Tornado in Crosby County, Texas

F3 tornado in Ralls.A strong tornado developed approximately 9 miles to the southwest of Ralls around 8:40 PM and tracked to the northeast for six miles. Along the path of this tornado, several power poles were blown over or snapped and a few center pivots were overturned or twisted. A residence was completely destroyed with debris entirely removed from the foundation. The majority of the debris from this structure was blown to the northeast approximately 10 to 30 feet from the foundation…with other related debris dispersed over a mile away. Two pickup trucks were lifted and deposited upside down 5 to 30 feet from former locations. Trees were mud-splattered and stripped of bark with large branches completely torn off trunks. Center pivot irrigation systems were either blown over or twisted in surrounding fields…however some were left unscathed to the northeast of this tornado. Additional debris associated with this tornado was also deposited in a field across from US Highway 62/82 before dissipating.

A brief tornado located about two miles southwest of Crosbyton was photographed by a storm chaser. NWS radar indicated a short-lived, low-level mesocyclone that developed along the northwest edge of an apparent surging gust front. The increased cyclonic shear to the left of the gust front's motion was likely stretched vertically and produced the brief EF0 tornado. No damage survey was conducted as the tornado was only in progress for less than one minute over open land.

A storm chaser videoed the previous tornado rope out and eventually merge with a new tornadic circulation. This second tornado was more organized than the first and eventually crossed Highway 207 as videoed by a truck driver. No damage was observed despite crossing directly over power lines along the highway.