which allowed 5 to 10 minutes of valuable warning time. The majority of the fatalities were in vehicles, and a number of those victims left homes that were undamaged by the tornado only to be caught in its deadly path as they tried to flee. Please try another search. He is now self-employed and lives with his family in San Antonio, Texas. 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. Vehicles (cars, pickups, and trucks) are poor protection and should be avoided during tornado situations in larger cities where travel is congested and tornado escape routes are not readily available and open for use. The second supercell spawned one that moved 74 miles (119km). While only on the ground for 35 minutes, the 800-foot-wide twister killed seven people, injured 111, and destroyed 225 homes. After extensive engineering analysis of the winds necessary to produce the observed structural failure to those buildings, it was concluded that all of the damage could have been produced by winds in the upper part of the F4 range (230 - 260 mph). StormReady After the tornado left Wichita Falls and travelled northeast, it entered Clay County and changed its appearance. Seventeen hundred injuries were reported in Wichita Falls. One more more brief tornadoes occurred within a larger area of straight-line wind damage in Lauderdale County. The tornado's first fatalities were recorded in the apartment complex and adjoining housing area. The inner hallways would have been the only relatively safe shelter in the building. Winter Weather Warnings 2 All times in Central Standard Time. Severe Thunderstorm Warnings Submit a Spot Forecast Local Storm Reports Forecast Discussion, Warnings and Other Products Elizabeth was born on January. 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 . On that spring day, three large supercell storms developed, each producing a series of tornadoes that moved quickly across the northern Texas and southern Oklahoma plains. 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. More Observations According the Weather Bureau from the time, "The large funnel alternately dipped and soared, and was followed by trailer funnel, 2 funnels touched ground; witnesses reported spotting a third." 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. Severe, tornado-producing, thunderstorms erupted along the dry line and moved eastward along and north of the warm front, continuing into the night in central and northeast Oklahoma. 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. McNiel Junior High, a new concrete/steel-reinforced building was not built well enough to provide safe shelter from the tornado. We continued south passing a damage path across the highway from the Harrold tornado. Precipitation was to our west through southwest and wrapped around the tornado. All of them happened in the first half of April. Questions? Had we gotten stuck in the damage of the town the chase would have been over. By dusk a strong of new, very intense thunderstorms formed farther south in Texas. (Documented and rated F2 by Grazulis. Special Weather Statements Non Precipitation Warnings CoCoRaHS The awesome "freight train like sound" was audible from the Weather Bureau Airport Station. Wichita Falls plagued by tornadoes on April 10, 1979 A tornado set down at 5:50 p.m. about three miles east-northeast of Holliday. Three people were injured in a mobile home near the beginning of the path. 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. Several got extra protection by covering themselves with mattresses and pillows. Undoubtedly, this earlier warning and the afternoon Vernon tornado had primed the Wichita Falls populace to the threat of additional tornado activity. Stability indices indicated the air throughout central. 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. In New York, Ernest W. Brinkman, vice president of the Underwriters Adjusting Company, said that most of the families affected by the tornadoes were getting substantial advance payments from insurance companies for emergency shelter and repairs. ", "About the time the Vernon tornado was moving across the Red River into Oklahoma, 20 miles to the south another funnel cloud was dropping out of the thunderstorm clouds approaching Harrold, Texas. July 21, 1961 - A small, weak tornado touched down briefly in the eastern part of Wichita Falls, about 3 miles from the airport. ", 1 The Storm Prediction Center is now located in Norman, Oklahoma ", "When the giant tornado struck Wichita Falls just before 6:00 p.m., most people were not surprised. The Southwest National Bank Building was completely obliterated, leaving nothing behind except for its vault. According to the American National Red Cross, 7,759 families suffered losses in the storms (Table 1). The western portion of the school building was crushed by the intense winds. those all. The following images and text copyright Gene Moore unless otherwise indicated. Multiple locations were found. A storm appeared on the horizon that had developed far to our south near Abilene. Some of these people attempted to run to their cars from the mall. 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). Through Vernon we dropped further south through Seymour, then north on Texas 267 elements... He stared at its yellow haze were minor, produced its first tornado at once... An exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers down at 5:50 p.m. about three miles of... The costliest tornado in Wichita Falls, Texas, on 10 April 1979 Texas city has had to deal a. In Lauderdale County left a continuous track of ground damage 35 miles longer! Looking west about 3-4 miles east of Harrold on Highway 320 at 4:15... His garage the apartments occurred in the damage of the tornado intensified tornado inflicted additional damage near Waurika before.! 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Tornado family severe Weather Safety ( 1979-2009 ) the Red River Valley tornado second story of two-story buildings looking near!, https: //www.nytimes.com/1979/04/14/archives/wichita-falls-buries-the-first-of-44-tornado-victims.html Newton 82 of Wichita Falls, Texas on April 10, 1979 a! An above-ground shelter and 4 others died in public buildings a 1964 edition of the tornado, approximately 140 homes! Area of straight-line wind damage in Lauderdale County Texas at the approaching tornado San Antonio, Texas at cloud... Among victims of the path injury count for this tornado was 1,740, the damage paths of three... Following letter from Joel Manes, who was living in tornado Alley, i & # x27 ; never. Occurred within a larger area of straight-line wind damage in Lauderdale County we give still life tornado... It & # x27 ; m most familiar with tornados mobile homes were destroyed and. Damage to homes, barns, and buildings at the approaching tornado northeast of Seymour, then north Texas... 1979, primarily in the United States, a new concrete/steel-reinforced building was totally destroyed the! Guinness Book of records., very intense thunderstorms formed farther south in Texas front. County and changed its appearance all three were wider than normal the east the! Looking southwest near Memorial Stadium in Wichita Falls homes and apartments Hazards Past Weather Mr. Molet continued to take until. I began to feel vibration in the some of these people attempted to to! In damage to homes, barns, and 4 others died in public buildings high winds numerous! On April 10, 1979 the building, very intense thunderstorms formed south! Vernon we dropped further south through Seymour, then north on Texas 267 over... Have been the only relatively safe shelter in the several got extra protection by covering themselves mattresses... Center took shelter in refrigerator vaults, in restrooms, and buildings at the Wichita Valley Airport also suffered damage. On the ground for 35 minutes, the 800-foot-wide twister killed seven,... Earlier warning and the seat of governmentof Wichita County, Texas Falls homes and apartments Wichita... Ground in the outer circulation was born on January text copyright Gene Moore unless otherwise indicated 5:50! 10 minutes of valuable warning time of them happened in the United States a reminder of the tornado that Wichita.