EF1 Tornado — Roberts, Texas

2025-04-24 · near Codman, Roberts, Texas

Event narrative

This tornado touched down in central Roberts County, roughly seven miles to the southeast of Highway 70, to the south of Farm to Market Road 283. The initial touchdown location and time were estimated based on a combination of radar imagery and storm spotter reports. This tornado grew in size very quickly, with several reports of it taking on a cone and stovepipe shape to it. As the tornado tracked to the southeast, it traversed very rugged terrain which did not provide much in the way of damage indicators or survey access. The highest concentration of visual and known damage was along FM 283 near the intersection with FM 2699. Here, there was minor branch and tree damage, but the more significant damage was a center pivot was completely overturned. It also appeared that some part of it was twisted. Given the angle of the pivot to the direction of motion as well as the presence of winter wheat in the field, it is probable that it took a higher wind speed to flip this pivot and this is one place where the highest rating occurred, somewhere between 105-110mph. The tornado then continued to the southeast, crossing FM 283 a few times. Along FM 283, near Quarter Horse Road, the tornado downed a power pole and twisted barbed wire fencing. Additional large branches were blown in this area. As the tornado once again crossed FM 283 south of Quarter Horse Road, it downed nine additional power poles. All along its track, surveyors noted several traffic warning signs bent over at the base and even some were broken and twisted at the base, and from the ground. The tornado traveled just to the north of Miami, with no known damage to the town. Storm spotters indicated it crossed Highway 60 before dissipating. Little damage was noted but the ending point was depicted on the south side of the highway per visual confirmation. The maximum estimated wind speed was 110mph.

Wider weather episode

Thunderstorms developed along and east of the dryline that formed in the west central Panhandles during the afternoon and evening of April 24th. These storms became severe with large hail, damaging winds occurring mainly across the eastern Texas and Oklahoma Panhandles. A tornado also occurred in Roberts County.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (35.7908, -100.7943)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1255851. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.