Confirmed: Tornado Caused Damage In Rural North Texas
FORT WORTH, Texas (CBSDFW.COM/AP) — A tornado is to blame for damage in parts of rural North Texas, the National Weather Service confirmed Thursday.
A weather service survey team examined damage caused by the storm late Wednesday night south of Graham, about 80 miles northwest of Fort Worth.
Team members concluded the damage caused was consistent with a tornado with winds of 105 to 110 mph.
The EF-1 tornado moved northeastward toward Lake Bridgeport and on to the town of Alvord.
Our storm survey team has confirmed an EF-1 tornado near Lake Bridgeport in Wise County. This is the second confirmed tornado from last night's storms. Check back for updates and additional information! #txwx #dfwwx pic.twitter.com/93KURRZUdd
— NWS Fort Worth (@NWSFortWorth) March 19, 2020
The storm tore metal siding from industrial buildings, downed utility lines and caused widespread tree damage.
To the west, in the Abilene area, the weather service confirmed at least 2 tornadoes, both rated at least EF-2 with winds of 111 to 135 mph.
The first was south of Merkel, 16 miles west of Abilene. where there was extensive tree damage and damage to several wind turbines. It moved on to Tye, where a small home was destroyed.
A second tornado was confirmed near Hamby, nine miles northeast of Abilene, where cars and trucks were tossed around the parking lot at the Robertson Unit and Middleton Unit state prisons.
(© Copyright 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)