May 11, 2017: Severe Weather in East Texas & Northwest Louisiana

Summary:

This tornado began just west of Juniper Road near the Sabine River south of Highway 80, just west of the Gladewater city limits in far Southern Upshur County. Along the path, this tornado sheared the tops off of numerous trees while also snapping and uprooting others. Some of the trees fell on a mobile, a motor home, and a pickup truck  on Juniper Road. The tornado traveled northeast across Highway 80 to near Locust Road and Green Road. A few shingles were blown off the back of a home on Green Road. The tornado lifted on White Oak Road about one-quarter of a mile southeast of Locust Road.

It should be noted that the parent supercell thunderstorms also produced damaging straight-line winds that uprooted a large hardwood tree on West Gay Avenue and downed a tree on power lines on West Sheppard Drive in North Gladewater, while also snapping large limbs on Lake Drive and Philips Springs Road just east of Lake Gladewater.

Summary:

This tornado began along North White Oak Road on the edge of the Union Grove incorporated limits, and moved east along Union Grove Road, crossing Seagull Road and Morgan Road. The tops of numerous trees were sheared off, and other trees were snapped and uprooted. A few shingles were blown off a home at the intersection of East Mountain Road and Shiloh Road.

The most extensive damage came at the Shiloh Baptist Church, where the tornado tore off a small section of the roof and steeple and threw them northeast into the adjacent church cemetery. Several large hardwood trees were also snapped at the base or uprooted along Shiloh Road and in the cemetery.

The tornado continued east along Shiloh Road before finally lifting about one-half mile west of Farm-to-Market Road 1845

Summary:

An EF1 tornado began along FM 1798 just east of FM 95. Several trees were snapped and uprooted along County Road 3125. Another area of more focused damage was along County Road 363 and 364, where several more trees were snapped and uprooted. At least two of these trees fell on a house and outbuilding causing damage. This tornado lifted shortly beyond County Road 364.

Summary:

This tornado initially began as a waterspout on Caddo Lake, and came ashore at Earl G. Williamson Park on the south side of Oil City, where the tornado sheared the tops off of several trees and uprooted a large hardwood tree near the shore. This tornado moved right over the playground, where it tore a metal roof off of the metal office building at the park and carried portions of the roof into some nearby power lines. The tornado crossed Highway 1 snapping and uprooting several more trees, and moved over heavily wooded areas near South Land Avenue, where additional large branches were downed. The tornado crossed Highway 538 and Texaco Road where several pine trees were uprooted. The tornado moved back over heavily wooded areas before lifting west of Hart Road.

Summary:

This tornado began just west of a ridge on the west side of Interstate 49 just north of Black Bayou, where several trees were snapped, with one of the trees falling on power lines. The tornado crossed Interstate 49 snapping additional trees adjacent to the northbound lane, and moved over heavily wooded areas and Black Bayou before lifting along Gamm Road about one-third of a mile south of Herndon Magnet School.

Summary:

The Garrison area sustained significant straight-line wind damage and tornado damage. This EF2 tornado began southwest of Garrison along Highway 59 before moving through downtown Garrison. Several businesses along Hwy 59 sustained roof damage, including what had once been a dentist office, a bank, and what appeared to be an auto repair shop. The dentist office was particularly hard hit, where a section of the roof was removed. The auto shop lifted and was deposited in the bank's parking lot. The auto shop also had two outer cinder block walls collapse as a result of the roof tearing off.

A secondary area of EF2 damage occurred in the southeast corner of Rusk County along Hwy 59, where the tornado tore through a chicken farm. One chicken coop was destroyed with all chickens lost and 5 other coops were damaged. The tornado also snapped several power poles in this area.

The tornado lifted just beyond Country Road 4759. Several homes sustained roof damage from snapped or uprooted trees, and at least 20 outbuildings were damaged or destroyed.