Weather History

This Day In Weather History

In 1987, for the second morning in a row, severe thunderstorms tore through South Central Kansas with extremely powerful winds. Wichita was walloped by speeds that reached 100 mph while 80 mph winds whipped Clearwater. El Dorado Lake was lashed by 80 to 100 mph winds that injured 25 people at a trailer park. One small F2 tornado hit Douglass where a small commercial complex was destroyed. However, no one was injured.

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In 1905, a truly mysterious, yet extremely powerful, weather event occurred in extreme North-Central Texas. In Montague County, located on the Red River, an incredibly powerful wind event with speeds comparable to that of an F4 tornado, which is a staggering 207-260 mph, killed 18 and injured 40. It is very unusual for a tornado of this magnitude to hit Texas in mid-summer. The damage path was 20 miles long and averaged three fourths to 1 mile wide with extremes ranging from around one quarter mile to 3 miles. The funnel sighting and some debris being carried for long distances are the only evidence of this being a tornado. However, according to most reports there was no funnel or characteristic roar, yet 33 homes were leveled. Hundreds of dead farm animals littered the countryside. Most of the deaths occurred in tenant homes. In one such home, 7 were killed. Such fatality counts are extremely rare with downburst winds with usually no more than 1 home per event, yet people died in 9 homes during this exceptionally powerful wind storm. Three small farming communities were wiped out. The meteorological cause for this bizarre event may never be known.
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