February 1950 tornado outbreak

February 1950 tornado outbreak

Type	Tornado outbreak
Duration	February 11–13, 1950
Tornadoes confirmed	≥ 19
Max rating^1	F4 tornado
Duration of tornado outbreak^2	1 day, 11 hours, 50 minutes
Casualties	± 45 fatalities, 201 injuries
Areas affected	Mainly Red River and lower Mississippi Valleys
^1Most severe tornado damage; see Fujita scale ^2Time from first tornado to last tornado

The February 1950 tornado outbreak was a deadly tornado outbreak that devastated parts of Louisiana and Tennessee on February 11–13, 1950. The outbreak covered about a day and a half and produced numerous tornadoes, mostly from East Texas to the lower Mississippi Valley, with activity concentrated in Texas and Louisiana. Most of the deaths occurred in Louisiana and Tennessee, where tornadoes killed 28 and nine people, respectively. Several long-lived tornado families struck the Red River region of northwestern Louisiana, especially the Shreveport–Bossier City area. One of the tornadoes attained violent intensity, F4,^{[nb 1]} on the Fujita scale and caused 18 deaths, including six at the Shreveport Holding and Reconsignment Depot near Barksdale Air Force Base. It remains one of the top ten deadliest tornadoes on record in the state of Louisiana, in eighth place.^[5]

Also in Louisiana, two other destructive tornadoes on parallel paths killed five each. Five additional deaths occurred across the border in East Texas. Nine people died in a tornado in western Tennessee as well. In all, official data indicate that the entire outbreak killed 45 people and left about 200 injured, though tornado researcher Thomas P. Grazulis counted 42 deaths in a reanalysis published in 1993.^[6][7] The number of confirmed tornadoes, 19, is likely an underestimate, given the lack of NEXRAD and sparse storm spotting in the early 1950s.^[8] Also, several long-tracked tornadoes recorded in the outbreak likely contained more, shorter-lived tornadoes.^[7] Reports indicate that at least seven other tornadoes may have occurred, potentially bringing the number of tornadoes to at least 26, and the actual total was likely higher.^[7][9]

Confirmed tornadoes

Confirmed tornadoes by Fujita rating

F0	F1	F2	F3	F4	F5	Total
0	5	10	3	1	0	19

February 11 event

List of confirmed tornadoes - Saturday, February 11, 1950
F#	Location	County/Parish	Coord.	Time (UTC)	Path length	Damage
Texas
F2	Alvin to Webster	Brazoria	29°25′N 95°15′W / 29.42°N 95.25°W	1910	9.9 miles (15.9 km)	The first confirmed tornado of the outbreak struck 20 structures in the Alvin area, where numerous homes and business establishments lost their roofs or were destroyed. Losses reached $75,000 in 1950 U.S. dollars.[10]
F3	W of La Porte to E of Highlands	Harris	29°40′N 95°03′W / 29.67°N 95.05°W	1950	12 miles (19.3 km)	1 death – An intense tornado tracked across western La Porte, damaging 25 homes in its path, some of which were flattened. Other homes lost their roofs, and in all, some 200 structures sustained damage. 12 injuries took place, and a female centenarian was killed.[10][6] Contemporary losses reached $200,000.[10]
F2	E of Tyler	Smith	35°00′N 95°12′W / 35°N 95.2°W	0300	4.6 miles (7.4 km)	A strong tornado developed just east of Tyler and struck the Chappell Hill settlement. There, the tornado leveled 16 structures, including three homes and the store of a blacksmith. The tornado passed within 300 yards (270 m) of a church with 300 people in attendance. Five people were injured, and losses reached $100,000.[10][6]
F2	S of Hughes Springs	Cass, Morris	32°59′N 94°38′W / 32.98°N 94.63°W	0555	4.5 miles (7.2 km)	A tornado moved through residential areas of Hughes Springs, striking the east side of the town. There, 15 homes were a total loss and 24 others received damage.[10] Six injuries occurred.[6] The tornado may have been the same as the deadly event that struck Corley after midnight CST.[10][6]

February 12 event

List of confirmed tornadoes - Sunday, February 12, 1950
F#	Location	County/Parish	Coord.	Time (UTC)	Path length	Damage
Texas
F2	W of Maud to New Boston	Bowie	33°20′N 94°25′W / 33.33°N 94.42°W	0630	8 miles (12.9 km)	1 death – Possibly continuous with the Hughes Springs event, this tornado crossed the northern part of Corley, affecting 15 homes, some of which were wrecked. One death occurred in the Corley area, and there were eight injuries.[10][6] Total losses from both tornadoes reached $200,000. According to Thomas P. Grazulis, both events were the same tornado and attained F3 intensity, not the official F2 designation.[10]
F1	Dublin area	Erath	32°05′N 98°21′W / 32.08°N 98.35°W	0715	2.3 miles (3.7 km)	A weak tornado seriously damaged five buildings in the Dublin area.[9]
F2	Groesbeck area	Limestone	31°31′N 96°33′W / 31.52°N 96.55°W	1210	3.4 miles (5.5 km)	This tornado struck 20 homes and business establishments as it entered Groesbeck. Several of the structures lost their roofs or were destroyed. Debris rained on the courthouse in town, though the tornado dissipated beforehand. Losses reached $25,000.[10]
F1	SE of Joaquin	Shelby	31°48′N 94°12′W / 31.8°N 94.2°W	1757	7.7 miles (12.4 km)	A tornado caused severe damage to many homes and killed hundreds of chickens near Haslam.[9] At least one home was leveled, possibly leading to a few deaths.[10] 32 or more injuries occurred just south of Haslam, in the Fellowship settlement, and elsewhere along the path.[6][10]
F3	SW of Center	Shelby	31°48′N 94°12′W / 31.8°N 94.2°W	1800	1.9 miles (3.1 km)	3 deaths – An intense tornado struck the Jericho settlement near Center, causing damage to numerous structures in the area.[9] 15 people were injured.[6] The three confirmed deaths may have actually occurred in connection with the preceding tornado. This and the previous event may have been the same tornado and may have continued into Louisiana, forming part of the track of the Logansport–Shreveport F4 tornado.[10]
Mississippi
F2	W of New Albany	Union	34°36′N 89°07′W / 34.6°N 89.12°W	1800	0.1 miles (0.2 km)	3 deaths – Starting west of New Albany, this tornado leveled a small residence in its path. Additionally, it destroyed three barns nearby.[11] Two people were injured.[6]
F1	SW of New Albany	Union	34°36′N 89°07′W / 34.6°N 89.12°W	1800	2 miles (3.2 km)	A brief tornado struck several homes and a barn near Hell Creek. Three of the homes lost their roofs, and at least one home and barn were flattened.[10] At least one of the two Mississippi tornadoes may have actually occurred at 3:20 a.m. CST on February 13 and not at the time listed in the official records.[7]
Arkansas
F2	S of Sardis	Grant	34°29′N 92°24′W / 34.48°N 92.4°W	1830	0.1 miles (0.2 km)	A brief but strong tornado swept away a barn and flattened a home in the Cane Creek area.[10] Trees in the vicinity were felled as well.[9]
F2	S of Mount Holly	Union	33°16′N 92°57′W / 33.27°N 92.95°W	2100	5.7 miles (9.2 km)	Another strong tornado damaged electrical wires, a store, and an oil camp.[9] Additionally, the tornado leveled many barns and three homes. Losses reached $20,000.[11]
Louisiana
F4	Logansport to W of Millerton	DeSoto, Caddo, Bossier, Webster	31°58′N 94°00′W / 31.97°N 94.0°W	1900	82.6 miles (132.9 km)	18 deaths – The deadliest tornado of the outbreak, a long-tracked F4 that struck several cities, was probably a tornado family. It first touched down in Logansport and traveled north-northeast.[6] Near Logansport, the tornado caused one death and wrecked 12 homes. This segment of the path may have been continuous with one of the tornadoes in Shelby County, Texas.[10] The tornado then struck the north edge of Stonewall and continued into Forbing, where it leveled homes on the northwest side of the community. On the southern outskirts of Shreveport, the tornado caused two more deaths before striking the Shreveport Holding and Reconsignment Depot near Barksdale Air Force Base, known then as Slack AFB.[10][12] The tornado destroyed the Depot, causing the deaths of six people, including five airmen and a civilian worker. Nearby, injuries occurred in a mess hall and barracks as the tornado hit the AFB.[10] With a forward speed of 35 mph (56 km/h), the parent supercell progressed into Arkansas, where it later spawned the Mount Holly F2 tornado.[9][11] At least 18 people were killed and 77 were injured.[6] The 20 mi (32.2 km) of the path from near Stonewall to the AFB may have been a distinct tornado, and others may have occurred at both ends of the track in Louisiana.[10]
F2	NW of Mansfield to W of Haynesville	DeSoto, Red River, Caddo, Bossier, Webster, Claiborne	32°12′N 93°35′W / 32.2°N 93.58°W	1920	58.4 miles (94.0 km)	5+ deaths – A very long-tracked tornado—also likely a tornado family—largely struck rural areas for most of its life,[9] but caused substantial loss of life. It developed near the community of Grand Cane and paralleled the previous F4 event,[10][9] passing northwest of the town of Mansfield.[10] The tornado then affected the Sligo area, devastating a cultivated area. On a plantation, the tornado leveled a tenant home, killing three family members inside the structure. Nearby, the tornado overturned a vehicle onto a pedestrian who was sheltering in a ditch, crushing him to death.[10] At least one additional fatality took place before the tornado dissipated;[6] according to Grazulis, there were two more deaths in the Grand Cane area, bringing the death toll to seven rather than the official total of five.[10] At least 10[6]—possibly 30[10]—injuries occurred. While the tornado is officially rated F2, a reassessment by Grazulis in 1993 awarded an F3 rating to the event.[10] Grazulis only analyzed a path length of 35 mi (56.3 km), suggesting that the latter part of the track may have consisted of separate, weaker tornadoes.[10]
F3	Zwolle to Gibsland	Sabine, Natchitoches, Red River, Bienville, Claiborne	31°38′N 93°39′W / 31.63°N 93.65°W	2000	74.5 miles (119.9 km)	5+ deaths – This was the third and final long-tracked tornado to affect northwestern Louisiana on February 12. Like the others in the series, it was also a probable tornado family. It first touched down in Zwolle, causing minor, F1-level damage, intermingled with downburst-related effects.[7] The worst damage occurred in the settlement of Roy, where sawmill operations ran. There, the tornado affected 25 homes, some of which were leveled, with several deaths in one of them; the exact number is disputed, with Grazulis indicating six[7] and official data indicating five at most.[6] At least two other deaths may have occurred in Roy and are listed in the work of Grazulis,[7] but are unofficial.[6] The tornado then missed the town of Castor by a short distance, passing from southeast to northeast of town. One final death is noted northeast of Castor by Grazulis,[7] but again is not recorded on official databases.[6] The tornado obliterated numerous small homes in its path, but its damage is poorly documented outside Roy. The tornado carried bodies as far as .25 mi (0.4 km) from their original locations.[7] Grazulis only listed a path length of 10 mi (16.1 km), so the rest of the path likely consisted of distinct tornadoes and downbursts.[7] At least 25 people sustained injuries,[6] and perhaps as many as 40 were injured.[7]
F1	E of Epps	East Carroll	32°36′N 91°20′W / 32.6°N 91.33°W	0500	0.5 miles (0.8 km)	A brief, weak tornado struck several structures, causing minimal damage.[9]

February 13 event

List of confirmed tornadoes - Monday, February 13, 1950
F#	Location	County/Parish	Coord.	Time (UTC)	Path length	Damage
Tennessee
F1	S of Rosemark	Shelby	35°21′N 89°46′W / 35.35°N 89.77°W	0700	0.2 miles (0.3 km)	A short-lived tornado destroyed outbuildings and caused extensive damage to a few farmhouses. Eight people were injured inside one of the houses.[9][6]
F2	SE of Ripley	Lauderdale	35°45′N 89°29′W / 35.75°N 89.48°W	0800	0.2 miles (0.3 km)	9 deaths – A very brief but devastating tornado struck the Hurricane Hill community, leveling a few small homes on the hilltop. Two parents and their six offspring were inside one of the homes that was swept away. The structure, which was poorly built, was lofted 85 yards (78 m) before disintegrating, killing all nine occupants.[11] One injury occurred as well.[6]

Other tornadoes

Besides the officially documented tornadoes, several other events were identified as tornadoes by Grazulis in his 1993 documentation. The official Climatological Data National Summary of February 1950 also identified one tornado that, like the others listed below, does not appear in the archives of the Storm Prediction Center. They are as follows.

• Anderson County, Texas (Montalba) – Possible F2 tornado leveled a farmhouse and several barns, dispersing their contents for up to a mile. Listed by Grazulis.^[10]
• Camp, Titus, and Morris counties, Texas (east of Pine to Omaha) – Possible F2 tornado flattened a couple of homes near Pine, with two injuries. Losses were $70,000 from the tornado in Omaha, where the tornado leveled several homes and a gymnasium at a school. Listed by Grazulis.^[10]
• Falls County, Texas (Baileyville) – Possible F2 tornado flattened as many as ten homes, with five injuries. Listed by Grazulis.^[10]
• Harrison County, Texas (Gill) – Possible F2 tornado wrecked four homes, with 10 injuries. Listed by Grazulis.^[10]
• Polk and Angelina counties, Texas (south of Lufkin to south of Huntington) – Possible F2 tornado struck two rural communities, sweeping away one home and strewing the debris for acres. A father and his two children died, and three other people sustained injuries, including the mother of the children. Listed by Grazulis.^[10]
• Nacogdoches County, Texas (Chireno area) – Possible F2 tornado wrecked six homes, with two injuries. Listed by Grazulis.^[10]
• Jefferson County, Texas (Lovell Lake/LaBelle area) – Possible tornado with one injury. Listed by the Climatological Data National Summary.^[9]

See also

• List of tornadoes striking downtown areas
• List of North American tornadoes and tornado outbreaks
• Tornado History Project: February 11–13, 1950

Notes

1. The Fujita scale was devised under the aegis of scientist T. Theodore Fujita in the early 1970s. Prior to the advent of the scale in 1971, tornadoes in the United States were officially unrated.^[1] While the Fujita scale has been superseded by the Enhanced Fujita scale in the U.S. since February 1, 2007,^[2] Canada utilized the old scale until April 1, 2013;^[3] nations elsewhere, like the United Kingdom, apply other classifications such as the TORRO scale.^[4]

References

1. Grazulis, Thomas P. (2001). The Tornado: Nature's Ultimate Windstorm. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press. p. 141. ISBN 978-0-8061-3538-0.
2. Edwards, Roger (5 March 2015). "Enhanced F Scale for Tornado Damage". The Online Tornado FAQ (by Roger Edwards, SPC). Storm Prediction Center. Retrieved 25 February 2016.
3. "Enhanced Fujita Scale (EF-Scale)". Environment and Climate Change Canada. Environment and Climate Change Canada. 6 June 2013. Archived from the original on 2016-02-25. Retrieved 25 February 2016.
4. "The International Tornado Intensity Scale". Tornado and Storm Research Organisation. Tornado and Storm Research Organisation. 2016. Archived from the original on 2016-02-25. Retrieved 25 February 2016.
5. Grazulis, Thomas P.; Grazulis, Doris (26 April 2000). "The Most "Important" US Tornadoes by State". The Tornado Project Online. The Tornado Project. Archived from the original on 2016-03-02. Retrieved 2 March 2016.
6. "Storm Prediction Center WCM Page: Severe Weather Database Files (1950-2014)". Storm Prediction Center. Storm Prediction Center. 17 March 2015. Retrieved 1 March 2016.
7. Grazulis, Thomas P. (July 1993). Significant Tornadoes, 1680–1991: a Chronology and Analysis of Events. St. Johnsbury, Vermont: The Tornado Project of Environmental Films. pp. 953–954. ISBN 1-879362-03-1.
8. Cook, A. R.; Schaefer, J. T. (August 2008). "The Relation of El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) to Winter Tornado Outbreaks". Monthly Weather Review. 136: 3121–3137. Bibcode:2008MWRv..136.3121C. doi:10.1175/2007MWR2171.1. Retrieved 1 March 2016.
9. "Storm Data". Climatological Data National Summary. 1 (2): 10–11. February 1950.
10. Grazulis 1993, p. 953
11. Grazulis 1993, p. 954
12. Murdock, Scott D. (1998). "Barksdale AFB Off-Base Sites". Scott's USAF Installations Page. Airforcebase.net. Archived from the original on 2016-03-01. Retrieved 1 March 2016.