Oklahoma tornado outbreak of 1960

A highly destructive outbreak of 19 tornadoes struck areas from Oklahoma to Indiana. The Oklahoma City metropolitan area took the brunt of the outbreak with 10 F2 or F3 tornadoes touching down in the area alone on April 28, including one F3 tornado that tore directly through Downtown Oklahoma City. The outbreak killed three and injured 79.[2]

Oklahoma tornado outbreak of 1960
TypeTornado outbreak
DurationApril 28–30, 1960
Tornadoes confirmed19
Max. rating1F3 tornado
Duration of tornado outbreak23 days
Highest winds
Largest hail3.00 in (7.6 cm)
Dill City, Oklahoma and Haysville, Kansas
Damage$3.883 million (1960 USD)[1]
Casualties3 fatalities, 79 injuries
Areas affectedGreat Plains, especially Oklahoma, Midwest, Mississippi Valley
1Most severe tornado damage; see Fujita scale
2Time from first tornado to last tornado

Confirmed tornadoes
Confirmed tornadoes by Fujita rating
FU F0 F1 F2 F3 F4 F5 Total
0 2 4 8 5 0 0 19

April 28 event
List of confirmed tornadoes – Thursday, April 28, 1960[nb 1][nb 2]
F# Location County / Parish State Start
coord.		 Time (UTC) Path length Max. width Summary Refs.
F0 SE of Watonga Blaine OK 35.80°N 98.35°W / 35.80; -98.35 (Watonga (April 28, F0)) 01:00–? 0.1 miles (0.16 km) 10 yards (9.1 m) Public reported that one of two funnel clouds touched down briefly over an open field. No damage occurred. [4][5][6]
F3 SW of Oney Caddo OK 35.25°N 98.33°W / 35.25; -98.33 (Binger (April 28, F3)) 01:00–? 3.3 miles (5.3 km) 100 yards (91 m) Strong tornado destroyed two farmsteads and caused $25,000 in damage south of Binger. Witnesses described the funnel as being the largest they had ever seen. [4][7][8]
F3 N of Goddard to St. Mark to Western Maize Sedgwick KS 37.70°N 97.58°W / 37.70; -97.58 (Goddard (April 28, F3)) 01:30–? 7.1 miles (11.4 km) 440 yards (400 m) A number homes and a church were obliterated by this large, intense tornado. Trees were uprooted, power lines were tangled, livestock was killed, and debris was scattered all over the place. Damage was estimated $25,000 and six people were injured. High winds and hail up to 3 inches (7.6 cm) in diameter caused additional damage as well. [4][9][10]
F2 SE of Pocasset Grady OK 35.17°N 97.95°W / 35.17; -97.95 (Pocasset (April 28, F2)) 01:45–? 3.6 miles (5.8 km) 200 yards (180 m) Strong, twin tornadoes passed near Pocasset with this one damaging multiple farmsteads. A house of seven was obliterated, although there was only one minor injury. Losses totaled $2,500. This was one of four strong tornadoes that were all on the ground at the same time in Grady County. [4][11][12]
F2 NE of Amber to ESE of Sooner Grady OK 35.18°N 97.85°W / 35.18; -97.85 (Amber (April 28, F2)) 01:45–? 3.3 miles (5.3 km) 200 yards (180 m) This was the second of the twin tornadoes. Several farmsteads were damaged and a house was demolished. Losses totaled $250. This was one of four strong tornadoes that were all on the ground at the same time in Grady County. The tornado may have traveled all the way to Anadarko, which would be a path length 25 miles (40 km). [4][13][14]
F3 N of Pocasset to WNW of Sooner Grady OK 35.22°N 97.95°W / 35.22; -97.95 (Pocasset (April 28, F3)) 01:45–? 3.6 miles (5.8 km) 200 yards (180 m) Intense tornado tore through farmland, nearly destroying three farmsteads. The western half of a house was destroyed, injuring two people inside of it. Lossed totaled $25,000. This was one of four strong tornadoes that were all on the ground at the same time in Grady County. [4][15][16]
F2 Southern Pocasset Grady OK 35.18°N 97.95°W / 35.18; -97.95 (Southern Pocasset (April 28, F2)) 01:45–? 2 miles (3.2 km) 300 yards (270 m) Destructive tornado accompanied by baseball-sized hail hit the south side of Pocasset. The tornado damaged outbuilding, roofs and trees, resulting in $250,000 in damage. The hail broke windows and damaged roofs as well. Nearly every home and building in town had roof damage to the point where they needed to be replaced. This was one of four strong tornadoes that were all on the ground at the same time in Grady County. [4][17][18]
F3 NW of Tuttle Grady OK 35.30°N 97.83°W / 35.30; -97.83 (Tuttle (April 28, F3)) 02:50–? 1.5 miles (2.4 km) 200 yards (180 m) Strong tornado bounced through areas northwest of Tuttle, damaging 45-50 homes and destroying four others, including one home where a woman was injured. A school suffered roof damage and the east end of its gym was ripped clean off. Many other buildings were destroyed and losses totaled $250,000. [4][19][20]
F3 Southwestern Oklahoma City to Forest Park Oklahoma OK 35.42°N 97.55°W / 35.42; -97.55 (Southern Oklahoma City (April 28, F2)) 02:55–? 11.7 miles (18.8 km) 333 yards (304 m) See section on this tornado – A total of 57 people were injured and damages reached $2.5 million. [4][21][22]
F2 Southwestern Oklahoma City to N of Moore Cleveland OK 35.33°N 97.62°W / 35.33; -97.62 (Southwestern Oklahoma City (April 28, F2)) 02:58–? 7.8 miles (12.6 km) 500 yards (460 m) A strong tornado tore through the South Oklahoma City community. It destroyed 26 planes and four hangers at the South Shields airport while also destroying or severely damaging several farmsteads, a cemetery and several homes and businesses. Damages were estimated at $250,000. Large hail accompanied this storm, destroying crops, breaking windows, and damaging roofs and vehicles. [4][23][24]
[25]
F2 N of Etowah Cleveland OK 35.17°N 97.18°W / 35.17; -97.18 (Etowah (April 28, F2)) 03:00–? 0.1 miles (0.16 km) 10 yards (9.1 m) Brief, but strong tornado destroyed an oil drilling rig. No monetary damage value was given. [4][26][27]
F2 Southwestern Oklahoma City to S of Moore Cleveland OK 35.32°N 97.55°W / 35.32; -97.55 (Southwestern Oklahoma City (April 28, F2)) 03:05–? 3.8 miles (6.1 km) 400 yards (370 m) A second tornado hit the town of Moore shortly after the first. A radio tower and barn southwest of town were destroyed before the tornado caused extensive damage in the town itself. Outbuildings were destroyed and at least 12 buildings were heavily damaged. The storm also produced large hail that damaged crops, broke windows, and damaged roofs and automobiles. Damages were estimated at $250,000 and six people were injured. The NWS Norman says the tornado did $500,000 in damage. [4][25][28]
[29]
F2 W of Cromwell to N of Schoolton Seminole OK 35.35°N 96.53°W / 35.35; -96.53 (Cromwell (April 28, F2)) 05:45–? 6.1 miles (9.8 km) 800 yards (730 m) 3 deaths – Large tornado destroyed a farmstead as well as a house, where all three fatalities occurred. Trees, power lines, and several other farmsteads were damaged as well, including one farmstead where a home was shifted off of its foundation, injuring the person in it. Damage was estimated at $25,000. [4][30][31]
[32]

April 29 event
List of confirmed tornadoes – Friday, April 29, 1960[nb 1][nb 2]
F# Location County / Parish State Start
coord.		 Time (UTC) Path length Max. width Summary Refs.
F0 N of Blackwell Kay OK 36.83°N 97.30°W / 36.83; -97.30 (Blackwell (April 29, F0)) 20:15–? 0.1 miles (0.16 km) 10 yards (9.1 m) A tornado over open field was reported by a pilot. No damage occurred. [4][33][34]
F1 Chanute Neosho KS 37.68°N 95.47°W / 37.68; -95.47 (Chanute (April 29, F1)) 21:07–? 0.1 miles (0.16 km) 10 yards (9.1 m) A brief tornado severly damaged a building on the west side of Chanute by ripping off it roof, causing $2,500 in damage. [4][35][36]
F2 N of Welsh to Raymond to Panchoville to SW of Redich Jefferson Davis LA 30.30°N 92.80°W / 30.30; -92.80 (Welsh (April 29, F2)) 23:00–? 13.8 miles (22.2 km) 1,667 yards (1,524 m) Massive tornado was nearly a 1 mile (1.6 km) wide at times. Along with towns it struck, it also hit areas around Hathaway before ending near Redich and Tepetate. One house was destroyed, seven others were significantly damaged, and 12 more had minor damage. Four people were injured and damages were estimated at $25,000. [4][37][38]
F1 NE of Intracoastal City to New Iberia to Bronson to SW of Portage Vermilion, Iberia LA 29.80°N 92.13°W / 29.80; -92.13 (Intracoastal City (April 29, F1)) 00:00–? 33.2 miles (53.4 km) 450 yards (410 m) Weak but long-tracked, large tornado started near Intracoastal City and moved northeastward through marshlands before crossing into Iberia County. Once there, it struck Southeastern Brousville, Southeastern Numa, Western Brannon, New Iberia, Sumerall, Bryant, Daspit, Bronson, and Gondron before dissipating near Portage. The heaviest damage was at a Naval Air Station Facility in New Iberia. Damages were estimated at $250,000. [4][39][40]

April 30 event
List of known tornadoes – Saturday, April 30, 1960[nb 1][nb 2]
F# Location County / Parish State Start
coord.		 Time (UTC) Path length Max. width Summary Refs.
F1 Atlanta Logan IL 37.68°N 95.47°W / 37.68; -95.47 (Atlanta (April 30, F1)) 13:30–? 0.2 miles (0.32 km) 30 yards (27 m) Tornado caused moderate damage to a farmstead on the west side of Atlanta before moving into the north side of town and dissipating. Damage was estimated at $2,500. [4][41][42]
F1 SSW of Morgan Park Porter IN 41.60°N 87.05°W / 41.60; -87.05 (Morgan Park (April 30, F1)) 19:00–? 0.1 miles (0.16 km) 10 yards (9.1 m) Weak tornado uprooted a tree and damaged four automobiles southeast of Chesterton, causing an injury in one of them. Losses were estimated at $30. [4][43][44]

Oklahoma City–Forest Park, Oklahoma
Oklahoma City–Forest Park, Oklahoma
F3 tornado
Max. rating1F3 tornado
Damage$2.5 million
Casualties57 injuries
Areas affectedEastern Oklahoma City metro
1Most severe tornado damage; see Fujita scale

This very destructive, rain-wrapped F3 tornado embedded within a 3 mi (4.8 km) wide swath of up to 2 in (5.1 cm) hail and straight line winds of nearly 100 miles per hour (160 km/h) first touched down in the Rancho Village community in Southern Oklahoma City. It skipped northeastward, causing heavy damage to homes, businesses, trees, gardens, shrubs, and power lines in the Heronville, Capitol Hill, and Central Capitol Hill neighborhoods. It briefly paralleled the North Canadian River (now known as the Oklahoma River) before crossing it and tearing through the present-day Boathouse District of Southeastern Downtown Oklahoma City, where oil derricks were blown over. The neighborhoods of Carverdale, Edwards Community, Dodson Heights, and Garden Neighborhood Council were then hit as well before the tornado struck Forest Park, Oklahoma. The Rock Manor Estates was heavily damaged before the tornado began to move out of populated areas. It then destroyed some crops before dissipating.[4][21][22]

The tornado traveled 11.7 miles (18.8 km), was 333 yards (304 m) wide, and caused $2.5 million in damage. Two homes were destroyed, 40 others were heavily damaged, and 1,500 others had minor damage. There were 57 injuries, only seven of which were minor, with some people only narrowly escaping death. As a whole, the storm itself caused $4 million in damage to the city.[4][21][22]

Non-tornadic impacts

Numerous reports of large hail and destructive straight-line winds were recorded during the three-day outbreak. [45] The strongest winds from the event were clocked at 85 mph (137 km/h) at Will Rogers World Airport in Southwestern Oklahoma City.[46] The largest hail was 3.00 in (7.6 cm), which was recorded in both Dill City, Oklahoma and Haysville, Kansas.[47][48] All three events occurred on April 28.[45]

See Also

Notes
  1. 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.
  2. Prior to 1994, only the average widths of tornado paths were officially listed.[3]

References
  1. "Tornado Summaries". National Weather Service. National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  2. "April 1960 Tornadoes". Tornado History Projects. Storm Prediction Center. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
  3. Brooks, Harold E. (April 2004). "On the Relationship of Tornado Path Length and Width to Intensity". Weather and Forecasting. Boston: American Meteorological Society. 19 (2): 310. doi:10.1175/1520-0434(2004)019<0310:OTROTP>2.0.CO;2. Retrieved 11 September 2019.
  4. "Storm Data Publication | IPS | National Climatic Data Center (NCDC)". www.ncdc.noaa.gov. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  5. "Oklahoma F0". Tornado History Projects. Storm Prediction Center. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  6. Oklahoma Event Report: F0 Tornado. National Weather Service (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  7. "Oklahoma F3". Tornado History Projects. Storm Prediction Center. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  8. Oklahoma Event Report: F3 Tornado. National Weather Service (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  9. "Kansas F3". Tornado History Projects. Storm Prediction Center. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  10. "Kansas Event Report: F3 Tornado". National Weather Service. National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  11. "Oklahoma F2". Tornado History Projects. Storm Prediction Center. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  12. "Oklahoma Event Report: F2 Tornado". National Weather Service. National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  13. "Oklahoma F2". Tornado History Projects. Storm Prediction Center. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  14. Oklahoma Event Report: F2 Tornado. National Weather Service (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  15. "Oklahoma F3". Tornado History Projects. Storm Prediction Center. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
  16. Oklahoma Event Report: F3 Tornado. National Weather Service (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  17. "Oklahoma F2". Tornado History Projects. Storm Prediction Center. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  18. "Oklahoma Event Report: F2 Tornado". National Weather Service. National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  19. "Oklahoma F3". Tornado History Projects. Storm Prediction Center. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  20. Oklahoma Event Report: F3 Tornado. National Weather Service (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  21. "Oklahoma F3". Tornado History Projects. Storm Prediction Center. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
  22. "Oklahoma Event Report: F3 Tornado". National Weather Service. National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  23. "Oklahoma F2". Tornado History Projects. Storm Prediction Center. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  24. Oklahoma Event Report: F2 Tornado. National Weather Service (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  25. US Department of Commerce, NOAA. "Table of Tornadoes Which Have Occurred in the Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Area Since 1890". www.weather.gov. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  26. "Oklahoma F2". Tornado History Projects. Storm Prediction Center. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  27. Oklahoma Event Report: F2 Tornado. National Weather Service (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  28. "Oklahoma F2". Tornado History Projects. Storm Prediction Center. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  29. Oklahoma Event Report: F2 Tornado. National Weather Service (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  30. "Oklahoma F2". Tornado History Projects. Storm Prediction Center. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  31. Oklahoma Event Report: F2 Tornado. National Weather Service (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  32. US Department of Commerce, NOAA. "Seminole County, OK Tornadoes (1875-Present)". www.weather.gov. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  33. "Oklahoma F0". Tornado History Projects. Storm Prediction Center. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  34. Oklahoma Event Report: F0 Tornado. National Weather Service (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  35. "Kansas F1". Tornado History Projects. Storm Prediction Center. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  36. "Kansas Event Report: F1 Tornado". National Weather Service. National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  37. "Louisiana F2". Tornado History Projects. Storm Prediction Center. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  38. "Louisiana Event Report: F2 Tornado". National Weather Service. National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  39. "Louisiana F1". Tornado History Projects. Storm Prediction Center. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  40. "Louisiana Event Report: F1 Tornado". National Weather Service. National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  41. "Illinois F1". Tornado History Projects. Storm Prediction Center. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  42. "Illinois Event Report: F1 Tornado". National Weather Service. National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  43. "Indiana F1". Tornado History Projects. Storm Prediction Center. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  44. "Indiana Event Report: F1 Tornado". National Weather Service. National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  45. "Non-Tornadic Impacts". National Weather Service. National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  46. Oklahoma Event Report: 74 kts. Thunderstorm Wind. National Weather Service (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  47. "Oklahoma Event Report: 3.00 in. Hail". National Weather Service. National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  48. "Kansas Event Report: 3.00 in. Hail". National Weather Service. National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
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