Witchita Falls, KS Ask Dave a weather question

Dave Thurlow, Host

 
This year it falls on a Saturday. But in 1979, April 10th was labeled "Terrible Tuesday." And terrible it was for the people of Wichita Falls, Texas. Hi, I'm Dave Thurlow from the Mount Washington Observatory and this is The Weather Notebook.

Around 6 p.m. that evening, just as people were sitting down to dinner, one of the worst tornadoes in U.S. history plowed through this city of 100,000 people just inside the Oklahoma border. More than a dozen people had been killed earlier that afternoon by other twisters across the Red River Valley. The worst was yet to arrive.

This tornado was one of thirteen to strike the Red River Valley 4-10-79. Photo courtesy of NSSL

At 5:55 p.m., a narrow twister touched down a few miles southwest of Wichita Falls. In just ten minutes it grew to become a mile-wide monster on the outskirts of town. It was about as big and strong as twisters ever get. And it took a path directly through the heart of Wichita Falls, passing just south of downtown. The tornado was so large, and the storm's cloud base was so low to the ground, that the funnel looked wider than it was tall.

Many people tried to drive away as the tornado bore down on them. In fact, more than half of all the storm's victims died in their vehicles. In less than a half hour, the tornado destroyed a huge chunk of Wichita Falls. Almost 20,000 people were instantly homeless, and nearly 2000 were injured. But amazingly, thanks to good warnings, only 42 people were killed by the storm. Still, no single U.S. tornado has taken more lives or destroyed more people's homes since the one that struck twenty years ago on that truly terrible Tuesday in north Texas.

Thanks to contributing writer Robert Henson. The Weather Notebook is underwritten by Subaru, the beauty of all wheel drive with major support provided by the National Science Foundation.