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Jarrell Tornado 24 years later

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    Jarrell Tornado 24 years later

    Hard to believe tomorrow will be 24 years since this happened. This tornado is still considered one of the strongest F5 tornadoes ever, with 260-300mph winds. Survival was at 0% unless you were underground. It was on the ground less than 15 minutes and covered 5-6 miles. This tornado was an anomaly in that it traveled directly South/Southwest.

    Sadly, 27 people lost their lives. Entire families were lost and never found. Well built homes that were bolted to foundations were completely gone leaving only the slabs. It started out as a small pencil like tornado and quickly grew to 3/4 mile wide. This tornado scoured the earth up to 18” deep and tore the asphalt off roads, anything in its path was reduced to small debris.

    The storms that spawned the Jarrell tornado ended up spawning 19 other tornadoes across central Texas, including a F3 that hit Cedar Park, and a F4 that hit Lake Travis.

    Personally I remember this day well, because my neighbor’s house was struck by lightning and caught fire. Thankfully, we were able to save it from burning to the ground.

    This was only the third F5 tornado recorded in Texas, and there hasn’t been one since.



    Last edited by Tx.Fisher; 05-26-2021, 01:33 PM.

    #2
    Crazy stuff. Not much more terrifying than a big tornado. Maybe a big tornado at night.

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      #3
      I remember that day, too. I was working in a building in North Austin. I remember getting off work and hiding out in the parking garage waiting for the weather to calm down so I could leave.

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        #4
        I remember all 3 of those well. I saw the one in Cedar Park first hand and the one that hit Travis stopped about 5 miles from my house in Dripping that is was headed directly for.

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          #5
          Yep I remember it well. Was in Liberty Hill area. We went and drove thru Jarrell the next day. Will never forget that sight.

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            #6
            Worst thing I had ever scene. I was there for three days doing recovery. Heck of a way to start an Leo career.

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              #7
              I cannot believe that it has been 24 years. I was working in North Austin and remember how bad the weather was. I could see the tornado that hit Cedar Park from my house and watched it as moved away from me.

              Knew a lot of people that went up to help with search and rescue after it went through Jarrell. It was hard for them to talk about what they saw and I did not ask as I knew it was bad.

              One thing I remember them telling me, the tornado was so strong that it sucked the plubming out of the foundations.

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                #8
                Was working at Marine Outlet in Temple at the time. I will never forget how insanely humid it was that day. That same system spawned a tornado that destroyed Morgan's Point marina and sunk a bunch of boats. For weeks thereafter, one of my jobs was floating the sunken ones.

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                  #9
                  I remember hearing about this one. Growing up in central Oklahoma, I have seen my fair share and had close encounters and have always been fascinated with thunderstorms and tornados. It is just amazing the power of mother nature sometimes. Hard to believe it has been 24yrs. Doesn't seem like it.

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                    #10
                    Wow - 24 years. The pictures of the aftermath of that storm were some of the most incredible and disturbing I've seen. That neighborhood (Double Creek?) of about 50 brick homes was nothing but slabs. Liked stated in the OP, it sucked asphalt off the county road and sucked up all the grass and other vegetation, leaving only mud. I think about it every time I pass that exit on the interstate.

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                      #11
                      Wow time really flys can't believe it's been that long. Remember getting picked up from school in LH and heading back towards Georgetown. I had never seen anything that looked like that sky. Dark as night and covered pretty much the entire horizon. Had several family members that lived in Jarrell that lost everything they had that day.

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                        #12
                        I've watched this twice over the years...
                        Very sad and completely fascinating at the same time.
                        It's hard to believe that wind can spin that fast and be that devistating..

                        [ame="https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=8hrhxlAXkNo"]Jarrell Tornado: 20 years later | KVUE - YouTube[/ame]
                        Last edited by PondPopper; 05-26-2021, 02:04 PM.

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                          #13
                          Yep. Still haunts me to this day, some of the things I saw in that subdivision. Had classmates that perished and we saw them laid out on the slab of their house. Nothing a 16 year old or any human should see. Cant believe that it has been that long. RIP Igo Family, Ruiz Family, Moehring Family, and the 15 others that passed on that day.

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                            #14
                            Originally posted by ttaxidermy View Post
                            I've watched this twice over the years...
                            Very sad and completely fascinating at the same time.
                            It's hard to believe that wind can spin that fast and be that devistating..

                            Jarrell Tornado: 20 years later | KVUE - YouTube
                            Yeah, a lot of good videos on YouTube about.

                            Oddly enough, the forecast for that day was only a slight to moderate risk of thunderstorms. Tornadoes weren’t even in the forecast.

                            A cold front, dry line, and a gravity wave that broke free from thunderstorms up in Arkansas/Oklahoma all collided over central Texas and blew up into these massive storms.

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                              #15
                              Remember that day as well

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