I dont think you can ever be prepared, said Starrett. This site needs JavaScript to work properly. Smith, ducked behind some folding tables used for squad meetings. The picture below is a simulated picture of cloud formations at 4:35 PM CDT. HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) - Saturday marks 25 years since an EF-4 tornado struck Airport Road and left massive destruction in its wake. That afternoon, Webster and a Huntsville police officer established the first command post near the corner of South Parkway and Airport Road. Local Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Data Subsequent forecasts and statements marked with increasing certainty the ominous nature of the events to come. It continued through Jones Valley neighborhoods before crossing Huntsville Mountain and moving into the county, finally ending at Killingsworth Cove Branch. It produced at least 40 tornadoes, with 30 deaths coming as a result of two deadly tornadoes. HUNTSVILLE, Ala. On November 15, 1989, an F-4 tornado carved an 18.5 mile path through south Huntsville and parts of eastern Madison County. Its so widespread you didnt know if people were in the rubble, said former Huntsville police officer Jay Spencer. The Birmingham Forecast Office followed with a Special Weather Statement at 10:50a.m. with the headline, "MAJOR SEVERE WEATHER THREAT POISED FOR ALABAMA AND NORTHWEST FLORIDA!". There were no injuries reported. The Birmingham Forecast Office followed with a Special Weather Statement at 10:50 am with the headline, "MAJOR SEVERE WEATHER THREAT POISED FOR ALABAMA AND NORTHWEST FLORIDA!". Thirty-seven children, five teachers, and seven painters were in the school when the tornado struck, part of an extended daycare program conducted at the school. There were 36 tornadoes confirmed in the US in August. Three decades later, it remains the deadliest. McCarthy agrees "that if a person is in an automo-bile and a tornado approaches, that driving at right angles away from the tornado is the recommendation. The same storm spawned a brief multi-vortex F1 in Plaquemine, Louisiana with no serious damage. Doctors at first thought they would have to amputate one leg, but she was able to keep it and learned to walk again. Injury. Later in the afternoon, an F2 came ashore east of Apalachicola, Florida, killing three. Local Climatology Theres nothing like lazy summer days relaxing on the patio. Severe Safety Rules We knew that there was a severe threat. The Airport Road Tornado: 30 Years Later | WHNT.com Some persons in the path of the tornado felt they were not adequately warned. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Three decades later, it remains the deadliest tornado in Huntsvilles history. Though the event was officially recorded as a tornado, conclusive evidence from a survey by a team led by Ted Fujita and others indicates that it was a downburst instead. Huntsville, AL F4 Tornado - November 15, 1989 - Tornado Talk On the afternoon of Wednesday, November 15, 1989, at 4:35p.m. (21:35 UTC), a tornado struck the southern portion of the city of Huntsville, cutting a swath of destruction from southwest toward the northeast through a business section and a heavily populated residential area. Power Lines 'Started Snapping', Heavy overhead power lines ''started snapping just like a circus performer would snap his whip,'' Mr. Carroll said. One woman was killed in an automobile driving along Garth Road on the way to the school. A small tornado outbreak impacted parts of Illinois, Indiana, and Mississippi. Annual Tornado Maps (1952 - 2011): 1989 Tornadoes", "Severe Weather Database Files (1950-2021)", National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/IPS/sd/sd.html?_finish=0.43342628260688265, "Requested Information for York County, PA", https://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/swdi/stormevents/pub-pdf/storm_1989_11.pdf, "December 1989 Storm Data - Volume 31 - Number 12", "Storm Event Database 1989-12-12 10:15 CST", "Storm Event Database 1989-12-12 10:23 CST", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Tornadoes_of_1989&oldid=1149494789, All articles with bare URLs for citations, Articles with bare URLs for citations from March 2022, Articles with PDF format bare URLs for citations, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles needing additional references from January 2021, All articles needing additional references, Articles using infobox templates with no data rows, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 12 April 2023, at 16:03. Local Climate Data A destructive tornado outbreak struck a wide swath of the Southern and Eastern United States as well as Canada on November 15 and 16, 1989. Sorry, the location you searched for was not found. Post your comments below. [4], According to information shared with the National Weather Service by Duane Stiegler with Dr. Ted Fujita's group from the University of Chicago, the initial point of damage occurred one mile south-southwest of Madkin Mountain on Redstone Arsenal near the intersection of Fowler Road and Mills Road at around 4:30p.m. (21:30 UTC). The administrator at Humana Hospital in Huntsville, David Miller, said about 30 tornado victims were treated for injuries. NOAA Weather Radio As it crossed the top of Garth Mountain and moved down the east side, it struck Jones Valley Elementary School on Garth Road. Now, meteorologists are equipped with better tools to identify, track and warn for deadly weather. Lets just remember how well we did that day. Four F2 tornadoes touched down in northeastern Mississippi and northwestern Alabama. Acting in accordance with the principal's instructions, the teacher directed the children, accompanied by the other teachers, to a safer location under the stairwell on the first floor of the school. He had a friend who wasn't so fortunate; his friend's mother was killed trying to get to the school. "It changed the way we did things." Rated an F4 on the Fujita Scale, it inflicted approximately $250 million in damage. Severe Weather Preparedness Damage from the tornado was estimated to be around $100 million. Debbie Holliday, who taught at Challenger Middle School in 1989 and now teaches at Jones Valley Elementary, urged those at the memorial service to use their memories to remind others about the importance of tornado awareness. Three houses sustained roof damage, and numerous trees were downed. Flash Flood Warnings The search and rescue operations were completed by 7:15p.m. EST (00:15 UTC) that evening. There were 31 tornadoes confirmed in the US in September. An F1 tornado began south of Chipley, Florida and moved to north of Cottondale, along a path of 10 miles (16km) with a maximum width of 50 yards (46m). [4], The tornado continued on a northeast track passing northeast of Building 5250 on the Arsenal, with little damage done to that building. That warning, issued at 4:13 pm, was changed to a Tornado Warning at 4:35 pm based on a report relayed through the amateur radio spotter network of a tornado touchdown in the city. Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement (updated 4/4/2023), Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (updated 1/26/2023). Awesome Parade Raises Tons of Money for Tornado Victims (1989) - YouTube Eyewitness News with Eric Bonds (Eric Fullerton) & Eyewitness Howard Onsburg (Patrick McGraw)Another video with young. [4], As the thunderstorm moved into the southwest corner of Madison County at 4:15p.m. (21:15 UTC), the staff on duty at the WSO at Huntsville International Airport observed a wall cloud and rain-free base with the thunderstorm. There were 3 tornadoes confirmed in the US in December. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. Jeff Scarborough was a student at Jones Valley Elementary School. Farther east, the storm demolished strip malls, the Golbro Department Store and churches. Regional Weather Roundup Smith suffered the worst of the injuries - crushed ankle, five broken ribs, both shoulders broken, twisted knee. Millie M, Senkowski C, Stuart L, Davis F, Ochsner G, Boyd C. Yang C, Wang HY, Zhong HJ, Zhou L, Jiang DM, Du DY, Hu P, Jiang JX. National Library of Medicine Smith's daughter writes about her memories of the tornado, Buy newspaper front pages, posters and more. Time erased most signs of physical damage throughout the city, but the day helped lead to immeasurable changes in how it responds to disasters. Everybody just kind of came into a role, said Starrett. An F4 tornado destroyed dozens of homes and businesses in Allendale, Illinois before moving into Indiana, injuring 55 people. Three mobile homes were overturned, and hundreds of trees and several power lines were downed. But the tornado had other kinds of power -- the power to change emergency medical services in the area. Plowing through businesses and heavily populated residential areas of the city, the tornado left a tragic legacy; 21 dead, 463 injured and damage estimated at 100 million dollars. November 1989 tornado outbreak - Wikipedia Questions? An outbreak brought 17 tornadoes to the Southern United States on February 20 and 21. Floyd Smith had been thrown outside the building, uninjured. CoCoRaHS, Local Research and Outreach A spokeswoman for the Clay County Sheriff's Department said people were injured at a house in a rural area 30 miles east of Sylacauga, southeast of Birmingham. The Marshall Space Flight Center, part of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration complex, situated at the Redstone Arsenal here, escaped serious damage. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. A total of 21 people died as a result of the tornado and 463 were injured. Around 4:30 pm on Wednesday, November 15, 1989, a tornado touched down near Madkin Mountain on Redstone Arsenal, southwest of Huntsville. The tornado severely damaged or destroyed a number of homes in the Jones Valley subdivision. ", See also: P.T. FOIA Telephone communication and electricity were disrupted by the tornadoes. A total of 21 people died as a result of the tornado and 463 were injured. 8600 Rockville Pike Daily Rainfall Plots Rescuers also were hampered by darkness and plunging temperatures as they picked through piles of rubble up to 14 feet deep. Beginning at 12:45p.m., WSO Huntsville issued warnings for the west part of its county warning area as an intense squall line moved into northwest Alabama. One house was destroyed in the Mellow Valley area, and the three occupants were injured. The tornado destroyed a number of shopping complexes, office buildings, churches, and much of the Waterford Square apartment complex as it slowly crossed Airport Road. The tornado crossed the. Historically, tornadoes are no strangers to persons in north Alabama, where Huntsville and Madison County are located. This action, first suggested by the school principal as she left for the day, saved the lives of the children. May and June both saw over 200 tornadoes and after the usual summer lull, a significant November outbreak led to the devastating Huntsville, Alabama F4 tornado. Other buildings, such as those in the White Oaks subdivision were damaged or destroyed. Tornado Database This outbreak also produced the most tornadoes in a single day in New Jersey. The tornado that changed Huntsville was about to land between the K-9 range and the landfill. Beginning at 12:45 pm, WSO Huntsville issued warnings for the west part of its county warning area (see Figure 19) as an intense squall line moved into northwest Alabama. Huntsville Mayor Steve Hettinger said 14 deaths had been confirmed, with 305 people injured and about 500 displaced by the tornadoes, which struck while city streets filled with rush-hour traffic. Storm Data
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