Saturday, April 2, 2022

Wichita Falls Moves From Tornado Alley To Wildfire Alley


I saw that which you above, this first Saturday morning of the 2022 version of April, in an article in today's Wichita Falls Times News Record. Apparently, I am no longer residing at the Southern end of what is known as Tornado Alley.

I now live in Wildfire Alley.

Other than the weekly tornado sirens test I have not heard the tornado sirens erupt in Wichita Falls since I have been in this town. I have also not seen a wildfire since being here. When I lived in the DFW zone I thrice had up close tornado experiences. 

But, I have never seen a stereotypical twister of the likes one expects to see. Instead all I've seen is an angry looking odd-colored wall of clouds, in which a tornado was spinning.

Last night I thought we might be going into tornado mode, due to the wall of black clouds I saw to the west as the sun set. That turned into a few lightning strikes, along with some rain, but little wind.

My location in this town is right where one of the worst tornadoes ever to twist, twisted into town, way back in 1979. This is known, locally, as Terrible Tuesday. This deadly tornado spun through the area I live in, doing damage along Southwest Parkway, the Sikes Senter mall, and the MSU president's residence, among other locations I am familiar with.

There is a historical marker marking the Terrible Tuesday Tornado at the park at the west end of Sikes Lake.

This deadly Wichita Falls tornado was part of what is known as the 1979 Red River Valley tornado outbreak.

Four informative paragraphs about the Wichita Falls Terrible Tuesday Tornado in the Wikipedia article about the 1979 Red River Valley tornado outbreak.

The Wichita Falls tornado formed in Archer County and moved northeast and damaged a few rural homes and high voltage towers. It rapidly intensified as it entered the city near Memorial Stadium by McNiel Jr. High 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.

The 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, leveling everything in its path. It destroyed an apartment complex near the beginning of its path. It also took its first lives there. It later destroyed a restaurant, the majority of Sikes Senter, the major mall, and another apartment complex where it took more lives. Neighborhoods all along Southwest Parkway were leveled and nothing but debris and destruction remained.

A number of people tried to flee as the tornado moved along U.S. Highways 281 and 287. Roughly half of the 42 people killed were in their cars. 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 damage south of Dean and Byers, but no more fatalities occurred. It crossed into Oklahoma where additional damage occurred before it dissipated.

The injury count for this tornado was 1,740, the most injuries ever recorded for an F4/EF4 tornado
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I hope it is not tempting fate to suggest Wichita Falls is no longer in Tornado Alley...

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