The 1929 Rye Cove tornado outbreak was a deadly tornado outbreak[nb 1][nb 2] that swept from southwest to northeast along the Appalachian Mountains from Oklahoma to Maryland in early May 1929. This outbreak, which killed at least 42 people and injured at least 323,[2] is notable as one of the worst to affect the states of Maryland and Virginia. It is also one of the most intense tornado outbreaks to affect Appalachia. The F2 tornado that struck Rye Cove, Virginia, is the deadliest tornado in Virginia history[3][4] and tied for the thirteenth-deadliest to hit a school in the United States, with all 13 deaths in a school building.[5] Western Virginia was particularly hard hit, with additional tornadoes confirmed in Alleghany, Bath, Culpeper, Fauquier and Loudoun Counties. One of these tornadoes, near Culpeper, also destroyed a school, but the storm struck during the evening after classes had been dismissed for the day.
This tornado first touched down close to Moffett, Oklahoma, where it injured three structures.[2] Observers witnessed four funnel clouds passing over the south fringe of Fort Smith, Arkansas, causing damage to three factories and 17 houses. The tornado razed six houses along the shores of Hollis Lake before dissipating.[2]
9 deaths – This deadly tornado struck several plantations, damaging or leveling 45 small houses, though some larger ones were razed as well, and other structures, along with crops, were reportedly damaged.[2]
2 deaths – This was another member of the tornado family previously listed. The tornado struck 15 mountaintop houses - with six of them leveled - near the Washington–Unicoi county line.[2]
3 deaths – A tornado struck Woodville and destroyed several houses.[2] One student died and 15 others were injured when a school was destroyed, with some of the students carried 200 yd (183 m) away from the school.[7] Two other people were killed when the tornado destroyed houses in Flint Hill.[2]
A tornado struck several small, rural communities, including Coronation, Sitlington, and Nimrod Hall where it damaged or destroyed at least 13 farms and small houses near the Cowpasture River.[2]
6+ deaths – A tornado struck a small house at Lagrange, killing two people inside. Four - possibly five - people were killed in two houses that were destroyed, and six other houses were damaged or destroyed in Weaversville.[2] The tornado also destroyed a large, fourteen-room, brick structure.[7]
2 deaths – A tornado tore the roofs off several houses as it passed between Galloway and Columbus; in Columbus, the tornado leveled a gas station and killed two people when it partially destroyed a jail.[2]
1 death – A tornado struck Jacksonville Heights and Ortega, on the south side of the Jacksonville, where it destroyed seven houses, damaged 15 others, and killed one person in a barn.[2]
A tornado struck the Evansdale and Riverside portions of Morgantown where it demolished 35 houses and caused minor damage to 200 others in addition to multiple factories.[2] Fifteen people reportedly incurred serious injuries occurred.[2]
2 deaths – A skipping tornado killed a couple as it leveled a farmhouse 3 miles (4.8 km) west of Frederick. Six other homes were damaged with some of them being unroofed.[2]
4 deaths– A tornado destroyed six farmhouses, killing three people in one of the leveled houses. A fourth person died on the second floor of a house that was torn off during the storm.[2]
At 12:55 p.m. (EDT), as many as 155 students were attending classes at Rye Cove High School, near the town of Clinchport, when a strong thunderstorm approached from the southwest and produced a tornado just 0.5 mi (0.80 km) away.[8] As the tornado - referred to as a “dark cloud”[9] - approached the school, it intensified and tore the roofs off many structures. Strong winds lofted lumber for hundreds of yards, leaving pieces lodged in trees.[8] Next to the school, the tornado struck a log house that was built in the 1850s, picking up the entire structure and carrying some of its furniture up to 4 mi (6.4 km) away.[9]
A teacher at the seven-room, wooden school heard the wind increasing outside but did not alert her students.[8] Moments later, the tornado struck, reportedly causing it to “explode”[9] and violently spread debris over a wide area. The powerful storm killed one teacher and 12 students, carrying their bodies up to 75 yards (69 m) from the school’s limestone foundation.[9] After the devastation at the school, the 0.25 mi (0.40 km)-wide tornado[9] destroyed five farmhouses before lifting.
The legacy of the tornado lived on in local folklore as A. P. Carter of the Carter Family, having visited the storm-stricken area and assisted in relief efforts, immediately recorded a song about the storm.[10]
^Schneider, Russell S.; Brooks, Harold E.; Schaefer, Joseph T. "Tornado Outbreak Day Sequences: Historic Events and Climatology (1875–2003)" (PDF). Norman, Oklahoma: Storm Prediction Center. Retrieved 2 February 2015.
^Grazulis, Thomas P.; Grazulis, Doris (26 April 2000). . The Tornado Project. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 26 February 2014.
^McDaid, Jennifer Davis. "Rye Cove Cyclone". encyclopediavirginia.org. Virginia Foundation for the Humanities. Retrieved 14 December 2015.
^Grazulis, Thomas P.; Grazulis, Doris. "The Ten Worst Tornado-Related Disasters In Schools". tornadoproject.com. Danville, Vermont: The Tornado Project. Retrieved 24 January 2015.
^ abWatson, Barbara M. (7 January 2008). Sammler, Bill (ed.). . vaemergency.gov. Richmond, Virginia: Virginia Department of Emergency Management. Archived from the original on 17 March 2014. Retrieved 24 January 2015.
^ abc"The Cyclone of Rye Cove: Twister Wrecks Rye Cove School". Kingsport, Tennessee: Kingsport Times. May 2, 1929.
^ abcde"Thirteen Killed When Tornado Destroys Rye Cove High School Building Thursday Afternoon". Scott County News. May 9, 1929.
^. blueridgeinstitute.org. Ferrum, Virginia: Blue Ridge Institute & Museum. Archived from the original on February 24, 1999. Retrieved 24 January 2015.
Bibliographyedit
Grazulis, Thomas (1993), Significant Tornadoes 1680–1991: A Chronology and Analysis of Events, St. Johnsbury, Vermont: Environmental Films, ISBN1-879362-03-1
Henry, Alfred J., ed. (1929), (PDF), Monthly Weather Review, United States Weather Bureau, 57 (5): 216–7, Bibcode:1929MWRv...57..216., doi:10.1175/1520-0493(1929)57<216:SLSM>2.0.CO;2, archived from the original (PDF) on January 27, 2005
Notesedit
^An outbreak is generally defined as a group of at least six tornadoes (the number sometimes varies slightly according to local climatology) with no more than a six-hour gap between individual tornadoes. An outbreak sequence, prior to (after) modern records that began in 1950, is defined as, at most, two (one) consecutive days without at least one significant (F2 or stronger) tornado.[1]
1929, cove, tornado, outbreak, deadly, tornado, outbreak, that, swept, from, southwest, northeast, along, appalachian, mountains, from, oklahoma, maryland, early, 1929, this, outbreak, which, killed, least, people, injured, least, notable, worst, affect, state. The 1929 Rye Cove tornado outbreak was a deadly tornado outbreak nb 1 nb 2 that swept from southwest to northeast along the Appalachian Mountains from Oklahoma to Maryland in early May 1929 This outbreak which killed at least 42 people and injured at least 323 2 is notable as one of the worst to affect the states of Maryland and Virginia It is also one of the most intense tornado outbreaks to affect Appalachia The F2 tornado that struck Rye Cove Virginia is the deadliest tornado in Virginia history 3 4 and tied for the thirteenth deadliest to hit a school in the United States with all 13 deaths in a school building 5 Western Virginia was particularly hard hit with additional tornadoes confirmed in Alleghany Bath Culpeper Fauquier and Loudoun Counties One of these tornadoes near Culpeper also destroyed a school but the storm struck during the evening after classes had been dismissed for the day 1929 Rye Cove tornado outbreakTypeTornado outbreakDurationMay 1 2 1929Tornadoesconfirmed17Max rating1F3 tornadoDuration oftornado outbreak230 hours 25 minutesFatalities 42 fatalities 323 injuriesDamageUnknownAreas affectedCentral and Eastern United States1Most severe tornado damage see Fujita scale2Time from first tornado to last tornado Contents 1 Confirmed tornadoes 1 1 May 1 event 1 2 May 2 event 1 3 Rye Cove Virginia 2 See also 3 References 3 1 Bibliography 4 NotesConfirmed tornadoes editConfirmed tornadoes by Fujita rating FU F0 F1 F2 F3 F4 F5 Total3 9 5 0 0 17May 1 event edit F Location County Time UTC Path length DamageOklahomaF2 Tucker to SE of Van Buren AR LeFlore Sequoyah Sebastian AR Crawford AR 2015 30 miles 48 km This tornado first touched down close to Moffett Oklahoma where it injured three structures 2 Observers witnessed four funnel clouds passing over the south fringe of Fort Smith Arkansas causing damage to three factories and 17 houses The tornado razed six houses along the shores of Hollis Lake before dissipating 2 ArkansasFU Jethro Franklin 2025 12 miles 19 km Tornado related damage reported 6 F2 Rex Van Buren 2130 5 miles 8 0 km This tornado struck the entire community of Rex tearing off roofs and damaging every structure in its path 2 F3 W of Brinkley to N of Wheatley Monroe St Francis 0045 15 miles 24 km 9 deaths This deadly tornado struck several plantations damaging or leveling 45 small houses though some larger ones were razed as well and other structures along with crops were reportedly damaged 2 TexasFU Frankston Anderson 2100 unknown Tornado damage reported 6 Sources Grazulis 2 Monthly Weather ReviewMay 2 event edit F Location County Time UTC Path length DamageTennesseeFU W of Newport Cocke unknown unknown This first member of a tornado family developed 15 mi 24 km west of Newport 2 6 F2 Embreeville area Washington Unicoi 1700 unknown 2 deaths This was another member of the tornado family previously listed The tornado struck 15 mountaintop houses with six of them leveled near the Washington Unicoi county line 2 VirginiaF2 NW of Gate City Rye Cove area Scott 1755 4 miles 6 4 km 13 deaths See section on this tornadoF3 S of Woodville to Flint Hill Rappahannock 2030 13 miles 21 km 3 deaths A tornado struck Woodville and destroyed several houses 2 One student died and 15 others were injured when a school was destroyed with some of the students carried 200 yd 183 m away from the school 7 Two other people were killed when the tornado destroyed houses in Flint Hill 2 F2 NE of Iron Gate Alleghany Bath 2300 17 miles 27 km A tornado struck several small rural communities including Coronation Sitlington and Nimrod Hall where it damaged or destroyed at least 13 farms and small houses near the Cowpasture River 2 F2 Near Hamilton Loudoun 0030 2 miles 3 2 km A tornado destroyed at least one house and numerous barns A brick church and other structures were damaged 2 F3 Lagrange to near Catlett Culpeper Fauquier 0100 18 miles 29 km 6 deaths A tornado struck a small house at Lagrange killing two people inside Four possibly five people were killed in two houses that were destroyed and six other houses were damaged or destroyed in Weaversville 2 The tornado also destroyed a large fourteen room brick structure 7 OhioF2 Galloway area to Columbus Franklin 2000 10 miles 16 km 2 deaths A tornado tore the roofs off several houses as it passed between Galloway and Columbus in Columbus the tornado leveled a gas station and killed two people when it partially destroyed a jail 2 FloridaF2 Jacksonville area Duval 2120 2 miles 3 2 km 1 death A tornado struck Jacksonville Heights and Ortega on the south side of the Jacksonville where it destroyed seven houses damaged 15 others and killed one person in a barn 2 West VirginiaF2 Morgantown area Monongalia 2120 4 miles 6 4 km A tornado struck the Evansdale and Riverside portions of Morgantown where it demolished 35 houses and caused minor damage to 200 others in addition to multiple factories 2 Fifteen people reportedly incurred serious injuries occurred 2 MarylandF3 NW of Adamstown to near Taneytown Frederick Carroll 0030 33 miles 53 km 2 deaths A skipping tornado killed a couple as it leveled a farmhouse 3 miles 4 8 km west of Frederick Six other homes were damaged with some of them being unroofed 2 F3 Near Laytonsville to Brookeville Montgomery Howard 0230 10 miles 16 km 4 deaths A tornado destroyed six farmhouses killing three people in one of the leveled houses A fourth person died on the second floor of a house that was torn off during the storm 2 Source Grazulis 2 Monthly Weather Review Rye Cove Virginia edit Rye Cove VirginiaF2 tornadoMax rating1F2 tornadoFatalities13 fatalities 100 injuriesDamage 100 000 USD 1929 1Most severe tornado damage see Fujita scaleAt 12 55 p m EDT as many as 155 students were attending classes at Rye Cove High School near the town of Clinchport when a strong thunderstorm approached from the southwest and produced a tornado just 0 5 mi 0 80 km away 8 As the tornado referred to as a dark cloud 9 approached the school it intensified and tore the roofs off many structures Strong winds lofted lumber for hundreds of yards leaving pieces lodged in trees 8 Next to the school the tornado struck a log house that was built in the 1850s picking up the entire structure and carrying some of its furniture up to 4 mi 6 4 km away 9 A teacher at the seven room wooden school heard the wind increasing outside but did not alert her students 8 Moments later the tornado struck reportedly causing it to explode 9 and violently spread debris over a wide area The powerful storm killed one teacher and 12 students carrying their bodies up to 75 yards 69 m from the school s limestone foundation 9 After the devastation at the school the 0 25 mi 0 40 km wide tornado 9 destroyed five farmhouses before lifting The legacy of the tornado lived on in local folklore as A P Carter of the Carter Family having visited the storm stricken area and assisted in relief efforts immediately recorded a song about the storm 10 See also editList of North American tornadoes and tornado outbreaksReferences edit Schneider Russell S Brooks Harold E Schaefer Joseph T Tornado Outbreak Day Sequences Historic Events and Climatology 1875 2003 PDF Norman Oklahoma Storm Prediction Center Retrieved 2 February 2015 a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t Grazulis 1993 p 826 Grazulis Thomas P Grazulis Doris 26 April 2000 VIRGINIA Tornadoes causing three or more deaths The Tornado Project Archived from the original on 4 March 2016 Retrieved 26 February 2014 McDaid Jennifer Davis Rye Cove Cyclone encyclopediavirginia org Virginia Foundation for the Humanities Retrieved 14 December 2015 Grazulis Thomas P Grazulis Doris The Ten Worst Tornado Related Disasters In Schools tornadoproject com Danville Vermont The Tornado Project Retrieved 24 January 2015 a b c Henry 1929 p 216 a b Watson Barbara M 7 January 2008 Sammler Bill ed Tornado History Virginia Tornadoes vaemergency gov Richmond Virginia Virginia Department of Emergency Management Archived from the original on 17 March 2014 Retrieved 24 January 2015 a b c The Cyclone of Rye Cove Twister Wrecks Rye Cove School Kingsport Tennessee Kingsport Times May 2 1929 a b c d e Thirteen Killed When Tornado Destroys Rye Cove High School Building Thursday Afternoon Scott County News May 9 1929 Deathly Lyrics The Cyclone of Rye Cove blueridgeinstitute org Ferrum Virginia Blue Ridge Institute amp Museum Archived from the original on February 24 1999 Retrieved 24 January 2015 Bibliography edit Grazulis Thomas 1993 Significant Tornadoes 1680 1991 A Chronology and Analysis of Events St Johnsbury Vermont Environmental Films ISBN 1 879362 03 1 Henry Alfred J ed 1929 Severe Local Storms PDF Monthly Weather Review United States Weather Bureau 57 5 216 7 Bibcode 1929MWRv 57 216 doi 10 1175 1520 0493 1929 57 lt 216 SLSM gt 2 0 CO 2 archived from the original PDF on January 27 2005Notes edit An outbreak is generally defined as a group of at least six tornadoes the number sometimes varies slightly according to local climatology with no more than a six hour gap between individual tornadoes An outbreak sequence prior to after modern records that began in 1950 is defined as at most two one consecutive days without at least one significant F2 or stronger tornado 1 All damage totals are in 1929 United States dollars unless otherwise noted Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title 1929 Rye Cove tornado outbreak amp oldid 1175262854, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
