The National Weather Service continues to survey damage along three different supercell track that brought destruction and some deaths and injuries to the Four State area on Friday night and early Saturday.
Since surveys are incomplete, this summary only includes preliminary information.
With new damage surveys on Sunday, there are now at least seven tornadoes confirmed.
Damage still needs to be surveyed near Center Point in Howard County, AR, and from Elm Grove in Southern Bossier Parish into Ringgold in Bienville Parish in northwestern Louisiana.
Tornado 1 -- Pickens in northwest McCurtain County, OK
Rating: EF-2
Estimated peak wind: 125 mph
Path length /statute/: 2.9 miles
Path width /maximum/: 800 yards
Fatalities: 1
Injuries: 1
A damage survey team from the NWS in Tulsa confirmed an EF-2 tornado touched down in extreme northwestern McCurtain County near the Pickens community. A double wide mobile home which was tied down with straps vaulted to the northwest and led to a fatality. The team found an end to damage northeast of Pickens.
Tornado 2 -- Rural northwestern McCurtain County, OK
Rating: EF-1
Estimated peak wind: 105 mph
Path length /statute/: 2.9 miles
Path width /maximum/: 1,200 yards
Fatalities: 0
Injuries: 0
A damage survey team from the NWS in Tulsa confirmed an EF-1 tornado touched down in northwestern McCurtain County. Numerous trees were uprooted and snapped as part of an overall 10.2-mile total path that crossed in Leflore County.
Tornado 3 – Red River County, TX to McCurtain County, OK
Rating: EF-3
Estimated peak wind: 150 mph
Path length /statute/: 58.0+ miles
Path width /maximum/: 0.4+ miles
Fatalities: 0
Injuries: 13
A damage survey confirmed a tornado with damage at least EF-3 in intensity in Red River County, TX. The tornado initially touched down near the Fulbright community southwest of Clarksville. An aerial survey confirmed that the tornado first touched down and peeled off the tin metal roof panels of a plant on County Road 1200. As the tornado continued, a single family home had all of Its walls removed with only the interior room left standing where a family of three sheltered where winds were estimated at 150 mph. The team went on to find at least 10 single family and manufactured homes that were destroyed. One two-story single-family house was wiped from its foundation north of Clarksville off of CR 3105. This will require further investigation for a wind estimate, but is is estimated as at least EF-3 with 140 mph winds. The damage swath widened to at least 0.4 miles northeast of Clarksville as it approached Acworth. The track continued to cross the Red River.
After crossing the Red River and entering McCurtain County, OK, the tornado produced at least EF-2 damage, ripping the roofs off several single-family homes. Before reaching Idabel, the tornado missed the Oklahoma Mesonet Odabel observing platform by approximately 150 yards. At the platform, a measured gust of 108 mph was recorded by the 10m anemometer and based on the damage pattern of the grass in the area, it was determined that this gust was from the rear flank downdraft of the supercell thunderstorm.
The team lost light as they reached Idabel, but found significant damage to the Kiamichi Family Medical Center which will need to be further investigated on Monday along with several other structures in Idabel. The team will continue on the east side of Idabel and to the northeast of Idabel toward Broken Bow and Eagletown. An aerial survey confirmed a nearly continuous path between the east side of Idabel and U.S. Route 70 between Broken Bow and Eagletown.
As the storm continued northeast of Idabel, a survey team from NWS Little Rock picked up EF-2 damage with 135 mph winds between Eagletown and Broken Bow just south of U.S. 70. This iIncludes a double wide which had its undercarriage separated from the floor and was badly bent after it rolled and power poles that were snapped, with this damage being from the same storm that hit Idabel. The track of this tornado may continue to the McCurtain-Polk-Sevier Tri-county border, but this area has not been reached yet by aerial or ground survey.
Tornado 4 – East of Pittsburg in Camp County, TX
Rating: EF-1
Estimated peak wind: 95 mph
Path length /statute/: 2.2 miles
Path width /maximum/: 350 yards
Fatalities: 0
Injuries: 0
A damage survey team initially found damage east of Pittsburg in Camp County, TX. There was a gap between an initial path in eastern Camp County and damage in southwestern Morris County. The damage team could not get to areas in southeastern Titus County yet to determine if the damage path is continuous. This will be further investigated via satellite imagery, but at this time, there is a four-mile gap noted between the two tracks.
Tornado 5 -- Cason in Morris County, TX to Dalton in Cass County, TX.
Rating: EF-2
Estimated peak wind: 125 mph
Path length /statute/: 16.9 miles
Path width /maximum/: 650 yards
Fatalities: 1
Injuries: 8
A team picked up on damage again west of Daingerfield where EF-2 damage was initially found. The tornado continued on to completely destroy multiple mobile homes and led to a fatality when a single wide manufactured home was completely destroyed where 125 mph winds were estimated. The tornado continued on the ground into northwestern Cass County to the northwest of Marietta.
Tornado 6 – Bowie County, TX
Rating: EF-2
Estimated peak wind: 130 mph
Path length /statute/: 13.5+ miles
Path width /maximum/: 1,200 yards
Fatalities: 0
Injuries: 0
The tornado first touched down in southwestern Bowie County along U.S. 67 to the southwest of Simms. The team tracked the tornado to New Boston just south of its Interstate 30 crossing and will continue surveying damage on Monday with more aerial data expected. Initial damage reports indicate that there is tornadic damage from this supercell along a nearly continuous track continuing across Bowie County to the Red River. The team along with aerial surveys will be used to help determine the length of this track and whether or not it is all continuous.
Tornado 7 – Hughes Springs in Cass County, TX
Rating: EF-1
Estimated peak wind: 110 mph
Path length /statute/: 2.2 miles
Path width /maximum/: 350 yards
Fatalities: 0
Injuries: 0
A survey team from NWS Southern Region Headquarters found tornado damage evident on the southern side of Hughes Springs just south of CR 2612. The tornado moved to the northeast into Hughes Springs where EF-1 damage was noted. Two single family residences sustained damage to the roofs with partial roof damage. The Forest Station on Pine Street also sustained damage to the roof and walls. Additionally, numerous large trees were downed along the path. Power poles were also snapped along the path. Additional damage was found downstream west of Douglassville on CR 2340 and Texas 77 which will require further analysis. This could extend the tornado path.
The Enhanced Fujita scale classifies tornadoes into the following categories:
EF-0. Weak, 65 to 85 mph
EF-1. Weak, 86 to 110 mph
EF-2. Strong, 111 to 135 mph
EF-3. Strong, 136 to 165 mph
EF-4. Violent, 166 to 200 mph
EF-5. Violent, 200 mph
