National Weather Service Raw Text Product

378 
NOUS44 KEPZ 151858
PNSEPZ
NMZ412-160700-

Public Information Statement
National Weather Service El Paso TX/Santa Teresa NM
1258 PM MDT Sun Mar 15 2020

...NWS DAMAGE SURVEY FOR 03/13/2020 TORNADO NEAR BOLES ACRES...

.OVERVIEW...
The El Paso Area National Weather Service forecast office
conducted a damage survey of the Oro Vista community, south of 
Alamogordo, to investigate damage which occurred due to severe
thunderstorms that impacted the area on the afternoon of March 13. 

Otero county was placed under a tornado watch at 2:25 MDT. The 
environment supported severe thunderstorms, and possible tornados,
with strong low level wind shear, low storm bases, strong 
instability, and deep abnormally high atmospheric moisture. At 
3:05 MDT a Severe Thunderstorm Warning was issued for a storm 
moving over Boles Acres and toward the Oro Vista community to the
northeast. The warning contained the tornado possible tag. As the
storms moved over Oro Vista, the Holloman AF doppler radar showed
a classic hook echo structure in the reflectivity field and a 
strong velocity couplet. Soon afterward several homes in the Oro 
Vista community experienced damage, ranging from light to 
significant.

. Otero County Tornado - 1.8 Northeast of Boles Acres...

Rating:                 EF-0
Estimated peak wind: 	79 mph 
Path length (statute): 	0.58 miles 
Path width (maximum): 	150 ft 
Fatalities: 			0 
Injuries: 				0

Start date:             Mar_13_2020
Start time: 			3:15 pm MDT
Start location: 		1.8 NE Boles Acres / Otero County / NM 
Start Lat/Lon: 			32.8220 / -105.9581

End date:               Mar_13_2020
End time:				3:25 pm MDT 
End location: 			1.8 NE Boles Acres / Otero County / NM 
End Lat/Lon:			32.8306 / -105.9566


.Survey Summary:
Eye-witness accounts, from two residents located on both ends of
the damage track, provided visual evidence of the occurrence of a
tornado. In addition, a video was taken of tornado formation just
upstream of the damage area. The community impacted is bounded by
open desert to the south and north with little to no access. Thus
the event could have been of somewhat longer duration and track
length, but no evidence was obtainable to support that. The
community is only 0.80 miles wide along the damage track and there
was damage at both ends as the storm entered the community on the
south and exited to the north. Most of the damage was light and
superficial to the homes impacted. At least six homes sustained
damage, mainly associated with their roofs. The damage appeared to
be a combination of tornado and straight-line winds. A toppled
mature pine tree and tossed pergola indicated rotation in the
damage pattern. A resident who witnessed most of the short-lived 
event reported seeing a funnel pass over his neighbor's home and 
then touch down in mesquite covered open ground beside his home. 
He indicated the circulation was no bigger than his home. The 
tornado likely lifted and then touched back down on the north end 
of the community where it did its most significant damage to a 
home. It removed the homes back porch, lifted a large section of 
the roof, and spread the debris in a 120 degree swath downwind. 
This home owner watched the tornado approach and pass from his 
workshop, about 50 ft separated from the home. An anemometer at 
this home, on a post 4.5 ft off the ground, registered a 61 mph 
wind gust at the time of the damage.


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 200 mph
EF5...violent...>200 mph

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

$$

Bird