EF2 tornado in Midland County, Texas

A thunderstorm moved across Midland County and produced a tornado 21 miles southeast of the City of Midland. This tornado was first viewed from near the intersection of Farm to Market Road 1787 and State Highway 349, looking southeastward. Primary indications are that the tornado developed 21 miles southeast of the City of Midland, in open fields south of County Road 300 and east of State Highway 349. The tornado moved northeastward, snapping power poles along County Road 300, and produced significant damage along County Road 1160 and Farm to Market Road 1379. The snapped power poles, the damage to two RVs along County Road 1160, and the damage to manufactured trailers along FM 1379 are all indicative of EF-2 tornado damage. The tornado lifespan was 10 minutes long with an estimated peak wind of 125 mph. The cost of damage is a very rough estimate.

An upper level trough was over the Great Basin during the morning hours and moved over the Rocky Mountains during the day. Upper level disturbances moved over West Texas along the edge of this upper trough. A surface trough was over far West Texas and resulted in an abundance of moisture across the area. The atmosphere quickly became unstable as temperatures warmed up at the surface. A dryline was backed up to the higher terrain of West Texas and southeast New Mexico with very good wind shear and atmospheric rotation in place. During the late evening hours, upper lift increased with the approaching upper trough and the area was in a favorable position for lift with the upper jet stream. A low-level jet stream also moved across the area providing more lift. A Pacific front associated with the upper trough moved east and interacted with the dryline to create additional lift. These conditions resulted in thunderstorms rapidly developing and becoming severe with large hail, strong and damaging winds, tornadoes, and flash flooding across West Texas.