Jarrell tornado
 View of the Jarrell tornado as it moved near the Double Creek Estates area around 3:48 pm | |
| Meteorological history | |
|---|---|
| Formed | May 27, 1997, 3:40 pm. CDT (UTC−05:00) |
| Dissipated | May 27, 1997, 3:53 pm. CDT (UTC−05:00) |
| Duration | 13 minutes |
| F5 tornado | |
| on the Fujita scale | |
| Path length | 5.1 mi (8.2 km) |
| Highest winds | >261 mph (420 km/h) |
| Overall effects | |
| Fatalities | 27 |
| Injuries | 13 |
| Damage | $40 million (1997 USD) |
| Areas affected | Jarrell, Texas and areas near Prairie Dell, Texas |
| [1] | |
Part of the 1997 Central Texas tornado outbreak and tornadoes of 1997 | |
The 1997 Jarrell F5 tornado ravaged the area of Jarrell, Texas, as well as the Double Creek area west of Jarrell.
The storm hit on May 27, 1997. It lasted for 19 minutes, and was very unusual. It came from a bizarre supercell that moved southwest ward instead of the normal northeast ward direction. Additionally, it was very slow, as it if stopped to make sure it destroyed everything in its path. It was very bad.
It is infamous for the picture taken by a guy observing the storm, who took the photo known as the “Dead Man Walking”. This is because it had multiple vortices, giving the illusion it was walking.
References
- ↑ Toohey, Marty (May 26, 2017). "Power and devastation of the Jarrell tornado, by the numbers". Austin American-Statesman. Archived from the original on December 20, 2024. Retrieved October 30, 2024.