45
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
5
Direct injuries
$1.7M
Property damage
Tornado in Ector County, Texas: 45 recorded events between 1957 and 2019. The strongest on record measured F2. That places the county #479 nationally and #84 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in Ector County, Texas: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in Ector County is the 1980s, when 19 of the county's 45 recorded events were logged. Comparing decades is useful for spotting active periods, but the earliest years are thin because systematic reporting for this hazard began later.
Within the Ector County archive, tornado makes up 5.5% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #479 for this hazard and #84 within Texas, putting it in the 83.2 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
May is the peak month for tornado in Ector County with 16 recorded events, while Jan is the quietest. Seasonality here is a property of the archive as much as the climate: reports cluster where population and spotter networks are densest.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
| Date | Scale | Path length | Max width | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-05-20 | EF3 | 5.8 mi | 225 yd | Touched down here |
| 2010-05-14 | EF3 | 4.3 mi | 500 yd | Touched down here |
| 2012-03-18 | EF2 | 1.0 mi | 40 yd | Touched down here |
| 1973-05-12 | EF2 | 1.0 mi | 120 yd | Touched down here |
| 1969-06-03 | EF2 | 14.9 mi | 10 yd | Touched down here |
| 1961-07-21 | EF2 | 0.5 mi | 10 yd | Touched down here |
| 2016-09-17 | EF1 | 5.9 mi | 400 yd | Crossed in |
| 1989-06-06 | EF1 | 3.0 mi | 100 yd | Touched down here |
| 1987-05-26 | EF1 | 0.3 mi | 50 yd | Touched down here |
| 1982-07-02 | EF1 | 0.1 mi | 10 yd | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 19, 2012 | GARDENDALE | EF2 | 0 | 3 | $1.0M |
| Oct 16, 1981 | F2 | 0 | 2 | $25K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 20, 2019 | PLEASANT FARMS | EF3 | $200K |
| Sep 18, 2016 | NOTREES | EF1 | $30K |
| Sep 16, 2016 | ODESSA ECTOR CO ARPT | EF0 | $0 |
| Mar 19, 2012 | GARDENDALE | EF2 | $1.0M |
| Sep 1, 2010 | ODESSA ECTOR CO ARPT | EF0 | $0 |
| May 14, 2010 | GOLDSMITH | EF0 | $0 |
| May 14, 2010 | NOTREES | EF3 | $100K |
| Jun 3, 2007 | NOTREES | EF0 | $0 |
| Jul 26, 2005 | ODESSA | F0 | $0 |
| May 27, 2002 | GARDENDALE | F0 | $2K |
Other hazards here
More from Ector County
- Hail 395
- Thunderstorm Wind 196
- Flash Flood 158
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A thunderstorm moved across Ector County and produced a tornado southeast of Odessa. The tornado developed in Ector County approximately nine miles southeast of Odessa, northeast of the Pleasant Farms community, and moved northeastward into southwest portions of Midland County. The aerial survey of this tornado revealed a clearly defined path. Numerous power poles were broken. The survey also showed pump jacks and other oil field equipment that were toppled by the tornado. The tornado had a lifespan of 15 minutes. Based on research that occurred in association with the May 14, 2010 Notrees tornado, a tornado that also knocked down oil field pump jacks, this tornado was rated as an EF-3 tornado. The cost of damage is a very rough estimate.
At 12:15 pm CST, members of the TWISTEX research group confirmed the formation of a tornado approximately 6.5 miles south of Notrees. This tornado progressed northeastward around 20 mph, first causing damage to power poles around from 12:16 to 12:17 pm CST. As it continued to track to the northeast, the tornado caused significant damage to oil equipment from 12:19 to 12:22 pm CST. Two type 320 pump jacks, each weighing 71,000 pounds including the concrete base, were blown over. The tornado then began to weaken at 12:27 pm CST, and dissipated at 12:28 pm CST approximately 2 miles southeast of Notrees, TX.
The Wickett supercell storm occluded then spawned another strong mesocylone. What was believed to have been a weak tornado formed in western Ector County and knocked down two sets of utility poles. The tornado moved northeast through open country taking out a line of 11 utility poles about 2 miles west of FM 866, then proceeded to the northeast and knocked down 4 additional poles at the intersection of FM 866 and State Highway 302.Absolute confirmation of the tornado could not be gained due to the lack of damage in the path. Tall grasses in the path gave little clue to the winds in this weak phenomenon. The decision to classify this as a tornado was due to the extreme intensity of low level radar signatures as well as the fairly narrow damage path sustained over a three mile track.Although utility poles were knocked over, this tornado was rated only as a high F0 due to the seemingly undisturbed vegetation.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in Ector County, Texas?
45 tornado events are recorded in Ector County between 1957 and 2019, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in Ector County?
The strongest tornado on record in Ector County measured F2.
Where does the tornado data for Ector County come from?
All events come from the NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database, the federal public-domain archive of severe weather reports. Dates are UTC, damage is as reported and not inflation-adjusted, and the most recent entries may still be revised.
Cite this page
“Tornado in Ector County, Texas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/texas/ector-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.