1884 Howard tornado

1884 Howard tornado
One of the earliest known photographs of a tornado. An earlier photograph was taken near Garnett, Kansas, on April 26, 1884.
Meteorological history
FormedAugust 28, 1884, before 4:00 p.m. local time
DissipatedAugust 28, 1884, after 6:00 p.m. local time
Durationmore than 2 hours
Overall effects
Fatalities1
Injuries1
Damageunknown
Areas affectedNorth-northwest of Forestburg, west of Howard, to Long Lake, Dakota Territory, in present-day South Dakota
F4 tornado
on the Fujita scale
Max width400 yards (0.23 mi; 0.37 km)
Path length30 miles (48 km)
Part of the Tornado outbreak of August 28, 1884 and Tornadoes of 1884

During the afternoon and evening hours of Thursday, August 28, 1884, an F4 tornado passed west of Howard, South Dakota, then part of the Dakota Territory. The storm was part of a larger tornado outbreak that produced several strong to violent tornadoes across southeastern portions of the Dakota Territory and caused multiple fatalities. The Howard tornado is notable as one of the earliest tornadoes to be photographed, by F. N. Robinson. The tornado traveled approximately 30 miles (48 km), killing one person and injuring another.

Tornado summary

The tornado was first observed at about 4:00 p.m. local time, moving southeastward, and remained visible for more than two hours. A contemporary account placed it about 22 miles (35 km) west of Howard at that time. The tornado moved southeastward through the area west of Howard, where it was photographed by F. N. Robinson. It destroyed a house along its path and killed approximately 30 cattle. The tornado continued toward Long Lake before dissipating. In total, the tornado killed one person and injured at least one other.

Legacy

This was one of the earliest tornadoes to be photographed. The photographer was F. N. Robinson, who observed the tornado from a street in the town of Howard, about 3 km (1.9 mi) east of the storm track.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Tornado photo from August 1884 on display at Cultural Heritage Center". South Dakota State Historical Society. June 13, 2017.
  2. ↑ Holden, Edward S. (December 4, 1884). "A Tornado Photographed". Nature. 31: 106. doi:10.1038/031106a0.
  3. ↑ "Tornado archive data explorer". August 28, 1884.
  4. ↑ "Oldest Known Photo of a Tornado - August 28, 1884". National Weather Service Forecast Office Peachtree City, GA. Peachtree City, Georgia: National Weather Service. Archived from the original on May 30, 2009. Retrieved 5 September 2021.