EF1 Tornado — Ward, Texas

2020-03-13 · near Barstow, Ward, Texas

Event narrative

A thunderstorm developed over western Reeves County and moved northeast into Ward County. It produced a bowl-shaped tornado just north of Barstow. The tornado developed about a mile northwest of Barstow at the intersection of County Road 140 and 145 and only lasted for about a minute. Power flashes were reported along with damage to northern portions of Barstow. The tornado snapped a utility pole before moving and hitting an RV park. Damage at the park included flipping a trailer on its side, damaging a pickup truck, and causing light damage to three other trailers. Wind speeds were estimated at 100 mph from the damage observed by the NWS survey team which helped classify the tornado as an EF-1. In addition to the damage observed by the survey team, spotters and the public provided visual evidence that a tornado occurred. The path length of the tornado was 0.47 miles and the path width was 20 yards. The cost of damage is a very rough estimate.

Wider weather episode

An upper level low over southern California moved east and developed into an upper trough over Arizona and New Mexico. An upper level jet stream moved over West Texas and produced more lift in the atmosphere. A cold front moved south into the area and stalled near the Pecos River. There was moderate instability and high moisture and wind shear across the area. These conditions resulted in thunderstorms that produced tornadoes and wind damage near the Pecos River.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (31.4747, -103.4143)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 874917. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.