1980 Grand Island tornado outbreak
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| Date of tornado outbreak: | June 3, 1980 |
| Duration1: | 2 hours, 15 minutes |
| Maximum rated tornado2: | F4 tornado |
| Tornadoes caused: | 7 |
| Damages: | $285.05 million (1980 USD) |
| Fatalities: | 5 |
| Areas affected: | Nebraska |
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1Time from first tornado to last tornado |
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The 1980 Grand Island tornado outbreak affected the city of Grand Island, Nebraska on June 3, 1980. Seven tornadoes touched down in or near the city that night, killing 5 and injuring 200. This outbreak is also known as "The Night of the Twisters". This name is more associated with this event, as it was semi-fictionalized by the book of the same name by author Ivy Ruckman and inspired a 1996 made-for-TV movie seen on ABC Family.
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[edit] Outbreak description
Over a span of three hours on the evening of June 3, 1980, a slow-moving supercell complex moving across Grand Island spawned several tornadoes. The outbreak was one of the most unusual in United States history: The supercells moved over the city at only 8 mph (13 km/h); of the seven tornadoes, three of them were anticyclonic; and the tornadoes did not move in a straight line, with most looping back over their own path at least once.
[edit] Aftermath
Five people were killed by the tornadoes, 200 more injured, and damages were estimated at more than $285 million (USD) ($600 million 2003 USD). Tornado warnings allowed people to get to safety in time, which prevented a higher death toll. The South Locust Street area was hardest hit, struck by the fifth tornado of the night (an F4 tornado). Much of the rubble and debris left by the tornadoes was placed in a landfill that now forms Tornado Hill, a popular biking and sledding spot.
[edit] Confirmed tornadoes
| Confirmed Total |
Confirmed F0 |
Confirmed F1 |
Confirmed F2 |
Confirmed F3 |
Confirmed F4 |
Confirmed F5 |
| 7 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| List of confirmed tornadoes - Tuesday, June 3, 1980 | ||||||
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| F3 | NNW of Grand Island | Hall | 0145 | 6.4 miles (10.3 km) | 1 Death 25 Injuries Large, half-mile wide tornado touched down to the north of the City of Grand Island. First of seven tornadoes to hit the city in just over 2 hours. The tornado caused an estimated $2.5 million in damages. The tornado's track was highly unusual in that it looped and crossed itself numerous times. The actual length of the track is much longer than 6.4 miles. | |
| F1 | Grand Island area | Hall | 0200 | 0.8 miles (1.3 km) | 5 Injuries Small tornado briefly touched down in the northern edges of Grand Island. Second of seven tornadoes to hit the city in just over 2 hours. The tornado caused an estimated $25,000 in damages. | |
| F3 | NNE of Grand Island | Hall | 0205 | 2.3 miles (3.7 km) | 1 Death 40 Injuries 1/4-mile wide tornado touched down near Grand Island. Third of seven tornadoes to hit the city in just over 2 hours. The tornado caused an estimated $2.5 million in damages. | |
| F1 | SE of Grand Island | Hall | 0246 | 2.3 miles (3.7 km) | Small tornado touched down to the southeast Grand Island. Fourth of seven tornadoes to hit the city in just over 2 hours. The tornado caused an estimated $25,000 in damages. | |
| F4 | Grand Island area | Hall | 0316 | 1.1 miles (1.8 km) | 3 Deaths 110 Injuries Enormous mile-wide tornado struck the eastern edges of Grand Island and destroyed numerous homes. Fifth and strongest of the seven tornadoes that hit Grand Island. The tornado caused an estimated $250 million in damages. | |
| F2 | WSW of Grand Island | Hall | 0325 | 3.4 miles (5.5 km) | 18 Injuries Enormous mile-wide tornado touched down west of Grand Island. Sixth of the seven tornadoes that hit Grand Island. The tornado caused an estimated $2.5 million in damages. | |
| F1 | SE of Grand Island | Hall, Hamilton | 0400 | 4.1 miles (6.6 km) | 2 Injuries Enormous 1.2 mile wide tornado touched down southeast of Grand Island. Last of the seven tornadoes that hit Grand Island. The tornado caused an estimated $2.5 million in damages. Despite the massivity of the tornado, it tracked across mostly rural areas and avoided many homes. | |
[edit] Fictionalized accounts of the event
In 1982, a semi-fictionalized book version of this significant tornado outbreak by children's author Ivy Ruckman, a native of Nebraska, was released. The book told the story of Danny Hatch, a pre-teen and his family, and what happened to them as the event took place.
A made-for-cable television original movie premiered in 1996 for The Family Channel (now ABC Family). The movie version still centered on the Hatch Family and most of the characters in the book were adapted to the film. However, there were several discrepancies from the movie and the book version. The most notable being the town in the movie is changed from Grand Island to Blainsworth, which Ivy Ruckman reportedly was disappointed about as it took some of the reality out of the actual event. Danny's father's name is changed to Jack in the film (played by John Schneider) and is mentioned to be his stepfather as Danny's real father is revealed to have died in a plane crash when Danny was six years old. One somewhat prominent character in the movie was Bob Iverson (played by David Ferry), who was not included in the book.
Danny's mother occupation is also changed to waitress. The last scene in the film in which the Hatch family tries to outrun a tornado in a car lent to them at a shelter was added specifically for the film and was not in the book, either. Danny and his friend Arthur's (played by Devon Sawa and Amos Crawley) ages are also sped up to their mid-teens (though their ages are never mentioned in the film).
