Jarrell tornado

of Texas at 2:00 p.m. CDT on May 27 showing the cold front (solid line with pennants), dry line (dashed line with semicircles), gravity wave (solid line), and low-pressure area (L symbol). The alignment of these features produced the local environmental conditions enabling the tornado outbreak.|alt=A weather map of Texas On the morning of May 27, 1997, an upper-level low-pressure area located over portions of South Dakota and Nebraska had moved northward which caused a weak, mid-level flow across Texas. While this occurred, a cold front extended southwest of a surface-based low-pressure area from Fayetteville, Arkansas to the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex (DFW) to the Permian Basin, which also included two decaying outflow boundaries northeast of the DFW metroplex. A gravity wave was also noted from the cold front near Waco, Texas and southward, which would promote initiation of supercells, including the one which produced the Jarrell tornado. The latter two factors were caused by an overnight mesoscale convective system which had dissipated before the mesoscale setup of the Jarrell tornado. An upper-air balloon sounding was conducted by the National Weather Service in Fort Worth while the cold front passed directly over the DFW metroplex, which showed favorable mid-level lapse rates, a dewpoint temperature of on the surface, and some wind shear, though not towards the surface, which suggested non-tornadic supercell activity. However, a sounding launched from Calvert, Texas a few hours later revealed surface-based CAPE values above 6500 J/kg, up from 3000 J/kg shown by the sounding previously launched over the DFW metroplex. Shortly thereafter, the supercell began to move slightly westward towards Jarrell and Salado while continuing to show signs of rapid, low-level rotation. This would result in another tornado warning being issued by the National Weather Service in Austin/San Antonio for Williamson County, including Jarrell, at 15:30 CDT (22:30 UTC), in response to the storm's approach to the town. The warning was in effect for a duration of one hour, and local warning sirens in the town went off an estimated 10–12 minutes before the impact. Multiple short-lived, small, and rope-like funnel clouds preceded the Jarrell tornado; and despite being theorized and commonly accepted as being separate tornadoes, there is a possibility that these were part of it. Additionally, some reports stated an F1 tornado near Prairie Dell as an earlier continuation of this tornado. == Tornado summary ==

The tornado officially touched down within the Williamson County line north of Jarrell as a narrow rope landspout tornado at 3:40 pm CDT (20:40 UTC). The tornado began to undergo a rapid intensification as it attached itself to the mesocyclone within the parent supercell. It quickly transitioned from a landspout to a powerful mesocyclonic tornado, and began to morph and widen, taking on a large multi-vortex structure. the Texas Highway Patrol also stopped traffic on both sides of the interstate under the expectation that the tornado would cross the highway. However, it instead moved parallel to Interstate 35 without impacting the roadway. Tracking south-southwest, the tornado quickly intensified and grew in width, becoming large and violent. A culvert plant near the intersection of two county roads collapsed. Nearby, a similar plant and a mobile home sustained some damage, with the latter struck by a 2×4'' piece of lumber. The tornado immediately began to destroy structures and homes as it hit multiple streets at the northeastern edge of the housing development. A recovered clock and synced videos marked the start of the tornado's impact on the subdivision at 3:48 pm. In the hardest hit areas of Double Creek Estates, homes were so thoroughly obliterated that there was virtually no recoverable debris left behind, and what debris was left had been finely granulated into small fragments and dispersed over a wide area. Grass was completely scoured from lawns throughout the neighborhood, and nearby grassy fields also sustained extreme ground scouring of up to in depth, leaving behind a wide swath of mud and bare soil. Several other vehicles were never recovered, and are presumed to have been torn into numerous pieces inside the tornado. Trees of all sizes in the subdivision were completely debarked, with one small tree documented to have had an electrical cord pierced through its trunk. In total, the tornado dealt $10–20 million (1997 USD) in damage to Double Creek Estates. After exiting the Double Creek Estates area, the tornado then crossed over a county road while paralleling Spears Ranch Road. The damage in these outlying areas was sporadic: in one case, a mobile home suffered only minor damage while an nearby house lost its roof and several exterior walls. It was taken by Scott Beckwith, a worker at Jarrell Farm Supply. The picture became known for its resemblance to the grim reaper, a figure that commonly represents death in several cultures. The image consists of the tornado, shrouded in debris, with the main vortex and an adjacent subvortex making "leg" shapes near the bottom of the tornado, giving it the appearance of a giant silhouette walking across the ground. A third subvortex separate from the main funnel is also seen, taking the appearance of what looks like a scythe-like blade. The image, which is just one in a sequence of 8 photographs taken right as the tornado grew in size, has been widely called an example of pareidolia. The photo has received international attention and the Jarrell tornado has popularized the "Dead Man Walking" nickname for similar multi-vortex tornadoes with "legs". == Impact and casualties ==

The tornado overall resulted in the total destruction of numerous homes and structures, and destroyed an estimated 40 family residences. Of these estimated 40 homes, most of them were completely swept away. Many of the structures that were swept away were located in the Double Creek Estates. The damage from the tornado was classified as F5 severity throughout most of the tornado's path. Approximately $40 million in damage was inflicted upon property with another $100,000 (1997 USD) inflicted upon crops. The remains of these people were found at over 30 locations, and the majority of the deaths were reported in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report as being caused by bodily and head trauma and one fatality was reported to have been caused by asphyxia. Some of the bodies were identified through the use of dental records. The physical trauma inflicted on some of the tornado victims was so extreme that first responders reportedly had difficulty distinguishing human remains from the remains of animals at the sites, as the remains were reportedly torn apart and rendered unrecognizable in the winds of the tornado. In fact, many first responders and assistant personnel have reported to having PTSD-like symptoms after the search. The sheer strength and intensity of the tornado, as it was in Jarrell, gave the people in its direct path little time to get to safety. Most of the homes that were located in Double Creek Estates at the time were constructed on a slab foundation and lacked basements. Up to nineteen people had sought refuge in a single storm cellar. Many residents of the Double Creek Estates had followed the recommended safety procedures, but were still killed because of the strength of the tornado. Some people had chosen to evacuate ahead of the tornado, which may have saved lives. Despite the near-complete destruction of houses on the edge of the tornado, some walls were left standing, protecting several residents. One survivor holed up in a bathtub and was flung several hundred feet from her house onto a road. Three entire families were killed in the Double Creek Estates area: the Igo family (five members), the Smith family (three members) and the Moehring family (four members). An additional thirteen people were reportedly transported to a hospital after the event; most of the wounded had abrasions and lacerations due to debris from the tornado. Nine families in Jarrell had more than one member die in the tornado, and the youngest victim was five years old. Around 300 cattle grazing in a nearby pasture were killed and some were found away. Hundreds of carcasses were found dismembered, lacking limbs, decapitated or skinned. == Aftermath ==

Within minutes after the tornado's impact, emergency management, police, and other volunteers began search-and-rescue operations in Jarrell. Numerous different agencies assisted in the search-and-rescue process, including the Texas Department of Public Safety Police, Texas National Guard, and other smaller agencies. Relief operations, which covered 211 homes and persons damaged or wounded in the tornado, cost an estimated $250,000 (1997 USD); community donations covered at least $200,000 (1997 USD) of the expenses. The tornado knocked out power in Jarrell, effectively stunting communications between emergency services and residents. Cell phones were not functional, and families of affected residents became increasingly concerned due to an inability to communicate. During the emergency response to the affected areas, emergency services almost drove past Double Creek Estates, unaware that houses had stood there. The Double Creek Estates subdivision quickly became the focal point of search-and-rescue and recovery efforts, which were aided by civilians and volunteer workers. Then-governor of Texas George W. Bush declared Williamson County a disaster area, later stating during a visit to Jarrell on May 28 that it was "the worst tornado I've ever seen". In the six days following the event, the Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorological Services and Supporting Research conducted multiple surveys from the air and on the ground to survey the track of the tornado and the damage caused by it. In coordination from the Civil Air Patrol in the state, the tornado received an F5 rating. == Case studies and documentation ==

There have been multiple in-depth case studies conducted on the tornado since May 1997, most of which covered the impacts to structures and victims as well as the conditions that produced it. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) A case study and critique was published by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, which covered the structural damage caused by the tornado and the track that it left. The NIST also published a detailed critique of the Fujita Scale as a direct result of the Jarrell tornado. and the Regional and Mesocale Meteorology Branch (RaMMB). The American Meteorological Society (AMS) also conducted a case study on the event, discussing the meteorological conditions that caused the event and the significance of the Jarrell tornado. A small case study by the NOAA had concluded that the Emergency Alert System (EAS) was not activated in a timely manner to warn about the tornado. Many warning systems had also failed, and the study recommended that emergency alerts and tornado warnings be issued earlier. ==See also==