Amarillo Metro Area Natural Disasters and Weather Extremes
The chance of earthquake damage in Amarillo Area is about the same as Texas average and is much lower than the national average. The risk of tornado damage in Amarillo Area is higher than Texas average and is much higher than the national average.
Earthquake Index, #333
| Amarillo Area | 0.12 |
| Texas | 0.04 |
| U.S. | 1.81 |
The earthquake index value is calculated based on historical earthquake events data using USA.com algorithms. It is an indicator of the earthquake level in a region. A higher earthquake index value means a higher chance of an earthquake.
Volcano Index, #129
| Amarillo Area | 0.0000 |
| Texas | 0.0000 |
| U.S. | 0.0023 |
The volcano index value is calculated based on the currently known volcanoes using USA.com algorithms. It is an indicator of the possibility of a region being affected by a possible volcano eruption. A higher volcano index value means a higher chance of being affected.
Tornado Index, #172
| Amarillo Area | 236.20 |
| Texas | 208.58 |
| U.S. | 136.45 |
The tornado index value is calculated based on historical tornado events data using USA.com algorithms. It is an indicator of the tornado level in a region. A higher tornado index value means a higher chance of tornado events.
Other Weather Extremes Events
A total of 10,423 other weather extremes events within 50 miles of Amarillo Area were recorded from 1950 to 2010. The following is a break down of these events:
| Type | Count | Type | Count | Type | Count | Type | Count | Type | Count |
| Avalanche: | 0 | Blizzard: | 5 | Cold: | 2 | Dense Fog: | 1 | Drought: | 48 |
| Dust Storm: | 1 | Flood: | 346 | Hail: | 7,332 | Heat: | 2 | Heavy Snow: | 48 |
| High Surf: | 0 | Hurricane: | 0 | Ice Storm: | 7 | Landslide: | 0 | Strong Wind: | 95 |
| Thunderstorm Winds: | 2,348 | Tropical Storm: | 0 | Wildfire: | 30 | Winter Storm: | 18 | Winter Weather: | 25 |
| Other: | 115 | ||||||||
Volcanos Nearby
No volcano is found in or near Amarillo Area.
Historical Earthquake Events
A total of 1 historical earthquake event that had a recorded magnitude of 3.5 or above found in or near Amarillo Area.
| Distance (miles) | Date | Magnitude | Depth (km) | Latitude | Longitude |
| 42.9 | 1966-07-20 | 4.8 | N/A | 35.7 | -101.2 |
Historical Tornado Events
A total of 73 historical tornado events that had recorded magnitude of 2 or above found in or near Amarillo Area.
| Distance (miles) | Date | Magnitude | Start Lat/Log | End Lat/Log | Length | Width | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage | Crop Damage | Affected County |
| 9.9 | 1972-06-21 | 2 | 35°12'N / 101°50'W | 35°12'N / 101°46'W | 4.10 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 5 | 2.5M | 0 | Potter |
| 10.0 | 1967-06-15 | 2 | 35°07'N / 101°47'W | 0.10 Mile | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Randall | |
| 10.8 | 1988-09-14 | 2 | 35°12'N / 101°49'W | 0.70 Mile | 173 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Randall | |
| 10.9 | 1973-04-13 | 2 | 35°12'N / 101°34'W | 35°18'N / 101°20'W | 14.90 Miles | 150 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Armstrong |
| 12.0 | 1987-05-25 | 2 | 35°01'N / 101°41'W | 35°01'N / 101°28'W | 2.00 Miles | 150 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Randall |
| 13.6 | 1971-06-05 | 2 | 35°05'N / 101°50'W | 0.30 Mile | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Randall | |
| 14.4 | 1987-05-25 | 2 | 35°01'N / 101°28'W | 35°00'N / 101°31'W | 4.00 Miles | 150 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Armstrong |
| 14.7 | 1973-03-23 | 2 | 35°13'N / 101°53'W | 2.00 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Potter | |
| 14.7 | 1987-07-01 | 2 | 35°14'N / 101°22'W | 35°11'N / 101°22'W | 3.00 Miles | 150 Yards | 0 | 2 | 25K | 0 | Carson |
| 15.1 | 1987-07-01 | 2 | 35°11'N / 101°22'W | 35°05'N / 101°22'W | 6.00 Miles | 150 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Armstrong |
| 15.5 | 1967-05-05 | 2 | 35°13'N / 101°30'W | 35°20'N / 101°15'W | 16.20 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Carson |
| 15.5 | 1969-05-02 | 2 | 35°20'N / 101°50'W | 0.10 Mile | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Potter | |
| 17.0 | 1987-05-25 | 2 | 34°59'N / 101°48'W | 2.00 Miles | 150 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Randall | |
| 17.8 | 1968-04-02 | 2 | 35°21'N / 101°23'W | 2.00 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Carson | |
| 18.9 | 1961-05-16 | 2 | 35°19'N / 101°20'W | 0.50 Mile | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Carson | |
| 19.2 | 1965-05-04 | 2 | 35°12'N / 101°58'W | 1.00 Mile | 20 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Potter | |
| 19.6 | 1990-06-08 | 2 | 35°17'N / 101°18'W | 2.60 Miles | 300 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Carson | |
| 21.3 | 1989-05-16 | 2 | 35°09'N / 102°04'W | 35°04'N / 101°55'W | 10.00 Miles | 300 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Randall |
| 21.3 | 1962-06-24 | 2 | 35°14'N / 102°00'W | 1.50 Miles | 27 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Potter | |
| 21.5 | 1970-04-17 | 4 | 34°27'N / 102°31'W | 35°22'N / 101°05'W | 103.0 Miles | 880 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Randall |
| 22.3 | 1962-06-14 | 2 | 34°58'N / 101°55'W | 1.40 Miles | 67 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Randall | |
| 24.4 | 2001-05-29 | 3 | 35°24'N / 101°23'W | 35°26'N / 101°13'W | 10.00 Miles | 440 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Carson |
| Brief Description: The tornado destroyed an office building associated with a grain elevator...unroofed and severely damaged a nearby home...and tossed a pickup truck and suburban about fifty and one hundred yards respectively. Several cattle and one horse were reported killed or injured from the tornado. As many as fifty power poles and transmission lines were brought down from the storm. The tornado path and width were estimated and an official damage survey was made on the tornado. Severe thunderstorms produced tornadoes and large hail from the central and southern Texas panhandle into the eastern and southeastern Texas panhandle during the evening hours. | |||||||||||
| 25.8 | 1982-05-09 | 3 | 35°09'N / 102°05'W | 35°11'N / 102°05'W | 2.00 Miles | 40 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Randall |
| 26.2 | 1973-04-13 | 2 | 35°18'N / 101°20'W | 35°33'N / 101°12'W | 18.80 Miles | 150 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Armstrong |
| 26.3 | 1992-06-27 | 4 | 35°35'N / 101°35'W | 35°32'N / 101°29'W | 5.00 Miles | 1583 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25.0M | 0 | Carson |
| 26.9 | 2007-04-21 | 2 | 35°10'N / 101°07'W | 35°21'N / 101°12'W | 12.00 Miles | 440 Yards | 0 | 0 | 72K | 0K | Carson |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: This tornado formed nine miles east northeast of Claude at 2035 CST and entered Carson county at 2037 CST one and a half miles southwest of Groom. The tornado tracked north and traveled about another ten miles before dissipating at 2110 CST ten miles east of Panhandle. In Carson county...the tornado plowed through a storage area for tractors and other farm equipment. Tractors...turbines...vehicles...cotton presser box cars similar to railroad cars were moved and thrown about in the tornado for considerable distances. Power poles were also damaged. No injuries were reported. EPISODE NARRATIVE: Numerous severe thunderstorms producing large hail...damaging winds...and tornadoes moved north and northeast across the western and central Texas panhandle during the evening hours. The only injuries occurred in Cactus from a tornado...however no fatalities were reported. | |||||||||||
| 26.9 | 1982-05-09 | 3 | 35°11'N / 102°05'W | 35°17'N / 102°07'W | 6.20 Miles | 40 Yards | 0 | 1 | 2.5M | 0 | Potter |
| 28.3 | 1973-04-30 | 2 | 35°24'N / 101°12'W | 0.50 Mile | 100 Yards | 0 | 3 | 250K | 0 | Carson | |
| 28.7 | 2002-05-05 | 2 | 34°45'N / 101°48'W | 34°49'N / 101°43'W | 2.00 Miles | 150 Yards | 0 | 0 | 40K | 0 | Randall |
| Brief Description: A damage assessment was made on this tornado. This tornado began in Lubbock's County Warning Area in Swisher county. After the tornado tore through the community of Happy Texas, it moved east northeast and entered the extreme southern sections of Randall county. Two homes received moderate damage from the tornado in Randall county. No injuries or deaths occurred in Randall county. Severe thunderstorms raked across much of the Texas panhandle during the late afternoon and into the evening hours. Large hail and damaging winds along with several tornadoes occurred with these storms with the extreme southern Texas panhandle being hit hardest. No fatalities or injuries occured from the severe weather...although damage was reported from the high winds and large hail. | |||||||||||
| 30.1 | 1992-06-27 | 2 | 35°38'N / 101°35'W | 35°36'N / 101°31'W | 4.00 Miles | 150 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Hutchinson |
| 31.0 | 1992-06-27 | 4 | 35°41'N / 101°37'W | 35°35'N / 101°35'W | 5.00 Miles | 1583 Yards | 0 | 7 | 25.0M | 0 | Hutchinson |
| 31.2 | 1951-06-06 | 3 | 35°26'N / 101°11'W | 35°19'N / 101°04'W | 10.40 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 12 | 250K | 0 | Carson |
| 31.8 | 1970-04-18 | 4 | 34°39'N / 101°32'W | 34°57'N / 101°06'W | 32.20 Miles | 880 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Swisher |
| 33.1 | 2002-05-05 | 2 | 34°44'N / 101°51'W | 34°44'N / 101°48'W | 3.00 Miles | 150 Yards | 2 | 4 | 4.0M | 0 | Swisher |
| Brief Description: Storm chaser video indicated that shortly after the large tornado dissipated, another tornado developed just west of town. This tornado tore a 150-yard wide path across the southern part of town. Fifteen homes were destroyed, including at least ten mobile homes, another seventeen received major damage, and eighteen others received minor damage. The storm survey team estimated wind speeds associated with the damage to be in the 115 to 130 mph range. Two fatalities occurred in a mobile home on the southeast side of town; the mobile home was rolled about 50 yards and destroyed. Four injuries also occurred in mobile homes that were in the same area. The church on the west side of town lost 120 feet of its roof and 30 vehicles, including two tractor trailers, were damaged or destroyed. Seventy five utility and telephone poles were snapped. The tornado crossed I-27 and continued to produce significant damage east of town as it struck a home two miles east of Happy on Farm-to-Market Road 1075. Before crossing into southern Randall County about three miles east of Happy, the tornado produced major damage to a second home on Farm-to-Market Road 1075. M37MH, F35MH | |||||||||||
| 33.5 | 1971-10-17 | 3 | 35°22'N / 101°06'W | 35°22'N / 101°03'W | 2.30 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 2 | 0K | 0 | Carson |
| 34.1 | 1955-06-16 | 2 | 35°00'N / 101°04'W | 1.00 Mile | 20 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Donley | |
| 34.1 | 1987-07-01 | 2 | 35°34'N / 101°17'W | 35°34'N / 101°12'W | 4.50 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Carson |
| 34.5 | 1992-06-27 | 4 | 35°41'N / 101°44'W | 35°41'N / 101°37'W | 10.00 Miles | 1583 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25.0M | 0 | Moore |
| 34.6 | 2002-05-05 | 2 | 34°44'N / 101°56'W | 34°44'N / 101°51'W | 5.00 Miles | 300 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Swisher |
| Brief Description: A large tornado developed west of town. It moved eastward across open country and thus the storm survey team, made up of both NWS personnel and a Texas Tech University wind engineer, could only find damage to power poles and to fence posts. Based on storm chaser video, the large tornado weakened and finally dissipated just west of Happy. | |||||||||||
| 35.3 | 1965-05-04 | 2 | 35°40'N / 101°25'W | 0.50 Mile | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Hutchinson | |
| 35.5 | 1970-04-18 | 4 | 34°57'N / 101°06'W | 34°59'N / 101°01'W | 5.20 Miles | 880 Yards | 16 | 42 | 2.5M | 0 | Donley |
| 36.4 | 2007-03-28 | 3 | 35°16'N / 101°01'W | 35°18'N / 100°58'W | 3.00 Miles | 600 Yards | 0 | 2 | 0.1M | 0K | Gray |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: The tornado formed three miles south southwest of Jericho in northwest Donley county at 1839 CST and entered Gray county about one and a half miles west northwest of Jericho at 1848 CST. The tornado then continued moving north northwest for another three miles before dissipating just south of Farm to Market Road 2477 and just east of State Highway 70 four miles northwest of Jericho or about eleven miles southwest of Lefors at 1854 CST. As highlighted in the Donley County portion of this tornado track...the most significant damage from this tornado occurred to three semi trucks that were caught and badly damaged in the tornado on Interstate 40 on the Donley County and Gray County line. In this area...power poles were snapped near their bases. The cab of one of the semi trucks was reportedly lifted and deposited atop its trailer. The driver and his wife were sucked out of the cab. The driver was completely disrobed some distance away from the truck. His clothing was found tangled in the engine of the truck. The driver and his wife were reported to be in critical and serious condition...respectively. Additionally the cab was crushed to the steering column. The trailer roof appeared to have been pried up and twisted...and at least one of the side walls failed. The contents of the truck were scattered downstream into a field for nearly a mile. In this field...irrigation pivots were overturned. The property owner also reported that irrigation pivot tires weighing three hundred pounds were relocated and a fifteen hundred gallon fertilizer tank that was one quarter full was gone. Light damage was observed along Vernon Road just east of State Highway 70 and just south of Farm to Market Road 2477 in southwest Gray county...where metal roofing damage was observed to barns...stables...and sheds. A large quantity of metal roofing panels was also found south of these buildings...with several twisted around fence posts and trees. The tornado dissipated just north of this area. EPISODE NARRATIVE: Severe thunderstorms during the evening hours produced numerous tornadoes and large hail across the southern...central and eastern Texas panhandle. Heavy rains caused flash flooding in the eastern Texas panhandle during the late night and early morning hours. One man was killed by a tornado in the northeastern Texas panhandle and another person was injured. | |||||||||||
| 37.1 | 1972-08-06 | 2 | 34°44'N / 101°59'W | 1.00 Mile | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Swisher | |
| 37.2 | 1957-05-15 | 3 | 35°01'N / 101°03'W | 35°07'N / 100°55'W | 10.20 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 1 | 250K | 0 | Donley |
| 37.4 | 1982-06-05 | 2 | 35°40'N / 101°23'W | 35°42'N / 101°21'W | 3.00 Miles | 67 Yards | 0 | 6 | 2.5M | 0 | Hutchinson |
| 37.6 | 1957-05-15 | 3 | 34°39'N / 101°30'W | 1.00 Mile | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Swisher | |
| 37.9 | 1970-04-18 | 4 | 34°59'N / 101°01'W | 35°02'N / 100°58'W | 4.70 Miles | 880 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Donley |
| 38.9 | 1983-03-03 | 2 | 35°02'N / 100°57'W | 35°07'N / 100°57'W | 5.00 Miles | 880 Yards | 0 | 1 | 25K | 0 | Donley |
| 39.2 | 2007-03-28 | 3 | 35°07'N / 100°56'W | 35°10'N / 100°56'W | 3.00 Miles | 600 Yards | 0 | 2 | 0.2M | 0K | Donley |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: The tornado formed in the northwest part of Donley county at 1839 CST three miles south southwest of Jericho and tracked north northwest for about three miles before exiting Donley county one and a half miles west northwest of Jericho at 1848 CST.The tornado continued in Gray county for about another three miles before dissipating at 1854 CST. Damage was first noted two miles south of Interstate 40 along County Road 9 in northwest Donley County. The roof of a horse barn was completely destroyed...as was the rear room addition. Beside the barn...welded steel fencing was bent or mildly twisted. A refrigerated boxcar that had contained tools and horse feed was rolled northward eleven times and found on its side almost one hundred yards north of its original location. A feeding trough originally near the boxcar was carried one hundred yards northwest of its previous location. Three hundred yards away...the mobile home of the property owner suffered only minor damage. One mile north northwest of this location...a large home apparently lost a substantial portion of its roof. An irrigation pivot was overturned in a field just northwest of the home. The most significant damage from this tornado occurred to three semi trucks that were caught and badly damaged in the tornado on Interstate 40 on the Donley county and Gray county line. In this area...power poles were snapped near their bases. The cab of one of the semi trucks was reportedly lifted and deposited atop its trailer. The driver and his wife were sucked out of the cab. The driver was completely disrobed some distance away from the truck. His clothing was found tangled in the engine of the truck. The driver and his wife were reported to be in critical and serious condition...respectively. Additionally the cab was crushed to the steering column. The trailer roof appeared to have been pried up and twisted...and at least one of the side walls failed. The contents of the truck were scattered downstream into a field for nearly a mile. In this field...irrigation pivots were overturned. The property owner also reported that irrigation pivot tires weighing three hundred pounds were relocated and a fifteen hundred gallon fertilizer tank that was one quarter full was gone. EPISODE NARRATIVE: Severe thunderstorms during the evening hours produced numerous tornadoes and large hail across the southern...central and eastern Texas panhandle. Heavy rains caused flash flooding in the eastern Texas panhandle during the late night and early morning hours. One man was killed by a tornado in the northeastern Texas panhandle and another person was injured. | |||||||||||
| 39.3 | 1992-06-27 | 3 | 35°42'N / 101°57'W | 35°43'N / 101°51'W | 5.00 Miles | 300 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Moore |
| 39.4 | 1964-08-19 | 2 | 35°41'N / 101°58'W | 0.50 Mile | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Moore | |
| 39.8 | 1961-06-02 | 2 | 35°21'N / 100°57'W | 0.50 Mile | 23 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Gray | |
| 40.8 | 1983-03-03 | 2 | 34°51'N / 101°00'W | 34°56'N / 101°00'W | 5.00 Miles | 880 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Donley |
| 41.2 | 1982-05-19 | 3 | 35°32'N / 101°02'W | 1.50 Miles | 587 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Gray | |
| 41.7 | 1970-04-18 | 4 | 35°22'N / 101°05'W | 35°36'N / 100°53'W | 19.60 Miles | 880 Yards | 0 | 10 | 2.5M | 0 | Gray |
| 42.3 | 2007-04-21 | 2 | 35°40'N / 101°55'W | 35°51'N / 101°52'W | 12.00 Miles | 704 Yards | 0 | 0 | 8K | 0K | Moore |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: This tornado developed approximately one to two miles south of Farm to Market Road 1913 about three miles east of Four Way...and likely dissipated near State Highway 152 five miles east of Dumas. Visible damage was limited to five single power poles snapped...fence downed...and large round hay bales were tossed around. No injuries were reported. EPISODE NARRATIVE: Numerous severe thunderstorms producing large hail...damaging winds...and tornadoes moved north and northeast across the western and central Texas panhandle during the evening hours. The only injuries occurred in Cactus from a tornado...however no fatalities were reported. | |||||||||||
| 43.6 | 1980-05-28 | 2 | 34°39'N / 101°13'W | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Collingsworth | |||
| 44.1 | 1970-04-18 | 4 | 35°02'N / 100°58'W | 35°11'N / 100°44'W | 16.80 Miles | 880 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Donley |
| 44.9 | 1967-06-01 | 2 | 34°56'N / 102°24'W | 34°56'N / 102°19'W | 4.70 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Deaf Smith |
| 45.1 | 1966-06-14 | 2 | 35°32'N / 100°57'W | 1.00 Mile | 27 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Gray | |
| 45.2 | 2007-04-21 | 2 | 34°31'N / 101°46'W | 34°34'N / 101°47'W | 3.00 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 3 | 2.0M | 0K | Swisher |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: A strong tornado delivered a crippling impact on the local economy of Tulia, Texas, when it devastated industrial and residential sections of the small community of 5,000 residents around 19:00 CST on the 21st. A two block wide swath of damage paralleled U.S. Highway 87 in west Tulia for fifteen blocks. Three persons were treated at area hospitals for injuries, almost thirty homes sustained damage or were destroyed along with twenty businesses, and approximately five hundred people were displaced or made homeless. Local officials and newspaper accounts indicated that several of the businesses that were heavily damaged during the tornado served as staples to the Tulia economy prior to the storm. U.S. President George W. Bush declared Swisher County a federal disaster area on May 1, 2007. This destructive tornado developed near a power plant at the intersection of Broadway Street and U.S. Highway 87 in west Tulia at 18:57 CST. The tornado moved north and caused extensive damage to a local supermarket at the intersection of U.S. Highway 87 and Sixth Street. A large portion of the roof was removed on the east side of the structure, and one exterior wall collapsed inward. Smaller sections of two additional exterior walls additionally collapsed. A local auto dealership, located near the supermarket, also sustained a large amount of structural and inventory damage. Forty-one vehicles were damaged by flying debris, and a motor home on the property was overturned. A large overhead door on the east side of the structure's show room failed, resulting in the failure of the west wall. A large storage container was blown into the southwest corner of the building and caused the partial collapse of the roof. Several large metal industrial-style buildings sustained major damage due to the failure of large overhead doors and buckling of roof purlins on the south side of the buildings. One such structure collapsed onto a collection of classic cars, and resulted in a $250,000 loss. Two storm chasers escaped injuries when they were struck by the tornado along the industrial stretch of U.S. Highway 87. Their vehicle was blown into a brick building, and then a tractor-trailer was blown broadside against the chase vehicle. Damage also was observed to the north and northeast of the industrial area, with severe damage in residential areas including a mobile home community between Eighth and Ninth Streets just west of Highland Elementary School. Five mobile homes were damaged, with two others completely destroyed. The most significant residential damage occurred in a subdivision along Northwest Ninth Street through Northwest Eleventh Street. Across this area, a number of homes suffered roof losses. Roofs were totally removed from at least two single-family homes on Tenth Street near Airport Road, with partial exterior wall collapses also noted. The tornado dissipated near the Tulia Municipal Airport at 19:01 CST. Meteorologists from the National Weather Service in Lubbock, Texas, Texas Tech University, and engineers from numerous private and governmental agencies surveyed the Tulia damage. All indications suggest that the maximum winds with the Tulia tornado were between 125 and 135 mph. This makes the Tulia tornado an EF-2 tornado on the Enhanced Fujita scale for tornado intensity. The total economic loss is estimated at $2.0 million. EPISODE NARRATIVE: An outbreak of severe weather impacted much of the central U.S. from Minnesota to Texas during the late afternoon and evening hours of the 21st. The west Texas South Plains and the extreme southern Texas Panhandle were affected by a series of significant tornadoes. At least five tornadoes were spawned by a single cyclic supercell thunderstorm that resulted in more than $3.5 million in damages. The most severely impacted communities included Olton (Lamb County) and Tulia (Swisher County). Both of these west Texas towns were impacted by EF-2 tornadoes that destroyed property and injured four people, and more than 14,000 customers were without electrical power throughout the night. The tornado outbreak was caused by a potent storm system that progressed east over the Four Corners region of the western U.S. on the 21st. A potent upper level jet stream spread over the Southern Plains of the U.S., and helped to create a favorable environment for supercell thunderstorms and tornadoes along a dryline that was stretched across west Texas. | |||||||||||
| 45.7 | 1980-05-28 | 3 | 34°32'N / 101°46'W | 2.00 Miles | 833 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Swisher | |
| 46.1 | 1971-04-19 | 3 | 34°49'N / 102°22'W | 34°52'N / 102°17'W | 6.10 Miles | 133 Yards | 0 | 24 | 0K | 0 | Deaf Smith |
| 46.4 | 1987-07-14 | 2 | 35°32'N / 100°58'W | 35°35'N / 100°55'W | 4.50 Miles | 150 Yards | 0 | 10 | 2.5M | 0 | Gray |
| 47.1 | 1965-06-09 | 2 | 35°52'N / 101°40'W | 0.20 Mile | 17 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Moore | |
| 47.3 | 1965-06-14 | 2 | 35°52'N / 101°42'W | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Moore | |||
| 47.3 | 1995-06-08 | 2 | 35°03'N / 100°50'W | 35°06'N / 100°46'W | 10.00 Miles | 500 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Donley |
| 47.3 | 1980-05-28 | 3 | 34°31'N / 101°56'W | 34°33'N / 101°50'W | 6.10 Miles | 2333 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Swisher |
| 47.6 | 2009-05-15 | 2 | 35°33'N / 100°54'W | 35°30'N / 100°53'W | 3.00 Miles | 880 Yards | 0 | 1 | 50K | 0K | Gray |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: An official National Weather Service storm damage survey team determined that a multiple vortex tornado touched down four miles east northeast of Pampa at 1609 CST. This tornado then moved southeast to five miles east southeast of Pampa where it lifted at 1617 CST. At least one home sustained significant damage from the tornado. In addition...at least four other homes sustained significant damage from downburst winds in close proximity to the tornado...one to three miles east of Pampa along and near U.S. Highway 60. Several other structures and vehicles were also damaged...including a semi truck and a motor home. One injury occurred to the semi truck driver. Trees and power poles also sustained considerable damage. EPISODE NARRATIVE: Severe thunderstorms producing five tornadoes...large hail and damaging winds moved across the eastern sections of the Texas Panhandle during the late afternoon and evening hours. One person was injured by a tornado...although no fatalities occurred. Numerous homes and windshields were damaged by the hail while the high winds knocked over eighteen wheelers...power poles and trees. The high winds also caused numerous power outages. | |||||||||||
| 48.0 | 1980-05-28 | 2 | 34°30'N / 101°52'W | 34°31'N / 101°47'W | 4.90 Miles | 1667 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Swisher |
| 48.2 | 1960-06-08 | 2 | 34°52'N / 100°52'W | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Donley | |||
| 48.7 | 1975-03-26 | 3 | 35°26'N / 100°49'W | 1.00 Mile | 220 Yards | 2 | 42 | 0K | 0 | Gray | |
| 49.7 | 1957-05-15 | 4 | 34°28'N / 101°18'W | 34°40'N / 101°03'W | 17.00 Miles | 300 Yards | 21 | 80 | 250K | 0 | Briscoe |
* The information on this page is based on the global volcano database, the U.S. earthquake database of 1638-1985, and the U.S. Tornado and Weather Extremes database of 1950-2010.