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EF2 tornado in Ellis County, Texas

Tornado May 3, 2021 · Ellis County, Texas

EF2
Rating
5.4 mi
Path length
659 yd
Path width
8
Injuries
$1.5M
Damage as recorded
EF0EF1EF2EF3EF4EF5Unrated

The path drawn at its surveyed width of 659 yards (0.37 mi) — zoom in and the swath grows to true scale. Other tornadoes recorded nearby that day are shown faint.

What EF2 means. On the Enhanced Fujita scale, EF2 is considerable damage: roofs torn off well-built houses, mobile homes destroyed, large trees snapped or uprooted, consistent with estimated gusts of 111–135 mph. The rating comes from a survey of the worst damage after the storm, not from a wind measurement, so it says as much about what the tornado hit as about how strong it was.

What the National Weather Service wrote

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.

The wider storm

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.

Began near Five Pts (32.2800, -96.9100).

Other tornadoes from the same storm system

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

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event 947893. Narratives are written by the National Weather Service forecast office that issued the report.

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