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F1 tornado in Anderson County, Texas

Tornado December 29, 2006 · Anderson County, Texas

Rating

11.3 mi

Path length

100 yd

Path width

$30K

Damage as recorded

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The path drawn at its surveyed width of 100 yards (0.06 mi) — zoom in and the swath grows to true scale. Other tornadoes recorded nearby that day are shown faint.

What F1 means. This tornado was rated on Fujita’s original scale, used until 2007. F1 meant moderate damage: roofs badly stripped, mobile homes pushed off foundations or overturned, windows broken; the scale paired it with winds of 73–112 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.

What the National Weather Service wrote

A tornado formed near the intersection of CR 403 and CR 404 and moved north to near Elmwood, causing damage to homes, trees, sheds, and power lines. Trees were split, twisted, and uprooted. The county judge surveyed the damage and found the worst to be between FM 315 and CR 404.

The wider storm

A rare winter tornado outbreak occurred on December 29 over portions of North Texas, spawning almost two dozen tornadoes. Very high shear and low instability created an environment favorable for tornadoes. A strong surface low pressure system and warm front located in southern North Texas increased the probablitity for low-level rotation. In addition to tornadoes, severe reports of large hail and flash flooding were widespread.

Began near Palestine (31.7789, -95.6300).

Other tornadoes from the same storm system

21 more tornadoes the National Weather Service filed under this storm episode.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event 7793. Narratives are written by the National Weather Service forecast office that issued the report.

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