November 1989 tornado outbreak

Note: the following text and pictures were adapted from public domain National Weather Service documents. See references.
November 1989 Tornado Outbreak

The strong F4 tornado struck Huntsville, Alabama on November 15, 1989, killing 21 people and injuring nearly 500
Type Tornado outbreak
Duration November 15 & 16, 1989
Tornadoes confirmed 40 confirmed
Max rating1 F4 tornado
Duration of tornado outbreak2 22 hours, 55 minutes
Damage $160 million (2005 USD)+
Casualties 21 fatalities (+9 non tornadic), 505 injuries
Areas affected Southern and Eastern United States

1Most severe tornado damage; see Fujita scale

2Time from first tornado to last tornado

The November 1989 Tornado Outbreak was a destructive tornado outbreak on November 15 and 16, 1989 across a wide swath of the southern and eastern United States and into Canada. It produced at least 40 tornadoes and caused 30 deaths as a result of two deadly tornadoes. The most devastating was the Huntsville, Alabama tornado, an F4 which killed 21 on the afternoon of the 15th. Eight more fatalities were reported at a single elementary school by a downburst on the 16th in the Town of Newburgh, New York. Several other significant tornadoes were reported across 15 states.

Confirmed tornadoes

Confirmed tornadoes by Fujita rating
F0 F1 F2 F3 F4 F5 Total
15 15 8 1 1 0 40

November 15 event

F# Location County Time (UTC) Path length Damage
Arkansas
F0 NW of Lepanto Poinsett 1730 unknown
Tennessee
F1 W of Henning Lauderdale 1830 4 miles
(6.4 km)
F2 Trenton Gibson 1855 5 miles
(8 km)
F1 W of Cleveland Bradley 0045 3 miles
(4.8 km)
South Carolina
F2 Greenwood Greenwood 1934 1 miles
(1.6 km)		 47 homes were damaged in a subdivision, four of which were unroofed. One person was injured.
Ohio
F2 N of Mount Gilead Morrow, Richland 2000 23 miles
(37 km)		 A frame home and a mobile home were destroyed near Lexington, and a home was unroofed east of Shauck. Many barns were damaged.
Alabama
F1 SE of Ashland Clay 2020 1 miles
(1.6 km)		 Three people were injured.
F4 Huntsville area Madison 2230 18.5 miles
(30 km)		 21 deaths - Main Huntsville tornado - See section on this tornado
F0 E of Roanoke Randolph 2243 unknown
F1 Stevenson Jackson 2355 1 mile
(1.6 km)
Georgia
F1 W of Oliver Screven 2045 1 mile
(1.6 km)		 Five people were injured.
F2 N of Cave Spring Floyd 2305 8 miles
(13 km)		 Multiple homes were damaged along the path, and numerous barns were destroyed. One large house was torn apart as well and one person was injured. Caused $2,000,000 in damage.
F2 Palmetto area (1st tornado) Coweta, Fulton 2325 4 miles
(6.4 km)		 Tornado struck a trailer park.
F3 N of Clarkesville Habersham 2330 8 miles
(13 km)		 Worst damage occurred in the community of Stonepile. Six homes were destroyed and six others were damaged. 17 large chicken houses were destroyed, killing 250,000 birds. Three people were injured. Tornado up to 1 mile (1.6 km) wide and caused $1,000,000 in damage.
F2 Palmetto area (2nd tornado) Coweta, Fulton 2345 7 miles
(11 km)		 Tornado struck the same trailer park hit by the first Palmetto tornado. 72 trailers were damaged or destroyed, and 50 permanent homes were damaged. Four tractor-trailers were flipped on I-85, injuring the drivers. Another injury occurred when a car was rolled for 100 feet. A mobile news van was thrown 400 feet by the tornado as well. 14 people were injured. Caused $1,200,000 in damage.
Kentucky
F1 SW of Falmouth Pendleton 2109 unknown Two people were injured.
Mississippi
F0 S of De Kalb Kemper 2150 5 miles
(8 km)		 Two homes were destroyed. 15 other homes or barns were damaged. Listed as an F2 by Grazulis.
Sources:National Climatic Data Center, Grazulis (1989)

November 16 event

F# Location County Time (UTC) Path length Damage
West Virginia
F2 SW of Harpers Ferry Jefferson 0900 9 miles
(15 km)		 Three people were injured.
Virginia
F0 E of Amelia Court House Amelia 1315 unknown
New York
F0 SE of Georgetown Madison 1415 2 miles
(3.2 km)
F0 Peekskill Westchester 1515 1 mile
(1.6 km)
F1 Barryville area Sullivan 1540 2 miles
(3.2 km)
F0 W of Long Lake Hamilton 1630 2 miles
(3.2 km)
F1 Porter Corners Saratoga 1720 unknown One person was injured.
F1 S of Corinth Saratoga 1750 unknown
F0 Buskirk Rensselaer 1830 unknown
Maryland
F1 E of Millington Kent 1420 4 miles
(6.4 km)
Pennsylvania
F0 Romansville Chester 1424 unknown
F1 King of Prussia Montgomery 1445 2 miles
(3.2 km)		 Three people were injured.
F0 Telford Montgomery, Bucks 1500 6 miles
(9.5 km)
F1 Yardley Bucks, Mercer (NJ) 1515 5 miles
(8 km)		 One person was injured.
Delaware
F1 Wilmington New Castle 1430 1 mile
(1.6 km)		 One person was injured.
New Jersey
F0 Williamstown Gloucester 1520 1 mile
(1.6 km)		 One person was injured.
F0 SE of Branchville Sussex 1530 1 mile
(1.6 km)
F0 Roseland Essex 1600 unknown
F0 Piscataway Middlesex 1604 1 mile
(1.6 km)
F1 Lyndhurst Bergen 1120 1 mile
(1.6 km)
F1 Rutherford Bergen 1620 1 mile
(1.6 km)
F0 Pleasantdale Union 1625 1 mile
(1.6 km)
Quebec
F2 Mont-Saint-Hilaire La Vallée-du-Richelieu unknown unknown One of the latest season tornadoes ever reported in Canada. Caused $2,000,000 in damage to the community.
Sources:National Climatic Data Center, CRIACC

Huntsville, Alabama tornado

Preparations

Historically, tornadoes are relatively common in north Alabama, where Huntsville and Madison County are located.[1] The region was affected by the April 3–4, 1974, Super Outbreak and records show that Madison County has had 25 tornadoes from 1950 through October 1989.

The Zone and Local Forecasts issued during the early morning, Tuesday, November 14, mentioned the possibility of severe thunderstorms on Wednesday. Subsequent forecasts and statements marked with increasing certainty the ominous nature of the events to come.

The National Severe Storms Forecast Center (NSSFC) issued a Public Severe Weather Outlook at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday[2] and highlighted the unusually strong potential for severe thunderstorms and tornadoes over the Tennessee Valley. The Birmingham Forecast Office followed with a Special Weather Statement at 10:50 a.m. with the headline, "MAJOR SEVERE WEATHER THREAT POISED FOR ALABAMA AND NORTHWEST FLORIDA!".

A Tornado Watch was in effect for Madison and adjacent counties from 12:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.. Soon after the issuance of the watch, emergency management officials, storm spotters and the NWS staff at Huntsville placed into effect a coordinated plan of action in accordance with established procedures. Beginning at 12:45 p.m., WSO Huntsville issued warnings for the west part of its county warning area as an intense squall line moved into northwest Alabama. Storm spotters reported large hail and intense straight-line wind associated with this squall line.

At the time the tornado struck Huntsville, a Severe Thunderstorm Warning was in effect for Madison County. That warning, issued at 4:13 p.m., was changed to a Tornado Warning at 4:35 p.m. based on a report relayed through the amateur radio spotter network of a tornado touchdown in the city. Critical weather information was disseminated over the NOAA Weather Wire Service (NWWS) and NWR and by many media outlets in Huntsville and adjacent areas providing the public with frequent weather updates on radio and "crawls" and live "cut-ins" on television. Links with spotter groups and emergency management and law enforcement officials worked well.

Impact

Wikimedia Commons has media related to 1989 Huntsville Tornado.

On the afternoon of Wednesday, November 15, 1989, around 4:30 p.m., a tornado struck the southern portion of the city of Huntsville cutting a swath of destruction from southwest toward the northeast through a business section and a heavily populated residential area. Twenty-one people died as a result of the tornado and 463 were injured. Eighteen people died in the tornado, and two other people died in early December and one in January from injuries sustained in the tornado. Total damage estimates were placed around $100 million.

The tornado struck during the beginning of rush hour and touched down initially on Redstone Arsenal and then moved into a business area crossing two major north-south highways. Twelve of the 21 deaths (57 percent) occurred in automobiles, a striking similarity to the 1979 Wichita Falls, Texas, tornado. In the Huntsville tornado, most of those killed in cars were in the process of performing normal tasks as opposed to seeking automobiles for safety.

As the thunderstorm moved into the southwest corner of Madison County at 4:15 p.m., the staff on duty at the WSO at Huntsville International Airport observed a wall cloud and rain-free base with the thunderstorm. The wall cloud showed no signs of rotation and dissipated shortly after being spotted.

Shortly after this, between 4:20 and 4:30 p.m., meteorologists working for NASA on the Redstone Arsenal observed a wall cloud and rain-free base with the thunderstorm as it moved across the southern portion of the Arsenal. Around 4:25 p.m., they observed rotation in the wall cloud.

According to information shared with the National Weather Service by Duane Stiegler with Dr. Ted Fujita's group from the University of Chicago, the initial point of damage occurred one mile south-southwest of Madkin Mountain on the Redstone Arsenal near the intersection of Fowler Road and Mills Road. Trees were downed and some roof gutters damaged. From eyewitness accounts of the wall cloud, circulating air may have reached the ground without a visible funnel.

The tornado continued on a northeast track passing northeast of Building 5250 on the Arsenal. Little damage was done to that building. The storm then moved into a sparsely developed area, but it did do about $1 million in damage to Huntsville's garbage-burning plant which was nearing the end of construction.

At this point, the tornado began to cross the old Huntsville Airport and a large portion of the adjacent municipal golf course. It was here that the tornado struck the Huntsville Police Academy which generated one of the first reports of the existence of the tornado. Two officers were injured at the Police Academy.

From the golf course, the tornado entered a business-filled and heavily populated area of Huntsville. The tornado crossed Memorial Parkway (US 231 and State Highway 53), a major north-south traffic artery. The tornado destroyed a number of shopping complexes, office buildings, much of the Waterford Square apartment complex, and churches as it slowly crossed Airport Road. It crossed Whitesburg Drive, another relatively major north-south highway. Nineteen of the twenty-one fatalities occurred in the area between the intersection of Airport Road and Memorial Parkway and the intersection of Airport Road and Whitesburg Drive. Eleven of the deaths occurred in automobiles, four in apartments, and four in commercial buildings.

From the intersection of Whitesburg Drive and Airport Road, the tornado moved up Garth Mountain, as it continued on a northeast course. This took the tornado into a heavily wooded section. As it crossed the top of Garth Mountain and moved down the east side, it struck Jones Valley Elementary School on Garth Road. Thirty-seven children, five teachers, and seven painters were in the school when the tornado struck. The children were part of an Extended Daycare Program conducted at the school. The lead teacher of the day-care program moved the children from the second floor of the school building into a small open area under the stairway on the first floor. This action, first suggested by the school principal as she left for the day, saved the lives of the children.

One woman was killed in an automobile driving along Garth Road on the way to the school.

From the school, the tornado crossed Garth Road and moved across a portion of Jones Valley Subdivision, a development of well-constructed single family homes. The tornado severely damaged or destroyed a number of homes in the Jones Valley subdivision. It continued across Jones Valley moving up Huntsville Mountain. The area from Huntsville Mountain to the end of the tornado path is rural with only scattered structures. The tornado continued to destroy or severely damage whatever structures it encountered.

The tornado topped Huntsville Mountain and moved down the east side crossing US 431. It traveled through this valley in the vicinity of Dug Hill before moving up and over Chestnut Knob. From Chestnut Knob the tornado traversed the Flint River valley referred to as Salty Bottoms, crossing the Flint River and US 72 (Trail of Tears Corridor). It crossed US 72 one mile southeast of Brownsboro.

This storm continued on an east-northeast track over Monte Sano Mountain to a small lake at the headwaters of the Killingsworth Cove Branch, a small creek which feeds into the Flint River. The tornado path ended at the southeast tip of this small lake.

The total path length was 18.5 miles from the initial beginning on the Redstone Arsenal to its end at the headwaters of Killingsworth Cove Branch. The damage path was generally about one half mile wide; however, it reached nearly one mile in width in the Flint River/US 72 area. The tornado was classified as an F4 on the Fujita Tornado Scale.

Damage estimates

Outbreak death toll
State Total County County
total
Alabama 21 Madison 21
New York 9 Orange 9
Totals 30

A summary of damage from reports gathered by the Huntsville Times included:

East Coldenham school downburst

The East Coldenham Elementary School disaster, sometimes known simply as the Coldenham disaster, was a disaster that occurred on November 16, 1989 in the Town of Newburgh, New York, at approx. 11:35 a.m., in which a tornado-strength wind blew down a free-standing cafeteria wall, killing nine students and injuring 18 others. Though the event was officially recorded as a F1 tornado, conclusive evidence from a survey by a team led by Ted Fujita and others indicates that it was a downburst instead.

The East Coldenham Elementary School disaster received a tremendous amount of national and international media coverage at the time of the tragedy because most major news media outlets were at the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, just ten miles away, to cover the awarding of the Sylvanus Thayer Award to former President Ronald Reagan, and accordingly were on site within minutes.[3]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Sherer, Dennis (April 3, 2004). "Night of April 3, 1974, marked change in severe weather alerts, preparedness". Florence, AL: TimesDaily. p. B1. Retrieved March 20, 2010.
  2. ↑ http://www.convectiveoutlook.com/highrisk/19801999/89111512_spc_pswo.htm
  3. ↑ The Middletown (N.Y.) Times Herald Record, November 17, 1989


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