2019 Dallas Tornadoes

The North Dallas EF-3 tornado made landfall near Dallas Love Field Airport and stayed on the ground for 15 miles, traveling northeast. It was on the ground for 32 minutes; estimated wind speed was 140 mph. The tornado affected several Dallas suburbs including Richardson, Garland and Sachse. There were extensive power outages due to downed power lines and reports of damaged gas mains. A local Home Depot was completely demolished by the tornado which adds a logistical challenge for rebuilding. Also damaged was H-E-B’s Central Market, a Texas staple, and Dallas Fire Rescue’s Station #41. Six schools were damaged and students at three of the schools will be relocated, permanently or for the rest of the year. Two of these schools were completely destroyed; it is hoped that one may be repaired by August for next year’s school start.

Much of the severe damage from this tornado was in Preston Hollow, a very wealthy Dallas community. The intersection of Preston and Royal is the center of the Preston Hollow neighborhood. The annual household income within a one-mile radius of the corner is $265,000 and only drops to $156,000 within three miles. Dallas Stars’ center Tyler Seguin had a home for sale that was destroyed. The wealth of the impacted community has two likely outcomes: most homes are likely to be insured but also, high rates of insurance may have prevented the community from accessing FEMA individual assistance to support those who are uninsured.

• In Garland, an EF-2 tornado was on the ground for six minutes and traveled 2.5 miles. Some of the biggest problems came from “looky-loos”; people driving by or stopping to take pictures. This is preventing clean-up and upsetting residents who are trying to figure out their new normal. Property damage is estimated at $20 million.
• The Rowlett tornado was rated as EF-1 with estimated winds of 100 mph. It was on the ground for nine minutes, was 500 yards wide and traveled six miles.
• The Rockwall tornado was an EF-1 with estimated winds of 90 mph.
• The Midlothian tornado was an EF-1 with estimated winds of 100 mph. It was on the ground for five minutes, was 380 yards wide and traveled 2.9 miles.
• The Elmo tornado was an EF-1 with winds of 105 mph. It was only on the ground for two minutes traveling half a mile.
• The EF-0 tornadoes were in Wills Point, Kaufman, Ferris and just south of Beckville.

These ten tornadoes were part of a significant storm system that stretched from the mid-Mississippi Valley to the Southern Plains. More than 150 reports of hail and severe weather were recorded in a 24-hour period by the NOAA/NWS Storm Prediction Center. A tornado was reported near Beckville, in far northeast Texas, and another in Tyronza (preliminary an EF-1) in eastern Arkansas. In northwest Arkansas, near the border with Oklahoma, the same storm system resulted in a death when a man was killed after a tree fell on his home.

There were also four tornadoes in Oklahoma between 11:08 p.m. Oct. 20 and 12:09 a.m. Oct. 21. This included an EF-1 in Coweta, an EF-1 in Scraper and two (an EF-1 and a EF-2) in Siloam Springs. The second tornado had wind speeds of 111 to 135 mph, was 1.5 miles wide and was on the ground for 31 miles. Three people were also killed in Oklahoma, one from a tree falling onto a mobile home and two teenage boys who died from carbon monoxide poisoning.