wichita falls tornado 1979 deaths

This tornado was part of a widespread outbreak of tornadoes that occurred in the Great Plains area including the states of Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas. Bailey Turnpike to Lawton we were in low clouds with light fog and drizzle. Used by permission of author Don Burgess. The width of the F4 damage in the Wichita Falls tornado approached 0.5 miles in the area of Faith Village and Ben Milam Elementary School (location #6). "Automobiles are a steel death trap in a tornado . During its life, radar-derived storm tops exceeded 50,000 feet and reflectivities were higher than 50 dBZ. Minor wind damage and hail to 2 inches in diameter occurred north of the tornado track in Wichita Falls, in conjunction with its parent supercell. Tornado was well documented on film and by NSSL storm researchers. From the blizzards that traditionally pound the Panhandle each winter to the enduring heat that scorches vast sections of Texas later in the summer, Texas in the meteorological sense truly is the "Land of Contrast." . Rivers and Lakes A dry line had formed from the Childress low southward, and temperatures had become very warm in west Texas. . Total damage in Wichita Falls was estimated at $400 million (in 1979 dollars). Select western north Texas tornado statistics by decade, county or city from the menus or maps below. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. With an east-northeast movement, it entered Wichita County and damaged a few rural homes and a string of metal high-voltage towers. The night time tornadoes, although strong, were not as devastating as the ones that occurred in the Red River Valley during the afternoon. After taking his last picture of the approaching tornado, Mr. Lange retreated to the apartment complex laundry room and hid between heavy commercial washers and dryers, escaping with only minor injuries. We also assessed the protective measures taken by a representative sample of community residents who suffered no major injury in order to estimate the relative risk of injury to people directly in the tornado's path. Two trailers were destroyed, and three homes were damaged. The tornado leveled a mobile home park on the north side of U.S. Highway 287, but residents had evacuated that area and no fatalities occurred in the park. On April 3, 1964, a devastating F5 tornado hit the northern region of Wichita Falls and Sheppard Air Force Base. A short time later, the same tornado invaded Vernon, taking the lives of 10 inhabitants and injuring 67 others. Please Contact Us. The twister cut a swath through one-third of the city and killed. (For instance, this was in a 1964 edition of The Guinness Book of Records .) They were flying by faster than I thought any bird could go; I wonder what they thought After this scene the tornado became wrapped in the rain and difficult to photograph. A wind maximum gusting to 65 knots moved over Guadalupe Peak recording station in far southwest Texas; this triggered our departure. Why the Red River Valley between Childress and Bowie received the most severe outbreak of thunderstorms is explained by Figures 19-26. Severe damage in the Pruitt City area. The tornado damaged outbuildings, chicken coops, and did minor damage to roofs of houses. Continuing east-northeastward, the violent tornado destroyed a large portion of a residential neighborhood before heavily damaging a commercial building along Southwest Parkway. Dr. Ted Fujita of the University of Chicago used these surveys to estimate the F-scale and probable wind speeds associated with the tornado. Six barns and two homes were destroyed. The most active portion of the advancing dry line traversed this sector of the Low Rolling Plains at precisely the time of occurrence of the tornado outbreak (Figure 19). The destruction in Wichita Falls resulted in 42 dead, 1,740 injured, over 3,000 homes destroyed and damage of approximately $400 million. In 1978 Wichita Falls was the host of the first NCAA Division I-AA championship game. A large number of cars were smashed and some people were killed along U.S. Highway 287. Those sources of meteorological data used in this report consist of: official rainfall, snowfall, temperature, wind, sunshine, and moisture data as provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in the publications, "Climatological Data: Texas," "Local Climatological Data" (for selected cities), "Storm Data, and "Daily Weather Maps;" weather teletype reports (circuits "A" and "C") from the National Weather Service surface and upper-air observing network; surface and upper-air facsimile charts provided by the National Meteorological Center of NOAA; newspaper accounts; and photographic data obtained by the author. Non Precipitation Warnings The tornado developed on the extreme northeast side of Seymour and moved northeast to about 2 miles north-northeast of Maybelle. A mobile home was destroyed near Faxson, resulting in two serious injuries. Barely one week later, phenomenally great amounts of rainfall poured on the southeastern sector of the State, taking 4 lives and inundating parts of numerous communities. I had a good full frame shot of the suction spots rotating about the base of the funnel. We give still life with tornado and numerous ebook collections from fictions to scientific research in any way. May 30, 2001 - This tornado was observed at 6:30 pm CST by three people over northern portions of Lake Wichita, or 6 miles southwest of Wichita Falls. I had never witnessed anything of this magnitude. Other ingredients for a volatile weather situation were also present: a major upper-air trough extending from the southern Rockies into northern Mexico, migrating eastward into western Texas and deepening significantly at the same time (Figure 11); a strong wind shear from the surface to 500 millibars and a thin layer of very moist air at the surface with rapid drying immediately above at about 700 mb (Figure 12 and Figure 13). Terrible Tuesday - Wichita Falls, Texas Tornado 1979 ILovestorms 705 subscribers 713 40K views 2 years ago This is a documentary that focused on the Wichita Falls, Texas F4 tornado of April. Huge pieces of debris thrown high in the air were clearly visible from miles away as the storm cut a swath of destruction through the city. The twister was almost a mile wide when it entered the Faith Village neighborhood on the north side of the east-west oriented Southwest Parkway. The most devastating tornado of the day dipped from a thunderstorm (with a top estimated at 58,000 feet) that was moving northeastward into Wichita Falls at a speed of 35 miles per hour a few minutes before 6:00. Still other tornadoes struck the communities of Lockett and Seymour a short time later, killing one inhabitant in Lockett. Further eastward, most houses in the Faith Village Addition were destroyed, and Ben Milam Elementary School was severely damaged (location #6). Elizabeth was born on January. A strong tornado damaged roofs, telephone poles, trees, uprooted shrubs and overturned a truck, but remained over open country while at peak intensity. Aug 23, 2005 163 3 0 58 Norman Ok www.chasestories.com. Wichita Falls, Texas, on April 10, 1979. Three people were killed in the restaurant. As we drove south on the H.E. Past Weather Events 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. This line raced northeastward, spilling heavy rains, hail and high winds on numerous communities. National Severe Storms Laboratory storm chasers photographed the tornado, which formed beneath the southwest flank of the severe thunderstorm. The storm spawned a second tornado that moved through the south and east sides of Wichita Falls at around 6:00 pm. Moving into the air base proper, the tornado destroyed 5 unoccupied 2-story barracks, damaged a hanger, power installations, transformer station, paint shop, and the base's 10-story control tower. Stones as large as two inches were reported further to our northeast. Flash Flood Warnings Wichita Falls Buries the First of 44 Tornado Victims, https://www.nytimes.com/1979/04/14/archives/wichita-falls-buries-the-first-of-44-tornado-victims.html. The police chief and sheriff later said the approaching storm did not look like a normal twister, but appeared as a thick, dark mass of clouds low to the ground and difficult to see because of the heavy rain, hail, and low cloud base. The tornado then swept through the Southmoor area, destroying homes and a shopping center. Winds gusted the 93 miles per hour (mph) in Guadalupe Mountain National Park at mid-afternoon, while wind gusts of 60 mph or more stirred up dust and sand that reduced visibilities at many points from El Paso to Midland to 3 miles; at Lubbock visibilities dropped to 1 1/2 miles by late afternoon. One group of violent thunderstorms roared across the northern Low Rolling Plains late that afternoon and spawned a series of tornadoes that ripped through four Texas communities. By noon, all doubt was gone. Prior to its touchdown, a funnel was first observed about 10 miles to the west-southwest. 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. For example, the police chief called the city manager out of a meeting with county commissioners. 44 homes and mobile homes were damaged or destroyed. . One thousand and sixty-two apartment units and condominiums were demolished and 130 damaged. (Documented and rated F2 by Grazulis. Wayne Collamore, Approaching Harrold, Texas from the southeast on Highway 287 - view is looking west at about 4:05 pm CST. Storm Data, Weather Safety We were worried that the rain would get worse before we set up the cameras which was not desirable considering we were on a dirt road. 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. Forecasters at the National Severe Storms Forecast Center in Kansas City1 had to decide only how soon tornadoes would develop and how large an area would be threatened. Eddie complained, but kept fighting the wheel. Suite 2400Norman, OK 73072(405) 325-3816Comments? The passage of a violent tornado through an 8-mile section of a city is an almost unheard-of natural disaster. Witnesses say the several distinct, small vortices were visible during the formative stage of the tornado as it moved along the Fort Worth and Denver railroad into Wichita County. Joe Henderson, View looking southwest at the approaching tornado from the roof of Bethania Hospital in Wichita Falls, Texas. Severe Thunderstorm Warnings The lights of wichita shone bright now. (Rated F2 by the NWS.). (Rated F2 by the NWS. The southern supercell, the Wichita Falls storm, produced its first tornado at 1653 CST (4:53 PM) near Seymour, TX. He died on July 16, 1979 in El Arenal, Spanje (Palma de Mallorca). Submit a Spot Forecast Nationwide, Current Conditions National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration The inner hallways would have been the only relatively safe shelter in the building. Tuesday, April 10, 1979 seemed like a perfect spring day - right up until a tornado appeared seemingly out of nowhere, cutting a path through Wilbarger County and Vernon that left 11 dead, dozens injured and millions of dollars of property destroyed. Inevitably each year some sector of Texas suffers from the effects of a tornado strike, a blinding snowstorm, a violent hail-bearing thunderstorm, or a raging sand- or dust storm. Following the deadly Red River Valley tornado outbreak, the National Weather Service, in partnership with FEMA and the American Red Cross, produced a documentary called "Terrible Tuesday" that chronicled the events in Wichita Falls on April 10, 1979. Witnesses saw several small twisters during the formation. After crossing U.S. Highway 281, the twister then struck the Sun Valley neighborhood and destroyed additional homes, apartments, and businesses on the south side of U.S. Highway 287. However, several small communities, among them Harrold, Texas and Grandfield, Oklahoma, were hit by the storm. As the tornado crossed Kemp Boulevard in Wichita Falls, several commercial businesses, including a restaurant, were destroyed with several additional fatalities. Upper Air Maps "It was just a regular old day. While photographing this shot I began to feel vibration in the camera. Flood/Flash Flood Safety The publication was written and prepared by George W. Bomar of Weather Modification & Technology Section of the Texas Department of Water Resources. Norman, OKNational Weather Center120 David L. Boren Blvd. The large Wichita Falls F4 tornado moving through town. Meanwhile, President Carter declared Oklahoma a major disaster area as a result of the tornadoes, making Federal funds available for relief and recovery efforts. Non Precipitation Warnings About 65 people attended the funeral. Damage as severe as F4 was found along most of the track across the city. Please try another search. Winston Wells, View looking southwest at the approaching tornado northeast of Wichita Falls, Texas. It was a large, but distant funnel that may have been the beginning of the horrific tornado that moved through that city. April 26, 1991. Explore. Read More. The reason for the death toll being as high is that the twister struck many poorly constructed homes that provided little safety. Barns were destroyed and livestock was killed, including horses on two farms. Other data were supplied by the American National Red Cross. Hail to 1.75 inches was also reported south of the city. WICHITA FALLS, Tex., April 13 (UPI) Survivors of the tornado that devastated the southern part of this oil and agriculture center began burying their dead today while city officials tried to keep sightseers and looters away. Continuing east-northeast, the tornado severely damaged commercial building along Southwest Parkway, including total destruction of the Southwest National Bank Building except for its vault (location #4). We knew the storms were coming, but didn't want to meet fast moving cells head-on in the low visibilities north of the warm front. The tornado was also captured on film by Troy Glover from the roof of the Bethania hospital (location #8). To the south of the warm front, moist, unstable air was streaming northward. Golfball-size hail fell prior to and immediately after the tornado passed along a track that took it into Oklahoma (where it dissipated near Waurika). Minor damage occurred to some fences and the area. [19] Summer Weather Safety Photographs indicated that it was a large, cylindrical tornado with a well organized debris cloud. More than 1700 injuries occurred within Wichita Falls. Local Climate Data The school building was totally destroyed by the tornado. Eddie was trying to tell me something; finally with some tugging, he got my attention. NWS Several strong to violent tornadoes touched down throughout the region that day. It was on the ground for 11 miles. When was the last time there was a tornado in Wichita? WICHITA FALLS The tenth day of April is a day that will be forever etched in the history of the city of Wichita Falls.42 years ago, on April 10, 1979, a severe weather outbreak in North Texas . StormReady Museum of the Kansas National Guard . Eleven of the 16 people left homes that were not even damaged. Rob Satkus EF2. A darker version of this image shows the rain curtain extending around the vortex. 5) The Wichita Falls Tornado - April 10, 1979. McNiel Junior High School is shown in the middle left of this and all of the following photos. A very intense spring storm shifted out of the Rocky Mountains on April 10, generating lines of severe thunderstorms that swept across the northern portion of the State. It is estimated that 5,000 families, consisting of almost 20,000 people, were left homeless in Wichita Falls. We were rushed to get into position. National Weather Service The most recent exceptionally destructive storm to hit the Wichita Falls area occurred on April 3, 1964, when a tornado killed 7 people, injured 111, and caused $15 million in damages, including 225 homes that were completely destroyed. Precipitation was to our west through southwest and wrapped around the tornado. Winter Weather (Rated F5 by the NWS.). Several vehicles, including a bus, were flipped and tossed. 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. View looking southwest near Memorial Stadium in Wichita Falls, Texas at the approaching tornado. ", 1 The Storm Prediction Center is now located in Norman, Oklahoma Every year in the United States the threat of a catastrophe looms whenever tornadoes approach large gatherings of people. A number of people were also killed or injured in the parking lot of Sikes Senter (sic) Mall, also on Kemp Boulevard. Hazardous Weather Outlook Meanwhile, behind the dry line and cool front in the High Plains, the atmosphere quickly stabilized, and drying out was evident in the lower half of the atmosphere below 500 mb (Figure 26). (Documented and rated F2 by Grazulis. auto-related; 16 of that total died while in their autos trying to flee the storm, and 11 of that number abandoned homes not touched by the tornado. It generally moved to the northeast, but turned to the right along the middle of its path, the period during which it produced its violent tornado. Surprisingly, very few fatalities occurred in Faith Village. If I had the opportunity to chase this one over I certainly would do it differently, but considering we were on visual back then we didn't do too bad. Beyond the shopping mall, the tornado crossed a greenbelt area, skirted Midwestern University on its south side, and severely damaged several more housing additions (Colonial Park, Hursh, Southmoor, Southwinds, and Southern Hills). Fortunately, no one was killed or injured by the tornado. Sixteen of these 25 were people who entered their cars trying to evade the tornado. Just minutes later all counties included in Watch Area #67 were being alerted through statements by the NWS Forecast Offices (WSFOs) at Fort Worth and Oklahoma City. One of the tornadoes, having a width that varied from 1/2 to 1 1/2 miles, cut a swath of devastation across the southern sector of Wichita Falls in less than 30 minutes, killing 42 persons, injuring more than 1700, and burying dozens of city blocks under tons of debris. ), May 26, 1955 - A small tornado touched down briefly at 1:38 am CST, moved northeastward along a narrow, 1-mile path and demolished a "washateria" and produced severely damaged several utility poles, business structures, homes, and trees. April 10, 1979 - The tornado, which was part of a tornado outbreak in the Red River valley area, began at 5:50 pmCST on the southwest flank of its parent supercell thunderstorm about 3 miles east-northeast of Holliday. Numerous other disruptive weather events, including torrential, flash-flooding rains, scattered but frequent incidents of hail, and a widespread dust and sand storm, highlighted April, an unusually wet but seasonably mild month for most Texans. Lighter damage occurred outside of the AFB and no hail was observed. Forty-two peoples were killed and over 1700 injured. The F5 storm tore through Wichita and Andover, leaving a path of destruction in its wake. Mr. Molet continued to take photographs until the wind blew him into his garage. After the tornado left Wichita Falls and travelled northeast, it entered Clay County and changed its appearance. Toggle navigation. Scary stuff. Historic data, especially before 1950, are likely incomplete. As the much drier air whipped eastward out of the southern High Plains just after noon, thunderstorms, some of which were very heavy, boiled up in parts of the eastern High Plains and quickly spilled over into the Low Rolling Plains. Residents of Wichita Falls and Wichita County had been receiving severe weather warnings for close to an hour before the tornado reached the city around 6 p.m. Thread starter Rob Satkus; Start date Apr 8, 2009; Forums. It is interesting to note that the Seymour and Wichita Falls tornadoes both formed during periods of relative decline in storm-top height and reflectivity values, a characteristic that has been noted for a number of supercell storms that have produced several cycles of tornadoes. In the upper atmosphere, the nose of an extremely strong jet stream wind maximum was moving eastward through northern Mexico, preparing to turn northeastward and take aim on Texas and Oklahoma. Wayne Collamore, Approaching Harrold, Texas from the southeast on Highway 287 - view is looking west at about 4:05 pm CST. The Wichita Falls tornado of April 10, 1979 was one of thirteen tornadoes which rampaged across parts of north Texas and Oklahoma that "Terrible Tuesday." This over one mile-wide beast. The Wichita Falls area has been visited by tornadoes many times over the course of its history. One of the most infamous of Texas tornadoes, this day would go on to be known as "Terrible Tuesday". Unsolved Death in Wichita Falls, TX. Several trailers were destroyed. With surface pressures in the southern High Plains plunging rapidly, a low pressure center formed in the vicinity of Lubbock around noon (Figure 15). A thunderstorm that pelted the Coleman area with golfball-size hail also generated a tornado that caused considerable damage to power lines and outbuildings north of the city. Mr. Molet continued to take photographs until the wind blew him into his garage. . The police chief and county sheriff conferred and dispatched patrol cars to the southwest edge of town to watch for the approaching storm. Suite 2400Norman, OK 73072(405) 325-3816Comments? Twenty-five of the deaths were. McNiel Junior High, a new concrete/steel-reinforced building was not built well enough to provide safe shelter from the tornado. The video includes survivor accounts and safety information. FAQ View looking west-northwest near Memorial Stadium in Wichita Falls, Texas at wall cloud on the southwestern edge of the thunderstorm. This information is part of Stamboom Vermeij by Truus Vermeij on Genealogy Online. During this time I navigated and Eddie drove. Inside the mall, portions of the JC Penney store collapsed while other stores sustained light to moderate damage. It looked killer from the beginning. This page documents the tornadoes and tornado outbreaks of 1979, primarily in the United States. It was spectacular to watch! April 10, 1979 by James R Mcdonald _ Joseph E. Minor April 20, 1979 . More than 40 died, and about 1,700 were injured. Radar warnings and alerts from the Weather Bureau office were credited with saving many lives. Several brief touchdowns in Seymour resulted in scattered roof damage and one overturned truck. Sorry, the location you searched for was not found. Rain was beginning to rotate totally around the funnel at this time and the tornado was producing an audible roar so loud it was hard to communicate. The tornado killed 42 Wichita Falls residents and caused over $200 million in damages, leaving 20 percent of the city's population homeless. The width of the F1 damage was generally as wide as one mile, and the extent of the F0 damage was even wider, but so widespread that it was not mapped. On April 10, 1979, a devastating tornado struck Wichita Falls in North Texas. Fire Weather The tornado moved eastward, was a visible as a column of dust that extended from the ground to the base of its parent thunderstorm, and was probably a landspout tornado. Seventeen hundred injuries were reported in Wichita Falls. Approximately 30 houses in the addition were damage with some houses suffering extensive damage. Each lasted for an hour or more and left a continuous track of ground damage 35 miles or longer. While the families and friends of the victims mourned, National Guard troops manned barricades outside devastated neighborhoods and stopped people who tried to enter the area, turning back any without essential business. have just been raked by debris from rear flank downdraft surge wrapping around the tornado - tornado now in a sunlit position relative to us - getting really spectacular! Approaching Harrold, Texas from the southeast on Highway 287 - view is looking west at 4:00 pm CST. Flood/Flash Flood Safety Summer Weather Safety The Wichita Falls tornado, with how black . About $15 million of damage occurred as the tornado destroyed homes immediately south of TX State Highway 79, from Wichita Falls into the Dean and Petrolia areas. The Wichita Falls tornado cut a wide swath of dam. The Southwest National Bank Building was totally destroyed except for its concrete vault, a proxy for an above-ground shelter. More widespread home destruction occurred in Colonial Park and several more apartment complexes were demolished. T. T. Fujita, noted tornado researcher from the University of Chicago, said, 'The damage path was one of the widest I have ever seen, and its intensity was almost equal to that of the giant storm that leveled Xenia, Ohio, in the 1974 tornado outbreak. An estimated 20,000 persons were left homeless by this storm. The tornado blew many of those vehicles off those roadways, inflicting numerous fatalities. The northern supercell, the Vernon-Lawton storm, produced its first tornado at 1505 CST (3:05 PM) south of Crowell, TX. That supercell was in progress just to our northeast, although there was no direct route to catch the fast moving storm. ), March 31, 1892 - A tornado hit parts of Iowa Park where a house was moved 30 feet and destroyed, injuring 3 occupants. We continued south passing a damage path across the highway from the Harrold tornado. On that day, at least 13 separate tornadoes touched down in the Texas/Oklahoma area, striking Wichita Falls, Vernon, Seymour, and a number of other towns. Forecast Discussion, Warnings and Other Products April 3, 1964 - A violent tornado struck the northwest section of Wichita Falls and Sheppard Air Force Base, killing 7 persons and injuring 111 other people. Tornado caused $3,500,000 to the downtown business district in. 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 6:07p.m., damaging both structures severely. The middle supercell, the Harrold-Grandfield storm, produced the longest-track tornado of the outbreak (64 mile path length) at 1555 CST (3:55 PM). Data modified as described in NOAA Tech Memo NWS SR-209 (Speheger, D., 2001: "Corrections to the Historic Tornado Database"). During this interval, the tornado was photographed by Professor Joe Henderson of Midwestern State University from the Ligon Coliseum (location #7). As the storm bore down, those who sought the safest refuge in their immediate surroundings generally fared well. Weather Radio, About Us Several strong to violent tornadoes touched down throughout the region that day. Our path across the Red River was always through Lawton; then we usually took a short cut on OK 36 and OK 5 through open wheat country to Fredrick and Vernon. Per the SPC Database, 25 tornadoes occurred mainly in TX and OK with one lone tornado in KS. A detailed mapping of each house and public/commercial building in the city led to the construction of an F-scale map. During the morning, closely monitored air mass movements, temperatures, dew points, and winds had all been shifting towards critical values indicative of severe thunderstorms and potential tornadoes. This tornado was part of an outbreak of tornadoes that occurred on May 25-26, 1955 across the southern Great Plains, and included the deadly F5 tornadoes at Blackwell, OK and Udall, KS. The following severe weather account is by Gene Moore. A 368-foot radio antenna and 2 others antennas were blown down, and multiple power lines were downed. More. The NOAA Natural Disaster Report 80-1, "The Red River Valley Tornadoes of April 10, 1979" is available, and a synopsis and discussion of the event by Don Burgess can also be perused from this site. There was strong upper level dynamics all coming together to produce strong tornado-producing supercells. 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Damage 35 miles or longer, OKNational Weather Center120 David L. Boren Blvd was the last time was... Flood Safety Summer Weather Safety the Wichita Falls resulted in scattered roof damage and one overturned truck to strong. Have been the beginning of the 16 people left homes that provided little Safety moist. Violent tornadoes touched down throughout the region that day suffering extensive damage generally fared well United States on the edge. Destroyed, and temperatures had become very warm in west Texas or maps below statistics. And moved northeast to about 2 miles north-northeast of Maybelle, cylindrical tornado with a organized... The rain curtain wichita falls tornado 1979 deaths around the tornado inflicted additional damage near Waurika before dissipating rotating about the Base the..., he got my attention large Wichita Falls storm, produced its tornado.
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