Tornadoes of 1979

Tornadoes of 1979

Tracks of all US tornadoes in 1979.
Timespan	January 1 - December 23, 1979
Maximum rated tornado	F4 tornado 6 locations on 5 different days
Tornadoes in U.S.	855[1]
Damage (U.S.)	Unknown
Fatalities (U.S.)	84
Fatalities (worldwide)	>84
1977 1978 1979 1980 1981

This page documents the tornadoes and tornado outbreaks of 1979, primarily in the United States. Most tornadoes form in the U.S., although some events may take place internationally. Tornado statistics for older years like this often appear significantly lower than modern years due to fewer reports or confirmed tornadoes.

Fatal United States tornadoes in 1979

class=notpageimage| Approximate touchdown location of killer tornadoes in 1979

Summary of tornadoes[2] March 31 – Kentucky (1 death) April 10 – Texas, Oklahoma (11 deaths) April 10 – Texas, Oklahoma (1 death) April 10 – Oklahoma (3 deaths) April 10 – Texas, Oklahoma (42 deaths) April 11 – Indiana (1 death) May 2 – Oklahoma (1 death) May 8 – Florida (1 death) June 19 – South Dakota (1 death) June 28 – Iowa (2 deaths) June 28 – Iowa (3 deaths) June 30 – Tennessee (2 deaths) July 16 – Wyoming (1 death) August 9 – Wisconsin (1 death) August 10 – Massachusetts (2 deaths) August 28 – Iowa (2 deaths) September 5 – Virginia (1 death) September 5 – Pennsylvania (1 death) October 3 – Connecticut (3 deaths) October 22 – Arkansas (1 death) October 30 – Oklahoma (3 deaths) Total fatalities: 84

Numbers for 1979 were similar to that of 1980. Deaths were near normal, but injuries were above normal.

Confirmed tornadoes by Fujita rating

FU	F0	F1	F2	F3	F4	F5	Total
38	349	318	116	28	6	0	855

16 tornadoes were reported in the U.S. in January, of which all were confirmed.^[3]

4 tornadoes were reported in the U.S. in February, of which all were confirmed.^[4]

53 tornadoes were reported in the U.S. in March.^[5]

FU	F0	F1	F2	F3	F4	F5
0	4	5	2	1	0	0

On March 18, a minor outbreak swept across Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas. The strongest tornado was an F3 that struck Copan, Oklahoma. An F2 tornado hit Catoosa, Oklahoma, a suburb of Tulsa.^[6]

FU	F0	F1	F2	F3	F4	F5
0	3	1	2	2	1	0

On March 29, tornadoes touched down across Iowa and Illinois, including an F4 tornado that hit Braddyville, Iowa. An F0 struck a small suburb of Denver.^[7]

123 tornadoes were reported in the U.S. in April.^[8]

FU	F0	F1	F2	F3	F4	F5
0	10	19	25	4	2	0

A large tornado outbreak also called "Terrible Tuesday",^[9] broke out in Texas and Oklahoma. Several deadly tornadoes occurred, including an F4 that decimated buildings in Wichita Falls, killing 42 people. An F2 tornado was notable for killing one person when it struck a mobile home park in Boonville, Indiana. A tornado killed three people in Lawton, Oklahoma. Overall, there were 58 deaths and over 2,000 injuries.

There were 112 tornadoes reported in the U.S. in May.^[10]

150 tornadoes were reported in the U.S. in June.^[11]

A small, but deadly outbreak of tornadoes broke out in Iowa and Minnesota, including an F4 that killed three people in Manson, Iowa.^[12][13]

132 tornadoes were reported in the U.S. in July.^[14]

An F3 tornado struck Cheyenne, Wyoming causing one fatality and 40 injuries. The tornado first to receive national attention by videotape as it ripped apart 500 homes.^[15]

126 tornadoes were reported in the U.S. in August.^[16]

At least three tornadoes touched down in Woodstock, Ontario, killing two people and injuring 142 others.

69 tornadoes were reported in the U.S. in September.^[17]

An F3 tornado touched down in Tysons, Virginia, killing one person.^[18]

47 tornadoes were reported in the U.S. in October.^[19]

An F4 tornado touched down in Windsor Locks, Connecticut, being a very rare New England tornado. The tornado was ranked as one of the costliest tornadoes in U.S. history, killing three people.^{[citation needed]}

21 tornadoes were reported in the U.S. in November.^[20]

2 tornadoes were reported in the U.S. in December.^[21]

• Tornado
  • Tornadoes by year
  • Tornado records
  • Tornado climatology
  • Tornado myths
• List of tornado outbreaks
  • List of F5 and EF5 tornadoes
  • List of North American tornadoes and tornado outbreaks
  • List of 21st-century Canadian tornadoes and tornado outbreaks
  • List of European tornadoes and tornado outbreaks
  • List of tornadoes and tornado outbreaks in Asia
  • List of Southern Hemisphere tornadoes and tornado outbreaks
  • List of tornadoes striking downtown areas
• Tornado intensity
  • Fujita scale
  • Enhanced Fujita scale

• U.S. tornadoes in 1979 - Tornado History Project