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F4 tornado in Hemphill County, Texas

Tornado June 8, 1995 · Hemphill County, Texas

F4
Rating
5.0 mi
Path length
1,750 yd
Path width
What F4 means. This tornado was rated on Fujita’s original scale, used until 2007. F4 meant devastating damage: well-built houses levelled; the scale paired it with winds of 207–260 mph, figures later judged too high, especially toward the top of the scale, and revised downward in the Enhanced Fujita scale. Ratings then, as now, came from the damage.

What the National Weather Service wrote

After the first violent tornado dissipated in Wheeler County and a second larger tornado developed and continued to the north northeast. This one tracked just west of Allison destroying four homes and damaging several others. Total livestock killed in Wheeler County was over 800 head. Most were cattle with about 200 rheas and numerous horses. The path was measured at a mile and a quarter just west of Allison where the storm crossed FM 1046. Because of the personal injuries in Pampa and the unknown extent of these tornadoes a National Weather Service survey was not done. VORTEX is compiling a survey which could be referenced for more detail. Reports from experienced spotters indicated the Allison tornado was one of the biggest and meanest appearing tornadoes they had ever seen. All sighting reports would place this as a F5 tornado, but due to little interaction with man made structures, the heavy rains and lapsed time to see the site, F4 was as high a rating as could be awarded.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event 10351253. Narratives are written by the National Weather Service forecast office that issued the report.

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