EF2 tornado in Marion County, Texas

Early on the morning of March 7th, a severe thunderstorm produced an EF2 tornado with estimated maximum winds near 115 mph near the community of Prospect in Northern Marion County, Texas. The tornado initially touched down just west of U.S. Highway 59 where multiple snapped trunks of hardwood trees were noted. As the tornado continued east, it heavily damaged several structures. A residential home west of the highway was damaged by a fallen tree. Next to the home, a barn was completely destroyed, with only the wooden frame remaining. Debris from the barn along with the barn's contents were strewn across the front yard and into the highway median and onto the northbound side of the highway. Just to the east of U.S. Highway 59, another residential home experienced significant damage after being shifted feet away from its foundation. Several large hardwood trees were also uprooted and fell onto a nearby shed. Just north of this home, another home experienced tornado damage. In the backyard of this home, a small shed was completely destroyed, with contents strewn across the yard, along with damage to vehicles. At this residence, a camper was tossed and rolled into another nearby shed, where multiple occupants were thrown about and injured. The tornado continued east/northeast, snapping and uprooting numerous trees before moving into additional residential areas on East Prospect Road. Here, additional damage to several roofs was noted, sheds and barns experienced significant damage, along with major hardwood tree snaps and downed power lines. The tornado weakened as it moved northeast away from East Prospect Road and crossed Scotts Bayou. Some tree damage was found along Hall Road before the tornado then lifted as it moved east along East CC Road and toward the town of Lodi.

Strong to severe thunderstorms developed in advance of a cold front on the morning of March 7th from eastern Oklahoma into western Arkansas. Wind profiles were quite favorable for organized thunderstorms, with moderate deep-layer shear and effective storm-relative helicity near/above 250 m2/s2. Further analysis also indicated a modest increase in MLCAPE overnight into the early morning hours in the pre-frontal warm air regime, as rich low-level moisture was transported into the region from the southwest. Farther south, storms also increased in coverage and intensity across Northeast Texas, within the zone of deep and rich low-level moisture. This led to some intensification of convection prior to the arrival of the approaching cold front, with one thunderstorm producing a tornado near the Prospect community in central Marion County.