Home / Texas / Smith

EF1 tornado in Smith County, Texas

Tornado April 4, 2026 · Smith County, Texas

EF1

Rating

2.5 mi

Path length

32 yd

Path width

$500K

Damage as recorded

EF0EF1EF2EF3EF4EF5Unrated

The path drawn at its surveyed width of 32 yards (0.02 mi) — zoom in and the swath grows to true scale. Other tornadoes recorded nearby that day are shown faint.

What EF1 means. On the Enhanced Fujita scale, EF1 is moderate damage: roofs badly stripped, mobile homes pushed off foundations or overturned, windows broken, consistent with estimated gusts of 86–110 mph. The rating comes from a survey of the worst damage after the storm, not from a wind measurement, so it says as much about what the tornado hit as about how strong it was.

What the National Weather Service wrote

A mini-supercell developed and produced a short-lived, small, but intense EF1 tornado east and northeast of Lindale, TX. The tornado began in a field just south of FM Road 16 West, downing some small tree limbs and snapping the trunk of a pecan tree. At this same location, significant roof damage, consisting of shingle and roof decking loss, occurred to a single-family residence, resulting in a rating of EF1. The tornado downed a few more tree limbs before crossing FM Road 16 West. A couple of homes in the Woodcrest subdivision sustained minor shingle damage. Home security cameras in this

subdivision recorded the tornado's passage. The tornado continued northeast and crossed Legion Hills Road. In this location, a second single-family home sustained significant roof damage corresponding to a rating of EF1. A large oak tree was also uprooted on this property. The tornado continued northeast sporadically downing large tree limbs. A few more tree limbs were downed before the tornado lifted near the intersection of FM Road 2710 and County Road 4107. The tornado had estimated maximum wind speeds of 97 mph, a path length of approximately 2.5 miles, and a path width of 32 yards.

The wider storm

Despite considerable cloud cover across East Texas ahead of a cold front, relatively modest surface heating was ongoing by late morning on April 4th. A very moist air mass characterized by dew points in the upper 60s to lower 70s preceded the front. This environment supported scattered thunderstorm development along and ahead of the cold front, further aided by being on the southern fringe of the stronger mid-level winds helping propel the front. Additionally, MLCAPE values increasing to 1500+ J/kg and 25-35 knots of effective shear supported marginally organized storms capable of wind damage, flash flooding, and isolated tornadoes. However, poor mid-level lapse rates and a linear mode limited hail potential. As a result, one severe thunderstorm with quasi-supercell structure produced a brief tornado near Lindale in Smith County while a separate cluster of thunderstorms led to isolated flash flooding in Longview in Gregg County.

Began near Lindale (32.5131, -95.3839).

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event 1332650. Narratives are written by the National Weather Service forecast office that issued the report.

Tornadoes near your address

See every tornado that passed near a place you know, measured to its path.