1979 Red River Valley tornado outbreak

Template:Short description Template:Use American English Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox weather event Template:Infobox weather event/Tornado outbreakTemplate:Infobox weather event/EffectsTemplate:Infobox weather event/Footer On Tuesday, April 10, 1979, a widespread and destructive outbreak of severe weather impacted areas near the Red River between Oklahoma and Texas. Thunderstorms developed over West and North Central Texas during the day within highly unstable atmospheric conditions following the northward surge of warm and moist air into the region, producing large hail, strong winds, and multiple tornadoes. At least 22 tornadoes were documented on April 10, of which two were assigned an F4 rating on the Fujita scale; four of the tornadoes caused fatalities.

Hardest hit were the communities of Vernon, Texas; Lawton, Oklahoma; and Wichita Falls, Texas, which were all impacted by strong tornadoes. The F4 Vernon tornado struck southern and eastern parts of the city at approximately 4:45 p.m. CST, destroying several residential blocks and killing 11 people. An F3 tornado spun up in Lawton at 5:05 p.m. CST,Template:Efn destroying 167 buildings and killing 3 people. The most significant tornado of the day was an F4 tornado that began east-northeast of Holliday, Texas, at around 5:50 p.m. CST and moved east-northeast into Wichita Falls, taking a Template:Cvt course through densely-populated areas of the city and destroying over two thousand homes across several neighborhoods. The tornado spanned as wide as Template:Cvt across during its passage through the city, with the most severe damage occurring within a Template:Cvt wide swath. At least 45 people were killed within the city and nearly 1,800 people were injured, ranking the tornado among the deadliest in Texas history. A majority of the fatalities occurred as the tornado mangled and tossed vehicles. The damage wrought by the Wichita Falls tornado was unprecedented, with the $400 million damage toll making it the costliest tornado on record at the time. The severe weather event was widely observed by scientific instruments due to its serendipitous occurrence during a NASA field campaign. Later studies referred to the tornado outbreak as the Red River Valley Tornado Outbreak, and in the areas affected the day came to be known as Terrible Tuesday.

The same weather system associated with the tornado outbreak produced additional thunderstorms and tornadoes on April 11, particularly in Arkansas. While tornadic activity was more widespread on April 11 compared to April 10 far fewer casualties occurred. The weather system also produced intense rainfall over Mississippi and Alabama that culminated in the 1979 Easter flood, the worst disaster to befall Jackson, Mississippi in over a century.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Meteorological synopsis

Preceding the event

File:South Central US GOES-3 visible satellite 1979-04-11 0014Z.jpg

GOES-3 satellite image showing storms over the Red River Valley on the evening of April 10

On April 9, a strong upper-tropospheric trough was located over the western United States. At roughly Template:Cvt above the surface, a powerful jet stream extended from the eastern Pacific to South Texas.Template:Sfn Although a cold front moving south during the day brought substantially cooler conditions to Oklahoma, it quickly weakened over Texas.Template:Sfn Warm and moist air remained over South Texas ahead of the disturbances.Template:Sfn Meteorological computer models using data collected at 6 p.m. CST April 9 suggested that severe weather was possible the next day for parts of Oklahoma and Texas but did not as indicate as clearly the possibility of a tornado outbreak.Template:Sfn The upper-tropospheric trough moved slower than modeling projected and by 6:00 a.m. CST April 10 had become oriented north-northeast to south-southwest, a characteristically negative tilt associated with many severe weather outbreaks.Template:Sfn An occluded front stretched from a quickly intensifying low-pressure area in Colorado into the Texas Panhandle,Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn representing one area conducive to storm development.Template:Sfn A wide expanse of stratus clouds covered much of Central Texas during the morning hours as a result of a stable airmass over the area.Template:Sfn However, strong southerly winds closer to the surface brought moisture northward from South Texas, concurrent with a rapid increase in atmospheric instability over North Texas.Template:Sfn Due to the presence of directional wind shear, the winds over the Red River Valley brought moist air from the south closer to the surface, and drier air from the west further aloft, enhancing convective instability.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn The leading edge of the northward surge of moisture was marked by an ill-defined warm front.Template:Sfn Dew points across the region increased by around Template:Cvt to near Template:Cvt.Template:Sfn

A line of thunderstorms developed over North Texas on the morning of April 10 in response to the surge of warm air, with small hail up to Template:Cvt diameter associated with some of the storms.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn Within the nearby jet stream, an area of locally intense windsTemplate:Snda jet streakTemplate:Sndmoved towards the northeast towards the expanding unstable airmass over north-central Texas. The passage of this core of intense winds aloft induced strong southwesterly winds closer to the surface over eastern New Mexico and West Texas, leading to widespread blowing dust.Template:Sfn Wind gusts exceeded Template:Cvt across West Texas and reached as high as Template:Cvt at Guadalupe Mountains National Park.<ref name="BomarOUN">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The dew point at Marfa, Texas, was Template:Cvt compared to dew points near Template:Cvt over central Texas.Template:Sfn This surge of dry air, moving towards the east-northeast at roughly Template:Cvt, marked another potential region for storm development.Template:Sfn A second area of thunderstorms began to quickly intensify along the leading edge of this dry line and along the occluded front between Amarillo, Texas, and Plainview, Texas.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn Hail up to Template:Cvt in diameter was reported in association with these storms, as well as a tornado east of Plainview at around 1:38 p.m. CST that caused no damage. A third area of thunderstorms, albeit short-lived, developed west of Abilene, Texas, along the western edge of a small region of high pressure.Template:Sfn While several of the morning's storms moved towards stable conditions and were poised to eventually weaken, particularly conducive conditions for intense thunderstorm development materialized near Lubbock, Texas, at the intersection of the surging dry line, the warm front, and the western edge of the high pressure region.Template:Sfn

File:Map of tornado watch 67 in 1979.png

A tornado watch was issued for parts of southwestern Oklahoma and northern Texas on the afternoon of April 10.

By the afternoon of April 10, both the warm front and the region of strong winds associated with the jet stream had reached the Red River area, resulting in stronger wind shear.<ref name="BurgessOUN" /> A low-pressure area had also developed in the vicinity of Childress, Texas at around 1–2 p.m. CST, and would serve as a focusing mechanism for converging moisture over the Red River Valley.<ref name="BurgessOUN">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>Template:Sfn The National Severe Storms Forecasting Center (NSSFC) issued a tornado watch at 1:55 p.m. CST on April 10 for a Template:Cvt area encompassing parts of southwestern Oklahoma and north-central Texas. The watch statement highlighted the potential for tornadoes, large hail, and damaging winds within the watch area.Template:Sfn Within the risk region, the air pressure fell by Template:Cvt in three hours; such drastic pressure falls can precede tornado outbreaks.Template:Sfn Strong convergence of moisture was also observed in the areas where storms eventually formed.Template:Sfn

Tornado outbreak

File:Seymour Texas Tornado.jpg

The Seymour tornado

The arrival of the jet streak contributed to the conversion of the atmospheric instability accumulating near the Red River into thunderstorm formation.Template:Sfn Just before the onset of the tornado outbreak, a low level jet with winds of Template:Cvt materialized over north-central Texas in response to the approach of the jet streak higher aloft, accelerating the transport of heat and moisture northward into the Red River Valley.Template:Sfn Thunderstorms developed near Lubbock and moved east-northeastward into a region of high potential instability near the Red River, becoming the strongest thunderstorms of the day. In particular, three isolated supercell thunderstorms caused the majority of the severe weather during the afternoon and evening of April 10;Template:Sfn<ref name="BurgessOUN" /> all developed in the localized area of supportive conditions near the frontal intersection. The first thunderstorm formed around 1:00 p.m. CST spawned five tornadoes between 3:05 p.m. CST and 5:15 p.m. CST, including an F4-rated tornado that struck Vernon, Texas, and an F3-rated tornado that struck Lawton, Oklahoma. The second thunderstorm formed around 2:30 p.m. CST, while the third formed around 4:30 p.m. CST.Template:Sfn The second supercell produced a tornado that began at 3:55 p.m. and took Template:Cvt long trackTemplate:Sndthe longest track of any tornado during the eventTemplate:Sndthrough primarily rural areas near Harrold, Texas and Grandfield, Oklahoma.<ref name="BurgessOUN" /> The most damaging tornado, associated with the third supercell, began at around 5:55 p.m. CST and struck Wichita Falls, Texas.Template:Sfn<ref name="BurgessOUN" /> These storms persisted into nighttime over central and eastern Oklahoma.<ref name="BurgessOUN" /> The breakout of severe weather and tornadoes associated with the thunderstorms near the Red River during the afternoon and evening of April 10 was collectively termed the "Red River Valley outbreak" or the "Red River Valley tornado outbreak" by scientists studying the event.Template:SfnTemplate:SfnTemplate:Sfn At least 12 tornadoes occurred within Template:Cvt of Wichita Falls in a single two-hour period.Template:Sfn The last tornado that occurred in the Red River Valley occurred around 8:00 p.m. CST in connection with the third supercell near Pruitt City, Oklahoma.Template:Sfn<ref name="BurgessOUN" /> The thunderstorms that produced the tornadoes in the Red River Valley continued into Arkansas and southern Missouri during the overnight hours but did not produce severe weather.Template:Sfn

File:Lawton OK tornado 1979.jpg

Tornadic damage in Lawton

The arrival of a second and weaker region of strong winds within the nearby jet stream led to the development of severe thunderstorms, including some tornadoes, farther south over west-central and northern Texas during the overnight hours.<ref name="BurgessOUN" />Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn These tornadoes caused extensive damage in rural areas and some injuries.Template:Sfn Like the severe event earlier in the day along the Red River, the development of these storms was aided by a localized area of low pressure that developed near Abilene at around 7:20 p.m. CST.Template:Sfn Additional storms also persisted over the Midwestern United States into the morning of April 11.Template:Sfn The broader weather system that produced the severe weather on April 10 continued eastward towards the Mississippi River Valley the next day and intensified. April 11 ultimately proved to be a more active day for severe weather, with Arkansas experiencing most of the day's tornadoes; however, fewer casualties resulted from the tornadoes compared to the previous day.Template:Sfn The 27 tornadoes that were ultimately documented by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in Arkansas during April 1979 set a new monthly record high for the state.Template:Sfn Heavy rains over Mississippi and Alabama associated with the same weather system on April 11–13 led to extensive flooding along the banks of the Pearl River and Tombigbee River. Rainfall totals reached Template:Cvt, with the flood near Jackson, Mississippi, being representative of a 1 in 500-year or 1 in 100-year flood event.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn

Confirmed tornadoes

NWS offices in Texas and Oklahoma reported 56 fatalities from the tornadoes on April 10, with 53 in Texas and 3 in Oklahoma across a combined 12 counties. Another 1,916 people were injured, of which 256 were hospitalized. The American Red Cross reported 2,934 homes destroyed with another 3,263 damaged.Template:Sfn April 10 featured the most damaging tornado outbreak since the 1974 Super Outbreak.Template:Sfn Four tornadoes caused fatalities that day.Template:Sfn The NWS characterized the tornado outbreak as "one of the most significant tornado outbreaks that ever occurred in western north Texas and southern Oklahoma."<ref name="45Years">Template:Cite news</ref> The atmospheric environment surrounding the April 10 severe weather outbreak and the thunderstorms that eventually formed were closely observed as part of the Severe Environmental Storms and Mesoscale Experiment (SESAME), a scientific field campaign aimed at studying severe weather. As part of SESAME, an extensive survey of affected areas was undertaken following the event, including interviews of civil defense directors and ground and aerial surveys of tornado paths. Damage along the paths of 12 of the tornadoes on April 10 were rated with the Fujita scale by Ted Fujita and Roger Wakimoto based on observations from a low-flying Cessna aircraft on April 12–13, with a presumed ±1 margin of error.Template:Sfn

Daily statistics of tornadoes during the tornado outbreak of April 10–12, 1979

DateTemplate:Efn	Total	F-scale rating							Deaths	Injuries
		F?	F0	F1	F2	F3	F4	F5
April 10	25	1	4	6	9	3	2	0	60	1,922
April 11	32	4	1	11	15	1	0	0	1	54
April 12	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0
Total	58	align="right" bgcolor=#Template:Storm colour|5	align="right" bgcolor=#Template:Storm colour|5	align="right" bgcolor=#Template:Storm colour|17	align="right" bgcolor=#Template:Storm colour|25	align="right" bgcolor=#Template:Storm colour|4	align="right" bgcolor=#Template:Storm colour|2	align="right" bgcolor=#Template:Storm colour|0	61	1,976

April 10 event

List of confirmed tornadoes – Tuesday, April 10, 1979Template:Efn

F#	Location	County / Parish	State	Start Template:AbbrTemplate:Efn	Time (UTC)Template:Efn	Path lengthTemplate:Efn	WidthTemplate:Efn
color|storm}}; border-bottom: 1px solid black" | F0	SE of Crosbyton	Crosby	TX	Template:Coord	Template:Sort	Template:ConvertTemplate:Efn	Template:ConvertTemplate:Efn
	A tornado occurred over open country southeast of Crosbyton, causing no damage.<ref name="SE10130754">Template:Cite report</ref>Template:Sfn
color|unk}}; border-bottom: 1px solid black" | F?	E of Plainview	Hale	TX	Template:Coord	Template:Sort	Template:NA	Template:NA
	A tornado occurred over open country east of Plainview. Storm Events does not assign a rating for this tornado.<ref name="SE10130757">Template:Cite report</ref>
color|cat2}}; border-bottom: 1px solid black" | F2	S of Foard City to SE of Crowell to near Rayland	Foard	TX	Template:Coord	Template:Sort	Template:Convert	Template:Convert
	A significant tornado moved across Foard County, destroying, unroofing, or otherwise damaging homes.<ref name="SE10130759" />Template:Sfn The tornado also destroyed barns, telephone poles, and farm equipment. Total property damage was estimated by the NOAA at $50,000–$500,000. One person was injured.<ref name="SE10130759">Template:Cite report</ref>
color|cat4}}; border-bottom: 1px solid black" | F4	N of Thalia, TX to Vernon, TX to E of Davidson, OK	Foard (TX), Wilbarger (TX), Tillman (OK)	TX, OK	Template:Coord	Template:Sort	Template:Convert	Template:Convert
	11 deaths, Template:SndSee section on this tornado – There were 67 injuries.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn
color|storm}}; border-bottom: 1px solid black" | F0	E of Crowell	Foard	TX	Template:Coord	Template:Sort	Template:Convert	Template:Convert
	A tornado caused damage near the intersection of US 70 and FM 267.<ref name="SE10130760">Template:Cite report</ref>Template:Sfn
color|cat2}}; border-bottom: 1px solid black" | F2	Harrold, TX to Grandfield, OK to Pumpkin Center, OK	Wilbarger (TX), Wichita (TX), Tillman (OK), Cotton (OK), Comanche (OK), Stephens (OK)	TX, OK	Template:Coord	Template:SortTemplate:Efn	Template:Convert	Template:Convert
	1 death Template:Snd A tornado began in the Harrold area, moving across US 287 and crossing into Wichita County, where it inflicted light rural damage.<ref>Template:Cite report</ref>Template:Sfn One person was killed while sheltering beneath a semi-trailer on US-287.Template:Sfn After tracking for Template:Cvt over Texas, the tornado crossed the Red River into Oklahoma at around 4:10 p.m. CST.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn While the tornado remained at F0 intensity over Texas, it began strengthening after crossing the river.Template:Sfn The tornado intensified over Oklahoma and was near its maximum intensity when it reached the Grandfield airport at around 4:30 p.m. CST. It caused considerable damage at the airport, destroying eight planes and damaging another. Twelve homes in the Grandfield area were either damaged or destroyed, including four mobile homes. Three people were injured in the Grandfield area, including one seriously.Template:Sfn The tornado crossed SH-5 west of Walters, Oklahoma, as a slightly weaker F1 tornado.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn Five homes were destroyed and four others were damaged northwest of Walters.Template:Sfn The tornado then reintensified and produced a second region of F2-intensity damage Template:Cvt southeast of Lawton as it approached Hulen and Pumpkin Center.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn Around Pumpkin Center, 13 homes were destroyed; some of the homes were impacted by a tornado a year prior. Additional homes were damaged along SH-7.Template:Sfn The tornado was the longest-tracked tornado of both the tornado outbreak and of the entirety of 1979 in the United States. Five people were injured.<ref name="BurgessOUN" />Template:Sfn A Template:Cvt wide swath of wind damage, with an intensity equivalent to an F0–F1 tornado, extended past the end of the tornado path and impacted the Marlow area.Template:Sfn
color|cat2}}; border-bottom: 1px solid black" | F2	S of Hollister	Tillman	OK	Template:Coord	Template:Sort	Template:Convert	Template:Convert
	The thunderstorm that produced the earlier tornado that struck Vernon, Texas, produced another tornado that began Template:Cvt south of Hollister.Template:Sfn The tornado destroyed three houses and damaged others. One person was injured.Template:Sfn
color|cat1}}; border-bottom: 1px solid black" | F1	SW of Faxon	Comanche	OK	Template:Coord	Template:Sort	Template:Convert	Template:Convert
	A tornado spun up Template:Cvt southwest of Faxon, destroying a mobile home and injuring one person. Two others were injured following the destruction of a second mobile home. Additional homes were damaged. Three people were injured.Template:Sfn Thomas P. Grazulis assessed the tornado as causing F2 damage while Fujita and Wakimoto graded only as high as F1-intensity damage north of Faxon.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn
color|cat2}}; border-bottom: 1px solid black" | F2	NW of Seymour to NNE of Mabelle	Baylor	TX	Template:Coord	Template:Sort	Template:Convert	Template:Convert
	A tornado touched down intermittently in the Seymour area, leading to scattered roof damage. The tornado strengthened as it moved northeast away from Seymour and into rural areas.Template:Sfn Most of the tornado path was over open country, impacting various outbuildings.<ref name="PDImages">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation								CitationClass=web }}</ref> Telephone poles were downed by the tornado along US 283.Template:Sfn The tornado was targeted by the University of Oklahoma's Severe Storms Intercept Project—1979, which was intended to supplement the concurrent SESAME field campaign through visual observation and documentation of severe storms. Footage was captured of the Seymour tornado's developmental and mature stages. The intercept team conducted a survey of the tornado path, documenting a segment of denuded tree branch that was lodged Template:Cvt into the ground and mesquite pulled from the ground by the tornado.Template:Sfn The thunderstorm that produced the Seymour tornado later spawned the violent tornado that hit Wichita Falls.Template:Sfn
color|cat3}}; border-bottom: 1px solid black" | F3	Lawton	Comanche	OK	Template:Coord	Template:Sort	Template:Convert	Template:Convert
	3 deaths Template:SndA tornado warning was first posted for southern Comanche County, at 4:15 p.m. CST, with tornado sirens activated in Lawton, shortly thereafter.Template:Sfn A tornado began roughly Template:Cvt north of the Lawton–Fort Sill Regional Airport terminal building at 5:05 p.m. CST and moved into Lawton, impacting areas near the intersection between 2nd Street and Lee Boulevard.Template:Sfn The tornado's path curved gradually to the east thereafter,Template:Sfn cutting across the H. E. Bailey Turnpike. There, the tornado reached its maximum intensity as an upper-end F3 tornado. It then moved erratically before dissipating.Template:Sfn Three people were killed by the tornado and 100 others were injured. The tornado damaged 449 structures, of which 116 were destroyed.Template:Sfn The damage toll reached $9 million.Template:Sfn
color|cat1}}; border-bottom: 1px solid black" | F1	WSW of Iowa Park	Wichita	TX	Template:Coord	Template:Sort	Template:NA	Template:NA
	A narrow and brief tornado occurred near Rocky Point, causing no damage.Template:Sfn
color|cat4}}; border-bottom: 1px solid black" | F4	ENE of Holliday, TX to Wichita Falls, TX to NNE of Waurika, OK	Archer (TX), Wichita (TX), Clay (TX), Jefferson (OK)	TX, OK	Template:Coord	Template:Sort	Template:Convert	Template:ConvertTemplate:Sfn
	≥45 deaths Template:SndSee section on this tornado – There were 1,740 injuries.
color|cat1}}; border-bottom: 1px solid black" | F1	Wichita Falls	Wichita	TX	Template:Coord	Template:Sort	Template:Convert	Template:Convert
	A small tornado caused intermittent damage in northwestern Wichita Falls while the primary Wichita Falls tornado was impacting southern parts of the city. Witnesses described the tornado as bearing a small funnel cloud without condensation reaching the surface. Several structures were damaged, including a home and several outbuildings. A drive-in theater screen was also downed by the tornado. The damage was initially assessed as being caused by straight-line thunderstorm winds.Template:Sfn<ref name="SE1010130769">Template:Cite report</ref>
color|cat2}}; border-bottom: 1px solid black" | F2	N of Purcell, Oklahoma	Cleveland	OK	Template:Coord	Template:Sort	Template:Convert	Template:Convert
	A tornado damaged two barns Template:Cvt north of Purcell.Template:Sfn
color|cat2}}; border-bottom: 1px solid black" | F2	SW of Prague	Pottawatomie, Lincoln	OK	Template:Coord	Template:Sort	Template:Convert	Template:Convert
	A tornado moved across the Prague, Oklahoma, area, destroying two mobile homes and damaging another three homes. One person in a mobile home was injured.Template:Sfn
color|cat2}}; border-bottom: 1px solid black" | F2	Noble	Cleveland	OK	Template:Coord	Template:Sort	Template:Convert	Template:Convert
	A mobile home was razed by a tornado near Noble.Template:Sfn
color|cat1}}; border-bottom: 1px solid black" | F1	SE of Hays	Ellis	KS	Template:Coord	Template:Sort	Template:Convert	Template:Convert
	A tornado damaged several buildings in southeastern Hays, including 20 mobile homes. The tornado inflicted minor injuries on two people upon overturning their mobile home.Template:Sfn
color|cat3}}; border-bottom: 1px solid black" | F3	NW of Ringling to Pruitt City to NE of Ratliff City	Carter	OK	Template:Coord	Template:Sort	Template:Convert	Template:Convert
	The tornado began Template:Cvt northeast of Ringling and was on the ground intermittently as it moved north-northeast. The tornado moved through Pruitt City at around 8:05 p.m. CST, destroying or damaging 44 homes and at least five cars.Template:Sfn
color|storm}}; border-bottom: 1px solid black" | F0	W of Maud	Pottawatomie	OK	Template:Coord	Template:Sort	Template:NA	Template:NA
	One of two small simultaneous tornadoes that occurred near Maud.Template:Sfn
color|storm}}; border-bottom: 1px solid black" | F0	N of Maud	Pottawatomie	OK	Template:Coord	Template:Sort	Template:NA	Template:NA
	One of two small simultaneous tornadoes that occurred near Maud.Template:Sfn
color|cat2}}; border-bottom: 1px solid black" | F2	NE of Ballinger to W of Novice	Runnels, Coleman	TX	Template:Coord	Template:Sort	Template:Convert	Template:Convert
	A large tornado moved across largely open country, destroying some barns.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn The width of the damage varied between Template:Cvt and Template:Cvt wide. Several homes were also damaged by the tornado.Template:Sfn
color|cat3}}; border-bottom: 1px solid black" | F3	ESE of Ballinger to NNE of Coleman	Runnels, Coleman	TX	Template:Coord	Template:Sort	Template:Convert	Template:Convert
	A tornado spun up Template:Cvt east-southeast of Ballinger, causing significant damage to buildings and power lines. The tornado crossed US 67 roughly Template:Cvt west of Valera, blowing a car off the road and damaging a nearby house.Template:Sfn The tornado's impacts were especially prominent north of Coleman.Template:Sfn Buildings were damaged near Hords Creek Lake and Lake Scarborough. Barns were destroyed and trees were uprooted along US 283 about Template:Cvt north of Coleman. The damage toll inflicted by the tornado was approximately $565,000 and one person was injured.Template:Sfn
color|cat1}}; border-bottom: 1px solid black" | F1	ESE of Comanche	Comanche	TX	Template:Coord	Template:Sort	Template:NA	Template:NA
	A brief tornado destroyed a barn east-southeast of Comanche.Template:Sfn
color|cat2}}; border-bottom: 1px solid black" | F2	N of Energy to W of Hico	Comanche, Hamilton	TX	Template:Coord	Template:Sort	Template:Convert	Template:Convert
	A tornado damaged trees and roofs near Energy and Lamkin in Comanche County. The tornado moved into Hamilton County, damaging roofs and trees in southeastern Carlton. Barns and farm homes were damaged to the north-northeast. Three people were injured.Template:Sfn
color|cat1}}; border-bottom: 1px solid black" | F1	W of Mineral Wells	Palo Pinto	TX	Template:Coord	Template:Sort	Template:NA	Template:NA
	A brief tornado caused no damage west of Mineral Wells.Template:Sfn

April 11 event

List of confirmed tornadoes – Wednesday, April 11, 1979Template:Efn

F#	Location	County / Parish	State	Start Template:AbbrTemplate:Efn	Time (UTC)Template:Efn	Path lengthTemplate:Efn	WidthTemplate:Efn
color|cat1}}; border-bottom: 1px solid black" | F1	Allen	Pontotoc	OK	Template:Coord	Template:Sort	Template:Convert	Template:Convert
	A tornado impacted Allen. The most severe damage was inflicted to two buildings at a lumber yard. A window was blown out of the Allen city hall. Several trees were also uprooted.Template:Sfn
color|cat2}}; border-bottom: 1px solid black" | F2	Kingston	Marshall	OK	Template:Coord	Template:Sort	Template:NA	Template:NA
	A mobile home and three barns were destroyed near Kingston at around 1:10 a.m. CST.Template:Sfn
color|cat1}}; border-bottom: 1px solid black" | F1	W of Sherman	Grayson	TX	Template:Coord	Template:Sort	Template:NA	Template:NA
	A thunderstorm produced several funnel clouds in Grayson County. One developed into a brief tornado that caused no damage west of Sherman.Template:Sfn
color|unk}}; border-bottom: 1px solid black" | F?	SW of Muskogee	Muskogee	OK	Template:Coord	Template:Sort	Template:NA	Template:NA
	A tornado caused no damage after spinning up Template:Cvt southwest of Muskogee.Template:Sfn
color|cat2}}; border-bottom: 1px solid black" | F2	Hattieville to Wonderview	Conway	AR	Template:Coord	Template:Sort	Template:Convert	Template:Convert
	Six barns and two homes were destroyed by a tornado that tracked east-northeastward from Hattieville to Wonderview. Another four barns, two homes, and some outbuildings were damaged. The damage toll amounted to $110,000.<ref>Template:Cite report</ref>
color|cat1}}; border-bottom: 1px solid black" | F1	W of Fox	Stone	AR	Template:Coord	Template:Sort	Template:Convert	Template:Convert
	A tornado began Template:Cvt west of Fox and tracked towards the northeast, destroying or damaging chicken houses and outbuildings before dissipating Template:Cvt west of Mountain View. The damage toll reached $185,000.<ref>Template:Cite report</ref>
color|cat2}}; border-bottom: 1px solid black" | F2	Blue Mountain to Prairie Grove	Washington	AR	Template:Coord	Template:Sort	Template:Convert	Template:Convert
	The Center Point community Template:Cvt south of Prairie Grove was hit hardest by the tornado. Three homes were destroyed and others were damaged. Three people in a mobile home at Center Point were injured; another person was injured in Blue Mountain. The tornado inflicted $175,000 in damage.<ref>Template:Cite report</ref>
color|cat2}}; border-bottom: 1px solid black" | F2	NW of Athens to Martin's Mill	Henderson, Van Zandt	TX	Template:Coord	Template:Sort	Template:Convert	Template:Convert
	Within Henderson County, Texas, the tornado downed power lines and uprooted trees across a Template:Cvt path, cutting power to the community of Bethel. The tornado also inflicted minor damage to homes in rural areas. The tornado proceeded to track across Template:Cvt of Van Zandt County, before lifting.Template:Sfn<ref>Template:Cite report</ref><ref>Template:Cite report</ref>
color|cat2}}; border-bottom: 1px solid black" | F2	Sulphur Springs	Hopkins	TX	Template:Coord	Template:Sort	Template:Convert	Template:Convert
	Five to six homes on the southern side of Sulphur Springs, sustained minor damage. A Rockwell International manufacturing plant in the city incurred $100,000 in damage when it was unroofed. The tornado proceeded to damage homes, farms, and outbuildings northeast of Sulphur Springs. A mobile home was flipped over by the tornado in Mahoney.Template:Sfn
color|cat2}}; border-bottom: 1px solid black" | F2+	N of Eagletown, OK to Grannis, AR to SE of Mena, AR	McCurtain (OK), Polk (AR), Sevier (AR)	OK, AR	Template:Coord	Template:SortTemplate:Efn	Template:Convert	Template:Convert
	Within Oklahoma, three people were injured when their mobile home was destroyed by the tornado.Template:Sfn The tornado crossed into Arkansas west of DeQueen Lake at 11:31 a.m. CST and impacted Grannis and Wickes. In Grannis, 25 homes and an elementary school were destroyed. Another 12 homes and a poultry plant were damaged.Template:Sfn All 17 of the injuries documented in Arkansas from the tornado occurred in Grannis; four of the injuries were to elementary school students at the elementary school.Template:Sfn The tornado destroyed three homes in Wickes and significantly damaged another four homes. The damage toll amounted to approximately $1.75 million.Template:Sfn<ref>Template:Cite report</ref><ref>Template:Cite report</ref><ref>Template:Cite report</ref> Grazulis assessed the tornado as reaching F3 intensity.Template:Sfn
color|cat1}}; border-bottom: 1px solid black" | F1	Hainesville	Wood	TX	Template:Coord	Template:Sort	Template:NA	Template:NA
	A brief tornado occurred in Hainesville, without causing damage.Template:Sfn<ref>Template:Cite report</ref>
color|unk}}; border-bottom: 1px solid black" | F?	W of Hurley	Stone	MO	Template:Coord	Template:Sort	Template:NA	Template:Convert
	A brief tornado occurred over open country west of Hurley.<ref>Template:Cite report</ref>
color|cat2}}; border-bottom: 1px solid black" | F2	W of Rosston	Nevada	AR	Template:Coord	Template:Sort	Template:Convert	Template:Convert
	Three homes were destroyed; others sustained minor damage.<ref>Template:Cite report</ref>
color|cat2}}; border-bottom: 1px solid black" | F2	SW of Guy	Faulkner	AR	Template:Coord	Template:Sort	Template:Convert	Template:Convert
	A tornado impacted a cemetery and utility lines and inflicted heavy damage on several buildings, resulting in $190,000 in damage.<ref>Template:Cite report</ref>
color|cat2}}; border-bottom: 1px solid black" | F2	East End to ENE of Lonoke	Saline, Pulaski, Lonoke	AR	Template:Coord	Template:Sort	Template:Convert	Template:Convert
	The tornado destroyed several mobile homes and damaged outbuildings and farm machinery. East End and southeastern Pulaski County experienced the worst impacts. The tornado caused approximately $1.15 million in damage across three counties, with the bulk of the damage occurring in Pulaski and Saline counties.<ref>Template:Cite report</ref><ref>Template:Cite report</ref><ref>Template:Cite report</ref>
color|cat1}}; border-bottom: 1px solid black" | F1	Homer	Claiborne	LA	Template:Coord	Template:Sort	Template:Convert	Template:Convert
	Southern and eastern sections of Homer were impacted by a tornado, resulting in $75,000 in damage. Five homes were damaged, and a lumber yard was unroofed.<ref>Template:Cite report</ref>
color|cat3}}; border-bottom: 1px solid black" | F3	SW of Cabool to Houston to E of Licking	Douglas, Texas	MO	Template:Coord	Template:Sort	Template:Convert	Template:Convert
	The tornado began just within Douglas County southwest of Cabool. In southern Cabool, grain bins and buildings at the Ballew Feed Center were badly damaged. Many other farm buildings were either damaged or destroyed southwest of Cabool. The tornado briefly lifted as it passed over Cabool, but began to cause damage again in the northeastern part of the town. The tornado struck the Cabool airport, flattening four hangars and heavily damaging the other two. Two airplanes were wrecked at the airport. A nearby apartment building was destroyed by the tornado. Six people were injured when their vehicles were blown off of US 63. Along the highway, 49 buildings were damaged or overturned; another three people were injured in this area. Power outages related to the tornado continued into April 13 for much of Texas County. In total, nine people were injured.<ref>Template:Cite report</ref><ref>Template:Cite report</ref> The damage toll was approximately $2 million.Template:Sfn
color|unk}}; border-bottom: 1px solid black" | F?	W of Bakersfield	Ozark	MO	Template:Coord	Template:Sort	Template:Convert	Template:Convert
	A tornado began near Route 101 along the border between Arkansas and Missouri, damaging a metal building and two farms. The tornado moved northeast towards areas west of Bakersfield, damaging or destroying several homes and uprooting trees. Two people were injured by the tornado.<ref>Template:Cite report</ref>
color|cat1}}; border-bottom: 1px solid black" | F1	N of Levant	Thomas	KS	Template:Coord	Template:Sort	Template:NA	Template:Convert
	A brief tornado occurred over open country without causing damage.Template:Sfn<ref>Template:Cite report</ref>
color|cat1}}; border-bottom: 1px solid black" | F1	Mammoth Spring	Fulton	AR	Template:Coord	Template:Sort	Template:Convert	Template:Convert
	Several buildings were damaged or destroyed, as were trees and power lines. The damage toll exceeded $20,000.<ref>Template:Cite report</ref>
color|cat1}}; border-bottom: 1px solid black" | F1	W of Beebe	White	AR	Template:Coord	Template:Sort	Template:Convert	Template:Convert
	Several homes were unroofed and outbuildings and farms were damaged.Template:Sfn<ref>Template:Cite report</ref>
color|cat2}}; border-bottom: 1px solid black" | F2	NE of Crossett	Ashley	AR	Template:Coord	Template:Sort	Template:Convert	Template:Convert
	The business district of Hamburg was impacted by a tornado, resulting in $3.5 million in damage. The tornado was the second to strike Hamburg in three days.<ref>Template:Cite report</ref>
color|cat2}}; border-bottom: 1px solid black" | F2	Clear Springs	Lawrence	AR	Template:Coord	Template:Sort	Template:Convert	Template:Convert
	A rock crushing plant in the Clear Springs community Template:Cvt west of Black Rock was damaged by a tornado. Railroad cars with crushed rock were also badly damaged. The cost of damage topped $300,000.<ref>Template:Cite report</ref>
color|cat2}}; border-bottom: 1px solid black" | F2	Masonville	Desha	AR	Template:Coord	Template:Sort	Template:Convert	Template:Convert
	McGehee was hardest hit by the tornado. Several homes and businesses were either destroyed or suffered considerable damage. The damage toll amounted to about $449,000.Template:Sfn<ref>Template:Cite report</ref>
color|cat1}}; border-bottom: 1px solid black" | F1	N of Topeka	Shawnee	KS	Template:Coord	Template:Sort	Template:Convert	Template:Convert
	A tornado caused damage intermittently along a path north of Topeka, beginning west of Rochester Road near Northwest 35th Street and ending towards the east-northeast near Northwest 62nd Street. Homes, trees, and utility lines were damaged.Template:Sfn Two mobile homes were flipped by the tornado;<ref name="StrikesNearTopeka">Template:Cite news</ref> one person sustained minor injuries in a mobile home.Template:Sfn The damage was estimated by the Shawnee County civil defense director estimated the damage toll to be in the range of $70,000–$90,000.<ref name="StrikesNearTopeka" /><ref>Template:Cite report</ref>
color|cat1}}; border-bottom: 1px solid black" | F1	N of Libertyville	Ste. Genevieve	MO	Template:Coord	Template:SortTemplate:Efn	Template:Convert	Template:Convert
	Buildings and equipment on two farms were damaged north of Libertyville and in the Coffman area. A few buildings were heavily damaged and partly destroyed.Template:Sfn<ref>Template:Cite report</ref>
color|unk}}; border-bottom: 1px solid black" | F?	W of Ravenna	Buffalo	NE	Template:Coord	Template:Sort	Template:Convert	Template:Convert
	A tornado damaged equipment on a farm west of Ravenna,Template:Sfn resulting in approximately $4,000 in damage.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite report</ref>
color|cat2}}; border-bottom: 1px solid black" | F2	Liberty to Kearney to N of Lawson	Clay, Clinton, Ray	MO	Template:Coord	Template:Sort	Template:Convert	Template:Convert
	A strong tornado began up in Liberty, damaging homes and businesses. The damage was most severe near Route 291, where several businesses were damaged. A mobile home park, church, and elementary school near the intersection of Route 291 with I-35 were also hit. The tornado continued northeast along I-35 into Kearney, where it damaged several homes and businesses. Two barns were also razed. Five people were injured while seeking shelter in a roadside ditch after being struck by the windthrown bus they had evacuated from. Several farms were affected in the Lawson area before the tornado dissipated. In all, nine people were injured.<ref>Template:Cite report</ref><ref>Template:Cite report</ref>
color|cat2}}; border-bottom: 1px solid black" | F2	Dycusburg to Dixon to Niagara	Crittenden, Webster, Henderson	KY	Template:Coord	Template:Sort	Template:Convert	Template:Convert
	A tornado struck several communities in western Kentucky, including Shady Grove in Crittenden County; Clay, Dixon, and Poole in Webster County; and Hebbardsville, Niagara, and Robards in Henderson County. Five people were injured in overturned mobile homes in Henderson County.<ref>Template:Cite report</ref><ref>Template:Cite report</ref><ref>Template:Cite report</ref>
color|cat2}}; border-bottom: 1px solid black" | F2	E of Evansville to N of Boonville	Vanderburg, Warrick	IN	Template:Coord	Template:Sort	Template:NA	Template:NA
	1 death – A tornado began in eastern Evansville, striking a lumber yard and the Plaza East shopping center.Template:Sfn<ref name="CouldTotalMillions">Template:Cite news</ref>Template:Rp The tornado briefly lifted for Template:Cvt before impacting a trailer park Template:Cvt north of Boonville,Template:Sfn<ref name="CouldTotalMillions" />Template:Rp killing one person and injuring two others.Template:Sfn Debris from the trailer park was scattered over a Template:Cvt area.<ref name="CouldTotalMillions" />Template:Rp<ref>Template:Cite report</ref><ref>Template:Cite report</ref>
color|storm}}; border-bottom: 1px solid black" | F0	Dickson	Dickson	TN	Template:Coord	Template:Sort	Template:Convert	Template:Convert
	Four homes were damaged on the eastern side of Dickson.Template:Sfn<ref>Template:Cite report</ref>
color|cat1}}; border-bottom: 1px solid black" | F1	Florence	Lauderdale	AL	Template:Coord	Template:SortTemplate:Efn	Template:Convert	Template:Convert
	A damaging severe thunderstorm impacted central Lauderdale County, inflicting minor to moderate damage to 200 homes and widespread damage to trees. The worst of the damage occurred in the Seven Points area of Florence. While most of the damage was caused by straight-line winds, one or more small and intermittent tornadoes were embedded within the thunderstorm.<ref name="SE9976574" /> Local police reported two tornadoes, with one impacting the Seven Points Shopping Center before midnight, and a second impacting residential areas farther north after midnight; the funnel clouds associated with both tornadoes may have been first sighted south of Florence 15 minutes before reaching the city.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The damage toll from the storms in Lauderdale County reached $500,000–$1 million and one person was injured.<ref name="SE9976574">Template:Cite report</ref>

April 12 event

List of confirmed tornadoes – Thursday, April 12, 1979Template:Efn

F#	Location	County / Parish	State	Start Template:AbbrTemplate:Efn	Time (UTC)Template:Efn	Path lengthTemplate:Efn	WidthTemplate:Efn
color|cat2}}; border-bottom: 1px solid black" | F2	Steens	Lowndes	MS	Template:Coord	Template:Sort	Template:ConvertTemplate:Efn	Template:ConvertTemplate:Efn
	A tornado began on the outskirts of Steens, in the early morning hours of April 12 and tracked towards the northeast, destroying two mobile homes and damaging 25–30 other homes. The tornado also inflicted considerable damage to 15–20 outbuildings and downed trees and power lines. As much as 80 percent of power lines in Lowndes County, were knocked out of commission.<ref>Template:Cite report</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Thalia–Vernon, Texas/Davidson, Oklahoma

Template:Infobox weather eventTemplate:Infobox weather event/TornadoTemplate:Infobox weather event/EffectsTemplate:Infobox weather event/Footer The first of three intense and tornadic thunderstorms produced a tornado in southern Foard County, Texas, at 2:05 p.m. CST. While this first tornado was still on the ground, the same thunderstorm produced a second tornado in Foard County Template:Cvt so north of Thalia, at around 3:20 p.m. CST; the two tornadoes were separated by Template:Cvt and moved in parallel for Template:Cvt. The second tornado continued into Wilbarger County, after the first dissipated. It tracked towards the Lockett, area along US 70, damaging farms and homes.Template:Sfn Fujita and Wakimoto assessed up to F2-rated tornado damage between Thalia and Lockett.Template:Sfn The tornado crossed the highway Template:Cvt north of Lockett. One person was killed by the tornado after their vehicle was blown Template:Cvt off US-70 into a pasture.Template:Sfn

The tornado then moved northeast towards the Vernon, area. Its large size made identification of its tornadic nature by storm spotters difficult. Tornado sirens were activated shortly before the tornado struck Vernon. The tornado entered Vernon at around 3:45 p.m. CST and moved over southern and eastern parts of the city. Several residential blocks in southern Vernon were destroyed by the tornado, leading to at least three deaths. The damage was especially severe along Gordon and Atlanta streets. In eastern Vernon, the tornado razed several buildings, including the Wilbarger Exhibit Building and a Texas Highway Department warehouse. The tornado then crossed US 287, blowing vehicles off the highway and killing seven people. A total of ten fatalities occurred in Vernon. Fujita and Wakimoto assessed up to low-end F4-rated tornado damage in the Vernon area. The tornado crossed the Pease River outside of Vernon, killing cows along the riverbank, and crossed into Oklahoma near the confluence of the Pease River and Red River with approximately F1 intensity.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn The tornado passed east-northeast of Davidson, destroying at least three homes and inflicting major damage on another five. One person was injured in Oklahoma after their car was blown by the tornado. Numerous cattle were also killed or injured by the tornado.Template:Sfn Fujita and Wakimoto assessed up to F2-rated tornado damage in the Davidson area.Template:Sfn The tornado lifted at around 4:00 p.m. CST.Template:Sfn

The tornado's path spanned Template:Cvt, with about Template:Cvt in Texas and Template:Cvt in Oklahoma.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn The tornado's width averaged about Template:Cvt.Template:Sfn The Institute for Disaster Research conducted aerial surveys of the tornado, rating it an F4 on the Fujita scale based on the resulting damage. The institute estimated that the tornado's maximum winds were Template:Cvt based on the degree to which residences were damaged, the damage to the Texas Highway Department, the destruction of a motel and restaurant along US-287, and the distance over which impacted vehicles were blown by the tornado.Template:Sfn The same thunderstorm that produced the Vernon tornado later produced another three tornadoes in Oklahoma.Template:Sfn

Holliday–Wichita Falls, Texas/Waurika, Oklahoma

Parts of Wichita Falls, were struck by a violent tornado on the evening of April 10. The tornado was up to Template:Cvt wide as it tore through the city, with the swath of particularly intense damage spanning Template:Cvt wide.Template:Sfn The tornado swept east-northeastward through a Template:Cvt stretch of residential areas covering Template:Cvt,Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn directly causing 42 fatalities according to the National Weather Service (NWS); another three people later died of heart attacks.Template:Sfn A survey by the Center for Disease Control enumerated 44 fatalities and 171 injuries requiring hospitalization,Template:Sfn while a later study published in Science in February 1980 enumerated 45 deaths from traumatic injuries inflicted by the tornado, 1 from sepsis, and 1 from tetanus.Template:Sfn Of the fatalities, 25 were vehicle-related deaths; 11 people died while attempting to evade the tornado in their vehicles after fleeing their otherwise undamaged homes.Template:Sfn Only five deaths occurred indoors.Template:Sfn Around 1,700 people sustained injuries in Wichita Falls,Template:Sfn including 59 with serious injuries.Template:Sfn Numerous residences were destroyed in the city, including 2,095 homes, 1,062 apartment units and 93 mobile homes.Template:Sfn Over 3,000 homes left uninhabitable by the tornado.Template:Sfn The widespread devastation left approximately 20,000 people from 5,000 families homeless,Template:Sfn accounting for about 10–20% of the city's population.<ref name="BurgessOUN" /> Vehicles were thrown as far as Template:Cvt away by the tornado.Template:Sfn The destruction amounted to $400 million in damage, making the tornado the costliest tornado on record at the time.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn When normalized for wealth and inflation, the tornado caused approximately $1.14 billion in damage in 1997 United States dollars.Template:Sfn Advance notice of the approaching tornado and the awareness of prior tornadoes earlier in the day in nearby Rocky Point and Vernon may have contributed to lowering the ultimate death toll.Template:Sfn

The thunderstorm that eventually produced the Wichita Falls tornado formed north of Abilene and generally moved towards the northeast. Weather radar observed reflectivity values exceeded 50 dBZ throughout the storm's lifetime, with the radar signal routinely exceeding Template:Cvt above the surface;<ref name="BurgessOUN" /> satellite observations suggested cloud top heights reaching as high as Template:Cvt.Template:Sfn The thunderstorm produced an F2 tornado earlier in the day in Baylor County, and hail up to Template:Cvt in diameter in Archer, Baylor, Wichita, and Wilbarger counties.Template:Sfn Another thunderstorm produced a tornado in Wichita County about Template:Cvt west-southwest of Iowa Park.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn The Wichita Falls weather service office issued a tornado warning for Wichita County at 5:08 p.m. in response to sightings of this tornado, and tornado sirens were sounded in Wichita Falls at 5:25 p.m. The first thunderstorm eventually approached Wichita County, prompting a severe thunderstorm warning for the county at 5:45 p.m. CST.Template:Sfn Two mesoscyclones within the thunderstorm were apparent on radar, including one associated with the earlier tornado in Baylor County.<ref name="BurgessOUN" />

File:Wftornado3.jpg

Numerous homes in Wichita Falls were destroyed by the tornado.

At around 5:50 p.m. CST, a tornado developed in connection with the second mesocyclone on the southwestern flanks of the thunderstorm Template:Cvt east-northeast of Holliday, Texas, in Archer County.Template:Sfn<ref name="BurgessOUN" /> Witnesses observed smaller vortices embedded in the broader tornadic circulation as it developed,Template:Sfn highlighting the multiple-vortex nature of the tornado; the individual vorticies coalesced as the tornado approached Wichita Falls.Template:Sfn Evidence of a tornado first became apparent on weather radar at 5:58 p.m. CST, while the tornado was about Template:Cvt southwest of the center of Wichita Falls.Template:Sfn The initial reports of the tornado by amateur storm spotters provided residents of Wichita Falls with about 5–10 minutes of notice before the tornado's eventual arrival.Template:Sfn The Wichita Falls weather service office issued a tornado warning for Wichita County at 6:00 p.m. CST, just as the first tornado warning expired, warning of the approach of this new tornado.Template:Sfn The tornado moved along the Fort Worth and Denver Railway into Wichita County, blowing away two oil storage tanks and unroofing several homes near FM 2560;Template:Sfn the swept oil tanks produced an oil spill.Template:Sfn Six high-tension steel electrical transmission towers east of the road were damaged, with three blown prostrate.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn The tornado darkened and widened to a width of roughly Template:Cvt across as it moved into Wichita Falls at around 6:15 p.m. CST, impacting Memorial Stadium.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn The stadium field house was heavily damaged and stadium lighting was snapped.Template:Sfn As the tornado passed just south of the stadium, it rapidly strengthened to high-end F4 intensity and maintained this strength for the next Template:Cvt of its path.Template:Sfn The tornado then caused the collapse of the western half of McNiel Junior High School;Template:Sfn the school was largely unoccupied when the tornado struck.<ref name="BurgessOUN" /> After striking the stadium, the tornado began to move through heavily populated residential areas.Template:Sfn The Western Hills neighborhood south of Southwest Parkway was struck next, resulting in the first fatalities caused by the tornado. Numerous homes and several apartment complexes were destroyed in the neighborhood.Template:Sfn

The tornado widened to a width of about Template:Cvt as it crossed Southwest Parkway into the Faith Village neighborhood, levelling several businesses and tossing vehicles about.Template:Sfn The Southwest National Bank Building was levelled with the exception of its vault.<ref name="BurgessOUN" /> The tornado destroyed most homes in Faith Village. Small interior rooms in most of the destroyed homes remained intact, resulting in relatively few fatalities despite the severity of destruction. The cafeteria auditorium and exterior classrooms at Ben Milam Elementary School sustained heavy damage. The tornado proceeded to raze businesses along Kemp Boulevard, including a restaurant where three people were killed. The northern periphery of the tornado struck the Sikes Senter shopping mall, causing the partial collapse of a JCPenney store and inflicting light to moderate damage to other stores in the mall.Template:Sfn<ref name="BurgessOUN" /> Several of the roughly 1,000 shoppers in the mall suffered major injuries.Template:Sfn The tornadic winds heaped cars in the shopping mall's parking lot atop one another or blew them away.<ref name="BurgessOUN" /> Several people were killed or injured in the parking lot, including some who had fled from the mall to their cars. A church Template:Cvt south of the mall was flattened, resulting in one fatality. The tornado entered the Colonial Park neighborhood after traversing a greenbelt and clipping the southern side of Midwestern State University, destroying many homes and apartment complexes in Colonial Park.Template:Sfn<ref name="BurgessOUN" /> The second stories of apartment buildings saw particularly severe damage. Additional homes and a shopping center were razed in the Southmoor subdivision. The tornado then crossed US 281 and moved into the Sun Valley neighborhood along the southern side of US 287, destroying apartments, houses, and businesses. Cars were wrecked on US 287, resulting in a few fatalities. Among the fatalities were some who sought shelter underneath a highway overpass. The Sunnyside Heights mobile home park north of the highway was destroyed, though no fatalities resulted as residents had evacuated.Template:Sfn<ref name="BurgessOUN" />

File:Wfalls01.jpg

Damage in Wichita Falls

Industrial plants were subsequently destroyed, including a Levi Strauss & Co. manufacturing plant, as the tornado moved into Clay County south of SH 79.Template:Sfn<ref name="BurgessOUN" /> The Wichita Falls weather service office issued a tornado warning for Clay County at 6:11 p.m. CST shortly before the office lost power.Template:Sfn Homes were destroyed by the tornado south of TX-79 along a path from Wichita Falls to Dean, and Petrolia, contributing to the $15 million damage toll wrought by the twister in Clay County. Forty people were injured in the county.Template:Sfn Fujita and Wakimoto assessed up to F4-rated tornado damage between Wichita Falls and Dean, with F0-rated damage south of Petrolia.Template:Sfn The tornado uprooted 200 trees along the Red River as it crossed into Oklahoma around Template:Cvt east of Byers at 6:30 p.m. CST.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn The tornado's path gradually curved towards the left after entering Oklahoma, bringing it to areas southwest of Waurika. The most severe damage inflicted by the tornado in the state occurred alone Noble Wray Road, where 20 homes were destroyed or damaged. The frame of one mobile home was greatly contorted and blown Template:Cvt away.Template:Sfn Fujita and Wakimoto assessed up to F2-level damage southwest of Waurika.Template:Sfn The tornado dissipated just before 7:00 p.m. CST north-northeast of Waurika.Template:Sfn Widespread F0-intensity damage continued for Template:Cvt past Waurika, though this damage was likely caused by a large downburst rather than a continuation of the tornado.Template:Sfn

In total, the tornado was on the ground for approximately 70 minutes, with of path Template:Cvt long, including Template:Cvt in Texas and Template:Cvt in Oklahoma.Template:Sfn Based on aerial surveys of the damage, the Institute for Disaster Research assessed the tornado as reaching F4 intensity and estimated that the tornado's maximum wind speeds reached Template:Cvt.Template:Sfn The most extreme damage wrought by the tornado occurred at McNiel Junior High School and Southwest National Bank. Later engineering analysis of the higher-end damage suggested winds consistent with that of a strong F4 tornado, though there was ample preceding scientific discussion concerning whether or not the extreme damage could be graded as F5-intensity damage.<ref name="BurgessOUN" /> Unlike most tornadoes, the corridor of strongest winds associated with the Wichita Falls tornado was unusually wide; the swath of F4-severity damage was nearly Template:Cvt across in vicinity of Ben Milam Elementary School and the Faith Village neighborhood.<ref name="BurgessOUN" /> The thunderstorm that produced the Wichita Falls tornado also dropped hail up to Template:Cvt diameter in Wichita Falls north of the tornado path. Survivors of the tornado also observed hail the size of golf balls immediately preceding and following passage of the tornado.Template:Sfn The broader winds associated with the mesocyclone that spawned the Wichita Falls tornado caused light damage throughout much of the city.<ref name="BurgessOUN" />

Aftermath

Within Wichita Falls $63 million in losses were eligible for federal disaster aid.<ref name="45Years" /> The apparent survivability of small interior rooms despite the widespread destruction of homes and businesses encouraged the development of reinforced safe rooms. The viability of safe rooms and the high number of fatalities among those who fled their homes led to increased emphasis on seeking indoor shelter in tornado preparedness, as opposed to the older idea of opening windows to reduce tornado damage.<ref name="SafetyMeasures">Template:Cite news</ref>

April 10, 1979, came to be known as "Terrible Tuesday" in the areas affected by the tornadoes along the Oklahoma–Texas border.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Recalling45">Template:Cite news</ref> In 1984, the NWS produced a documentary covering the Wichita Falls tornado, titled Terrible Tuesday, in collaboration with the American Red Cross and FEMA.<ref name="45Years" />Template:Sfn One Wichita Falls park features a plaque with the names of the 45 people who died during and after the Wichita Falls tornado, with a tree dedicated to each of the victims. Another park near the downtown area bears crape myrtle sculptures symbolizing the city's recovery.<ref name="SafetyMeasures" />

See also

• List of North American tornadoes and tornado outbreaks
• List of F4 and EF4 tornadoes

References

Sources

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Further reading

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External links

• NSSL footage of the Seymour, Texas, tornado
• A survivor's story (Joel Manes)
• 47miles.org - A project to construct a memorial to the Wichita Falls tornado
• Coming Back: Wichita Falls, TX Tornado - April 10, 1979 KAUZ-TV
• Template:Internet Archive short film