1991 Andover tornado

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For the EF3 tornado that happened in April 2022, see 2022 Andover tornado.

1991 Andover tornado
The tornado, as seen at F3 intensity at the McConnell Air Force Base
Meteorological history
FormedApril 26, 1991, 5:49 p.m. CDT (UTC−05:00)
DissipatedApril 26, 1991, 7:14 p.m. CDT (UTC−05:00)
Duration1 hour and 25 minutes
F5 tornado
on the Fujita scale
Highest winds>261 mph (420 km/h)
Overall effects
Fatalities17 (deadliest in 1991)
Injuries225
Damage~$300 million (1991 USD) (second-costliest of the 1990s)
Part of the 1991 Andover tornado outbreak and Tornadoes of 1991

In the afternoon hours of April 26, 1991, a large and devastating tornado moved 46 miles (74 km) through areas southeast of Wichita, located in the state of Kansas. The tornado killed seventeen, injured over two hundred others, and left an estimated $300 million ($700,058,432 in 2024) of damage in its wake. The tornado was one of the most powerful ever to strike Kansas; it received the highest rating on the Fujita scale.

The tornado first touched down near

nuclear warheads
. The tornado then strengthened, reaching F5 intensity for the first time as it entered Andover. A mobile home park located in the town was obliterated, and thirteen people were killed; 165 more were injured as the park was torn apart in winds that were greater than 260 miles per hour (420 km/h). The tornado continued to heavily damage Andover before beginning to weaken after leaving the town. The tornado then struck an oil field, lofting a large oil tank over 0.8 miles (1.3 km) away. A short time later, the tornado dissipated, tracking a total of 46 miles (74 km) over a period spanning almost an hour and a half.

Meteorological synopsis

Main article: 1991 Andover tornado outbreak § Meteorological synopsis

On April 25, 1991, the

dewpoints rose above 60 °F (15 °C). Abundant sunshine contributed to destabilization as lifted indices topped -12 from central Oklahoma into central Kansas and convective available potential energy reached 4,000 J/kg.[1] A minimal capping inversion existed across Oklahoma even during the morning hours,[2] and tornado-producing storms first developed across western Oklahoma around sunrise. These storms weakened as they moved northeast into Kansas.[5] Back to the west, the dryline progressed rapidly eastward but began to slow precipitously during the afternoon hours. Attempts at thunderstorm development along this feature initially failed.[1] At 17:10 UTC (12:20 p.m. CDT), the National Weather Service issued a particularly dangerous situation tornado watch, warning of the potential for multiple strong to violent tornadoes. This would be one of 24 convective watches issued during the day.[2] Despite early failure at convective initiation, supercell thunderstorms rapidly erupted along the dryline during the afternoon hours as the jet streak propagated into the Great Plains, resulting in a regional outbreak of tornadoes stretching from Texas to Iowa. Violent tornadoes were concentrated in southern Kansas and Oklahoma, although intense tornadoes were also observed in Iowa, Texas, and Nebraska.[5]

Tornado summary

At 5:49 p.m. CDT (22:49 UTC), the storm which would become the Wichita–Andover tornado began southeast of Clearwater. At 6:05 p.m. CDT (23:05 UTC), the National Weather Service issued a statement urging residents in Haysville, Derby, and Mulvane to seek shelter. This was succeeded by a tornado warning four minutes later. Around 6:16 p.m. CDT (23:16 UTC), the intensifying tornado began to affect southeastern sections of Wichita and directly struck Haysville.[6] It produced strong F2 to F3 damage in Haysville while growing to a width of about 220 yards (200 m) and acquiring multi-vortex characteristics. The tornado crossed the Kansas Turnpike about 0.5 miles (0.80 km) south of the South Wichita Interchange. As it marched through the area, the tornado briefly took on a pinkish hue as it pulverized a local nursery full of geraniums.

In eastern Wichita, some well-built houses in the Greenwich Heights Subdivision were completely leveled, indicative of strong F3 to F4 damage. Four people were killed at this location.[7] At 6:24 p.m. CDT (23:24 UTC), the violent tornado began to drastically widen as it struck the McConnell Air Force Base, narrowly missing a lineup of 10 B-1B bombers each worth $280 million, 2 of which were equipped with nuclear warheads.[6] Nine major facilities on the base were destroyed, including the officer's club, base hospital, library, and elementary school. In addition, 102 housing units were demolished. No fatalities were recorded there, though 16 people were injured and total losses reached $62 million.

As the rapidly growing tornado continued to move toward U.S. Route 54 in Kansas in the direction of Andover,[6] it prompted forecasters to issue a heightened tornado warning for residents in Augusta and Andover that a damaging tornado was approaching. Despite this warning, the single tornado siren that was located in Andover failed.[8]

Snapped trees in Andover, where the tornado produced F5 damage.

At 6:31 p.m. CDT (23:31 UTC), with the sirens not functional, the police drove through the Golden Spur Mobile Home Park and through the town warning residents to seek shelter. 10 minutes later, the now large wedge-stovepipe hybrid tornado entered southern Andover and began to impact the mobile home park, which ultimately sustained a direct hit.[6] Of the 244 manufactured homes, 205, or about 84 percent of them, were destroyed. Post-storm interviews by health officials found that 339 residents were home during the tornado, of which 146 evacuated, 149 sought refuge in the community shelter, and 38 remained in their homes. No casualties occurred among individuals who fled or utilized the shelter.[9] However, 13 people were killed,[7] another 17 were hospitalized, and 9 sustained minor injuries among the group who remained in their structures.[9] Additional homes were swept from their foundations to the west of this park, where the Andover tornado earned its F5 rating.[7] Throughout the city, over 1,500 residences were devastated.[10] The tornado continued northeast, affecting the outskirts of Towanda. Twenty minutes later, the violent tornado dissipated west of El Dorado and north of the Kansas Turnpike, though the parent supercell later produced additional tornadoes.[6] Along the tornado's path, 84 frame houses and 14 businesses were leveled. A total of 225 people were injured.[11]

Aftermath

A newspaper produced in the aftermath of the tornado, dated to May 3, 1991.

Andover and surrounding areas were heavily damaged by the tornado, which carved a 46 miles (74 km) path through

federal disaster area.[14]

Damage

The tornado produced heavy damage along its track, including significant damage to residential areas and a swath of F5 damage in a mobile trailer park located in Andover. In a National Weather Service post-event document released in December 1991, the curators noted that "the mobile home devastation was some of the worst that this surveyor has ever seen".[15] Most of the mobile homes located in the park were destroyed, many of which were swept away or were obliterated with only their metal frames still intact.[15]

Near El Dorado, the tornado lofted a full oil tank 0.8 miles (1.3 km); the oil tank was never recovered, and two more tanks were obliterated by the tornado as it moved through the area.[16]

Nuclear warhead close-call

As the tornado moved past the McConnell Air Force Base, it narrowly avoided striking ten B-1B bombers, two of which were actively armed with nuclear warheads as the tornado passed by.[17] Each of these bombers were worth an estimated $280 million[18] (equivalent to $646 million in 2023).[19]

Fatalities

Seventeen people were killed by the tornado, the majority of which were located in the Golden Spur Mobile Home Park.[20] Four deaths occurred in Sedgwick County, and the thirteen others were all living or residing in the park at the time the tornado hit. 200 people who lived at the park took refuge in an underground tornado shelter prior to the tornado hitting the area, and it is likely that many more people would have died had that shelter not existed.[21][14] 225 people were further injured by the tornado, many located in mobile homes or other structures that were easily destroyed by the tornado.[14]

See also

Notes and references

Footnotes

  1. ^ a b c d "The Kansas-Oklahoma Tornado Outbreak of April 26, 1991". Oklahoma Climatological Survey. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
  2. ^ a b c "25th Anniversary of April 26th, 1991 Tornado Outbreak". National Weather Service. National Weather Service in Wichita, Kansas. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
  3. ^ Cody Moore. "Andover, KS Tornado Outbreak April 26, 1991" (PDF). University of Louisville. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
  4. ^ Dan McCarthy (April 26, 1991). "Day 1 Convective Outlook". Iowa Environmental Mesonet. Retrieved April 25, 2022.
  5. ^ a b "The April 26, 1991 Great Plains Tornado Outbreak". National Weather Service. National Weather Service in Norman, Oklahoma. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
  6. ^ a b c d e "Timeline for supercell that produced the Wichita/Andover Tornado". National Weather Service. National Weather Service in Wichita, Kansas. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
  7. ^ a b c "Review of major tornadoes across south central Kansas on April 26 1991". National Weather Service. National Weather Service in Wichita, Kansas. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
  8. ^ Hays, Anne Fitzgerald, Jean. "Emergency Siren Failed as Tornado Sped to Andover". The Oklahoman. Retrieved November 20, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  9. ^
    PMID 1538688
    .
  10. ISBN 978-1-4396-4193-4
    . Retrieved April 23, 2022.
  11. ^ Moore 2016, p. 2.
  12. Center for Disease Control
    . Retrieved November 20, 2024.
  13. ^ Mosbacher et al. 1991.
  14. ^ a b c Fischer, Schaeffer & Trowbridge 1992, p. 6.
  15. ^ a b Mosbacher et al. 1991, p. 90.
  16. ^ Mosbacher et al. 1991, p. 91.
  17. ^ McMillan, Laura (April 26, 2024). "Remembering the deadly 1991 Andover tornado". KSN. Retrieved November 20, 2024.
  18. ^ Smith, Cecelia Hanley and Elisabeth. "Tornado hit Andover, Kansas days after the anniversary of the 1991 deadly twister". The Topeka Capital-Journal. Retrieved November 20, 2024.
  19. ^ US Department of Commerce, NOAA. "Timeline for supercell that produced the Wichita/Andover Tornado". National Weather Service. Retrieved November 20, 2024.
  20. ^ Mosbacher et al. 1991, p. 49.
  21. ^ Mosbacher et al. 1991, p. 64.

Sources

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