GC2FRAR Night of the Twister (Traditional Cache) in Nebraska, United States created by Mr.Zoo

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GC2FRAR ▼

A cache by Mr.Zoo Message this owner

Hidden : 10/3/2010

Difficulty:

Terrain:

Size: Size: micro (micro)

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Geocache Description:

I was stationed in California and on the morning of June 4th 1980 I walked into work to hear on the TV news. "Grand Island NE. was wipe off the face of the map last night by 7 tornados".

This is the story.

On June 3, 1980, a massive supercell thunderstorm complex developed just north of Grand Island, Nebraska, during the early evening. This complex moved slowly south-southeast through the city at around 8 mph. This outbreak provided the basis for a book and television movie, as well as tornado and engineering research.

Over a period of less than 3 hours, this storm complex produced 7 tornadoes in and around Grand Island. There was one tornado of F4 intensity and 3 others that were rated F3.

Five people were killed, about 200 injured, 475 living units and 49 businesses were destroyed, with a total damage of nearly 300 million dollars. Also of note, three of the tornadoes rotated anti-cyclonically, or clockwise, a rare occasion in the northern hemisphere, where over 99 percent of tornadoes rotate cyclonically, or counter-clockwise.

At approximately 8:45 p.m., the 1st of 7 deadly tornadoes set down 11 miles northwest of Grand Island, 3 miles north of Prairie Creek. The 700-yard wide F3 tornado tracked south for 7 miles, ending 4 miles northwest of downtown Grand Island. While the straight line path was 7 miles, the twisting and erratic movement covered over twice that distance, 14.5 miles, while spending 49 minutes on the ground. Along this path, a woman was killed while trying to drive to a relative's house, 25 people were injured, and farm homes were torn apart
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At 9:00 p.m., a 2nd short-lived tornado set down north of Highway 2 near the intersection of Webb and Airport Road, just east of the first tornado. This short-lived anti-cyclonic tornado, the first of three that evening, moved northeast lifting back into the clouds at around 9:12 p.m. The 3rd tornado of the evening, the second anti-cyclonically rotating tornado, touched down at 9:05 p.m. between Webb Road and Highway 281, just north of Airport Road. This 500-yard wide F3 tornado briefly tracked north, then reversed course to the south, then southeast across northern Grand Island, leaving a 3.5 mile long path of destruction. Most of the damage done by this tornado was rated F0, with some F3 damage in the vicinity of the Veteran's home along Capitol Avenue. While there were no fatalities, 40 people were injured by this tornado before it lifted over the center of town around 9:30 p.m.

The 4th tornado, the third anti-cyclonic tornado of the evening, set down at 9:46 p.m. near Highway 34 and Shady Bend Road. This tornado tracked southwest to just northeast of the intersection of Stuhr and Shimmer Roads, then turned north on the west side of Stuhr Road before lifting near Highway 34 at 9:50 p.m. At 10:16 p.m., the 5th, and deadliest and most powerful tornado of the evening, touched down on the east side of Grand Island, in the Eagles Lake and Crystal Lake areas. This 1000-yard wide F4 tornado swept west, just north of Bismark Road, crossed Shady Bend and Stuhr Roads, before turning southwest across Bismark Road north of the Fonner Park area. The tornado continued to move southwest through residential areas until it reached the South Locust Street business district at Locust and Fonner Park Road. From this point, the tornado moved due south along South Locust until it turned southeast a few blocks north of the intersection of South Locust and Highway 34. The tornado then crossed Highway 34 and tracked another half of a mile southeast before ending at 10:28 p.m. During the few minutes the tornado tracked along Locust Street, the damage was most devastating, and homes and businesses were "obliterated". The 6-mile long tornado track took 12 minutes to cover, and resulted in 4 fatalities, one each in a trailer home, a frame home, a lounge, and under a collapsed awning near a motel. In addition, 110 others were injured along the storm's violent track.

The 6th tornado, rated F2, spun up at 10:25 p.m. east of Shady Bend Road just north of Highway 34. This tornado moved southwest to near Stuhr Road south of Highway 34, then turned southeast, traveling south of Shimmer Road to about 1 mile southwest of the Hall and Hamilton County bridge. This 600 yard wide tornado tracked 6 miles over rural areas, injuring another 18 people before ending at 10:35 pm.

As the thunderstorm complex moved south toward Interstate 80 during the late evening, it made a left turn to the east, usually indicating the end of severe weather. Not so in this case. About the time the storm turned in direction, the 7th and last tornado touched down at 10:45 p.m., southeast of the Hall-Hamilton County bridge. This tornado swept east and northeast over open farmland for 13.4 miles, before ending at 11:30 p.m. Meteorologists and technicians at the Grand Island National Weather Service (NWS) Office, located at the airport, monitored radar, satellite, and surface weather conditions and issued warnings throughout the event. The Tornado Warnings turned into Severe Thunderstorm and Flash Flood Warnings overnight as the huge supercell complex moved east. For their outstanding service during the storm, the entire staff of the Grand Island NWS was awarded a Department of Commerce Unit Citation.
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Now over 25 years later, the memories of June 3, 1980, live on in the minds and memories of so many who survived the event, and the families and friends of the five people who perished. For many of us, June 3, 1980, will simply be known forever as the real Night of the Twisters.

This cache is located in a small memorial park on South Locust street. You will be looking for a magnetic nano. No tools are necessary and there is no need to climb anything to retrieve this cache. This small park is part of the South Locust renovation. It is dedicated to the memory of the 1980 tornadoes which devastated so much of this part of town. Due to the dedication and hard work of the City of Grand Island and the South Locust merchants, this area has been reborn.