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PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SHREVEPORT LA
550 PM CDT Mon Apr 15 2019

...NWS Damage Survey For 04/13/19 Tornado Event...

.Update...Adjusted start time for Tornado #2 and added more detail 
to the summaries for both tornadoes. Further updates will be needed 
as more data continues to be gathered.  

.Tornado #1...

Rating:                 EF-2
Estimated Peak Wind:    120 mph
Path Length /statute/:  0.8 miles
Path Width /maximum/:   400 yards
Fatalities:             0
Injuries:               0

Start Date:             04/13/2019 
Start Time:             11:46 AM CDT
Start Location:         6 SSW Alto / Cherokee County / TX
Start Lat/Lon:          31.56126 / -95.1042

End Date:               04/13/2019
End Time:               11:48 AM CDT
End Location:           5 SSW Alto / Cherokee County / TX
End Lat/Lon:            31.5638 / -95.1043

Storm Summary:

Tornado first touched down in a rural field approximately 2 miles north of
the Neches River which is also the Cherokee County and Houston County
line. It initially snapped several hundred softwood and hardwood 
trees at their trunks before destroying two single wide mobile homes and
ripping the roof off of a single family home at the end of route 220 near
CR2806.  There, winds were estimated to be the strongest at approximately 
120 mph. The storm also tossed several antique vehicles near the home and 
then went on to snap another 20 trees before lifting. 

The end time and location will be updated as new information continues to 
arrive on damage in the city of Alto, including the Alto ISD gymnasium, that 
is from the same storm. If this damage is within two miles of this track, this 
will all be considered the same tornado. Otherwise, a third tornado will be 
added with two tornadoes being from the first storm and one from the second. A 
request for aerial high resolution satellite imagery was made today and drone and 
helicopter footage are being assessed to help make this determination. A special 
thanks to our media and emergency management partners for helping us gather this 
data.


.Tornado #2...

Rating:                 EF-3
Estimated Peak Wind:    160 mph
Path Length /statute/:  29.4 miles
Path Width /maximum/:   880 yards
Fatalities:             1
Injuries:               20

Start Date:             04/13/2019
Start Time:             1:20 PM CDT 
Start Location:         7 SW Alto / Cherokee County / TX 
Start Lat/Lon:          31.5797 / -95.1653

End Date:               04/13/2019
End Time:               2:00 PM CDT
End Location:           8 NE Reklaw / Rusk County / TX
End Lat/Lon:            31.9046 / -94.8587

Storm Summary:

The tornado continued on the ground as it crossed the Neches River from 
Houston County to Cherokee County. The storm snapped and uprooted 
thousands of trees along its path. The storm paralleled HWY 21 before 
getting to Alto, where it severely damaged or destroyed approximately 20 
homes. Included along the damage path southwest of Alto was the Caddo Mounds 
State Historic Site building which had its roof torn off, nearly almost all 
of its exterior walls removed, and was left to only a few interior rooms in 
the building. Several people were outside running to get inside for safety 
when the building was destroyed, resulting in a fatality and serious injuries. 
Multiple cars in the parking lot were thrown 150 yards into trees and across 
HWY 21. The tornado then went on to lift and destroy a double wide mobile home, 
throwing it 50 yards. As the tornado continued along HWY 21 its most significant 
damage was at a single family home and the St. Thomas Chapel which saw their 
roofs removed and exterior walls collapsed. Winds were estimated at 150 mph at 
this point. 

As the tornado neared Alto, it destroyed three homes along Route 294 and 
Singletary St, recording high end EF-3 damage as it wiped the lower level 
of a two story home off of its foundation and left the top story of the home 
20 yards away from the foundation. This damage was reviewed by tornado damage
experts from Southern Region HQs, WFO Norman, and the Warning Decision Training
Division who all agreed it was high end EF-3 damage based off how the home walls
were separated from the bolts which anchored them to the foundation. Surrounding 
damage indicators also validated the EF-3 determination.   

The storm then went on to destroy several homes and mobile homes nearby
Alto Elementary and Alto High School. The storm continued on to snap and debark 
several trees in rural Cherokee County north of Alto. The storm then continued on 
to remove the large section of a roof in Sacul and crossed into extreme southwest 
Rusk County before lifting. Between the WFO Houston and WFO Shreveport forecast areas, 
the tornado was on the ground nearly continuously for approximately 36 miles.

Much appreciation goes out to the Cherokee County and Nacogdoches County 
emergency managers along with the Smith County team that setup an Incident 
Command Post in Alto and provided helpful damage information throughout the 
survey.

EF Scale: The Enhanced Fujita Scale classifies tornadoes into
the following categories.

EF0...Weak......65 TO 85 mph
EF1...Weak......86 TO 110 mph
EF2...Strong....111 TO 135 mph
EF3...Strong....136 TO 165 mph
EF4...Violent...166 TO 200mph
EF5...Violent...>200mph

NOTE:
The information in this statement is preliminary and subject to
change pending final review of the events and publication in
NWS Storm Data. 

$$

04/10/27/44