STORM TRACK: July 31, 1980 (Volume 3 Issue 5)

This issue of ST will be going to several new subscribers, as a result of the Chicago Tribune article on the editor. ST extends a cordial welcome to them.

A family friend in Lincoln, Nebraska recently sent an interesting article from the Lincoln Star, July 17, 1980 about the Grand Island tornado, with comments by Dr. T. Theodore Fujita of the University of Chicago. "I've never seen anything like it in my 27 years of tornado investigating. ... I've never seen such a complicated tornado." The storm reportedly produced the most twisters ever -over such a short distance. Six major tornadoes occurred, including two that were counter-clockwise and one with up to 50 suction vortices. Diameters of two tornadoes were 3 and 5 miles wide at cloud base. The winds from one along South Locust reached 250 MPH. Several made U turns. The first tornado of this slow moving storm touched down about three miles north of Prairie Creek and then tracked to the Capital Heights area -- lingering in one place for "20, 30 or 40 minutes," according to Fujita. A very interesting and singular storm, considering that most at this time of the year were moving 30-45 MPH.