Wichita Falls is a city in and the county seat of Wichita County,Texas,United States. It is the principal city of the Wichita Falls metropolitan statistical area,which encompasses all of Archer,Clay,and Wichita Counties. According to the 2020 census,it had a population of 102,316,making it the 43rd-most populous city in Texas.
The 1974 Super Outbreak was the second-largest tornado outbreak on record for a single 24-hour period,just behind the 2011 Super Outbreak. It was also the most violent tornado outbreak ever recorded,with 30 violent tornadoes confirmed. From April 3–4,1974,there were 148 tornadoes confirmed in 13 U.S. states and the Canadian province of Ontario. In the United States,tornadoes struck Illinois,Indiana,Michigan,Ohio,Kentucky,Tennessee,Alabama,Mississippi,Georgia,North Carolina,Virginia,West Virginia,and New York. The outbreak caused roughly $600 million USD in damage. The outbreak extensively damaged approximately 900 sq mi (2,331 km2) along a total combined path length of 2,600 mi (4,184 km). At one point,as many as 15 separate tornadoes were occurring simultaneously.
From May 2 to 8,1999,a large tornado outbreak took place across much of the Central and parts of the Eastern United States,as well as southern Canada. During this week-long event,152 tornadoes touched down in these areas. The most dramatic events unfolded during the afternoon of May 3 through the early morning hours of May 4 when more than half of these storms occurred. Oklahoma experienced its largest tornado outbreak on record,with 70 confirmed. The most notable of these was the F5 Bridge Creek–Moore tornado which devastated Oklahoma City and suburban communities. The tornado killed 36 people and injured 583 others;losses amounted to $1 billion,making it the first billion-dollar tornado in history. Overall,50 people lost their lives during the outbreak and damage amounted to $1.4 billion. For these reasons,the outbreak is known in Oklahoma as the May 3rd outbreak or the Oklahoma tornado outbreak of 1999.
The 1990 Plainfield tornado was a devastating tornado that occurred on the afternoon of Tuesday,August 28,1990. The violent tornado killed 29 people and injured 353. It is the only F5/EF5 rated tornado ever officially recorded in August in the United States,and the only F5 tornado to strike the Chicago area. There are no known videos or photographs of the tornado itself;however,in 2011,a video surfaced online showing the supercell that spawned the tornado. The Plainfield tornado was part of a small outbreak that produced several tornadoes in the Northern United States,specifically Kansas,and the Canadian province of Ontario.
The 1985 United States–Canada tornado outbreak,referred to as the Barrie tornado outbreak in Canada,was a major tornado outbreak that occurred in Ohio,Pennsylvania,New York,and Ontario,on May 31,1985. In all 44 tornadoes were counted including 14 in Ontario,Canada. It is the largest and most intense tornado outbreak ever to hit this region,and the worst tornado outbreak in Pennsylvania history in terms of deaths and destruction.
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.
Hurricane Alberto was a Category 1 hurricane that caused the worst flooding in western Cuba in 32 years. The first tropical storm and hurricane of the 1982 Atlantic hurricane season,Alberto developed from a tropical disturbance on June 2 in the southern Gulf of Mexico. It rapidly organized and attained hurricane status the following day,the earliest date for a hurricane in the Atlantic Ocean since Hurricane Alma in May 1970. Shortly after reaching peak winds off 85 mph (137 km/h),Alberto rapidly weakened due to approaching upper-level winds. Initial forecasts predicted the hurricane would continue northeastward into Florida;it turned sharply westward and drifted erratically for several days across the eastern Gulf of Mexico,before dissipating on June 6.
The 1955 Great Plains tornado outbreak was a deadly tornado outbreak that struck the southern and central U.S Great Plains States on May 25–26,1955. It produced at least 48 tornadoes across seven states including two F5 tornadoes in Blackwell,Oklahoma,and Udall,Kansas that caused most of the casualties. The outbreak killed 102 people while injuring hundreds more. Unusual electromagnetic activity was observed,including St. Elmo's fire.
A series of at least four tornadoes hit the Southeastern United States during March 3-4,1966. The worst event was a violent and long-lived F5 tornado,dubbed the Candlestick Park tornado after the name of a recently opened Jackson,Mississippi shopping center that was leveled by the storm. The storm would bring catastrophic damage in Mississippi and Alabama along a 202.5-mile (325.9 km) track. The outbreak killed 58,injured 521,and caused $75.552 million in damage.
The 2007 Elie tornado was a small but extremely powerful and erratic tornado that occurred during the evening of June 22,2007. The powerful F5 tornado that struck the town of Elie,in the Canadian province of Manitoba was known for its unusual path,how it was during its path,a rope to cone and how it is unique compared to the other F5s/EF5s. It was part of a small two-day tornado outbreak that occurred in the area and reached a maximum width of 150 yards (140 m). The tornado was unusual because it caused the extreme damage during its roping out stage at a mere 35 yards (32 m) in width and moved extremely slowly and unpredictably. The tornado tracked primarily southeast,as opposed to the usual northeast,and made multiple loops and sharp turns. Because Environment Canada adopted the Enhanced Fujita scale in 2013,there will be no more tornadoes with an F5 rating,making this tornado the first confirmed F5 tornado in Canada and the last in the world.
The 1999 Bridge Creek–Moore tornado was a large,long-lived and exceptionally powerful F5 tornado in which the highest wind speeds ever measured globally was recorded at 321 miles per hour (517 km/h) by a Doppler on Wheels (DOW) radar. Considered the strongest tornado ever recorded to have affected the Oklahoma City metropolitan area,the tornado devastated southern portions of Oklahoma City,Oklahoma,United States while near peak intensity,along with surrounding suburbs and towns to the south and southwest of the city during the early evening of Monday,May 3,1999. Parts of Bridge Creek were rendered unrecognizable. The tornado covered 38 miles (61 km) during its 85-minute existence,destroying thousands of homes,killing 36 people,and leaving US$1 billion in damage,ranking it as the fifth-costliest on record not accounting for inflation. Its severity prompted the first-ever use of the tornado emergency statement by the National Weather Service.
From April 13 to 16,2012,a major tornado outbreak occurred across a large portion of the Great Plains. The storms resulted in six tornado-related fatalities,all of which occurred as a result of a nighttime EF3 tornado that caused major damage in and around Woodward,Oklahoma. Numerous other tornadoes occurred,including a violent EF4 tornado that passed near Marquette,Kansas,and an EF3 that caused major damage in Wichita.
This page documents the tornadoes and tornado outbreaks of 1970,primarily in the United States. Most tornadoes form in the U.S.,although some events may take place internationally. Tornado statistics for older years like this often appear significantly lower than modern years due to fewer reports or confirmed tornadoes.
On the afternoon of May 27,1997,a deadly and powerful F5 tornado produced catastrophic damage across portions of the Jarrell,Texas area. The tornado killed 27 residents of the town,many in a single subdivision,and inflicted a total of in damages in its 13-minute,5.1 miles (8.2 km) track. It occurred as part a tornado outbreak across central Texas;it was produced by a supercell that had developed from an unstable airmass and favorable meteorological conditions at the time,including high convective available potential energy (CAPE) values and warm dewpoints.
On May 15,1968,an extremely powerful and violent multi-vortex tornado hit the communities of Hansell,Hampton,Charles City,Elma and Aredale,all located in the state of Iowa. It killed 13,injured 462,and was one of the largest tornadoes ever recorded in the state. Hundreds of buildings were destroyed,primarily in the town of Charles City. Damage estimates were of more than $20 million.
