F3 Tornado — Crosby, Texas

2005-05-12 · near Ralls, Crosby, Texas

Event narrative

F3 tornado in Ralls.A strong tornado developed approximately 9 miles to the southwest of Ralls around 8:40 PM and tracked to the northeast for six miles. Along the path of this tornado, several power poles were blown over or snapped and a few center pivots were overturned or twisted. A residence was completely destroyed with debris entirely removed from the foundation. The majority of the debris from this structure was blown to the northeast approximately 10 to 30 feet from the foundation...with other related debris dispersed over a mile away. Two pickup trucks were lifted and deposited upside down 5 to 30 feet from former locations. Trees were mud-splattered and stripped of bark with large branches completely torn off trunks. Center pivot irrigation systems were either blown over or twisted in surrounding fields...however some were left unscathed to the northeast of this tornado. Additional debris associated with this tornado was also deposited in a field across from US Highway 62/82 before dissipating.

Wider weather episode

An outbreak of severe thunderstorms occurred across portions of the Texas panhandle and the South Plains of West Texas on Thursday May 12, 2005.The weather pattern on this day was highly conducive for severe thunderstorm and tornado development. A southward moving cold front early in the day became nearly stationary by afternoon as a strong flow of moisture overspread the area from the southeast.Numerous waves of severe thunderstorms developed throughout the afternoon on Thursday and continued well into the after midnight hours on Friday. During this long duration event, between the hours of 4:30 PM and 10:00 PM, several tornadoes occurred across the area.The National Weather Service in Lubbock, TX, dispatched a damage survey team to assess reports of tornadoes and associated damage.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (34.2167, -101.3167)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 5452541. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.