Wichita Falls, Texas Tornado Of 1979

Описание: 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. 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 6:07 p.m., damaging both structures severely. Hail the size of golf balls preceded the touchdown and continued for approximately 15 minutes. It then became calm before the winds began to pick up.

Continuing at F4 intensity, the now massive wedge tornado, which was at its maximum 1.5 miles (2.4 km) wide, cut a 2.5-mile (4.0 km) swath of destruction through the south side of town. It first destroyed an apartment complex, where the first fatalities took place, as it moved along Southwest Parkway. Continuing east-northeastward, the violent tornado destroyed a large portion of a residential neighborhood before heavily damaging a commercial building along Southwest Parkway. The Southwest National Bank Building was completely obliterated, leaving nothing behind except for its vault. 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 tornado then crossed over Kemp Boulevard and destroyed several commercial businesses, including a restaurant, resulting in several additional fatalities. Despite passing north of the Sikes Senter Shopping Mall, intense winds from the outer circulation of the tornado heavily damaged a few stores and blew many cars in the mall's parking lot some distance away from where they originated and stacked on top of each other. 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. (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. The tornado blew many of those vehicles off those roadways, inflicting numerous fatalities. 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. Only 5 of the homes that were left actually incurred damage.

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. It then moved into Clay County and changed its appearance to display a multiple-vortex structure. There were at times five separate vortices visible within the tornado. It inflicted additional F0-F2 damage south of Dean and Byers, but no more fatalities occurred. Crossing into Oklahoma, the tornado inflicted additional damage near Waurika before dissipating.

The injury count for this tornado was 1,740, the most injuries ever recorded for an F4/EF4 tornado. It is believed that many more minor injuries were never recorded.[5][6][7]