Texas, 1997

Tornadoes in Texas, October 23, 1997

October 23, 1997 · NWS SHV · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

2 tornado, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
2

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

The radar

The Shreveport radar (KSHV), 143 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 23:18 UTC.

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Event by event

2 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Tornado, Angelina

When
October 23, 5:20 PM CST to 5:24 PM CST
Where
Angelina County, Pollok to 3 mi NW of Pollok
Rating
F0
Path length
2.5 mi
Path width
150 yd
Coordinates
31.520, -94.880

Reported and video taped by Arthur Beatty, a storm spotter for Nacogdoches, TX. His position was on a bluff just north of Hwy 7 and west of Nacogdoches looking to the southwest as the tornado moved northeast. This position provided good back lighting making spotting easy. Damage along the track consisted of shallow rooted trees blown over in a convergent pattern, broken limbs, and damaged or blown over signs. No injuries or monetary damages of significance were noted. The tornado developed from a rotating wall cloud which lowered to the ground throughout its entire life span.

Tornado, Nacogdoches

When
October 23, 5:24 PM CST to 5:37 PM CST
Where
Nacogdoches County, Nacogdoches to 13 mi WSW of Nacogdoches
Rating
F0
Path length
8.5 mi
Path width
150 yd
Coordinates
31.470, -94.820

Reported and video taped by Arthur Beatty, a storm spotter for Nacogdoches, TX. His position was on a bluff just north of Hwy 7 and west of Nacogdoches looking to the southwest as the tornado moved northeast. This position provided good back lighting making spotting easy. Damage along the track consisted of shallow rooted trees blown over in a convergent pattern, broken limbs, and damaged or blown over signs. No injuries or monetary damages of significance were noted. The tornado developed from a rotating wall cloud which lowered to the ground throughout its entire life span.

What these are

Tornado
A violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground and extending from a thunderstorm, filed with its path, width and Fujita or Enhanced Fujita rating from the damage survey.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Texas in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Texas, 1997Warnings in Texas, October 1997

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5617255, 5617256.