The tornado was massive, up to 1.8 miles wide, and traveled at forward speeds of about 50 miles per hour. The tornado moved northeast, and continued on the ground continuously for about 98 miles, before ending in Woods County, Oklahoma about 10 miles west of Alva. What is known is that the violent tornado that struck Woodward had a confirmed path that started 3 miles northwest of Canadian, TX. In addition, the Woodward tornado may have begun closer to Pampa, TX, but there is no corroborating evidence to confirm a damage path in the area. While it is still officially attributed to have traveled in a single long track through 3 states, work done by Tom Grazulis of the Tornado Project, and research scientist Don Burgess indicates that a separate tornado occurred near White Deer, TX, and 4 or more tornadoes occurred near the Oklahoma state line and into Kansas.
The Woodward tornadic supercell thunderstorm began in the Texas Panhandle during the afternoon of April 9, 1947, and produced at least six tornadoes along a 220-mile path that stretched from White Deer, TX (northeast of Amarillo) to St. The most deadly tornado to ever strike within the borders of the state of Oklahoma occurred on Wednesday, Apin the city of Woodward.
