1947 Glazier–Higgins–Woodward tornado outbreak
From April 9–11, 1947, a significant tornado outbreak produced catastrophic effects over portions of the southern Great Plains, in the contiguous United States. The outbreak generated at least 12, and possibly 17 or more, tornadoes, many of which were significant. On Wednesday, April 9, a series of related tornadoes spawned by a single supercell, dubbed the Glazier–Higgins–Woodward tornadoes, swept through the U.S. states of Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas. Most of the damage and all the deaths are still blamed on one large tornado, known as the Glazier–Higgins–Woodward tornado, that traveled 98 mi (158 km) from Texas to Oklahoma, beginning over the South Plains. This event, up to nearly 2 mi (3.2 km) in width, was often compared to the Tri-State tornado, because it was originally thought to have left a 198-to-221-mile-long (319 to 356 km) path, was similarly large and intense for much of its path, and was also retroactively rated F5 on the modern-day Fujita scale, but it is now believed to have been part of a 125-to-170-mile-long (201 to 274 km) family of nine or 10 tornadoes.
Home left standing at Glazier, Texas, after the F5 tornado on April 9 | |
Tornado outbreak | |
---|---|
Tornadoes | ≥ 12–17 |
Maximum rating | F5 tornado |
Duration | April 9–11, 1947 |
Overall effects | |
Fatalities | ≥ 185 |
Injuries | ≥ 990 |
Damage | $10,027,750 ($136,830,000 in 2024 USD) |
Areas affected | Primarily the southern Great Plains |
Part of the tornadoes and tornado outbreaks of 1947 |