1978 Whippoorwill tornado

1978 Whippoorwill Tornado
F1 tornado
TypeTornado outbreak
DurationJune 17, 1978
Tornadoes
confirmed		1
Max. rating1F1 tornado
Fatalities16 fatalities, 3 injuries
Damage$250,000[1]
1Most severe tornado damage; see Fujita scale

The 1978 Whippoorwill tornado, also known as the Whippoorwill Disaster was a tornado that struck Osage County, Kansas on June 17, 1978. The tornado, which was on the ground for 8 miles (13 km), struck a tourist boat called the Whippoorwill, causing it to capsize and drowning 16 out of the 58 passengers and crew.[2] In the United States, the 1978 Whippoorwill tornado is the deadliest F1 rated tornado on the Fujita scale.[3]

  1. ^ Kansas Event Report: F1 Tornado, National Climatic Data Center
  2. ^ National Weather Service (2006). "1978 WHIPPOORWILL TORNADO DISASTER". NOAA. Archived from the original on 8 January 2007. Retrieved 2006-12-04.
  3. ^ "F1 Tornado - Fujita Scale". factsjustforkids.com. Retrieved June 20, 2019.