Tornadoes of 1979

This page documents the tornadoes and tornado outbreaks of 1979, 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.

Synopsis

Numbers for 1979 were similar to that of 1980. Deaths were near normal, but injuries were above normal.

Events

January

16 tornadoes were reported in the U.S. in January, of which 5 were confirmed.^[2]

February

4 tornadoes were reported in the U.S. in January, of which all were confirmed.^[3]

March

53 tornadoes were reported in the U.S. in March.^[4]

March 18

On March 18, a minor outbreak swept across Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas. The strongest tornado was an F3 that struck Copan, Oklahoma. An F2 tornado hit Catoosa, Oklahoma, a suburb of Tulsa.^[5]

March 29

On March 29, tornadoes touched down across Iowa and Illinois, including an F4 tornado that hit Elmo, Missouri. An F0 struck a small suburb of Denver.^[6]

April

123 tornadoes were reported in the U.S. in April.^[7]

April 10–11

F4 damage in Wichita Falls.

A large tornado outbreak also called "Terrible Tuesday",^[8] broke out in Texas and Oklahoma. Several deadly tornadoes occurred, including an F4 that decimated buildings in Wichita Falls, killing 42 people. An F2 tornado was notable for killing one person when it struck a mobile home park in Boonville, Indiana. A tornado killed 3 people in Lawton, Oklahoma. Overall, there were 58 deaths and over 2,000 injuries.

May

There were 112 tornadoes reported in the U.S. in May.^[9]

June

150 tornadoes were reported in the U.S. in June.^[10]

June 28

An small outbreak of tornadoes broke out in Iowa, including an F4 that killed 3 people in Manson, Iowa.^[11]

July

132 tornadoes were reported in the U.S. in July.^[12]

July 16

An F3 tornado struck Cheyenne, Wyoming causing one fatality and 40 injuries.

August

126 tornadoes were reported in the U.S. in August.^[13]

September

69 tornadoes were reported in the U.S. in September.^[14]

September 5

An F3 tornado touched down in the Washington D.C. and Alexandria areas, killing one person.

October

47 tornadoes were reported in the U.S. in October.^[15]

October 3

F4 damage in Windsor Locks, Connecticut.

An F4 tornado touched down in Windsor Locks, Connecticut, being a very rare New England tornado. The tornado was ranked as one of the costliest tornadoes in U.S. history, killing 3 people.

November

21 tornadoes were reported in the U.S. in November.^[16]

December

2 tornadoes were reported in the U.S. in December.^[17]

See also

• Tornado
  • Tornado climatology
  • Tornado records
  • Tornado myths
• List of tornadoes and tornado outbreaks
  • List of F5 and EF5 tornadoes
  • List of North American tornadoes and tornado outbreaks
  • List of 21st-century Canadian tornadoes and tornado outbreaks
  • List of European tornadoes and tornado outbreaks
  • List of tornadoes and tornado outbreaks in Asia
  • List of Southern Hemisphere tornadoes and tornado outbreaks
  • List of tornadoes striking downtown areas
• Tornado intensity
  • Fujita scale

References