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F3 tornado in Gillespie County, Texas

Tornado May 11, 1999 · Gillespie County, Texas

F3
Rating
3.5 mi
Path length
200 yd
Path width
$1.0M
Damage as recorded
$100K
Crop damage
EF0EF1EF2EF3EF4EF5Unrated

The path drawn at its surveyed width of 200 yards (0.11 mi) — zoom in and the swath grows to true scale. Other tornadoes recorded nearby that day are shown faint.

What F3 means. This tornado was rated on Fujita’s original scale, used until 2007. F3 meant severe damage: whole stories of well-built houses destroyed, large buildings badly damaged, trains overturned; the scale paired it with winds of 158–206 mph, figures later judged too high, especially toward the top of the scale, and revised downward in the Enhanced Fujita scale. Ratings then, as now, came from the damage.

The wider storm

The tornado was preceded by strong, gusty winds, very heavy rainfall and finally, large hail. Severe winds in advance of the tornado took a roof off the High School in Harper and laid it on the ground on the opposite side of the building. These winds also damaged several other roofs in the area. The tornado began its track around three miles east of Harper, moving toward the southeast. It lifted post oak trees out of the ground with their roots in tact. Approximately 2 miles down the path, it turned toward the south and continued for another 1.5 miles. Along its track, it destroyed. 35 homes, 10 mobile homes, and damaged or destroyed 25 outbuildings and barns. The tornado damage several vehicles and tossed one jeep over 100 yards.

Began near Harper (30.3000, -99.2000).

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event 5695756. Narratives are written by the National Weather Service forecast office that issued the report.

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