EF2 tornado in Nacogdoches County, Texas

This is a continuation of the Southern Cherokee County tornado. This tornado intensified to EF-2 with estimated maximum winds around 125 mph near the intersection of County Roads 885 and 886, where the damage width broadened to near a half mile with widespread snapping of hardwood and softwood trees. The tornado maintained its intensity as it tore through the Lilbert community and approached the west side of Cushing. Widespread trees were snapped on the west side of Cushing, with single family homes sustaining partial to complete loss of their roofs. Estimated maximum winds from this tornado reached 125 mph given the total loss of roofs of single family homes on the west and north side of Cushing, as well as the collapse of exterior walls on a home off of FM 225 and County Road 967. It was estimated that approximately 30 homes were damaged in Cushing, with a total of approximately 50 structures damaged. A wooden church off of County Road 967 was completely destroyed. The tornado continued northeast along FM 225 before crossing over into Southern Rusk County.

One injury was documented from this tornado as it tore through Northwest Nacogdoches County.

A closed upper low emerged out of the Rockies and into the Central Plains during the afternoon and evening hours of March 21st, with the attendant upper trough swinging east through Central Texas and Oklahoma. Strong southerly low level winds allowed for the rapid return of warm, moist, and unstable north behind a warm front which lifted north through East Texas and North Louisiana. Large scale forcing began to increase across Northern and Central Texas during the evening, with showers and thunderstorms becoming numerous across this area which spread into East Texas and North Louisiana during the late evening through the early morning hours of the 22nd. Given the extent of forcing within the unstable air mass in place, severe thunderstorms developed over North-central Texas and spread into East Texas, resulting in numerous reports of damaging winds, large hail, and even isolated tornadoes. Redevelopment of these storms continued overnight as well over the same areas of East Texas and Northwest Louisiana, which resulted in instances of flash flooding as well, as widespread rainfall amounts of 3-6 inches fell over these areas. These storms diminished during the early morning hours of the 22nd with the passage of a cold front through the region.