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On This Day in 1997: Jarrell, Texas, F5 Tornado
May 26, 2021 at 09:15 AM EDT
By WeatherBug's Intern Meteorologist, Christopher Smith
Twenty-four years ago, a central Texas tornado outbreak birthed one of the strongest tornadoes on record that decimated Jarrell, Texas.
While 20 tornadoes occurred across central Texas from the Dallas metro area to San Antonio on May 27, 1997, the set-up for severe weather was far from classic. With a low pressure system far removed from the area, located near Nebraska and South Dakota, there wasn’t an extreme amount of energy to form towering thunderstorms. In addition, wind shear, or the change of direction or speed of wind with height, was not particularly impressive.
However, a cold front sliced through central Texas into a warm, humid air mass at the surface and in combination with rapidly dropping temperatures with height, storms were set to fire. While wind shear was minimal, there was enough for supercells to form.
By 1 p.m. local time, a Tornado Watch was issued by the Storm Prediction Center for eastern Texas and western Louisiana. It wasn’t even 30 minutes later when the first tornado of the day formed near Lorena, Texas.
Once the first tornado formed, the gates were unleashed and many others followed. Around 3 p.m. local time, the most powerful tornado of the day would touch down near Prairie Dell, Texas, about 45 miles north of Austin. By 3:20 p.m., a monstrous tornado that was 0.75 miles, or roughly 13 football fields, wide would head toward Jarrell, Texas. The tornado was rated an F5, the highest rating on the Fujita Scale, packing winds of at least 261 mph.
In total, 27 lives were lost because of the F5 tornado. The devastation was unbelievable, with mobile homes and single-family homes alike flattened to the ground. Damages mounted past $125 million.
After assessing the tornado’s mark, it is likely the Jarrell, Texas, F5 tornado was one of the strongest on record. With everything wiped clear in its path, the storm showed just how dangerous tornadoes can become.
Source: weather.gov
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Story Image: The monstrous F5 tornado located in Jarrell, Texas, on May 27, 1997 (Wikimedia Commons/NWS Austin).
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While 20 tornadoes occurred across central Texas from the Dallas metro area to San Antonio on May 27, 1997, the set-up for severe weather was far from classic. With a low pressure system far removed from the area, located near Nebraska and South Dakota, there wasn’t an extreme amount of energy to form towering thunderstorms. In addition, wind shear, or the change of direction or speed of wind with height, was not particularly impressive.
However, a cold front sliced through central Texas into a warm, humid air mass at the surface and in combination with rapidly dropping temperatures with height, storms were set to fire. While wind shear was minimal, there was enough for supercells to form.
By 1 p.m. local time, a Tornado Watch was issued by the Storm Prediction Center for eastern Texas and western Louisiana. It wasn’t even 30 minutes later when the first tornado of the day formed near Lorena, Texas.
Once the first tornado formed, the gates were unleashed and many others followed. Around 3 p.m. local time, the most powerful tornado of the day would touch down near Prairie Dell, Texas, about 45 miles north of Austin. By 3:20 p.m., a monstrous tornado that was 0.75 miles, or roughly 13 football fields, wide would head toward Jarrell, Texas. The tornado was rated an F5, the highest rating on the Fujita Scale, packing winds of at least 261 mph.
In total, 27 lives were lost because of the F5 tornado. The devastation was unbelievable, with mobile homes and single-family homes alike flattened to the ground. Damages mounted past $125 million.
After assessing the tornado’s mark, it is likely the Jarrell, Texas, F5 tornado was one of the strongest on record. With everything wiped clear in its path, the storm showed just how dangerous tornadoes can become.
Source: weather.gov
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Story Image: The monstrous F5 tornado located in Jarrell, Texas, on May 27, 1997 (Wikimedia Commons/NWS Austin).
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