Draft:1976 Spiro tornado
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Finished drafting? |
 Damage to a home in Spiro | |
| Meteorological history | |
|---|---|
| Date | March 26, 1976 |
| Formed | 3:28 PM CST |
| Dissipated | 3:45 PM CST |
| Duration | 17 Minutes |
| F5 tornado | |
| on the Fujita scale | |
| Highest winds | >261 mph (420 km/h) |
| Overall effects | |
| Fatalities | 2 |
| Injuries | 64 |
Areas affected | Spiro, Oklahoma |
Part of the Tornadoes of 1976 | |
On the evening of March 26 1976, An violent F5 tornado tore through the town of Spiro, Oklahoma. This is the first F5 of 1976, and the first F5 in Oklahoma after 15 years.
Tornado summary
[edit]The tornado touched down 4 miles east of Bokoshe and 0.75 miles north of OK State Highway 31 in Leflore County at 3:28 pm CST. It began moving to the northeast, crossing OK State Highway 59 about 2 miles south of the intersection of Highway 59 and OK State Highway 9. A local business structure and a mobile home were destroyed in this area. The tornado enters the southeastern part of Spiro. The tornado produced a lot of destruction described as a great destruction because it destroyed trailer homes, houses and business buildings but the more impressive damage is that it destroyed many railroad cars. [1] [2] The tornado then crossed OK State Highway 9 where additional homes were either damaged or demolished. A survey of the damage in this area indicated that the tornado reached F5 intensity after crossing OK State Highway 9 and entering the rural Murray Spur area east of Spiro. One man was killed, seven homes were destroyed, and one mobile home was demolished in the Murray Spur area. The tornado then turned east after crossing the Lock and Dam/Fort Coffey Road where 3 mobile homes were destroyed. The eastward movement lasted for about a bit over 1 mile at which point the tornado already had crossed Oklahoma State Highway 9 for a second time. The tornado lifted about 3/10 of a mile east of the point where it had crossed OK State Highway 9 at 3:45 pm CST. [1] [2]
Aftermath
[edit]Fatalities
[edit]| Name | Age | Location | Additional notes | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marvin Trout | 30 | Spiro | Marvin Trout, 30, of Spiro. After hearing a tornado warning, he left his home with his pregnant wife and young daughter to seek shelter at his parents’ house across the street. The building collapsed during the tornado, killing Trout, critically injuring his wife, and causing a concussion to his daughter. | [1] |
| Ray Dean Philips | 35 | Spiro | Died during the tornado as it hit Spiro | [1] |
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c d "Sprio. OK F5 1976". Associated Press. March 26, 1976.
- ^ a b "violent OK tornadoes (1950 - Present)". March 26, 1976.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.