National Weather Service Raw Text Product

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ARZ050-051-059>061-070>073-LAZ001>006-010>014-017>022-OKZ077-
TXZ096-097-108>112-124>126-136>138-149>153-165>167-171530-

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SHREVEPORT LA
1030 PM CDT Mon Apr 15 2019

...Public Information Statement...

...NWS Damage Survey For 04/13/19 Severe Thunderstorm Event...

.Update...Tornado #3 in Southeast Nacogdoches County near Chireno, 
as well as a Damaging Downburst in Central Sabine in the community of 
Fisher. 

.Tornado #1 in Cherokee County Texas southwest of Alto...

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 in Cherokee County Texas in and near Alto...

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.

.Tornado #3 in Southeast Nacogdoches County Texas near Chireno...

Rating:                 EF-1
Estimated Peak Wind:    95 mph
Path Length /statute/:  0.80 miles
Path Width /maximum/:   100 yards
Fatalities:             0
Injuries:               0

Start Date:             04/13/2019
Start Time:             2:38 PM CDT 
Start Location:         3 SW Chireno / Nacogdoches County / TX 
Start Lat/Lon:          31.4732 / -94.3811

End Date:               04/13/2019
End Time:               2:39 PM CDT
End Location:           2 SW Chireno / Nacogdoches County / TX
End Lat/Lon:            31.4816 / -94.3726

Storm Summary:

This tornado touched down along County Road 442 a few miles southwest of
Chireno, where numerous trees were snapped or uprooted in a heavily wooded 
area, while continuing northeast along and across County Road 443. The tornado 
lifted just east of County Road 443, although the rear flank downdraft from 
this storm tore off a 100 ft section of tin roofing from a vacant chicken house
just off of County Road 442. Portions of the roofs from three other vacant 
chicken house were partially lifted up about two inches. Damaging straight line 
winds of 80-85 mph from this same storm uprooted a tree in front of the Chireno 
ISD building on Main Street, with numerous trees downed in a north northeasterly 
direction along Highway 27 about 1-2 miles east of Chireno near the San Augustine 
County line. 

.Damaging Downburst in Sabine Parish, LA in the village of Fisher...

Estimated Peak Wind:    100 mph
Path Length /statute/:  0.77 miles
Path Width /maximum/:   505 yards
Fatalities:             0
Injuries:               0

Start Date:             04/13/2019
Start Time:             3:58 PM CDT
Start Location:         Village of Fisher / Sabine Parish / LA
Start Lat/Lon:          31.4920 / -93.4668

End Date:               04/13/2019
End Time:               3:59 PM CDT 
End Location:           Village of Fisher / Sabine Parish / LA 
End Lat/Lon:            31.4977 / -93.4556

Storm Summary: 

A damaging downburst with estimated peak winds near 100 mph impacted much of the 
community of Fisher in Central Sabine Parish, with numerous trees snapped or 
uprooted along 4L Drive, with this large extent of damage spreading across the 
entire village including Railroad Avenue, 1st Avenue, 2nd Avenue, and 3rd Avenue. 
A large hardwood tree fell through a home on 1st Avenue. This downburst spread 
east northeast across Highway 171 where a couple of trees were downed, with 
damage widespread once again across Cottonwood Street and Laurel Street east of 
Highway 171. The majority of the damage on the east side of Fisher was on Laurel 
Street, where 7-8 trees were snapped or uprooted on one property, with two of 
these trees landing through a house/on a minivan, and a third tree narrowly 
missing the home. Throughout the entire path of the downburst, the trees/metal 
roofing fell in a north northeasterly direction.       

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. 

$$

04/10/27/44/15