Tornado_outbreak_of_April_2–3,_1982

Tornado outbreak of April 2–3, 1982

Tornado outbreak of April 2–3, 1982

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From April 2–3, 1982, a major tornado outbreak resulted in over 60 tornadoes and 30 fatalities, primarily over portions of Northeast Texas and Southwest Arkansas, as well as Southeastern Oklahoma.[nb 2] Three of the tornadoes were rated F4, and one officially was recorded as an F5 near Broken Bow, Oklahoma, all on April 2. Beginning on April 2, a series of tornado-producing supercells formed across portions of northeastern Texas and southeastern Oklahoma. One produced an F5 tornado, the first since April 4, 1977, which crossed mostly rural areas near Speer and Broken Bow, and deposited a motel sign from Broken Bow 30 miles (48 km) away in Arkansas.[nb 3] The F5 tornado resulted in no fatalities, but an F4 tornado in Paris, Texas, resulted in 10 fatalities and 170 injuries.[10][11] Additionally, the Storm Prediction Center, known then as the Severe Local Storms Unit, issued its first officially documented high risk on April 2 as well as the first tornado watch to contain the wording Particularly Dangerous Situation (PDS).[12]

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Background

Outbreak statistics

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Confirmed tornadoes

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April 2 event

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Hamden-Speer–Hugo Reservoir-Messer–Golden–Broken Bow-Eagletown, Oklahoma

Quick Facts F5, Max. rating1 ...

This powerful, multiple-vortex tornado touched down near Speer, tracked east-southeastward through the rural community of Messer, and traversed the Hugo Reservoir.[19] A newly constructed home near Messer was obliterated, with only strips of carpet tacking left unmoved. At the time the tornado was assigned a rating of F5 based on this damage and is still listed as an F5 in official records. Photographs of the bare concrete slab suggested, however, that the home was improperly anchored: only F3-level winds may have been needed to produce the observable effects on the structure.[9] Further on, the tornado attained a peak width of 1+12 mi (2.4 km; 2,600 yd; 2,400 m) and produced F4-level damage to ranch-style homes near Golden. In all, the tornado destroyed approximately 35 homes and yielded losses of $8 million, though it missed densely populated areas.[9][40] The tornado also destroyed chicken coops, mobile homes, and a church, along with agricultural implements, electrical lines, and tracts of timber. Up to 40 barns were wrecked as well.[19] As it passed just south of Broken Bow, the tornado struck the Tri-A-Nite Motel;[41] signage from the motel was later found 30 mi (48 km) distant, in Arkansas.[9] Near Messer, the tornado hurled a 2-by-4-inch (51 by 102 mm) board into and pierced a tree.[19] 29 injuries occurred along the path.[3]

Paris–Reno–Blossom, Texas

Quick Facts F4, Max. rating1 ...

This destructive tornado, the deadliest of the outbreak, headed eastward through the northern section of Paris. It extensively damaged or destroyed more than 465 residences and left approximately 1,000 people homeless in town.[46] Of the 10 deaths in Paris, two occurred at a trailer park; the rest of the fatalities were mainly in unsheltered locations. Debris from the trailer park was dispersed for hundreds of yards.[44][46] Most of the damage in Paris was rated F2 or F3 on the Fujita scale, but a few CBS homes sustained low-end F4-level damage. These homes, however, were dubiously constructed, so the official rating may have been too high.[46][56] Large, well-built apartments with numerous interior walls were unroofed as the "ragged funnel cloud" left behind $50 million in losses at Paris.[57] 92 homes and other structures were heavily damaged or destroyed in the neighbouring communities of Reno and Blossom.[46] The tornado attained a peak width of 300 yd (270 m; 0.17 mi; 0.27 km).

White Rock–Beaver Dam, Texas/Ashdown, Arkansas

Quick Facts F3, Max. rating1 ...

This intense, long-tracked tornado first destroyed barns, outbuildings, trees, and electrical lines as it struck White Rock. Brick-built homes in the area were wrecked as well.[44][50] The tornado tracked to the north of Annona, Avery, and English. The tornado then entered Bowie County and destroyed five homes in Beaver Dam. Two minor injuries occurred nearby. The tornado then widened to 400 yd (370 m) as it neared the Red River. Upon crossing the river into Oklahoma, it produced a 4-mile-long (6.4 km) swath of damaged trees through McCurtain County. Some outbuildings were also damaged as the tornado passed through southeastern Oklahoma.[44][53] In Arkansas, the tornado destroyed 17 homes, a paper mill, a granary, and an orchard. One of the homes dated to the early nineteenth century.[15] One person died and two others were injured near Ashdown before the tornado dissipated.[44][58]

See also

Notes

  1. All losses are in 1982 USD unless otherwise noted.
  2. An outbreak is generally defined as a group of at least six tornadoes (the number sometimes varies slightly according to local climatology) with no more than a six-hour gap between individual tornadoes. An outbreak sequence, prior to (after) the start of modern records in 1950, is defined as a period of no more than two (one) consecutive days without at least one significant (F2 or stronger) tornado.[4][5][6][7][8]
  3. Tornado researcher Thomas P. Grazulis contested the official F5 rating, having concluded that the basis for it was unsound.[9]
  4. All dates are based on the local time zone where the tornado touched down; however, all times are in Coordinated Universal Time and dates are split at midnight CST/CDT for consistency.
  5. Prior to 1994, only the average widths of tornado paths were officially listed.[14]

References

  1. Thunderstorm Wind reported between 04/01/1982 and 04/03/1982 (3 days). Storm Events Database (Report). NOAA – National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
  2. Hail reported between 04/01/1982 and 04/03/1982 (3 days). Storm Events Database (Report). NOAA – National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
  3. Hagemeyer, Bartlett C.; Spratt, Scott M. (2002). Thirty Years After Hurricane Agnes: the Forgotten Florida Tornado Disaster (PDF). 25th Conference on Hurricanes and Tropical Meteorology. San Diego, California: American Meteorological Society. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 October 2008. Retrieved 24 November 2019.
  4. Grazulis 1993, p. 1235.
  5. Ferguson, Edward W.; Schaefer, Joseph T.; Weiss, Steven J.; Wilson, Larry F.; Ostby, Frederick P. (1983). "Tornado 1982: A Near-Record Year". Monthly Weather Review. 111 (8): 1665–1678. Bibcode:1983MWRv..111.1665F. doi:10.1175/1520-0493(1983)111<1665:TANRY>2.0.CO;2. ISSN 1520-0493.
  6. "Remembering The Paris Tornado: April 2, 1982". Dallas/Fort Worth, TX. Fort Worth, Texas: National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office. 15 October 2008. Archived from the original on 13 June 2010. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
  7. Edwards, Roger; Fred Ostby. "Time Line of SELS and SPC". Historical SELS and SPC Images. Storm Prediction Center. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
  8. Grazulis 1993, pp. 1235–1238.
  9. Storm Data 1982, pp. 29–30.
  10. Grazulis 1993, pp. 1236–1237.

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