EF2 Tornado — Ellis, Texas

2021-05-03 · near Five Pts, Ellis, Texas

Event narrative

Damage started in the Five Points area along FM 876. The tornado continued northeast, and the first signs of EF-2 damage were observed near Johnston and Hollis Roads. The tornado then crossed I-35E where it struck 3 semis and one cargo van. Three injuries occurred in this location. Next, the tornado struck a scrap metal yard on the east side of I-35E and moved on to damage homes and electrical towers near and along HWY 77 and Butler Ln. EF-2 damage was also observed in this area, in particular to one home. Maximum estimated winds were 120 mph, and there were 5 additional injuries in this area. The tornado tracked farther east, did EF-2 damage to one home on FM 55, and then crossed FM 55 and dissipated.

Wider weather episode

Numerous severe thunderstorms erupted along a cold front in the afternoon and evening hours. Many of the storms produced large hail, and a total of 6 tornadoes were recorded. The most significant tornado was an EF-2 in Ellis County, but an EF-2 tornado also occurred in Hill County. Several reports of golf ball sized hail were received, but the largest hail stone reported was 3 inches in Johnson County.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (32.2800, -96.9100)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 947893. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.