User:ChessEric/Tornado outbreak of March 10–12, 1963
| Type | Tornado outbreak |
|---|---|
| Duration | March 10–12, 1963 |
| Tornadoes confirmed | 18 |
| Max. rating1 | F4 tornado |
| Duration of tornado outbreak2 | 1 day, 18 hours, 25 minutes |
| Fatalities | 6 fatalities, 38 injuries |
| Damage | $9.653 million[1] |
| Areas affected | Southeastern United States |
Part of the tornado outbreaks of 1963 1Most severe tornado damage; see Fujita scale 2Time from first tornado to last tornado | |
A destructive and deadly tornado outbreak struck the Southeastern United States in Mid-March 1963. A total of 18 tornadoes touched down, 14 of which were significant (F2+) with all of them taking place on March 11. This included two violent F4 tornadoes that took place in Alabama and Mississippi. Overall, the outbreak killed six, injured 38, and left $9.653 million in damage.
Meteorological synopsis[edit]
A low-pressure system formed over Northern New Mexico on Match 10. It moved quickly east-northeastward into Northeastern Kansas the next morning and into Northeastern Illinois the following morning.[2][3]
Confirmed tornadoes[edit]
| FU | F0 | F1 | F2 | F3 | F4 | F5 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 0 | 4 | 11 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 18 |
March 10 event[edit]
| F# | Location | County / Parish | State | Start coord. |
Time (UTC) | Path length | Max. width | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F1 | Jonah | Williamsom | TX | 30°38′N 97°32′W / 30.63°N 97.53°W | 04:00–04:30 | 0.5 miles (0.80 km) | 200 yards (180 m) | This weak tornado caused minor damage in Jonah. Power and telephone services were disrupted, small trees were uprooted, signs were smashed, blowing over barns and outbuildings, and destroying an unoccupied building. A cotton trailer was thrown over a bran, blowing out all four tires. Losses totaled $250. |
| F1 | Western Mart | McLennan | TX | 31°33′N 96°51′W / 31.55°N 96.85°W | 04:13–? | 1 mile (1.6 km) | 17 yards (16 m) | A small tornado destroyed a garage and two barns. Losses totaled anywhere from $2,000 (Storm Data) to $2,500 (NCDC). |
| Sources:NCDC reports, StormData, CDNS report | ||||||||
March 11 event[edit]
| F# | Location | County / Parish | State | Start coord. |
Time (UTC) | Path length | Max. width | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F3 | Southern Kaufman | Kaufman | TX | 32°35′N 96°18′W / 32.58°N 96.3°W | 06:15–06:20 | 2 miles (3.2 km) | 33 yards (30 m) | Intense tornado bounced through Kaufman in a circuitous course, passing two blocks south of the town square from the southwest. A total of 30-50 buildings were damaged in a thinly populated part of town, including a 100-by-40-foot (30 by 12 m) grain storage building owned by the Nash Garden Company that was destroyed with losses there totaling $100,000. The tin roof of the AA Farmers Cooperative Gin was strewn over four blocks and wallpaper at one residence was "sucked" off the walls. Losses totaled $250,000. Grazulis did not list the tornado as an F2 or stronger.[6] |
| F2 | NW of Coal Fire to Ashcraft Corner | Pickens, Fayette | AL | 33°25′N 88°06′W / 33.42°N 88.1°W | 20:00–? | 0.1 miles (0.16 km)[nb 4] | 440 yards (400 m) | This large, strong tornado traveled northeastward through rural communities of Northern Pickens and Southwestern Fayette Counties. In Ashcraft Corner, one home and several farm buildings were destroyed and another home and a church was damaged. Elsewhere, the tornado destroyed two additional homes and damaged a number of others. Numerous trees were blown down along the path as well and losses totaled $25,000.[6] |
| F1 | Townley to Holly Grove | Walker | AL | 33°50′N 87°26′W / 33.83°N 87.43°W | 20:00–? | 0.1 miles (0.16 km) | 10 yards (9.1 m) | A northeastward-moving tornado unroofed and dismantled some walls of a home in Townley. Several other structures in Townley were damaged as well. Losses totaled $25,000. The damage path was probably much longer as it reportedly crossed through much of the county, but since it occurred in rural areas, it was not documented well. Grazulis classified the tornado as an F2 and listed a 3-mile-long (4.8 km) path.[6] |
| F4 | Valley Grove to Berlin to Fairview to Holly Pond | Cullman | AL | 33°54′N 86°54′W / 33.9°N 86.9°W | 20:00–? | 28 miles (45 km) | 880 yards (800 m) | 2 deaths – This large, violent tornado touched down Valley Grove and caused major damage as it moved northeastward through Phelan, Berlin, Fairview and Holly Pond. A total of 20 homes and 20 farm buildings were demolished, at least 120 other homes and several other structures were damaged, and there was considerable timber damage along the path. The two deaths occurred in two separate homes. Six others were injured, and losses totaled $2.5 million.[6] |
| F2 | W of Pea Ridge to Flatwoods to Ethridge | Lawrence | TN | 35°15′N 87°26′W / 35.25°N 87.43°W | 21:10–? | 10.3 miles (16.6 km) | 300 yards (270 m) | Strong tornado moved through areas northwest of Lawrenceburg, touching down near US 64. Several barns and 20 houses were damaged or destroyed, utility lines were downed and trees were uprooted. A woman suffered cuts and bruises in the Cross Roads community and losses totaled $250,000.[6] |
| F2 | Versailles | Rutherford | TN | 35°15′N 87°26′W / 35.25°N 87.43°W | 22:20–? | 2 miles (3.2 km) | 100 yards (91 m) | This strong tornado damaged two homes and destroyed five farm buildings. Losses totaled $25,000. The funnel cloud from this tornado was reportedly seen.[6] |
| F2 | NW of Fairview to Westpoint to Dunn to Bodenham | Wayne, Lawrence, Giles | TN | 35°06′N 87°44′W / 35.1°N 87.73°W | 23:00–? | 29.1 miles (46.8 km) | 100 yards (91 m) | This strong tornado touched down and immediately destroyed the home of a family of four, injuring all of them when they were blown 200 yards (180 m) out into a field with two of them receiving broken bones. After passing through Geneva and Upper Holly Creek, the tornado struck Westpoint, causing heavy damage there. It continued to cause tree damage as it moved through Mt Zion and Long Branch before causing additional heavy damage in Dunn and New Prospect. It then caused some additional damage in Bodenham before dissipating. Along the path, several homes, a church, and other buildings were damaged or destroyed, livestock was killed, and utilities and timber were extensively damaged. An infant in Wesleys Chapel was also injured and losses totaled $250,000. |
| F2 | Pogo | Franklin | AL | 34°36′N 88°06′W / 34.60°N 88.10°W | 23:25–? | 0.1 miles (0.16 km) | 33 yards (30 m) | A strong tornado struck the community of Pogo. Two homes were destroyed, four others were damaged, and 15 outbuildings were damaged or destroyed. Damage was estimated at $25,000. Additional damage was done here and throughout the county due to flooding caused by heavy rain. |
| F4 | ||||||||
| Sources:NCDC reports, StormData, CDNS report, NWS Birmingham tornado reports | ||||||||
March 12 event[edit]
| F# | Location | County / Parish | State | Start coord. |
Time (UTC) | Path length | Max. width | Summary | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F1 | |||||||||
| Sources:NCDC report, StormData, CDNS report | |||||||||
Hesterville–Bywy–Reform–Maben, Mississippi[edit]
| F4 tornado | |
|---|---|
| Max. rating1 | F4 tornado |
| Fatalities | 2 fatalities, 7 injuries |
| Damage | $25,000 (1963 USD) |
| Areas affected | Central Mississippi |
| 1Most severe tornado damage; see Fujita scale | |
A large, violent tornado, which was may have been a tornado family, formed close to Hesterville and moved northeastward quickly growing size and strength as it moved through Attala County. One home was obliterated with debris from it scattered over a 1-mile-area (1.6 km). The elderly woman inside was injured when she and her mattress was thrown 50 yards (46 m). A pickup truck downstream was thrown 40–50 feet (13–17 yd) into the top of pine trees before landing top down on the ground. The driver was ejected and injured. Five h-structure high-voltage power poles were destroyed, tree were flattened, several farms were damaged, and a parked pickup truck near Salem was rolled several times.
The tornado then entered Choctaw County, possibly reforming as the storm moved northeastward before growing to a 1⁄2-mile-wide (0.80 km) and striking the town of Bywy as well as the area between Reform and Sherwood. It affected 20 families as it destroyed seven homes, damaged many others, and scattered household items over 10 miles (16 km) away from its original location. A house north of Reform, was picked up and tossed it 200 feet (67 yd) before it was demolished with debris from it scattered over a 1⁄4-mile-area (0.40 km). Two people were killed and five people were injured.
Non-tornadic impacts[edit]
See Also[edit]
Notes[edit]
- ^ a b c 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.
- ^ a b c Prior to 1994, only the average widths of tornado paths were officially listed.[4]
- ^ a b c Prior to 1994, the damage costs of storms were listed by damage class. Values listed in Storm Data are the medians of those classes.[5]
- ^ The NWS Birmingham and Grazulis indicate that the tornado traveled 7 miles (11 km), but digital databases list a path length of 0.1 miles.
References[edit]
- ^ "Tornado Summaries". National Weather Service. National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved 30 November 2020.
- ^ a b "Storm Data Publication | IPS | National Climatic Data Center (NCDC)". www.ncdc.noaa.gov. Retrieved 24 August 2020.
- ^ "Climatological Data National Summary Publication | IPS | National Climatic Data Center (NCDC)". www.ncdc.noaa.gov. Retrieved 1 September 2020.
- ^ Brooks, Harold E. (April 2004). "On the Relationship of Tornado Path Length and Width to Intensity". Weather and Forecasting. 19 (2). Boston: American Meteorological Society: 310. doi:10.1175/1520-0434(2004)019<0310:OTROTP>2.0.CO;2. Retrieved 11 September 2019.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: ref duplicates default (link) - ^ "The 10 Costliest U.S. Tornadoes since 1950". Storm Prediction Center. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f Grazulis, Thomas P. (July 1993). Significant Tornadoes 1680–1991: A Chronology and Analysis of Events. St. Johnsbury, Vermont: The Tornado Project of Environmental Films. p. 1044. ISBN 1-879362-03-1.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: ref duplicates default (link) - ^ "Non-tornadic impacts". National Weather Service. National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved 30 November 2020.
Category:Tornadoes of 1963 Category:F4 tornadoes Category:1963 in Texas Category:1963 in Mississippi Category:1963 in Alabama Category:Tornadoes in Texas Category:Tornadoes in Mississippi Category:Tornadoes in Alabama