F3 Tornado — Knox, Texas

2005-05-13 · near Vera, Knox, Texas

Event narrative

The tornado began in Knox County and traveled just over 16 miles, eventually moving into Baylor County for less than a half a mile before dissipating 3.3 miles SW of Bomarton. The storm was being seeded by precipitation from another supercell just to its southwest and the tornado was apparently rain-wrapped throughout its duration. However mobile research radars, Doppler on Wheels (DOW), were able to track this tornado. The initial path of the tornado was to the south-southwest crossing U.S. Highway 82. The tornado then generally moved to the southeast for the rest of its life. This tornado moved through sparsely populated areas with no reported damage. Preliminary analysis of data from the Doppler On Wheels indicated a maximum wind velocity of 79 m/s (about 177 mph) at 30 m above ground level which was measured at 1829 CST when the tornado was in open country about 6 miles south of Vera.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (33.6333, -99.6333)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 5449017. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.