Hereford, TX Natural Disasters and Weather Extremes
Hot Rankings
The chance of earthquake damage in Hereford is about the same as Texas average and is much lower than the national average. The risk of tornado damage in Hereford is about the same as Texas average and is higher than the national average.
Earthquake Index, #610
| Hereford, TX | 0.02 |
| Texas | 0.04 |
| 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
| Hereford, TX | 0.0000 |
| Texas | 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, #914
| Hereford, TX | 199.66 |
| Texas | 208.58 |
| 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 3,195 other weather extremes events within 50 miles of Hereford, TX 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: | 0 | Cold: | 0 | Dense Fog: | 0 | Drought: | 0 |
| Dust Storm: | 0 | Flood: | 156 | Hail: | 2,267 | Heat: | 0 | Heavy Snow: | 0 |
| High Surf: | 0 | Hurricane: | 0 | Ice Storm: | 0 | Landslide: | 0 | Strong Wind: | 0 |
| Thunderstorm Winds: | 738 | Tropical Storm: | 0 | Wildfire: | 0 | Winter Storm: | 0 | Winter Weather: | 0 |
| Other: | 34 | ||||||||
Volcanos Nearby
No volcano is found in or near Hereford, TX.
Historical Earthquake Events
No historical earthquake events that had recorded magnitudes of 3.5 or above found in or near Hereford, TX.
No historical earthquake events found in or near Hereford, TX.
Historical Tornado Events
A total of 61 historical tornado events that had recorded magnitude of 2 or above found in or near Hereford, TX.
| Distance (miles) | Date | Magnitude | Start Lat/Log | End Lat/Log | Length | Width | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage | Crop Damage | Affected County |
| 4.0 | 1957-05-24 | 2 | 34°26'N / 102°53'W | 35°11'N / 102°03'W | 70.10 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Parmer |
| 4.4 | 1971-04-19 | 3 | 34°49'N / 102°22'W | 34°52'N / 102°17'W | 6.10 Miles | 133 Yards | 0 | 24 | 0K | 0 | Deaf Smith |
| 7.9 | 1967-06-01 | 2 | 34°56'N / 102°24'W | 34°56'N / 102°19'W | 4.70 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Deaf Smith |
| 17.7 | 1966-05-28 | 2 | 34°34'N / 102°24'W | 1.50 Miles | 67 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Castro | |
| 20.3 | 1996-05-25 | 2 | 35°03'N / 102°40'W | 35°01'N / 102°38'W | 3.00 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 150K | 0 | Deaf Smith |
| Brief Description: This tornado blew the roof and some exterior walls of a brick veneer home down and destroyed the adjacent barn. Two other homes were seriously damaged. Two farm hands rode out the storm in the brick veneer home without injuries. The track is an estimate. | |||||||||||
| 21.1 | 1980-07-27 | 2 | 34°33'N / 102°18'W | 34°31'N / 102°16'W | 3.00 Miles | 40 Yards | 0 | 1 | 0K | 0 | Castro |
| 22.3 | 1960-04-12 | 2 | 34°38'N / 102°43'W | 1.00 Mile | 67 Yards | 0 | 3 | 3K | 0 | Parmer | |
| 22.3 | 1960-10-11 | 3 | 34°38'N / 102°43'W | 1.00 Mile | 100 Yards | 0 | 1 | 250K | 0 | Parmer | |
| 24.4 | 1972-08-06 | 2 | 34°44'N / 101°59'W | 1.00 Mile | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Swisher | |
| 26.9 | 1967-03-19 | 2 | 34°32'N / 102°43'W | 0.60 Mile | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Parmer | |
| 29.1 | 1962-06-14 | 2 | 34°58'N / 101°55'W | 1.40 Miles | 67 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Randall | |
| 29.5 | 2002-05-05 | 2 | 34°44'N / 101°56'W | 34°44'N / 101°51'W | 5.00 Miles | 300 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Swisher |
| Brief Description: A large tornado developed west of town. It moved eastward across open country and thus the storm survey team, made up of both NWS personnel and a Texas Tech University wind engineer, could only find damage to power poles and to fence posts. Based on storm chaser video, the large tornado weakened and finally dissipated just west of Happy. | |||||||||||
| 29.6 | 1970-04-17 | 4 | 34°23'N / 102°37'W | 34°27'N / 102°31'W | 7.40 Miles | 880 Yards | 1 | 3 | 2.5M | 0 | Parmer |
| 29.7 | 1982-05-09 | 3 | 35°09'N / 102°05'W | 35°11'N / 102°05'W | 2.00 Miles | 40 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Randall |
| 30.2 | 1991-05-10 | 2 | 34°25'N / 102°40'W | 34°27'N / 102°37'W | 3.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 1 | 250K | 0 | Parmer |
| 30.3 | 1969-05-16 | 2 | 34°25'N / 102°36'W | 0.10 Mile | 20 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Parmer | |
| 30.3 | 1989-05-16 | 2 | 35°09'N / 102°04'W | 35°04'N / 101°55'W | 10.00 Miles | 300 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Randall |
| 31.9 | 1960-04-12 | 3 | 34°21'N / 102°18'W | 34°24'N / 102°14'W | 5.20 Miles | 100 Yards | 3 | 32 | 250K | 0 | Castro |
| 33.0 | 1982-05-09 | 3 | 35°11'N / 102°05'W | 35°17'N / 102°07'W | 6.20 Miles | 40 Yards | 0 | 1 | 2.5M | 0 | Potter |
| 33.2 | 2002-05-05 | 2 | 34°44'N / 101°51'W | 34°44'N / 101°48'W | 3.00 Miles | 150 Yards | 2 | 4 | 4.0M | 0 | Swisher |
| Brief Description: Storm chaser video indicated that shortly after the large tornado dissipated, another tornado developed just west of town. This tornado tore a 150-yard wide path across the southern part of town. Fifteen homes were destroyed, including at least ten mobile homes, another seventeen received major damage, and eighteen others received minor damage. The storm survey team estimated wind speeds associated with the damage to be in the 115 to 130 mph range. Two fatalities occurred in a mobile home on the southeast side of town; the mobile home was rolled about 50 yards and destroyed. Four injuries also occurred in mobile homes that were in the same area. The church on the west side of town lost 120 feet of its roof and 30 vehicles, including two tractor trailers, were damaged or destroyed. Seventy five utility and telephone poles were snapped. The tornado crossed I-27 and continued to produce significant damage east of town as it struck a home two miles east of Happy on Farm-to-Market Road 1075. Before crossing into southern Randall County about three miles east of Happy, the tornado produced major damage to a second home on Farm-to-Market Road 1075. M37MH, F35MH | |||||||||||
| 34.5 | 1970-04-17 | 4 | 34°27'N / 102°31'W | 35°22'N / 101°05'W | 103.0 Miles | 880 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Randall |
| 34.6 | 1971-10-17 | 2 | 34°19'N / 102°12'W | 34°24'N / 102°09'W | 6.40 Miles | 400 Yards | 0 | 4 | 2.5M | 0 | Castro |
| 35.3 | 2007-04-21 | 2 | 34°27'N / 101°59'W | 34°27'N / 101°58'W | 1.00 Mile | 1230 Yards | 0 | 0 | 30K | 0K | Swisher |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: A large and long-tracked tornado cut a path of damage twenty-nine miles in length and at times nearly three-quarters of a mile wide across portions of Lamb, Hale, Castro and Swisher Counties between 17:57 and 18:36 CST on the 21st. Total damages from the tornado were estimated to exceed $1.2 million, and one person was injured. The tornado was in the final stages of its life cycle as it crossed into extreme southwestern Swisher County at 18:33 CST. Storm chasers documented an extended rope-out phase before the tornado finally dissipated over cotton fields in southwestern Swisher County at 18:36 CST. Reports in local newspapers indicated that at least one center pivot irrigation system was heavily damaged west of Kress. Damage caused by the tornado east of Olton (Lamb County) supported an EF-2 rating with winds estimated between 110 and 120 mph. EPISODE NARRATIVE: An outbreak of severe weather impacted much of the central U.S. from Minnesota to Texas during the late afternoon and evening hours of the 21st. The west Texas South Plains and the extreme southern Texas Panhandle were affected by a series of significant tornadoes. At least five tornadoes were spawned by a single cyclic supercell thunderstorm that resulted in more than $3.5 million in damages. The most severely impacted communities included Olton (Lamb County) and Tulia (Swisher County). Both of these west Texas towns were impacted by EF-2 tornadoes that destroyed property and injured four people, and more than 14,000 customers were without electrical power throughout the night. The tornado outbreak was caused by a potent storm system that progressed east over the Four Corners region of the western U.S. on the 21st. A potent upper level jet stream spread over the Southern Plains of the U.S., and helped to create a favorable environment for supercell thunderstorms and tornadoes along a dryline that was stretched across west Texas. | |||||||||||
| 35.5 | 1980-05-28 | 3 | 34°31'N / 101°56'W | 34°33'N / 101°50'W | 6.10 Miles | 2333 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Swisher |
| 35.7 | 1987-05-25 | 2 | 34°59'N / 101°48'W | 2.00 Miles | 150 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Randall | |
| 35.7 | 1965-05-04 | 2 | 35°12'N / 101°58'W | 1.00 Mile | 20 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Potter | |
| 36.2 | 1962-06-24 | 2 | 35°14'N / 102°00'W | 1.50 Miles | 27 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Potter | |
| 36.5 | 2002-05-05 | 2 | 34°45'N / 101°48'W | 34°49'N / 101°43'W | 2.00 Miles | 150 Yards | 0 | 0 | 40K | 0 | Randall |
| Brief Description: A damage assessment was made on this tornado. This tornado began in Lubbock's County Warning Area in Swisher county. After the tornado tore through the community of Happy Texas, it moved east northeast and entered the extreme southern sections of Randall county. Two homes received moderate damage from the tornado in Randall county. No injuries or deaths occurred in Randall county. Severe thunderstorms raked across much of the Texas panhandle during the late afternoon and into the evening hours. Large hail and damaging winds along with several tornadoes occurred with these storms with the extreme southern Texas panhandle being hit hardest. No fatalities or injuries occured from the severe weather...although damage was reported from the high winds and large hail. | |||||||||||
| 36.7 | 1971-06-05 | 2 | 35°05'N / 101°50'W | 0.30 Mile | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Randall | |
| 37.3 | 1964-06-11 | 2 | 34°25'N / 101°58'W | 1.00 Mile | 27 Yards | 0 | 4 | 3K | 0 | Swisher | |
| 37.5 | 2007-04-21 | 2 | 34°19'N / 102°05'W | 34°25'N / 102°00'W | 8.00 Miles | 1230 Yards | 0 | 0 | 200K | 0K | Castro |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: A large and long-tracked tornado cut a path of damage twenty-nine miles in length and at times nearly three-quarters of a mile wide across portions of Lamb, Hale, Castro and Swisher Counties between 17:57 and 18:36 CST on the 21st. Total damages from the tornado were estimated to exceed $1.2 million, and one person was injured. The large tornado caused damage to center pivot irrigation systems and utility lines as it tracked over southeastern Castro County between 18:18 and 18:33 CST. Local newspapers reported that numerous irrigation systems were destroyed, and utility poles were downed along Texas Highway 194 and Farm to Market Road 145 southeast and east of Hart. Damage caused by the tornado east of Olton (Lamb County) supported an EF-2 rating with winds estimated between 110 and 120 mph. EPISODE NARRATIVE: An outbreak of severe weather impacted much of the central U.S. from Minnesota to Texas during the late afternoon and evening hours of the 21st. The west Texas South Plains and the extreme southern Texas Panhandle were affected by a series of significant tornadoes. At least five tornadoes were spawned by a single cyclic supercell thunderstorm that resulted in more than $3.5 million in damages. The most severely impacted communities included Olton (Lamb County) and Tulia (Swisher County). Both of these west Texas towns were impacted by EF-2 tornadoes that destroyed property and injured four people, and more than 14,000 customers were without electrical power throughout the night. The tornado outbreak was caused by a potent storm system that progressed east over the Four Corners region of the western U.S. on the 21st. A potent upper level jet stream spread over the Southern Plains of the U.S., and helped to create a favorable environment for supercell thunderstorms and tornadoes along a dryline that was stretched across west Texas. | |||||||||||
| 38.7 | 1964-06-11 | 2 | 34°23'N / 103°03'W | 34°34'N / 102°49'W | 18.30 Miles | 67 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Parmer |
| 39.2 | 1980-05-28 | 2 | 34°30'N / 101°52'W | 34°31'N / 101°47'W | 4.90 Miles | 1667 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Swisher |
| 39.4 | 1971-10-17 | 2 | 34°11'N / 102°11'W | 34°24'N / 102°07'W | 15.50 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Lamb |
| 39.9 | 1973-03-23 | 2 | 35°13'N / 101°53'W | 2.00 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Potter | |
| 40.3 | 1967-06-15 | 2 | 35°07'N / 101°47'W | 0.10 Mile | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Randall | |
| 40.4 | 2007-04-21 | 2 | 34°31'N / 101°46'W | 34°34'N / 101°47'W | 3.00 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 3 | 2.0M | 0K | Swisher |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: A strong tornado delivered a crippling impact on the local economy of Tulia, Texas, when it devastated industrial and residential sections of the small community of 5,000 residents around 19:00 CST on the 21st. A two block wide swath of damage paralleled U.S. Highway 87 in west Tulia for fifteen blocks. Three persons were treated at area hospitals for injuries, almost thirty homes sustained damage or were destroyed along with twenty businesses, and approximately five hundred people were displaced or made homeless. Local officials and newspaper accounts indicated that several of the businesses that were heavily damaged during the tornado served as staples to the Tulia economy prior to the storm. U.S. President George W. Bush declared Swisher County a federal disaster area on May 1, 2007. This destructive tornado developed near a power plant at the intersection of Broadway Street and U.S. Highway 87 in west Tulia at 18:57 CST. The tornado moved north and caused extensive damage to a local supermarket at the intersection of U.S. Highway 87 and Sixth Street. A large portion of the roof was removed on the east side of the structure, and one exterior wall collapsed inward. Smaller sections of two additional exterior walls additionally collapsed. A local auto dealership, located near the supermarket, also sustained a large amount of structural and inventory damage. Forty-one vehicles were damaged by flying debris, and a motor home on the property was overturned. A large overhead door on the east side of the structure's show room failed, resulting in the failure of the west wall. A large storage container was blown into the southwest corner of the building and caused the partial collapse of the roof. Several large metal industrial-style buildings sustained major damage due to the failure of large overhead doors and buckling of roof purlins on the south side of the buildings. One such structure collapsed onto a collection of classic cars, and resulted in a $250,000 loss. Two storm chasers escaped injuries when they were struck by the tornado along the industrial stretch of U.S. Highway 87. Their vehicle was blown into a brick building, and then a tractor-trailer was blown broadside against the chase vehicle. Damage also was observed to the north and northeast of the industrial area, with severe damage in residential areas including a mobile home community between Eighth and Ninth Streets just west of Highland Elementary School. Five mobile homes were damaged, with two others completely destroyed. The most significant residential damage occurred in a subdivision along Northwest Ninth Street through Northwest Eleventh Street. Across this area, a number of homes suffered roof losses. Roofs were totally removed from at least two single-family homes on Tenth Street near Airport Road, with partial exterior wall collapses also noted. The tornado dissipated near the Tulia Municipal Airport at 19:01 CST. Meteorologists from the National Weather Service in Lubbock, Texas, Texas Tech University, and engineers from numerous private and governmental agencies surveyed the Tulia damage. All indications suggest that the maximum winds with the Tulia tornado were between 125 and 135 mph. This makes the Tulia tornado an EF-2 tornado on the Enhanced Fujita scale for tornado intensity. The total economic loss is estimated at $2.0 million. EPISODE NARRATIVE: An outbreak of severe weather impacted much of the central U.S. from Minnesota to Texas during the late afternoon and evening hours of the 21st. The west Texas South Plains and the extreme southern Texas Panhandle were affected by a series of significant tornadoes. At least five tornadoes were spawned by a single cyclic supercell thunderstorm that resulted in more than $3.5 million in damages. The most severely impacted communities included Olton (Lamb County) and Tulia (Swisher County). Both of these west Texas towns were impacted by EF-2 tornadoes that destroyed property and injured four people, and more than 14,000 customers were without electrical power throughout the night. The tornado outbreak was caused by a potent storm system that progressed east over the Four Corners region of the western U.S. on the 21st. A potent upper level jet stream spread over the Southern Plains of the U.S., and helped to create a favorable environment for supercell thunderstorms and tornadoes along a dryline that was stretched across west Texas. | |||||||||||
| 41.1 | 1980-05-28 | 3 | 34°32'N / 101°46'W | 2.00 Miles | 833 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Swisher | |
| 41.3 | 1992-03-27 | 2 | 34°24'N / 103°02'W | 34°30'N / 102°54'W | 10.00 Miles | 60 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Parmer |
| 41.6 | 1989-06-03 | 2 | 34°13'N / 102°42'W | 34°17'N / 102°33'W | 8.00 Miles | 880 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Bailey |
| 41.8 | 1971-04-18 | 2 | 34°15'N / 102°40'W | 34°15'N / 102°36'W | 4.30 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Bailey |
| 41.8 | 1971-04-18 | 2 | 34°15'N / 102°40'W | 34°15'N / 102°36'W | 4.30 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Bailey |
| 42.0 | 1988-09-14 | 2 | 35°12'N / 101°49'W | 0.70 Mile | 173 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Randall | |
| 42.7 | 1972-06-21 | 2 | 35°12'N / 101°50'W | 35°12'N / 101°46'W | 4.10 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 5 | 2.5M | 0 | Potter |
| 42.7 | 1964-06-12 | 2 | 34°23'N / 103°02'W | 34°28'N / 102°55'W | 8.80 Miles | 27 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Parmer |
| 42.7 | 1969-10-19 | 2 | 34°15'N / 102°07'W | 1.00 Mile | 10 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Lamb | |
| 43.0 | 1969-05-06 | 3 | 34°12'N / 102°24'W | 1.00 Mile | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Lamb | |
| 43.1 | 2007-04-21 | 2 | 34°13'N / 102°05'W | 34°19'N / 102°02'W | 5.00 Miles | 1230 Yards | 0 | 0 | 200K | 0K | Hale |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: A large and long-tracked tornado cut a path of damage twenty-nine miles in length and at times nearly three-quarters of a mile wide across portions of Lamb, Hale, Castro and Swisher Counties between 17:57 and 18:36 CST on the 21st. Total damages from the tornado were estimated to exceed $1.2 million, and one person was injured. The large tornado tracked across northwestern Hale County between 18:10 and 18:18 CST. Local newspaper reports indicate that the most notable damage along the tornado's path in northwestern Hale County occurred to numerous center pivot irrigation systems. At least ten irrigation systems were reportedly destroyed in fields west and northwest of Halfway. Damage caused by the tornado east of Olton (Lamb County) supported an EF-2 rating with winds estimated between 110 and 120 mph. EPISODE NARRATIVE: An outbreak of severe weather impacted much of the central U.S. from Minnesota to Texas during the late afternoon and evening hours of the 21st. The west Texas South Plains and the extreme southern Texas Panhandle were affected by a series of significant tornadoes. At least five tornadoes were spawned by a single cyclic supercell thunderstorm that resulted in more than $3.5 million in damages. The most severely impacted communities included Olton (Lamb County) and Tulia (Swisher County). Both of these west Texas towns were impacted by EF-2 tornadoes that destroyed property and injured four people, and more than 14,000 customers were without electrical power throughout the night. The tornado outbreak was caused by a potent storm system that progressed east over the Four Corners region of the western U.S. on the 21st. A potent upper level jet stream spread over the Southern Plains of the U.S., and helped to create a favorable environment for supercell thunderstorms and tornadoes along a dryline that was stretched across west Texas. | |||||||||||
| 44.4 | 1964-06-11 | 2 | 35°11'N / 103°03'W | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Quay | |||
| 45.2 | 1971-10-17 | 2 | 34°02'N / 102°23'W | 34°19'N / 102°12'W | 22.20 Miles | 400 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Lamb |
| 45.9 | 1971-10-17 | 2 | 34°01'N / 102°25'W | 34°20'N / 102°02'W | 31.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Lamb |
| 46.3 | 1968-05-31 | 2 | 34°18'N / 101°55'W | 34°18'N / 101°52'W | 3.00 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Hale |
| 47.0 | 1951-07-02 | 2 | 34°11'N / 102°07'W | 1.00 Mile | 20 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Lamb | |
| 47.1 | 1964-06-12 | 2 | 34°23'N / 103°02'W | 2.00 Miles | 27 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Parmer | |
| 47.6 | 1969-05-02 | 2 | 35°20'N / 101°50'W | 0.10 Mile | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Potter | |
| 48.5 | 1987-05-25 | 2 | 35°01'N / 101°41'W | 35°01'N / 101°28'W | 2.00 Miles | 150 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Randall |
| 48.6 | 1971-08-10 | 2 | 34°24'N / 101°43'W | 0.50 Mile | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Swisher | |
| 48.9 | 1971-08-22 | 2 | 34°22'N / 101°46'W | 34°22'N / 101°43'W | 2.70 Miles | 20 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Swisher |
| 49.4 | 1964-06-11 | 2 | 34°24'N / 103°08'W | 34°23'N / 103°03'W | 4.90 Miles | 67 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Curry |
| 49.4 | 2007-04-21 | 2 | 34°03'N / 102°13'W | 34°14'N / 102°03'W | 15.00 Miles | 1230 Yards | 0 | 1 | 810K | 50K | Lamb |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: A large and long-tracked tornado cut a path of damage twenty-nine miles in length and at times nearly three-quarters of a mile wide across portions of Lamb, Hale, Castro and Swisher Counties between 17:57 and 18:36 CST on the 21st. Total damages from the tornado were estimated to exceed $1.2 million, and one person was injured. The development of this significant tornado was witnessed by storm chasers between Fieldton and Otlon at 17:57 CST. A National Weather Service damage survey team noted that the first damages to occur as a result of the tornado included five medium voltage power poles downed just east of the intersection of Farm to Market Road 168 and County Road 162. Just east of this location, the tops of five power poles were blown off to the north and two center pivot irrigation systems were overturned. One irrigation system was blown toward the west and another toward the northeast. Farther to the northeast along the tornado's path, along County Road 152 just east of Farm to Market Road 168, two power poles were sheared off above the ground. At this location, a historic multi-story house that was originally constructed in 1913 suffered severe roof damage. A portion of the roof was blown off of the structure toward the southeast. The owners of the home were within days of completing a two year-long renovation. In addition, the skirting was removed from a mobile home across the street from the historic home. Several outbuildings near the residence also sustained minor damage. The tornado continued northeastward and destroyed several more center pivot irrigation systems and snapped utility poles three to five feet above the ground along County Road 321. The tornado's damage path was measured at seven-tenths of a mile wide in this area. As the tornadic circulation crossed U.S. Highway 70 two miles east of Olton, four homes were heavily damaged. Two well-built brick structures suffered total roof losses. The resident of one home, and elderly woman, suffered minor injuries while seeking shelter under a kitchen table. A number of light-weight medal structures were destroyed, along with three vehicles and several pieces of farm equipment. One family pet, a dog, was killed at one of the residences. The tornado killed an unknown number of live-stock as it continued northeast of U.S. Highway 70. The damaging tornado crossed the Lamb and Hale County line at 18:10 CST. The damages sustained by two of the well-built single-family residences, light-weight medal structures, and numerous utility poles support an EF-2 rating. Winds were estimated between 110 and 120 mph. EPISODE NARRATIVE: An outbreak of severe weather impacted much of the central U.S. from Minnesota to Texas during the late afternoon and evening hours of the 21st. The west Texas South Plains and the extreme southern Texas Panhandle were affected by a series of significant tornadoes. At least five tornadoes were spawned by a single cyclic supercell thunderstorm that resulted in more than $3.5 million in damages. The most severely impacted communities included Olton (Lamb County) and Tulia (Swisher County). Both of these west Texas towns were impacted by EF-2 tornadoes that destroyed property and injured four people, and more than 14,000 customers were without electrical power throughout the night. The tornado outbreak was caused by a potent storm system that progressed east over the Four Corners region of the western U.S. on the 21st. A potent upper level jet stream spread over the Southern Plains of the U.S., and helped to create a favorable environment for supercell thunderstorms and tornadoes along a dryline that was stretched across west Texas. | |||||||||||
| 49.6 | 1963-05-21 | 3 | 34°17'N / 103°03'W | 34°20'N / 102°58'W | 5.90 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Bailey |
* 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.