Lone Grove, Oklahoma

I know the first state many people think of when they hear the word tornado is Kansas, because of Dorothy and Toto and the merry land of Oz. But here in Texas, we're well aware of the season that's coming.
Spring in Texas means storms and rumors of storms. Everytime the weather siren goes off in Poynor, folks in this little town remember what even a small twister can do to a community.
Still, when I hear the word tornado, I often think of Oklahoma and my two-and-a-half years in the Sooner state. While at KKAJ in Ardmore, I frequently made the short drive to Lone Grove to broadcast a football game or a basketball tourneyment. The news of the deadly storm there was just another reminder of why the area near the Red River is often thought of as "Tornado Alley."
The deadliest day in the Red River Valley was April 10, 1979. The devastation began on the Texas side when a twister smashed into the southern part of Wichita Falls. The line that produced that tornado continued to traveled northeast until all of south central Oklahoma was braced for another hit. I stayed on the air until 3 a.m., giving reports that I gathered from local police and rescue departments. Our news director drove around the city breaking in with information about fallen trees, high water and swirling winds.
Ardmore didn't get a direct hit, but a couple of the little towns nearby did. Fortunately the death toll, outside of Wichita Falls was low. In researching this, I noticed Henderson County experienced a tornado April 11.
The National Weather Service tells us we can get a tornado anytime of year in Texas, but about this time of year, I try to get prayed up.
— Rich Flowers, News Editor