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10 Tornadoes Across North Texas
May 19th, 2015
PRELIMINARY DATA



Tornado Paths from May 2015

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX
917 PM CDT WED MAY 20 2015

...NWS DAMAGE SURVEY FOR 05/19/15 NORTH TEXAS TORNADOES...
...CORRECTED WIND SPEEDS FOR RUNAWAY BAY TORNADOES...

.OVERVIEW...
THE FIRST TORNADO OF THE DAY WAS JUST EAST OF WAXAHACHIE. TEN
TO FIFTEEN HOMES SUFFERED MINOR DAMAGE...MAINLY ON THE EXTERIOR
OF THE HOMES.

TWO SEPARATE SUPERCELL THUNDERSTORMS MOVED ACROSS PALO PINTO
COUNTY DURING THE EVENING OF TUESDAY MAY 19TH 2015. THESE STORMS
SPAWNED THREE TORNADOES IN PALO PINTO COUNTY.

A STORM SPOTTER REPORTED A TORNADO /POSSIBLY MULTIPLE
VORTEX/ JUST TO THE NORTHEAST OF THE CITY OF PALO PINTO IN
PASTURE LAND AND FOREST AREAS...PRODUCING SOME ISOLATED TREE
DAMAGE.

A PAIR OF TORNADOES OCCURED IN MINERAL WELLS. THE PALO PINTO
COUNTY EMERGENCY MANGER REPORTED A TORNADO NEAR U.S. 180 ALONG THE
WEST SIDE OF MINERAL WELLS. A NWS SURVEY TEAM FOUND MINOR TREE
DAMAGE ACROSS THIS LOCATION. THE SECOND TORNADO DEVELOPED IN A
RESIDENTIAL AREA ON THE SOUTHWEST SIDE OF MINERAL WELLS...AND
TRACKED NORTHEAST THROUGH THE CENTER OF THE CITY...BEFORE
DISSIPATING JUST NORTHEAST OF DOWNTOWN. A NWS SURVEY TEAM FOUND
STRUCTURAL DAMAGE IN MINERAL WELLS CONSISTENT WITH AN EF-1
TORNADO. THIS DAMAGE OCCURRED TO THE FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH...OUR
LADY OF LOURDES CATHOLIC CHURCH...AND SEVERAL BUSINESSES ALONG THE
PATH OF THE TORNADO. SEVERAL OTHER RESIDENCES AND BUSINESSES
EXPERIENCED DAMAGE CONSISTENT WITH EF-0 INTENSITIES. IN
ADDITION...NUMEROUS TREES WERE SNAPPED OR HAD LARGE LIMBS REMOVED
DUE TO THE TORNADO ANDSEVERAL POWER POLES WERE ALSO SNAPPED OR
SERIOUSLY DAMAGED.

ATTENTION THEN TURNED TO THE JACK AND WISE COUNTY AREAS. IN
WESTERN JACK COUNTY...NEAR SENATE...THERE WAS EXTENSIVE TREE
DAMAGE AND NUMEROUS REPORTS OF FUNNEL CLOUDS AND/OR WALL CLOUDS.
THE DAMAGE PATTERN IN THIS PART OF JACK COUNTY WAS INCONCLUSIVE AS
TO WHETHER OR NOT THE CIRCULATION EVER MADE CONTACT WITH THE
GROUND. THEREFORE...IT HAS BEEN DETERMINED THAT STRAIGHTLINE WINDS
UP TO 85 MPH OCCURRED IN THE SENATE AREA.

A BRIEF TORNADO OCCURRED IN JACKSBORO...JUST WEST OF DOWNTOWN.

IN AND NEAR RUNAWAY BAY...SEVERAL SHORT LIVED TORNADOES OCCURRED.
THE FIRST PRODUCED DAMAGE TO TREES...HOMES...AND FARM EQUIPMENT
NEAR VINEYARD...IN EASTERN JACK COUNTY. THE SECOND TORNADO NEAR
RUNAWAY BAY OCCURRED SOUTHWEST OF THE CITY AND DAMAGED MAINLY
TREES ON THE SOUTH AND SOUTHWEST SIDE OF TOWN.

NEARLY SIMULTANEOUSLY...A THIRD TORNADO DEVELOPED OVER LAKE
BRIDGEPORT AND MOVED IN A SOUTHWESTERLY DIRECTION...SEVERELY
DAMAGING A CONDOMINIUM AND SEVERAL HOMES IN RUNAWAY BAY. DESPITE
THE ROUGH APPEARANCE OF THE DAMAGE...THE DAMAGE WAS LIKELY
ENHANCED BY THE OPEN EXPOSURE TO THE LAKE. IN THE AREAS WHERE THE
ROOFS WERE TORN OFF...OTHER CONDOMINUM UNITS SUFFERED LITTLE TO NO
SHINGLE OR TREE DAMAGE. THUS...THE DAMAGE IN RUNAWAY BAY RECEIVED
AN EF-0 DAMAGE RATING.

THE LAST TORNADO NEAR RUNAWAY BAY DEVELOPED SOUTH OF THE
LAKE...AND MOVED INTO THE BALSORA COMMUNITY. THIS TORNADO PRODUCED
EF-1 DAMAGE TO SEVERAL HOMES...FARM EQUIPMENT...AND MOBILE HOMES.
THERE WAS EXTENSIVE TREE DAMAGE FOR AREAS AS FAR NORTH AS
BRIDGEPORT...AND AS FAR SOUTH OF BOONESVILLE THAT WAS CAUSED BY
STRAIGHTLINE WINDS. ADDITIONAL REPORTS OF POSSIBLE DAMAGE IN WISE
COUNTY WILL BE INVESTIGATED LATER THIS WEEK.

THE FINAL TORNADO OF THE EVENING OCCURRED JUST EAST OF DECATUR.
THIS TORNADO PRODUCED DAMAGE TO SEVERAL HOMES AND
BARNS...INCLUDING LOW END EF-1 DAMAGE TO A FEW HOMES.

.WAXAHACHIE TORNADO...

RATING:                 EF-0
ESTIMATED PEAK WIND:    80 MPH
PATH LENGTH /STATUTE/:  4.7 MILES /NON-CONTINUOUS/
PATH WIDTH /MAXIMUM/:   100 YARDS
FATALITIES:             0
INJURIES:               0

START DATE:             MAY 19 2015
START TIME:             321 PM CDT
START LOCATION:         7 SSE WAXAHACHIE / ELLIS / TX

END DATE:               MAY 19 2015
END TIME:               333 PM CDT
END LOCATION:           5 E WAXAHACHIE / ELLIS / TX

.TORNADO NORTHEAST OF PALO PINTO...

RATING:                 EF-0
ESTIMATED PEAK WIND:    75 MPH
PATH LENGTH /STATUTE/:  2 MILES /NON-CONTINUOUS/
PATH WIDTH /MAXIMUM/:   50 YARDS
FATALITIES:             0
INJURIES:               0

START DATE:             MAY 19 2015
START TIME:             619 PM CDT
START LOCATION:         1.5 NE PALO PINTO / PALO PINTO / TX

END DATE:               MAY 19 2015
END TIME:               628 PM CDT
END LOCATION:           3.5 NE PALO PINTO / PALO PINTO

.MINERAL WELLS TORNADO #1...

RATING:                 EF-0
ESTIMATED PEAK WIND:    65 MPH
PATH LENGTH /STATUTE/:  5 MILES /NON-CONTINUOUS/
PATH WIDTH /MAXIMUM/:   75 YARDS
FATALITIES:             0
INJURIES:               0

START DATE:             MAY 19 2015
START TIME:             723 PM CDT
START LOCATION:         1 W MINERAL WELLS / PALO PINTO / TX


END DATE:               MAY 19 2015
END TIME:               740 PM CDT
END LOCATION:           5 NW MINERAL WELLS / PALO PINTO / TX

.MINERAL WELLS TORNADO #2...

RATING:                 EF-1
ESTIMATED PEAK WIND:    110 MPH
PATH LENGTH /STATUTE/:  1 MILES /NON-CONTINUOUS/
PATH WIDTH /MAXIMUM/:   200 YARDS
FATALITIES:             0
INJURIES:               0

START DATE:             MAY 19 2015
START TIME:             729 PM CDT
START LOCATION:         MINERAL WELLS / PALO PINTO / TX

END DATE:               MAY 19 2015
END TIME:               733 PM CDT
END LOCATION:           1 NW MINERAL WELLS / PALO PINTO / TX

.VINEYARD TORNADO...

RATING:                 EF-0
ESTIMATED PEAK WIND:    75 MPH
PATH LENGTH /STATUTE/:  5.25 MILES /NON-CONTINUOUS/
PATH WIDTH /MAXIMUM/:   80 YARDS
FATALITIES:             0
INJURIES:               0

START DATE:             MAY 19 2015
START TIME:             918 PM CDT
START LOCATION:         1 W VINEYARD / JACK / TX

END DATE:               MAY 19 2015
END TIME:               934 PM CDT
END LOCATION:           1.5 SW RUNAWAY BAY / WISE / TX

.RUNAWAY BAY TORNADO #1...

RATING:                 EF-0
ESTIMATED PEAK WIND:    80 MPH
PATH LENGTH /STATUTE/:  2 MILES /NON-CONTINUOUS/
PATH WIDTH /MAXIMUM/:   100 YARDS
FATALITIES:             0
INJURIES:               0

START DATE:             MAY 19 2015
START TIME:             939 PM CDT
START LOCATION:         1 SW RUNAWAY BAY / WISE / TX

END DATE:               MAY 19 2015
END TIME:               944 PM CDT
END LOCATION:           1.5 S RUNAWAY BAY / WISE / TX

.RUNAWAY BAY TORNADO #2...

RATING:                 EF-0
ESTIMATED PEAK WIND:    80 MPH
PATH LENGTH /STATUTE/:  1.8 MILES /NON-CONTINUOUS/
PATH WIDTH /MAXIMUM/:   100 YARDS
FATALITIES:             0
INJURIES:               0

START DATE:             MAY 19 2015
START TIME:             941 PM CDT
START LOCATION:         RUNAWAY BAY/ WISE / TX

END DATE:               MAY 19 2015
END TIME:               945 PM CDT
END LOCATION:           RUNAWAY BAY / WISE / TX

.BALSORA TORNADO...

RATING:                 EF-1
ESTIMATED PEAK WIND:    110 MPH
PATH LENGTH /STATUTE/:  2.5 MILES /NON-CONTINUOUS/
PATH WIDTH /MAXIMUM/:   900 YARDS
FATALITIES:             0
INJURIES:               0

START DATE:             MAY 19 2015
START TIME:             954 PM CDT
START LOCATION:         1.75 NE BALSORA / WISE / TX

END DATE:               MAY 19 2015
END TIME:               959 PM CDT
START LOCATION:         4.5 ENE BALSORA / WISE / TX

.DECATUR TORNADO...

RATING:                 EF-1
ESTIMATED PEAK WIND:    90 MPH
PATH LENGTH /STATUTE/:  2 MILES /NON-CONTINUOUS/
PATH WIDTH /MAXIMUM/:   167 YARDS
FATALITIES:             0
INJURIES:               0

START DATE:             MAY 19 2015
START TIME:             1036 PM CDT
START LOCATION:         2 E DECATUR / WISE / TX

END DATE:               MAY 19 2015
END TIME:               1051 PM CDT
START LOCATION:         7 ESE DECATUR / WISE / TX

.JACKSBORO TORNADO...

RATING:                 EF-0
ESTIMATED PEAK WIND:    70 MPH
PATH LENGTH /STATUTE/:  0.2 MILES
PATH WIDTH /MAXIMUM/:   30 YARDS
FATALITIES:             0
INJURIES:               0

START DATE:             MAY 19 2015
START TIME:             1104 PM CDT
START LOCATION:         JACKSBORO / JACK / TX

END DATE:               MAY 19 2015
END TIME:               1105 PM CDT
START LOCATION:         JACKSBORO / JACK / TX

EF SCALE: THE ENHANCED FUJITA SCALE CLASSIFIES
TORNADOES INTO THE FOLLOWING CATEGORIES.

EF0...WEAK......65 TO 85 MPH
EF1...WEAK......86 TO 110 MPH
EF2...STRONG....111 TO 135 MPH
EF3...STRONG....136 TO 165 MPH
EF4...VIOLENT...166 TO 200 MPH
EF5...VIOLENT...>200 MPH

NOTE:
THE INFORMATION IN THIS STATEMENT IS PRELIMINARY AND SUBJECT TO
CHANGE PENDING FINAL REVIEW OF THE EVENTS AND PUBLICATION IN
NWS STORM DATA.

$$

BAIN/BRADSHAW/BUCKLEW/CAVANAUGH/DUNN/FOX