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03-23-2006, 07:04 PM
Public Information Statement
National Weather Service Austin/San Antonio, Texas
Storm Survey of the Uvalde Storm Damage
On March 21...staff from the NWS Austin/San Antonio office...assisted by Uvalde County Emergency Management Officials and representatives of the Governors Division of Emergency Management...conducted a survey of storm damage that occurred Sunday evening...March 19...in the Uvalde area.
During the late evening of Sunday...March 19...a severe thunderstorm struck just south of the Uvalde downtown area. The damage began five miles southwest of Uvalde and continued south of the town to 5 miles east of the Uvalde airport.
The most widespread of the damage was southwest of the city in the Uvalde estates area. Nearly all debris was reported by emergency management to have blown toward the east in an area approximately 3 miles wide and 5 miles long. Damage in this area included minor and major damage to scores of homes and mobile homes. Many of the mobile homes were overturned or rolled...some of this damage occurred while occupants were still inside their mobile homes. Scores of roofs were damaged or destroyed...hundreds of trees were knocked over...with pieces of sheet metal...aluminum...tree branches and broken glass everywhere. Miraculously...there were no deaths and no serious injuries.
The type of damage and the fact that nearly all the debris was blown toward the east indicates that nearly all of this damage was due to severe thunderstorm winds. Wind speeds in this event were estimated at 80 to 90 mph. This wind damage became spotty as the storm continued eastward...moving just south of the Uvalde downtown area. Hail as large as golfballs was reported in the Uvalde downtown area.
The most severe damage was located approximately 5 miles to the east of the Uvalde airport along Agape Road. This was due to a combination of both severe thunderstorm winds and a strong tornado. The wind damage...which had ended just south of Uvalde...once again was observed beginning just west of the agape area by the team. The damage continued toward the east nearly one quarter mile to the agape compound. Roof damage was noted at the first buildings...along with widespread damage to trees. Continuing to the east...the team found a mobile home that had been completely destroyed with the debris deposited about 30 yards to the south. This was the first time damage had been thrown in any direction except to the east and is believed to be just east of the starting point of the tornado.
About 50 yards to further to the east...an asphalt road was observed to have chunks of the topping removed and tossed toward the southeast. Very nearby... a large three-story concrete and steel-beam structure had been gutted by the storm. The windward...west side was not blown inward as would have occurred with severe thunderstorm winds. Instead...it was pulled outward. A 40-foot steel beam had been bolted in a dozen different places to the building. The beam was pulled from the building and thrown back 15 feet to the northwest. Although many of the supporting steel beams held...several were pulled away and tossed. Concrete blocks...filled solid with concrete in their construction... had been ripped out of the building and lay tossed and strewn over the area. Much of the wall structure was destroyed. A gymnasium... built of steel beams and sheet metal... Was completely destroyed. The pieces of sheet metal were strewn to the east and southeast for nearly one half mile. Additional damage to vegetation stretched for another 2 miles east of the building. Some of this damage was clearly due to severe thunderstorm winds and some of the damage was due to the tornado.
Based on the level of damage of the mobile home and the building...the tornado was rated F2. The path width was estimated at 50 yards and the path length was estimated at 2 miles. From the reports available...it is thought the tornado developed about 1020 pm CST and dissipated around 1025 pm CST. It is the strongest tornado in South Central Texas since the evening of October 12, 2001, when an F3 tornado struck Stonewall, and an F2 tornado struck Hondo.
National Weather Service Austin/San Antonio, Texas
Storm Survey of the Uvalde Storm Damage
On March 21...staff from the NWS Austin/San Antonio office...assisted by Uvalde County Emergency Management Officials and representatives of the Governors Division of Emergency Management...conducted a survey of storm damage that occurred Sunday evening...March 19...in the Uvalde area.
During the late evening of Sunday...March 19...a severe thunderstorm struck just south of the Uvalde downtown area. The damage began five miles southwest of Uvalde and continued south of the town to 5 miles east of the Uvalde airport.
The most widespread of the damage was southwest of the city in the Uvalde estates area. Nearly all debris was reported by emergency management to have blown toward the east in an area approximately 3 miles wide and 5 miles long. Damage in this area included minor and major damage to scores of homes and mobile homes. Many of the mobile homes were overturned or rolled...some of this damage occurred while occupants were still inside their mobile homes. Scores of roofs were damaged or destroyed...hundreds of trees were knocked over...with pieces of sheet metal...aluminum...tree branches and broken glass everywhere. Miraculously...there were no deaths and no serious injuries.
The type of damage and the fact that nearly all the debris was blown toward the east indicates that nearly all of this damage was due to severe thunderstorm winds. Wind speeds in this event were estimated at 80 to 90 mph. This wind damage became spotty as the storm continued eastward...moving just south of the Uvalde downtown area. Hail as large as golfballs was reported in the Uvalde downtown area.
The most severe damage was located approximately 5 miles to the east of the Uvalde airport along Agape Road. This was due to a combination of both severe thunderstorm winds and a strong tornado. The wind damage...which had ended just south of Uvalde...once again was observed beginning just west of the agape area by the team. The damage continued toward the east nearly one quarter mile to the agape compound. Roof damage was noted at the first buildings...along with widespread damage to trees. Continuing to the east...the team found a mobile home that had been completely destroyed with the debris deposited about 30 yards to the south. This was the first time damage had been thrown in any direction except to the east and is believed to be just east of the starting point of the tornado.
About 50 yards to further to the east...an asphalt road was observed to have chunks of the topping removed and tossed toward the southeast. Very nearby... a large three-story concrete and steel-beam structure had been gutted by the storm. The windward...west side was not blown inward as would have occurred with severe thunderstorm winds. Instead...it was pulled outward. A 40-foot steel beam had been bolted in a dozen different places to the building. The beam was pulled from the building and thrown back 15 feet to the northwest. Although many of the supporting steel beams held...several were pulled away and tossed. Concrete blocks...filled solid with concrete in their construction... had been ripped out of the building and lay tossed and strewn over the area. Much of the wall structure was destroyed. A gymnasium... built of steel beams and sheet metal... Was completely destroyed. The pieces of sheet metal were strewn to the east and southeast for nearly one half mile. Additional damage to vegetation stretched for another 2 miles east of the building. Some of this damage was clearly due to severe thunderstorm winds and some of the damage was due to the tornado.
Based on the level of damage of the mobile home and the building...the tornado was rated F2. The path width was estimated at 50 yards and the path length was estimated at 2 miles. From the reports available...it is thought the tornado developed about 1020 pm CST and dissipated around 1025 pm CST. It is the strongest tornado in South Central Texas since the evening of October 12, 2001, when an F3 tornado struck Stonewall, and an F2 tornado struck Hondo.