What the record says
On 27 September 1959, a tornado touched down near Welch, Oklahoma. The Storm Prediction Center records its path as 20.4 miles long and up to 440 yards wide, rated F4 on the Fujita (F) scale. It killed 1 person and injured 1.
- F4Fujita rating
- 1death
- 1injury
- 20.4 mipath length
- 440 ydmaximum width
It has its own page because it was rated 4 or 5.
This page gives the official record's figures. Numbers of deaths and injuries are sometimes revised after a survey, and they cannot convey what the day was like for the people who lived through it.
Counties it crossed
The start point was at 36.85, -95.25 and the end point at 37.12, -95.10 (latitude, longitude).
How to read this path
The Storm Prediction Center records most tornadoes as a straight line from the point where they touched down to the point where they lifted. The real path usually curved and was not the same width all the way along. The width given is the widest part. Older records are less precise, and the record starts in 1950.
Source: the NOAA Storm Prediction Center database, public domain.
Other notable tornadoes in Oklahoma
- Newkirk, Oklahoma tornado25 May 1955, F5, 80 deaths, 273 injuries, 56.4 miles long
- Wichita Falls, Texas tornado10 April 1979, F4, 42 deaths, 1,740 injuries, 46.9 miles long
- Oklahoma City, Oklahoma tornado3 May 1999, F5, 36 deaths, 583 injuries, 37 miles long
- Moore, Oklahoma tornado20 May 2013, EF5, 24 deaths, 212 injuries, 13.9 miles long
- Welch, Oklahoma tornado10 May 2008, EF4, 21 deaths, 350 injuries, 75.5 miles long
- Tonkawa, Oklahoma tornado25 May 1955, F5, 20 deaths, 280 injuries, 28.4 miles long
Other notable tornadoes of 1959
- St. Louis, Missouri tornado10 February 1959, F4, 21 deaths, 345 injuries, 23.9 miles long
- Charlottesville, Virginia tornado30 September 1959, F3, 11 deaths, 4 injuries, 0.8 miles long
- Stonewall, Oklahoma tornado9 May 1959, F4, 7 deaths, 12 injuries, 6.2 miles long
- Aquilla, Texas tornado31 March 1959, F4, 6 deaths, 31 injuries, 10.4 miles long
- Caneyville, Kentucky tornado21 January 1959, F3, 3 deaths, 6.6 miles long
All tornadoes of 1959 · Oklahoma tornado history · All notable tornadoes