1972 — April 5, Tornado, Vancouver, Washington — 6

–6  AP. “Reaction to Vancouver storm.” Daily News, Port Angeles, WA, 4-6-1972, p. 5.

–5  Waremart Grocery Store.

–2  Crushed under inside front wall (Jeannie Adams, 22, and son Brian Keith (2).

–3  Falling debris; car in parking lot; Louella Clevidence, 25, and two children.

–1  Woman in bowling alley nursery across the street. (Grazulis 1993, p. 1130.)

–6  Grazulis. Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991…Chronology…Analysis of Events. 1993, p.1130.

–6  KOMO News. “45 years ago…Northwest’s only deadly tornado struck Vancouver.” 4-5-2017.

–6  NCDC. Storm Data, Vol. 14, No. 4, April 1972, p. 20.

 

Narrative Information

 

Grazulis: “OR-WA  Apr 5, 1972  12:30  6k [killed]  304inj  9m [miles]  F2  Multnomah, OR/Clark, WA.”

 

NCDC on April 5 WA Tornado: “Vancouver… 12:45-1 p.m….500 [yards, width of path]…6 [killed]…300 [injured]…

 

“A rapidly traveling squall line entered western Oregon during the late morning hours, Wednesday, April 5, 1972. A number of moderate to severe thunderstorms were imbedded in the squall line. Several tornadoes were spawned from severe thunderstorms in the Vancouver area. A 9-mile path of damage was created from a marina on the Columbia River north-northeastward to the Brush Prairie area between 12:45 and 1 p.m. PST. Maximum path width was slightly over ¼ mile. Extensive damages occurred to an elementary school filled with children but there were no fatalities at that location. Heavy damage occurred in a nearby shopping center, roofs were torn from many houses, and there was extensive damage to trees, signs and utility lines. Most of the six fatalities occurred at the shopping center, but the 11 critical injuries were more widespread. 300 people in all were treated for minor injuries. Total damages were estimated at about 5-6 million dollars.” (NCDC. Storm Data, Vol. 14, No. 4, April 1972, p. 20.)

 

Sources

 

Associated Press. “Reaction to Vancouver storm.” Daily News, Port Angeles, WA, 4-6-1972, p. 5. Accessed 8-2-2018 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/port-angeles-daily-news-of-port-angeles-apr-06-1972-p-8/

 

Grazulis, Thomas P. Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991: A Chronology and Analysis of Events. St. Johnsbury, VE: Environmental Films, 1993.

 

KOMO News (Scott Sistek), Seattle. “45 years ago today: The Northwest’s only deadly tornado struck Vancouver.” 4-5-2017.https://komonews.com/weather/scotts-weather-blog/45-years-ago-today-the-northwests-most-and-only-deadly-tornado-struck-vancouve

 

National Climatic Data Center. Storm Data, Vol. 14, No. 4, April 1972. Asheville, NC: NCDC, Environmental Data Service, NOAA, U.S. Dept. of Commerce. Accessed 8-2-2018 at: https://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/orders/IPS/IPS-7503F1CC-7CD9-4D77-A37E-E2F5637DDF7C.pdf