TornadoLookup

Home / Texas / Hill

EF2 tornado in Hill County, Texas

Tornado May 3, 2021 · Hill County, Texas

EF2
Rating
3.4 mi
Path length
150 yd
Path width
$350K
Damage as recorded
EF0EF1EF2EF3EF4EF5Unrated

The path drawn at its surveyed width of 150 yards (0.09 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

The tornado formed in extreme northern Hill County, NW of the Blum community, near the intersection of Texas Highway 174 and Hill County Road 1106. The tornado traveled across open country for approximately 3.4 miles. Scattered tree and powerline damage of EF-0 intensity was noted along the length of this path. Near the end of the tornado's lifespan, it struck a brick-clad frame home, removing most of the roof and part of the walls of the structure. The tornado's peak intensity of EF-2, with estimated wind speeds of 130 mph, was inferred from the damage to this structure. Some other trees and outbuildings sustained EF-0 to EF-1 damage near this home. The tornado dissipated several hundred yards beyond the point where the tornado impacted the frame home.

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 Brazlime (32.1426, -97.4449).

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 959710. Narratives are written by the National Weather Service forecast office that issued the report.

Tornadoes near your address

See every tornado that passed near a place you know, measured to its path.