2 Tornadoes Confirmed In North Texas From Saturday's Storms
(CBSDFW.COM) - Along with several inches of rain accumulating across North Texas between late Friday and early Sunday, two tornadoes occurred over eastern North Texas Saturday afternoon.
The first tornado touched down on the west side of Malakoff, south of Highway 31, in a residential area west of the post office. Rated an EF-1 by the National Weather Service, this tornado had max winds of 100 mph.
It was on the ground for just over a mile, and had a width of 150 yards. But it was very brief, touching down around 12:36 p.m. and dissipating two minutes later. In those two minutes, it managed to cause significant damage to trees, roofs, cars, a nursing home and several buildings.
The second tornado touched down in southwest Van Zandt County, roughly three miles northeast of Mabank. Rated an EF-0 by the National Weather Service, this tornado had max winds of 85 mph.
It was on the ground for a little over two miles, and had a width of 250 yards. The tornado moved west along County Road 2719, causing tree and power line damage along with roof damage to several mobile homes and a few farm outbuildings. The tornado was on the ground for three minutes, eventually dissipating near the intersection of Kaufman County Road 4007 and Farm to Market Road 90.
Both tornadoes were unusual based on the fact they formed and moved generally due west, which is unusual for most tornadoes in North Texas in May.
