Harmon County Natural Disasters and Weather Extremes
Hot Oklahoma Rankings
The chance of earthquake damage in Harmon County is lower than Oklahoma average and is much lower than the national average. The risk of tornado damage in Harmon County is much lower than Oklahoma average and is much higher than the national average.
Earthquake Index, #68
| Harmon County | 0.02 |
| Oklahoma | 0.31 |
| U.S. | 1.81 |
The earthquake index value is calculated based on historical earthquake events data using USA.com algorithms. It is an indicator of the earthquake level in a region. A higher earthquake index value means a higher chance of an earthquake.
Volcano Index, #1
| Harmon County | 0.0000 |
| Oklahoma | 0.0000 |
| U.S. | 0.0023 |
The volcano index value is calculated based on the currently known volcanoes using USA.com algorithms. It is an indicator of the possibility of a region being affected by a possible volcano eruption. A higher volcano index value means a higher chance of being affected.
Tornado Index, #60
| Harmon County | 238.79 |
| Oklahoma | 363.83 |
| U.S. | 136.45 |
The tornado index value is calculated based on historical tornado events data using USA.com algorithms. It is an indicator of the tornado level in a region. A higher tornado index value means a higher chance of tornado events.
Other Weather Extremes Events
A total of 14,062 other weather extremes events within 50 miles of Harmon County were recorded from 1950 to 2010. The following is a break down of these events:
| Type | Count | Type | Count | Type | Count | Type | Count | Type | Count |
| Avalanche: | 0 | Blizzard: | 4 | Cold: | 3 | Dense Fog: | 10 | Drought: | 66 |
| Dust Storm: | 3 | Flood: | 381 | Hail: | 9,098 | Heat: | 9 | Heavy Snow: | 34 |
| High Surf: | 0 | Hurricane: | 0 | Ice Storm: | 12 | Landslide: | 0 | Strong Wind: | 70 |
| Thunderstorm Winds: | 4,084 | Tropical Storm: | 0 | Wildfire: | 22 | Winter Storm: | 25 | Winter Weather: | 33 |
| Other: | 208 | ||||||||
Volcanos Nearby
No volcano is found in or near Harmon County.
Historical Earthquake Events
No historical earthquake events that had recorded magnitudes of 3.5 or above found in or near Harmon County.
No historical earthquake events found in or near Harmon County.
Historical Tornado Events
A total of 75 historical tornado events that had recorded magnitude of 2 or above found in or near Harmon County.
| Distance (miles) | Date | Magnitude | Start Lat/Log | End Lat/Log | Length | Width | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage | Crop Damage | Affected County |
| 2.5 | 1983-05-13 | 2 | 34°45'N / 99°49'W | 34°48'N / 99°49'W | 3.00 Miles | 500 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Harmon |
| 3.3 | 1983-05-13 | 2 | 34°43'N / 99°59'W | 34°45'N / 99°49'W | 10.00 Miles | 500 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Harmon |
| 4.9 | 1965-05-06 | 2 | 34°45'N / 99°58'W | 34°53'N / 99°43'W | 16.90 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 2 | 250K | 0 | Harmon |
| 5.2 | 1983-05-13 | 2 | 34°48'N / 99°49'W | 34°49'N / 99°46'W | 2.00 Miles | 500 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Harmon |
| 9.3 | 1981-06-01 | 2 | 34°49'N / 100°02'W | 34°49'N / 99°56'W | 5.70 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Collingsworth |
| 10.4 | 1968-05-06 | 2 | 34°52'N / 99°55'W | 34°55'N / 99°52'W | 4.70 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Harmon |
| 15.5 | 1955-06-17 | 3 | 34°51'N / 100°13'W | 34°53'N / 99°56'W | 16.20 Miles | 67 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Collingsworth |
| 16.6 | 2003-04-15 | 2 | 34°30'N / 99°55'W | 34°31'N / 99°52'W | 3.50 Miles | 350 Yards | 0 | 0 | 75K | 0 | Hardeman |
| Brief Description: This tornado began in Hardeman County, Texas producing F2 damage before moving northeast and crossing the Red River at 1829 CST into extreme western Jackson County, Oklahoma then moving into Harmon County, Oklahoma where it dissipated. The tornado moved through a farm north of Williams, Texas causing significant damage. A hay barn, saddle shed, garage, shop, and chicken house were destroyed. The house was also damaged with broken windows, porch removed from the house, tree limbs driven through the north facing wall, and the east wall of the house separated by approximately an inch. | |||||||||||
| 18.0 | 1962-07-20 | 2 | 34°39'N / 99°33'W | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Jackson | |||
| 18.6 | 1965-05-06 | 2 | 34°53'N / 99°43'W | 34°58'N / 99°29'W | 14.40 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Greer |
| 18.9 | 1982-05-11 | 2 | 34°38'N / 99°30'W | 34°42'N / 99°33'W | 5.70 Miles | 150 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Jackson |
| 18.9 | 1965-06-03 | 3 | 34°51'N / 100°12'W | 34°55'N / 100°04'W | 8.80 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Collingsworth |
| 18.9 | 1958-11-17 | 2 | 34°29'N / 99°39'W | 34°40'N / 99°31'W | 14.80 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Jackson |
| 19.3 | 1957-04-22 | 2 | 34°34'N / 99°35'W | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Jackson | |||
| 22.3 | 1980-05-29 | 2 | 34°56'N / 100°19'W | 34°46'N / 100°07'W | 16.20 Miles | 160 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Collingsworth |
| 22.8 | 1961-04-23 | 2 | 34°41'N / 99°27'W | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Jackson | |||
| 23.1 | 1958-11-17 | 2 | 34°34'N / 99°30'W | 1.00 Mile | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Jackson | |
| 23.4 | 1972-05-22 | 3 | 35°01'N / 99°40'W | 35°00'N / 99°30'W | 9.50 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Greer |
| 23.5 | 1983-05-12 | 2 | 34°51'N / 99°27'W | 0.10 Mile | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Greer | |
| 27.3 | 1965-04-07 | 2 | 34°54'N / 99°24'W | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Greer | |||
| 27.4 | 1962-05-24 | 2 | 34°41'N / 99°22'W | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Jackson | |||
| 28.3 | 1951-06-06 | 2 | 34°26'N / 100°12'W | 34°26'N / 100°08'W | 3.60 Miles | 1760 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Childress |
| 28.7 | 1970-08-18 | 2 | 34°20'N / 99°54'W | 0.80 Mile | 440 Yards | 0 | 1 | 25K | 0 | Hardeman | |
| 28.8 | 1987-05-25 | 2 | 34°43'N / 100°23'W | 34°43'N / 100°19'W | 4.00 Miles | 90 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Childress |
| 28.9 | 1964-06-20 | 2 | 34°51'N / 99°21'W | 0 | 1 | 0K | 0 | Greer | |||
| 29.0 | 1960-06-07 | 3 | 34°31'N / 99°25'W | 0.80 Mile | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Jackson | |
| 29.0 | 1983-05-12 | 2 | 34°46'N / 99°20'W | 0.10 Mile | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Jackson | |
| 29.4 | 1962-05-24 | 2 | 34°35'N / 99°22'W | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Jackson | |||
| 30.0 | 1980-05-29 | 2 | 34°38'N / 99°20'W | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Jackson | |||
| 30.1 | 1957-04-22 | 2 | 34°52'N / 99°20'W | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Greer | |||
| 30.4 | 1982-05-11 | 3 | 34°42'N / 99°16'W | 34°49'N / 99°21'W | 10.00 Miles | 700 Yards | 2 | 18 | 250K | 0 | Jackson |
| 30.4 | 2006-05-09 | 2 | 34°25'N / 100°12'W | 34°25'N / 100°12'W | 1.50 Miles | 175 Yards | 0 | 1 | 5.7M | 0 | Childress |
| Brief Description: A tornado resulted in significant (F2) damage along a one and half mile path through the north side of Childress during the evening hours of the 9th. The tornado developed in a residential are of northwest Childress at 20:30 CST. Damage in the neighborhood was characterized as weak, with numerous downed trees, street signs, and damaged roofs. A resident was injured when a tree fell and struck him, breaking his arm and causing minor lacerations. The tornado then moved east toward the high school. Damage to the high school was extensive. A local television network, KVII-TV in Amarillo, operates an automated weather station on the campus as part of a regional school net. The instrument measured a 109 MPH wind gust as the tornado ripped through the facility at 20:32 CST. Damage at Childress High School was rated F1, with large brick walls blown inn and portions of the building's roof removed. The gymnasium was declared a total loss. The tornado intensified as it continued to move east across Fair Park. A large industrial building used to house city owned emergency vehicles was completely destroyed, with extensive damage to the fleet of vehicles that were parked inside. A tennis court was destroyed by wind-blown debris, and numerous large trees were uprooted. A large stone picnic table was blown northward along the wind fields convergent axis associated with center of the tornado's path. A well-built metal bridge that spanned Park Lake was blown a considerable distance downwind. Damage along the tornado's path through the park justified a significant rating (F2) on the Fujita Tornado Damage Intensity Scale. This given the magnitude of damage observed at the industrial building site, where large steel beams were completely torn from their bolted fixtures. The damage survey indicated that the tornado quickly weakened as it continued to move east of the park, and into more rural areas in the northeastern outskirts of the city. May 9 Severe Thunderstorm and Significant Tornado Event Summary...Two isolated supercell thunderstorms developed east of a dryline that was roughly oriented along the Caprock Escarpment during the late afternoon and early evening hours of the 9th. These storms evolved into splitting supercells, and resulted in large hail up to two inches in diameter in Dickens and Motley Counties. The anticyclonic member from one of the mentioned storms propagated northward over Childress County during the early evening hours. The storm effectively lowered temperature-to-dewpoint depressions and locally backed the near-surface winds. A classic supercell subsequently propagated southeastward out of the Texas Panhandle and over Hall County. This storm interacted with the "outflow boundary" left by the departing anticyclonic storm. The southeastward propagating storm rapidly became tornadic near the northwestern corner of Childress. Large hail, damaging RFD winds, and the significant (F2) tornado resulted in nearly $6 million in damages and injured one. A school net weather instrument located at the heavily damaged Childress High School measured a peak wind gust of 109 MPH as the tornado destroyed the school's gymnasium. A second round of isolated severe storms produced large hail over the extreme southeastern Texas Panhandle as clean-up crews worked in the damaged areas. | |||||||||||
| 30.8 | 1975-02-22 | 2 | 34°37'N / 99°21'W | 34°40'N / 99°17'W | 5.20 Miles | 100 Yards | 2 | 8 | 250K | 0 | Jackson |
| 31.1 | 1973-03-13 | 2 | 34°57'N / 99°24'W | 34°59'N / 99°20'W | 4.50 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Greer |
| 31.4 | 1977-05-16 | 3 | 34°51'N / 100°24'W | 35°04'N / 100°16'W | 16.70 Miles | 500 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Collingsworth |
| 31.4 | 1955-05-25 | 4 | 35°00'N / 100°13'W | 35°14'N / 100°07'W | 17.10 Miles | 1100 Yards | 0 | 5 | 25K | 0 | Collingsworth |
| 32.1 | 1987-05-25 | 2 | 34°43'N / 100°26'W | 34°43'N / 100°23'W | 2.00 Miles | 90 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Hall |
| 32.4 | 1991-05-15 | 3 | 35°04'N / 100°15'W | 35°12'N / 100°05'W | 11.50 Miles | 450 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Collingsworth |
| 32.5 | 1982-05-11 | 3 | 34°37'N / 99°19'W | 34°41'N / 99°15'W | 4.00 Miles | 350 Yards | 0 | 41 | 250.0M | 0 | Jackson |
| 33.4 | 1980-03-31 | 2 | 34°39'N / 99°16'W | 0.20 Mile | 10 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Jackson | |
| 34.2 | 1957-04-02 | 2 | 34°38'N / 99°16'W | 34°42'N / 99°14'W | 5.20 Miles | 150 Yards | 0 | 1 | 25K | 0 | Jackson |
| 34.5 | 1991-05-15 | 3 | 35°12'N / 100°05'W | 35°14'N / 100°01'W | 3.50 Miles | 450 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Wheeler |
| 36.2 | 1977-05-20 | 3 | 34°39'N / 99°16'W | 34°46'N / 99°09'W | 10.40 Miles | 880 Yards | 0 | 3 | 2.5M | 0 | Jackson |
| 36.6 | 1957-04-02 | 2 | 34°42'N / 99°14'W | 34°46'N / 99°10'W | 6.20 Miles | 150 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Jackson |
| 36.7 | 1950-04-28 | 3 | 34°53'N / 99°17'W | 35°00'N / 99°12'W | 9.40 Miles | 400 Yards | 1 | 1 | 250K | 0 | Kiowa |
| 36.8 | 1969-07-25 | 2 | 34°34'N / 99°14'W | 0.80 Mile | 40 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Jackson | |
| 38.5 | 1977-05-16 | 3 | 35°10'N / 100°17'W | 35°12'N / 100°15'W | 3.60 Miles | 500 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Collingsworth |
| 39.8 | 1968-04-02 | 2 | 35°18'N / 99°39'W | 1.40 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Beckham | |
| 40.2 | 1982-05-11 | 3 | 34°58'N / 99°14'W | 35°04'N / 99°12'W | 7.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Kiowa |
| 40.4 | 1977-05-16 | 3 | 35°12'N / 100°15'W | 35°18'N / 100°10'W | 8.50 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Wheeler |
| 41.1 | 1959-05-04 | 2 | 35°12'N / 99°31'W | 35°18'N / 99°24'W | 9.60 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 1 | 3K | 0 | Beckham |
| 41.1 | 1962-07-14 | 2 | 34°38'N / 99°08'W | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Jackson | |||
| 41.3 | 1950-05-04 | 2 | 35°15'N / 99°33'W | 35°19'N / 99°30'W | 5.60 Miles | 293 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Beckham |
| 41.8 | 1965-06-04 | 3 | 35°19'N / 100°09'W | 35°19'N / 100°02'W | 6.80 Miles | 50 Yards | 1 | 1 | 25K | 0 | Wheeler |
| 42.3 | 1982-05-11 | 2 | 35°08'N / 99°15'W | 35°12'N / 99°21'W | 7.00 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Washita |
| 42.4 | 1950-04-28 | 3 | 35°00'N / 99°12'W | 35°07'N / 99°12'W | 8.00 Miles | 400 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Kiowa |
| 42.6 | 1982-05-11 | 3 | 34°39'N / 100°43'W | 34°34'N / 100°26'W | 15.00 Miles | 40 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Hall |
| 42.7 | 1973-04-23 | 2 | 35°16'N / 100°15'W | 0.30 Mile | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Wheeler | |
| 42.7 | 1977-05-20 | 2 | 34°18'N / 99°17'W | 34°24'N / 99°15'W | 7.30 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Wilbarger |
| 42.9 | 1977-05-16 | 3 | 35°24'N / 99°54'W | 35°20'N / 99°49'W | 6.50 Miles | 800 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Beckham |
| 43.4 | 1955-05-25 | 4 | 35°14'N / 100°07'W | 35°28'N / 100°00'W | 17.40 Miles | 1100 Yards | 0 | 5 | 25K | 0 | Wheeler |
| 43.5 | 1962-04-26 | 3 | 35°20'N / 99°39'W | 35°22'N / 99°36'W | 3.60 Miles | 300 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Beckham |
| 43.5 | 1977-05-16 | 3 | 35°20'N / 99°52'W | 35°25'N / 99°43'W | 10.30 Miles | 1320 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Beckham |
| 45.2 | 2007-05-05 | 3 | 35°23'N / 99°52'W | 35°25'N / 99°52'W | 3.00 Miles | 150 Yards | 0 | 1 | 5.0M | 0K | Beckham |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: This is the first tornado that occurred in Oklahoma with the southern tornadic supercell. The tornado appears to have developed 1/2 mile north of E1130 road and along Highway 30 in northern Beckham County, about 2 1/2 miles south of Sweetwater. The first evidence of a tornado was damage to an outbuilding at a gas facility on the west side of the highway along with some tree damage. The tornado moved north along and parallel to Highway 30, damaging trees, homes and some outbuildings. Damage in this area was mainly in the EF0 range. The most significant damage occurred when the tornado struck the Sweetwater school. At this location, the tornado is estimated to have been 100-150 yards wide. The most significant damage was to a metal building that was the school`s multi-purpose building, which was almost completely destroyed. The anchoring that connected the building to the foundation appeared to have failed, allowing all but the most northern section of the building to collapse. A small building that connected this building with the school`s gymnasium suffered only slight damage. The gymnasium, at the northwest corner of the school, suffered substantial roof damage, which appeared to have caused the west masonry wall of the school to collapse outward. Other damage on the school property consisted of a small storage building of similar construction as the multi-purpose building being completely destroyed, a bus barn/garage structure suffering damage when the large garage doors blew inward, and damage to trees, power lines and fences. A pick up truck, which had been parked in the school`s parking lot, was rolled/tossed approximately 100 yards to the north. A horse trailer that had been near the storage building at the southwest edge of the school property was found more than one quarter mile away in a field. A man suffered minor injuries near this location. Just north of the school, a home was damaged and an oil storage facility was also hit. An oil tank from this location was found approximately 500 yards away. Several animals were killed when a garage was destroyed. A RV was also destroyed. Numerous cars and school buses were damaged/destroyed. The damage to the multi-purpose building at the Sweetwater school is consistent with damage at the low end of the EF-3 scale. The remainder of the damage was primarily in the EF0-EF1 category. The tornado continued and crossed into Roger Mills County. Monetary damages were estimated. EPISODE NARRATIVE: An upper level storm system moved slowly into south central Colorado during the afternoon. A dry line had become established and was located along the Oklahoma and Texas panhandle border. Also, favorable upper level winds were rotating around the upper level storm system, crossing the dryline over western Oklahoma. As the afternoon progressed, convergence along the dryline became maximized over this area. Thunderstorms developed during the afternoon hours and they quickly became supercells. Two of the supercells produced several tornadoes. The northern tornadic storm produced five tornadoes from southwest of Roll to just east of Arnett. The southern tornadic storm also produced five tornadoes in Oklahoma from near Sweetwater to near Sharon. Large hail was also observed. The supercells moved northeast out of Oklahoma during the late evening hours. Monetary values for the tornado damage were estimated. | |||||||||||
| 45.6 | 1950-04-28 | 3 | 35°07'N / 99°12'W | 35°10'N / 99°12'W | 3.40 Miles | 400 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Washita |
| 46.0 | 1977-05-20 | 3 | 34°29'N / 99°06'W | 1.50 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Tillman | |
| 47.6 | 1980-05-29 | 2 | 34°14'N / 99°28'W | 34°07'N / 99°17'W | 13.20 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Wilbarger |
| 48.4 | 2003-05-15 | 2 | 35°24'N / 100°07'W | 35°27'N / 100°00'W | 10.00 Miles | 1760 Yards | 0 | 0 | 200K | 0 | Wheeler |
| Brief Description: No injuries were reported. The tornado severely damaged several homes and outbuildings...uprooted or snapped large trees...and knocked down powerlines. The tornado crossed the Oklahoma and Texas state line along State Highway 152...fifteen miles east of the town of Wheeler. Severe thunderstorms producing numerous tornadoes along with large hail and damaging winds moved northeast across the northwestern...central and eastern Texas panhandle during the late afternoon and evening hours. Although no injuries were reported as a result of the tornadoes...there was considerable damage to homes and businesses as well as to powerlines and trees. | |||||||||||
| 48.7 | 1977-05-16 | 3 | 35°25'N / 99°43'W | 35°27'N / 99°35'W | 7.90 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Roger Mills |
| 48.8 | 2007-05-05 | 3 | 35°25'N / 99°55'W | 35°29'N / 99°55'W | 5.00 Miles | 150 Yards | 0 | 0 | 150K | 0K | Roger Mills |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: This is a continuation of the tornado that began in northern Beckham about 2 1/2 miles south of Sweetwater. The tornado continued to produce damage as it moved north along Highway 30 into Sweetwater. The church and post office were damaged...as were several outbuildings and businesses. Damage continued for approximately 5 miles north of Sweetwater, with some substantial tree damage noted on the west side of Highway 30...and numerous power lines downed. The tornado appeared to have dissipated just south of E1040 road in southern Roger Mills County. Monetary damages were estimated. EPISODE NARRATIVE: An upper level storm system moved slowly into south central Colorado during the afternoon. A dry line had become established and was located along the Oklahoma and Texas panhandle border. Also, favorable upper level winds were rotating around the upper level storm system, crossing the dryline over western Oklahoma. As the afternoon progressed, convergence along the dryline became maximized over this area. Thunderstorms developed during the afternoon hours and they quickly became supercells. Two of the supercells produced several tornadoes. The northern tornadic storm produced five tornadoes from southwest of Roll to just east of Arnett. The southern tornadic storm also produced five tornadoes in Oklahoma from near Sweetwater to near Sharon. Large hail was also observed. The supercells moved northeast out of Oklahoma during the late evening hours. Monetary values for the tornado damage were estimated. | |||||||||||
| 48.8 | 1997-06-11 | 3 | 35°20'N / 100°27'W | 35°13'N / 100°23'W | 9.00 Miles | 600 Yards | 0 | 13 | 1.7M | 0 | Wheeler |
| Brief Description: Tornado occurred near Pakan community on CR 453. Twelve homes damaged or destroyed along with 13 vehicles on Interstate 40. Two inch diameter hail fell along most of the tornado path. Tornado track was determined by official storm survey. | |||||||||||
| 49.1 | 2010-04-22 | 3 | 34°10'N / 100°30'W | 34°15'N / 100°19'W | 12.00 Miles | 975 Yards | 0 | 0 | 300K | 0K | Cottle |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: A large and rain wrapped tornado tracked from southwest of Cee Vee to just west of U.S. Highway 62/83 east-northeast of Cee Vee between 18:46 and 19:20 CST. A storm spotter observed the tornado as it passed southeast of Cee Vee at approximately 19:05 CST, and described it visually as a large wedge-shaped vortex. A post-storm ground and aerial survey conducted by local emergency management officials and National Weather Service meteorologists concluded that the tornado resulted in significant EF-3 damage. A number light weight objects and structures, including well-houses, horse stables, utility poles, empty semi-truck trailers, and a partially filled petroleum tank were heavily damaged or destroyed along the initial portions of the tornado's track through ranchland southwest and south of Cee Vee. This includes minor roof damage to a permanent farm home near County Road 172. Significant damage first occurred at a farmstead 3 miles east-southeast of Cee Vee, south of Farm to Market Road 1440. At this site, upwards of twenty-percent of the roof was removed from a well-built permanent home. A large metal building was partially collapsed and a well-house was completely destroyed. A horse trailer was blown over and rolled. In addition, several large trees were uprooted. The tornado continued to move northeastward and impacted a second farmstead four miles east of Cee Vee, just south of Farm to Market Road 1440. The tornado's maximum damage intensity was observed at this site, where a well-built stucco constructed permanant home, a cinderblock two-car garage, and several outbuildings were destroyed. The home's roof was totally removed, and three exterior walls collapsed. A portion of the home's roof and exterior walls were blown downwind and struck the two-car cinderblock garage broadside. This contributed to the complete destruction of that structure with only the frames of two exterior walls remaining. Two outbuildings and a horse stable were completely destroyed, with another unroofed. In addition, an entire stand of more than a dozen large trees were uprooted. A detailed survey by local officials of the site, revealed that the home was well-built, and that the exterior walls were secured to the slab foundation with bolts. In collaboration with experts at Texas Tech University's Wind Engineering Department, the developers of the Enhanced-Fujita Scale, it was determined that estimated wind speeds at the site of the destroyed residence ranged between 130 and 150 mph. With an average expected wind speed of 140 mph, the tornado was assigned an EF-3 rating based on this damage. The tornado continued northeastward across Farm to Market Road 1440. It caused light roof damage to a couple of light weight structures before dissipating just west of U.S. Highway 62/83 east-northeast of Cee Vee at approximately 19:20 CST. Despite damaging three residences, no injuries were reported. EPISODE NARRATIVE: Scattered thunderstorms developed over the central and eastern South Plains region of west Texas during the late afternoon and evening hours of the 22nd. These storms resulted in significant severe weather, including strong tornadoes, as they impacted portions of the extreme southeastern Panhandle and the Rolling Plains. The severe weather over the South Plains of west Texas on the 22nd was part of a larger tornado outbreak that impacted areas from west Texas northward through western Kansas and eastern Colorado. Thunderstorms initiated over the central South Plains along and east of a dryline late in the day. These storms, some exhibiting supercell characteristics, initially became severe and produced large hail and damaging winds before 18:00 CST. By 18:20 CST, the first of three tornadoes, two of which were long-lived and significant, developed over northeastern Motley County. The parent supercell thunderstorm produced two damaging and rain-wrapped tornadoes over portions of Motley and Cottle Counties. The initial tornado south of Northfield crossed the Motley and Cottle County line southwest of Cee Vee. This three-quarter mile wide EF-2 tornado destroyed windmills and utility poles as it tracked through rural ranchlands. The second tornado heavily damaged or destroyed three farmsteads south and southeast of Cee Vee (Cottle County). Winds were estimated at approximately 140 mph where one home was destroyed east of that community. No injuries were reported. A second supercell thunderstorm developed south of the initial tornadic storm, and became tornadic near Swearingen (Cottle County) shortly after 21:00 CST. In addition to tornadoes, numerous reports of large hail up to the size of baseballs were received. Another Cottle County home was heavily damaged by thunderstorm winds just north of Paducah as convection organized into a linear complex late in the evening. Also, training thunderstorms repeatedly moved over the Tahoka area in Lynn County. This resulted in areas of flooding and portions of two U.S. Highways were rendered impassable. In all, property damages were estimated at $530,000. No injuries were reported. | |||||||||||
| 49.3 | 1982-05-27 | 2 | 34°23'N / 99°11'W | 34°27'N / 98°58'W | 12.00 Miles | 300 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Tillman |
| 49.3 | 1983-05-13 | 2 | 34°58'N / 99°01'W | 0.10 Mile | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Kiowa | |
| 50.0 | 1955-04-18 | 3 | 35°24'N / 100°06'W | 35°30'N / 100°00'W | 8.90 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Wheeler |
* The information on this page is based on the global volcano database, the U.S. earthquake database of 1638-1985, and the U.S. Tornado and Weather Extremes database of 1950-2010.