April can see just about anything when it comes to weather. We’re no stranger to snow one day and then thunderstorms the next here in Nebraska. But we’re not alone this time of year. Let’s take a look at some of the crazy weather that has happened across the country over the years in this volatile month.
Texas and Oklahoma are no strangers to the twister and the month of April is no exception. In April of 1979, there was day that has been deemed “Terrible Tuesday” by some of the locals of Wichita Falls, Texas.
They saw 23 tornadoes come out of the sky along the Red River that Tuesday. One tornado in particular had its sights set on Wichita Falls and there are reports of the tornado being a mile and a half wide when it hit the residential area.
Over 3,000 homes were destroyed as the F4 tornado rumbled through Wichita Falls and damage was estimated around $400 million which makes it one of the costliest tornadoes in US history. Sadly, many people tried to outrun the tornado in their vehicles and because of that over half of the people who died were in their vehicles.
All told, 42 people were killed in the outbreak and around 2000 people were injured. After one of the worse days in Texas and Oklahoma’s history, more than 20,000 people were left homeless.