1-20-10 REPORTS:TX/LA

NWS survey teams assessed the reported tornados from Texas and Louisiana. Follows is a partial list pending more updates. Pay particular attention to the results of the survey on the damage from the Waskom, TX tornado - rated an EF3!

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COMPLETED A DAMAGE SURVEY IN SABINE
COUNTY...TEXAS...NEAR GENEVA. AN EF1 TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN ALONG FM
330 TOPPLING AND UPROOTING SEVERAL LARGE TREES. ONE HOME HAD MINOR
ROOF DAMAGE ALONG WITH MOST OF ITS SHINGLES STRIPPED OFF...WHILE
ANOTHER HAD ITS OUTSIDE STORAGE SHED DESTROYED. WINDS WERE
ESTIMATED TO BE FROM 95 TO 105 MPH. THE PATH LENGTH WAS 500
YARDS...AND THE WIDTH WAS 150 YARDS.

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COMPLETED A DAMAGE SURVEY IN
NATCHITOCHES PARISH...LOUISIANA...NEAR HAGEWOOD. AN EF0 TORNADO
TOUCHED DOWN ALONG POSEY ROAD...5 MILES WEST OF THE POSEY ROAD
EXIT ON INTERSTATE 49...AND THEN TRAVELED NORTHEASTWARD ACROSS
INTERSTATE 49. SEVERAL LARGE TREES WERE TOPPLED OR
UPROOTED...ALONG WITH NUMEROUS LARGE LIMBS BROKEN OFF. SEVERAL
TREES HAD THEIR TOPS SNAPPED OFF ALONG THE PATH. WINDS WERE
ESTIMATED TO BE FROM 70 TO 75 MPH. THE PATH LENGTH WAS 5
MILES...AND THE WIDTH WAS 150 YARDS WIDE.

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COMPLETED A DAMAGE SURVEY IN SMITH
COUNTY...TEXAS...NEAR NOONDAY. A WEAK EF0 TORNADO FIRST TOUCHED DOWN IN A SUBDIVISION ALONG SOUTHERN TRACE CIRCLE WHERE SHINGLES WERE PEELED OFF. SEVERAL HOMES AND A TRAMPOLINE WAS THROWN UP ONTO A HOME. SEVERAL FENCES WERE ALSO BLOWN DOWN. THE TORNADO CONTINUED EAST ONTO WALNUT HILL DRIVE WHERE SPORADIC TREE DAMAGE WAS OBSERVED AS WELL AS MINOR DAMAGE TO SEVERAL HOMES ALONG THE STREET. MAXIMUM WINDS WERE 65-70 MPH. PATH LENGTH WAS 1.5 MILES WITH A PATH WIDTH OF 75 YARDS.

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COMPLETED A DAMAGE SURVEY IN HARRISON COUNTY TEXAS...AND CADDO PARISH LOUISIANA. AN EF3 TORNADO FIRST TOUCHED DOWN NEAR WASKOM...TEXAS IN A WOODED AREA WEST OF IRELAND WILLIAMS ROAD. THE TORNADO QUICKLY INTENSIFIED AS IT APPROACHED INTERSTATE 20 NEAR MILE MARKER 628 WHERE 2 BUSINESSES WERE DESTROYED ON BOTH THE SOUTH AND NORTH SERVICES ROADS. ONE OF THE BUSINESSES WAS A METAL BUILDING AND THE OTHER WAS A MOBILE HOME. ONE HOME WAS COMPLETELY DESTROYED WITH ONLY A FEW INTERIOR WALLS REMAINING. A SECOND HOME SUSTAINED MAJOR DAMAGE TO THE ROOF AND CARPORT. DEBRIS WAS SCATTERED ACROSS INTERSTATE 20 AND HWY 80. SEVERAL OTHER HOMES WERE DAMAGED FURTHER EAST ALONG BOTH SIDES OF THE SERVICE ROAD. MANY TREES WERE SNAPPED AND UPROOTED IN THE AREA...SOME WERE SNAPPED DOWN
CLOSE TO THE BASE. THE TORNADO CONTINUED NORTHEAST...CROSSING
BELLVIEW ROAD INTO JONESVILLE...TEXAS WHERE A GROCERY STORE ROOF WAS PEELED BACK AND WALLS WERE BLOWN OUT OF A LARGE WAREHOUSE. THE TORNADO ALSO DAMAGED SOME METAL BUILDINGS NORTH OF JONESVILLE ALONG FM 134. THE TORNADO TRACKED EAST ACROSS A WOODED AREA...SNAPPING AND UPROOTING TREES CROSSING FM 9...AND THEN HEADED EAST INTO CADDO PARISH IN LOUISIANA. A WEAKENED TORNADO CONTINUED EAST...CROSSING GREENWOOD MOORINGSPORT ROAD WHERE SEVERAL TREES WERE UPROOTED AND CONTINUED EAST OVER PORTIONS OF WESTERN CROSS LAKE BEFORE LIFTING SOUTHWEST OF
BLANCHARD...LOUISIANA. MAXIMUM WINDS WERE ESTIMATED BETWEEN 150-160 MPH WITH A PATH LENGTH OF 15.6 MILES AND A PATH WIDTH OF 0.75 MILES.

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COMPLETED A DAMAGE SURVEY IN HARRISON COUNTY TEXAS NEAR HARLETON...TEXAS. AN EF1 TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN ALONG CENTRAL AVENUE...UPROOTING TREES AND CAUSING MINOR DAMAGE TO AWNINGS ON HOMES ALONG THE STREET. THE TORNADO TRAVELED NORTHEAST AND UPROOTED MORE TREES AND CAUSED MINOR ROOF AND STRUCTURAL DAMAGE TO 2 BRICK BUILDINGS AND ONE METAL BUILDING ALONG HWY 154. THE TORNADO LIFTED JUST ACROSS HWY 154. WINDS WERE ESTIMATED AT 95 TO 105 MPH. THE PATH LENGTH WAS 0.5 MI...AND THE WIDTH WAS 50 YARDS.

KSLA has posted a nice recap of all the tornados reported in the eastTX area as a result of NWS surveys. Visit this link for more information:

http://www.ksla.com/global/story.asp?s=11863556