Tornado in Hale County, Texas

A fire department official reported a brief tornado touchdown west of Interstate 27 and north of Farm to Market Road 54 northwest of Abernathy. Several center pivot irrigation systems were damaged before the tornado lifted.

A large and long-tracked tornado cut a path of damage twenty-nine miles in length and at times nearly three-quarters of a mile wide across portions of Lamb, Hale, Castro and Swisher Counties between 17:57 and 18:36 CST on the 21st. Total damages from the tornado were estimated to exceed $1.2 million, and one person was injured.|The large tornado tracked across northwestern Hale County between 18:10 and 18:18 CST. Local newspaper reports indicate that the most notable damage along the tornado's path in northwestern Hale County occurred to numerous center pivot irrigation systems. At least ten irrigation systems were reportedly destroyed in fields west and northwest of Halfway.|Damage caused by the tornado east of Olton (Lamb County) supported an EF-2 rating with winds estimated between 110 and 120 mph.|

The National Weather Service in Lubbock, TX conducted a damage survey in Petersburg, TX in Hale county. The tornado was a long-lived occurrence across southeast Hale county and traveled into southwestern Floyd county. Significant damage resulted from a tornado at a local tractor business in Petersburg. The roof was blown off the structure causing internal damage to equipment and furniture. Debris was blown across the street and damaged a residence. The tornado cut a path through the business and scattered debris for up to a mile. Several power poles were snapped as the tornado propagated to the east. The debris field surveyed indicated the tornado went through a cycle of frequently lifting and then regaining contact with the ground.