1922 Austin twin tornadoes
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| F4 tornado | |
|---|---|
| Max. rating1 | F4 tornado |
| Fatalities | ≥13 fatalities; ≥50 injuries |
| 1Most severe tornado damage; see Fujita scale | |
The twin tornadoes that ripped through Austin, Texas on Thursday, May 4, 1922 are the most violent to ever strike Austin (with one estimated to be an F2 and the other a possible F4).[1] The storm originally had one funnel cloud, but was eventually separated into two tornadoes. One tore through East Austin, Travis Heights, St. Edward's University, Penn Field, St. Elmo, and Manchaca. Meanwhile, the other devastated the State Institute for Deaf, Dumb, and Blind Colored Youths, Deep Eddy, and Oak Hill.
The west tornado (believed to be an F2) thrashed the University of Texas campus, removing roofs from some buildings and completely destroying others. No one at the University was seriously hurt. The west tornado next destroyed trees and damaged buildings at Deep Eddy. When it reached Oak Hill the west tornado demolished a house killing six people. The other tornado formed in East Austin. The east tornado began uprooting trees in the State Cemetery. The east tornado pounded St. Edward's University, devastating the upper level of a dormitory and damaging the gymnasium and Main Building. One student was killed. The tornado that hit the Woodward Manufacturing Company incurred the heaviest damage, knocking a steel water tank to the ground and damaging one frame and four brick buildings. The east tornado (F4?) was the most destructive of the two. The property damage of the two tornadoes was estimated at $400,000. The death toll of the two tornadoes was thirteen, six at Oak Hill, three at Penn Field, two at Manchaca, one at St. Edward's, and one at St. Elmo. Fifty people total were reported to have been injured by both tornadoes. [2][3][4][5]
References
- ^ Grazulis, Thomas P. (July 1993). Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991. A Chronology and Analysis of Events. St. Johnsbury, Vermont: The Tornado Project of Environmental Films. pp. 779–780. ISBN 1-879362-03-1.
- ^ "Old Oak Hill: Oak Hill Family swept away by Austin's killer tornado of 1922". Oak Hill Gazette. Archived from the original on October 1, 2011. Retrieved June 29, 2017.
- ^ "The mystery of the Bargsley family plot". Austin360.com. Retrieved April 18, 2017.
- ^ "Barnes: 88 years of Austin memories". My Statesman - from Austin American Statesman. Retrieved April 18, 2017.
- ^ "Austin, TX Tornado, May 1922 - GenDisasters ... Genealogy in Tragedy, Disasters, Fires, Floods". GenDisasters.com. Retrieved April 18, 2017.