Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Tornado Outbreak Of January 24, 1967


On January 24, 1967 - 45 years ago today - there was an unusual winter outbreak of tornadoes that struck in Missouri, Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin (see track map above). There were 30 documented tornadoes on this day. Six of the tornadoes were rated F3 and two were rated F4. There were 7 deaths and 268 injuries during the outbreak. One of the last tornadoes of the day (around 7 pm) was an F-4 that struck across the northern portion of St. Louis, Missouri - track is shown below. This tornado passed very near Lambert Field (the St. Louis airport) and the Weather Bureau Office (which was then located in the old terminal building on the northwest side of the airport). An aerial photo of some of the damage is shown at bottom. The NWS St. Louis Office has a story and more information at: 

http://www.crh.noaa.gov/lsx/?n=jan241967tornado


This is a very memorable event for me - I started work (my first full-time job after college) at the St. Louis Weather Bureau the morning following the tornado. The office was in a state of near chaos when I reported for work, and an investigation team had just arrived from kansas City. I was stuck off at a desk, away from the action, and told to answer phone calls as best I could - what a strange and exciting first day of work.


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