30th Anniversary of the Wichita-Andover Tornado, Part I

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Tomorrow is the 30th anniversary of the Wichita-Andover Tornado, one of the most violent and historic tornadoes of the twentieth century. 

Shortly after noon April 26, the National Severe Storms Forecast Center issued only its second-ever "strong language" tornado watch.

The forecast was for "very damaging tornadoes." Unfortunately, that tornado 
watch (the first of many that day) was exactly correct. 

Tornado moving through McConnell AFB

With that, we were off. You can read the entire story in the Wichita Eagle. There is also a video which can be accessed by clicking the link in the top image. 
This was a huge success for weather science in that a study by the Centers for Disease Control found that the storm warnings prevented 82% of the potential deaths from this terrible storm. Still, 17 people died. I wish to dedicate the story to the memory of the people who perished and to the team at WeatherData, Incorporated who saved so many lives that day. 

Part II, more about the science, is now posted. 

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