1976 Spiro tornado
1976 F5 tornado in Oklahoma, U.S.
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In the afternoon hours of March 26, 1976, a multiple-vortex tornado devastated the town of Spiro, in LeFlore County, Oklahoma. During its 12-mile-long path, it killed 2 people and injured 64 others. The tornado was the highest-rated of a major tornado outbreak that occurred the same day. [1] [2]
 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 | |
Tornado summary
The tornado touched down 4 miles east of Bokoshe, 0.75 miles north of Oklahoma State Highway 31 in Leflore County at 3:28 pm CST. It moved northeast, crossing State Highway 59 about 2 miles south of the intersection of Highway 9. A local business structure and a mobile home were destroyed in this area. The tornado then entered the southeastern part of Spiro, obliterating trailer homes, businesses, and railroad cars. [3] [2] Crossing State Highway 9, the tornado intensified and reached F5-intensity in the Murray Spur area east of Spiro. One man was killed, seven homes were destroyed, and a mobile home was demolished in the Murray Spur area. The tornado then shifted east after crossing the Lock and Dam/Fort Coffey Road, completely destroying three mobile homes. The tornado continued east for about a mile, when it crossed State Highway 9 the second time. The tornado resumed its path for 0.3 miles before dissipating at 3:45 pm CST. Eyewitnesses have remarked that two separate funnels occasionally traveled in close proximity to each other along the path.
Aftermath
Following the tornado, 28 residences and 2 business buildings were destroyed alongside 63 homes and a vo-tech training center which sustained major damage. Roughly 20 cattle and 20 horses perished from the tornado. Several cars and farming vehicles were also annihiliated. [2]
After the tornado dissipated, many people came to help the injured and trapped people in wreckages of their homes due to them being hit with violent tornado damage. [4] [5] In the weeks and months that followed, the interconnected, tight-knit community of Spiro rallied together to clean up the wreckage. Many displaced families chose to rebuild their lives and homes on the exact same foundations where they had stood before. [6]
Fatalities
| 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. | [3] |
| Ray Dean Philips | 35 | Spiro | Died during the tornado as it hit Spiro | [3] |
Rating change
The tornado was initially rated F4 by meteorologist Thomas P. Grazulis, though he later on subsequently upgraded the tornado to an F5. [7]
See also
- 1976 Brownwood tornado - The 2nd F5 of 1976
- 1976 Jordan tornado - The 3rd F5 of 1976
- 1976 Lemont tornado - Another violent tornado from 1976
- List of F5 and EF5 tornadoes
- List of Oklahoma tornadoes
- Multi-vortex tornado
