Tornado outbreak sequence of June 1966
Parts of this article (those related to Confirmed tornadoes) need to be updated.(September 2020) |
This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (April 2012) |
Type | Tornado outbreak |
---|---|
Duration | June 3–12 |
Tornadoes confirmed | 57 |
Max. rating1 | F5 tornado |
Duration of tornado outbreak2 | ~11 days |
Fatalities | 18 fatalities, 543 injuries |
Damage | $250 million (1966 USD) $2,348 million (2023 USD)[1] |
Areas affected | Southern and Midwestern United States, Great Plains |
Part of the tornado outbreaks of 1966 1Most severe tornado damage; see Fujita scale 2Time from first tornado to last tornado |
The Tornado outbreak sequence of June 1966[nb 1][nb 2] was a series of tornado outbreaks which occurred between June 2 and June 12. The nearly two week event of severe weather was mainly concentrated in the Midwestern (Great Plains) region of the United States, but was widely spread out to areas as far south as Texas and Florida, and as far east as New York.
The most destructive tornado of this event occurred on the early evening of Wednesday, June 8, 1966, when Topeka, Kansas was struck by an F5 rated tornado. It started on the southwest side of town, moving northeast, passing through several subdivisions and over a local landmark named Burnett's Mound. 57 tornadoes were confirmed during the 11-day span, which left 18 people dead and 543 injured (16 of the 18 deaths and 450 of the injuries were attributed to the Topeka tornado).
Confirmed tornadoes
FU | F0 | F1 | F2 | F3 | F4 | F5 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
5 | 12 | 17 | 18 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 57 |
June 3 event
List of reported tornadoes - Friday, June 3, 1966 | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
F# | County | Coord. | Time (UTC) | Path length | Damage | |
South Dakota | ||||||
F? | Aurora | 43°54′N 98°54′W / 43.9°N 98.9°W | 2300 | 0.1 miles (0.2 km) | Brief touchdown, no damage reported. Tornado was confirmed but was not given a rating. | |
F0 | Yankton | 42°54′N 97°24′W / 42.9°N 97.4°W | 0200 | 0.1 miles (0.2 km) | Brief touchdown, no damage reported. | |
Sources: [2],[3] |
June 4 event
List of reported tornadoes - Saturday, June 4, 1966 | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
F# | County | Coord. | Time (UTC) | Path length | Damage |
Colorado | |||||
F0 | Logan | 40°56′N 103°11′W / 40.93°N 103.18°W | 2300 | 0.1 miles (0.2 km) | Brief touchdown, no damage reported. |
Wisconsin | |||||
F2 | Oconto | 45°01′N 88°23′W / 45.02°N 88.38°W | 0100 | 5.4 miles (8.7 km) | First of the F2 triplet tornadoes in Oconto County. Barns were destroyed. |
F2 | Oconto | 44°57′N 88°20′W / 44.95°N 88.33°W | 0100 | 4.9 miles (7.9 km) | Second of the F2 triplet tornadoes in Oconto County. |
F2 | Oconto | 44°53′N 88°18′W / 44.88°N 88.3°W | 0100 | 4.7 miles (7.6 km) | Last of the F2 triplet tornadoes in Oconto County. |
Nebraska | |||||
F? | Morrill | 41°44′N 102°52′W / 41.73°N 102.87°W | 0148 | 0.1 miles (0.2 km) | Brief touchdown, no damage reported. |
South Dakota | |||||
F2 | Gregory | 43°14′N 99°26′W / 43.23°N 99.43°W | 330 | 1 mile (1.6 km) | 1.5 mile wide tornado caused severe damage. |
June 5 event
List of reported tornadoes - Sunday, June 5, 1966 | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
F# | County | Coord. | Time (UTC) | Path length | Damage |
Nebraska | |||||
F2 | Boone | 41°42′N 98°10′W / 41.7°N 98.17°W | 0608 | 0.7 miles (1.1 km) | 1 Injury – Brief touchdown injured one person. |
F? | Madison | 41°00′N 97°36′W / 41°N 97.6°W | 0612 | 0.1 miles (0.2 km) | Brief touchdown, no damage reported. Tornado was confirmed but was not given an F-Scale intensity. |
Minnesota | |||||
F0 | Pipestone | 43°58′N 96°05′W / 43.97°N 96.08°W | 1200 | 0.1 miles (0.2 km) | Brief touchdown caused minor damage. |
Oklahoma | |||||
F0 | Baine | 35°51′N 98°28′W / 35.85°N 98.47°W | 2300 | 0.1 miles (0.2 km) | Brief touchdown, no damage reported. |
F2 | Kay | 36°50′N 97°24′W / 36.83°N 97.4°W | 2350 | 2.5 miles (4.0 km) | 1 Injury – A house was pushed 12 feet off of its foundation and another was badly damaged. Barns were destroyed as well. |
F0 | Garfield | 36°29′N 97°53′W / 36.48°N 97.88°W | 0030 | 4.3 miles (6.9 km) | No damage reported. First of four tornadoes to hit Garfield County in only 30 minutes. |
F1 | Grant | 36°40′N 97°37′W / 36.67°N 97.62°W | 0030 | 1.4 miles (2.3 km) | Quarter-mile-wide tornado caused damage to structures. |
F2 | Garfield | 36°28′N 97°53′W / 36.47°N 97.88°W | 0035 | 0.1 miles (0.2 km) | 6 Injuries – Tornado struck Enid and caused $250,000 in damages. 3 trailers were destroyed and 3 others were damaged. 11 homes had their roofs torn off and 112 others were damaged. Boxcars were overturned and a truck garage was destroyed. Second of four tornadoes to hit Garfield County in only 30 minutes. |
F0 | Garfield | 36°18′N 98°06′W / 36.3°N 98.1°W | 0055 | 3.8 miles (6.1 km) | Third of four tornadoes to hit Garfield County in only 30 minutes. |
F1 | Garfield | 36°22′N 97°54′W / 36.37°N 97.9°W | 0100 | 5.7 miles (9.2 km) | Last of four tornadoes to hit Garfield County in only 30 minutes. |
Missouri | |||||
F1 | Gentry | 40°14′N 94°17′W / 40.23°N 94.28°W | 0000 | 0.1 miles (0.2 km) | Brief touchdown caused minor damage. |
Iowa | |||||
F2 | Linn | 42°17′N 91°30′W / 42.28°N 91.5°W | 0430 | 0.1 miles (0.2 km) |
June 6 event
List of reported tornadoes - Monday, June 6, 1966 | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
F# | County | Coord. | Time (UTC) | Path length | Damage |
Kentucky | |||||
F2 | McCracken, Madison | 36°58′N 88°37′W / 36.97°N 88.62°W | 1800 | 18.5 miles (29.8 km) | Strong tornado injured two. Grazulis did not list this event, impling that the damage was actually caused by straight-line winds.[4] |
Florida | |||||
F1 | Pinellas | 27°55′N 82°45′W / 27.92°N 82.75°W | 2030 | 0.3 miles (0.5 km) | Brief touchdown injured one. |
June 7 event
List of reported tornadoes - Tuesday, June 7, 1966 | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
F# | County | Coord. | Time (UTC) | Path length | Damage |
Kansas | |||||
F? | Wallace | 38°51′N 101°42′W / 38.85°N 101.7°W | 2310 | 0.1 miles (0.2 km) | Brief touchdown, no damage reported. Tornado was confirmed but was not given an F-Scale intensity. |
F0 | McPherson | 38°12′N 97°31′W / 38.2°N 97.52°W | 2330 | 0.1 miles (0.2 km) | Brief touchdown caused minor damage. |
F? | Ellis | 38°47′N 99°29′W / 38.78°N 99.48°W | 0100 | 0.1 miles (0.2 km) | Brief touchdown caused minor damage. Tornado was confirmed but was not given an F-Scale intensity. |
Missouri | |||||
F0 | Stoddard | 37°06′N 89°55′W / 37.1°N 89.92°W | 2330 | 0.1 miles (0.2 km) | Brief touchdown caused minor damage. |
Oklahoma | |||||
F0 | Ellis | 37°06′N 89°55′W / 37.1°N 89.92°W | 0000 | 0.1 miles (0.2 km) | Brief touchdown, no damage reported. |
June 8 event
List of reported tornadoes - Wednesday, June 8, 1966 | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
F# | County | Coord. | Time (UTC) | Path length | Damage |
Florida | |||||
F0 | Miami-Dade | 25°45′N 80°15′W / 25.75°N 80.25°W | 1200 | 4.9 miles (7.9 km) | No damage reported. |
F1 | Miami-Dade | 25°36′N 80°18′W / 25.6°N 80.3°W | 1700 | 0.1 miles (0.2 km) | Brief touchdown caused minor damage. |
Kansas | |||||
F0 | Rice | 38°15′N 98°24′W / 38.25°N 98.4°W | 2118 | 0.1 miles (0.2 km) | Brief touchdown, no damage reported. |
F2 | Clay | 39°08′N 97°09′W / 39.13°N 97.15°W | 2337 | 8.9 miles (14.3 km) | Caused damage to farms. |
F3 | Riley | 39°04′N 96°46′W / 39.07°N 96.77°W | 0000 | 13.8 miles (22.2 km) | At least 65 Injuries – Enormous 1.2 mile wide tornado, caused $5 million in damage in Manhattan. KSU campus sustained $1,850,000 in damage alone. 11 homes were destroyed and others were unroofed. An apartment building and 66 trailers were destroyed as well.[5] |
F5 | Shawnee | 38°55′N 95°55′W / 38.92°N 95.92°W | 0100 | 21.1 miles (34.0 km) | 16 Deaths 450 Injuries – See section on this tornado |
F2 | Leavenworth | 39°14′N 95°02′W / 39.23°N 95.03°W | 0115 | 8.2 miles (13.2 km) | Trailers were destroyed and a home was unroofed. First of two tornadoes to hit Leavenworth County. |
F4 | Leavenworth | 39°10′N 95°11′W / 39.17°N 95.18°W | 0200 | 19.9 miles (32.0 km) | 1 Death 2 Injuries – One home was leveled and a car was thrown and destroyed. Second of two tornadoes to hit Leavenworth County. |
Oklahoma | |||||
F1 | Caddo | 35°29′N 98°24′W / 35.48°N 98.4°W | 2330 | 0.5 miles (0.8 km) | Brief touchdown caused minor damage. |
F0 | Washita | 35°18′N 98°48′W / 35.3°N 98.8°W | 0000 | 0.1 miles (0.2 km) | Brief touchdown, no damage reported. |
F0 | Caddo | 35°10′N 98°12′W / 35.17°N 98.2°W | 0120 | 0.1 miles (0.2 km) | Brief touchdown, no damage reported. |
June 9 event
List of reported tornadoes - Thursday, June 9, 1966 | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
F# | County | Coord. | Time (UTC) | Path length | Damage |
Illinois | |||||
F0 | Cook | 42°06′N 88°01′W / 42.1°N 88.02°W | 1110 | 0.1 miles (0.2 km) | Brief touchdown, no damage reported. |
F2 | Cook | 42°06′N 88°01′W / 42.1°N 88.02°W | 1115 | 0.1 miles (0.2 km) | Brief touchdown. |
F2 | Cook | 42°06′N 87°56′W / 42.1°N 87.93°W | 1120 | 2.5 miles (4.0 km) | 1 Death 30 Injuries – Tornado unroofed homes and apartment buildings in the area. A trailer was destroyed as well. |
Florida | |||||
F1 | Jackson | 30°48′N 85°14′W / 30.8°N 85.23°W | 1200 | 0.1 miles (0.2 km) | Brief touchdown caused minor damage. |
F? | Jackson | 30°48′N 85°14′W / 30.8°N 85.23°W | 1605 | 0.1 miles (0.2 km) | Brief touchdown, no damage reported. Tornado was confirmed but was not given an F-Scale intensity. |
Michigan | |||||
F2 | Barry | 42°15′N 85°23′W / 42.25°N 85.38°W | 1400 | 2 miles (3.2 km) | Tornado caused moderate damage in the area. |
New York | |||||
F0 | Erie | 42°38′N 78°33′W / 42.63°N 78.55°W | 2200 | 1 mile (1.6 km) | Brief touchdown caused minor damage. |
June 10 event
List of reported tornadoes - Friday, June 10, 1966 | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
F# | County | Coord. | Time (UTC) | Path length | Damage |
Texas | |||||
F2 | Swisher | 34°21′N 101°44′W / 34.35°N 101.73°W | 0130 | 36.9 miles (59.4 km) | Long track tornado. |
F1 | Swisher | 34°21′N 101°44′W / 34.35°N 101.73°W | 0130 | 2 miles (3.2 km) | Brief touchdown, no damage reported. |
F0 | Swisher | 34°39′N 101°30′W / 34.65°N 101.5°W | 0130 | 2 miles (3.2 km) | Brief touchdown, no damage reported. |
June 11 event
List of reported tornadoes - Saturday, June 11, 1966 | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
F# | County | Coord. | Time (UTC) | Path length | Damage |
Minnesota | |||||
F1 | Minnesota | 47°11′N 95°55′W / 47.18°N 95.92°W | 2115 | 1.9 miles (3.1 km) | Brief touchdown caused minor damage. |
F4 | Crow Wing, Cass | 46°38′N 94°22′W / 46.63°N 94.37°W | 2300 | 72.8 miles (117.2 km) | Very long track half-mile-wide tornado completely leveled several farms, and damaged at least 20 others. Two homes sustained near F5-damage with only clean slabs remaining. Thousands of trees were snapped and 3 people were injured. |
Iowa | |||||
F2 | Polk | 41°34′N 93°33′W / 41.57°N 93.55°W | 2345 | 12.2 miles (19.6 km) | |
F2 | Mitchell | 43°23′N 92°54′W / 43.38°N 92.9°W | 0100 | 1 mile (1.6 km) | |
F1 | Marshall | 41°50′N 92°58′W / 41.83°N 92.97°W | 0145 | 0.1 miles (0.2 km) | Brief touchdown caused minor damage. |
F2 | Boone | 42°05′N 93°52′W / 42.08°N 93.87°W | 0230 | 2 miles (3.2 km) | |
F1 | Story | 42°12′N 93°24′W / 42.2°N 93.4°W | 0300 | 2 miles (3.2 km) | Brief touchdown caused minor damage. |
June 12 event
List of reported tornadoes - Sunday, June 12, 1966 | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
F# | County | Coord. | Time (UTC) | Path length | Damage |
Kansas | |||||
F1 | Douglas | 39°03′N 95°27′W / 39.05°N 95.45°W | 2201 | 0.1 miles (0.2 km) | Brief touchdown caused minor damage. |
Missouri | |||||
F0 | Clay | 39°18′N 94°31′W / 39.3°N 94.52°W | 2245 | 0.1 miles (0.2 km) | Brief touchdown, no damage reported. |
F1 | Monroe | 39°31′N 92°10′W / 39.52°N 92.17°W | 2330 | 0.2 miles (0.3 km) | Brief touchdown caused minor damage. |
Texas | |||||
F3 | Denton | 33°18′N 97°00′W / 33.3°N 97.0°W | 0045 | 3.6 miles (5.8 km) |
Topeka, Kansas
F5 tornado | |
---|---|
Max. rating1 | F5 tornado |
Duration of tornado outbreak2 | 36 minutes |
Fatalities | 16 fatalities, 450 injuries |
Damage | $250 million (1966 USD)[6] |
1Most severe tornado damage; see Fujita scale 2Time from first tornado to last tornado |
According to a local Native American legend, Burnett's Mound (a local landmark that was named after Potawatomi Indian chief Abram Burnett, and also believed to be an ancient Native American burial ground) was thought to protect the city from tornadoes, suggesting that the 250 feet (76 m) hill would cause a tornado that was approaching Topeka to disintegrate. A few years earlier, a water tower had been built directly on the mound, which sparked controversy among Topeka residents who felt it could impede the mound's reputed protective effect.[citation needed] Ten other tornadoes had struck the city since state records began in 1889, but the 1966 tornado was worse than any of the others.[7][failed verification]
The Topeka tornado began developing at 6:55 p.m.
After broadcasting a take-cover report on the air while driving down the winding road on Burnett's Mound with the tornado approaching his direction, Rick Douglass, a reporter for radio station WREN (1250 AM, now
The tornado first struck residential areas, cleanly sweeping away entire rows of homes and hurling vehicles hundreds of yards through the air. Grass was scoured from the ground according to eyewitnesses.
As the storm raged through the downtown area, meteorologists at the National Weather Service Topeka forecast office, located at Philip Billard Municipal Airport, took shelter as the tornado tracked through the airport, flipping over several airplanes. At 7:29 p.m., 34 minutes after it touched down, the tornado dissipated after ripping through the airport. By this time, the tornado had traversed 22 miles (35 km) of the city, with a damage path width of 1⁄2 mile (800 m). The most intense damage occurred in residential areas on the east side of town, due to the closely spaced housing units. Homes and other buildings along the tornado's path were obliterated, and the National Weather Service Topeka forecast office years later rated the tornado at F5 on the Fujita scale.
Then-mayor Chuck Wright later issued a decree that those caught looting would be shot on sight. The Kansas National Guard was called in. Streets in devastated areas of the city were filled with sightseers checking out the ruins of homes and businesses, which hampered efforts from first responders to find those missing under rubble. Families of victims also came to the scene to try to find them.
A total of 820 homes were destroyed and 3,000 others were damaged. 250 businesses were destroyed and 2,390 were damaged including a major shopping center. 330 of the damaged homes and businesses suffered major damage and the other 5,000 received lesser degrees of damage. Hundreds of apartments were destroyed. Many government buildings, public buildings, other structures and much other property were damaged or destroyed.
Overall, 16 people were killed, and many others were injured. However, it is believed that had the tornado hit during school and work hours or during the night, that as many as 5,000 people would have been killed. Bill Kurtis was credited for saving many lives with his urgent message to take cover.[14][9]
Casualties
State | Total | County | County total |
---|---|---|---|
Kansas | 17 | Leavenworth | 1 |
Shawnee | 16 | ||
Illinois | 1 | Cook | 1 |
Totals | 18 | ||
All deaths were tornado-related |
See also
- List of North American tornadoes and tornado outbreaks
- List of tornadoes striking downtown areas
References
- ^ 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved February 29, 2024.
- ^ Schneider, Russell S.; Harold E. Brooks; Joseph T. Schaefer. "Tornado Outbreak Day Sequences: Historic Events and Climatology (1875-2003)" (PDF). Norman, Oklahoma: Storm Prediction Center. Retrieved 13 February 2013.
- ^ "NCDC Storm Events-Select State". Archived from the original on 2008-05-03. Retrieved 2011-08-05.
- ^ US Department of Commerce, NOAA. "Tornado Listing". www.weather.gov. Retrieved 24 July 2020.
- ^ "City Officials set Damage at $5 Million". Topeka Capital-Journal. 1966-06-10. Retrieved 2008-08-13.
- ^ "Storm Events Database". NOAA. Retrieved February 13, 2022.
- ^ [1] Archived November 14, 2005, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Episode 7: The 1966 Topeka Tornado". YouTube.
- ^ a b "Twist of Fate Topeka tornado 50 years later Bill Kurtis". YouTube.
- ^ "Episode 7: The 1966 Topeka Tornado". YouTube.
- ^ a b "Stories of the 1966 Topeka Tornado". Washburn.edu. Washburn University. Retrieved December 23, 2013.
- ^ extremeplanet (2013-03-11). "Analysis of Violent Tornadoes that have Struck Downtown Areas |". Extremeplanet.me. Retrieved 2013-09-09.
- ^ "Washburn university Devastation and Recovery". Washburn.edu. Washburn University. Retrieved December 23, 2013.
- ^ "Episode 7: The 1966 Topeka Tornado". YouTube.
Notes
- outbreak sequence, prior to (after) modern records that began in 1950, is defined as, at most, two (one) consecutive days without at least one significant (F2 or stronger) tornado.[2]
- ^ All damage totals are in 1966 United States dollars unless otherwise noted.
External links
- Tornado Damage Patterns in Topeka, Kansas, June 8, 1966 (Monthly Weather Review, Vol. 95, No. 6)
- NWS Topeka page
- Topeka Capital-Journal online
- Access Menninger photographs and documents on Kansas Memory, the Kansas State Historical Society's digital portal
- The Topeka Tornado of 1966: Never Before Published Damage Photos