Tornado, Mitchell
- When
- June 11, 8:56 PM CST
- Where
- Mitchell County, 1 mi N of Cuthbert
- Rating
- F0
- Path length
- 0.1 mi
- Path width
- 10 yd
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 32.500, -101.030
Brief tornado touchdown.
Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Texas, June 11 to 12, 1999
Severe thunderstorms ripped through the Big Country for the third consecutive evening, with the communities of Rotan and Colorado City seeing the worst of the storms. Hail up to the size of softballs pounded the Colorado City area, while a downburst ripped through the heart of Rotan.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 2 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. 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
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $251,000
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 12
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.
What happened
The episode as NWS SJT wrote it up.
Severe thunderstorms ripped through the Big Country for the third consecutive evening, with the communities of Rotan and Colorado City seeing the worst of the storms. Hail up to the size of softballs pounded the Colorado City area, while a downburst ripped through the heart of Rotan. Extensive damage was reported in both towns, amounting to nearly three quarters of a million dollars. In addition, brief tornado touchdowns were also reported elsewhere in Mitchell and Fisher counties, although no damage resulted.
The radar
The Midland/Odessa radar (KMAF), 125 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 02:55 UTC.
Event by event
6 hail, 2 tornado, 2 thunderstorm wind, 2 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Hail, Mitchell
- When
- June 11, 9:14 PM CST
- Where
- Mitchell County, 2 mi W of Colorado City
- Measured
- 4.5 in hail
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 32.400, -100.880
Hail up to the size of softballs was reported just west of Colorado City.
Hail, Mitchell
- When
- June 11, 9:20 PM CST
- Where
- Mitchell County, Colorado City
- Measured
- 2.75 in hail
- Reported by
- AMATEUR RADIO
- Coordinates
- 32.400, -100.850
Hail up to the size of baseballs broke windows and dented vehicles throughout the community. Damage was extensive and widespread, with losses reported at nearly one-half million dollars.
Tornado, Fisher
- When
- June 11, 9:37 PM CST
- Where
- Fisher County, 3 mi W of Rotan
- Rating
- F0
- Path length
- 0.1 mi
- Path width
- 10 yd
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 32.850, -100.520
Brief tornado touchdown.
Thunderstorm Wind, Fisher
- When
- June 11, 9:54 PM CST
- Where
- Fisher County, Rotan
- Property damage
- $250,000
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 32.850, -100.470
An apparent downburst tore through the community of Rotan, severely damaging several businesses. One automotive garage was completely destroyed when its sheet metal roof and walls were blown away by the high winds. Several other buildings along Main Street lost part or all of their roofs, with the debris damaging other buildings downwind. Two schools suffered roof damage, allowing rain water to leak into the classrooms. In addition, trees and fences throughout the town were knocked down, and many houses suffered broken windows.
Hail, Nolan
- When
- June 11, 10:02 PM CST
- Where
- Nolan County, Champion
- Measured
- 1.75 in hail
- Reported by
- AMATEUR RADIO
- Coordinates
- 32.370, -100.620
Hail, Nolan
- When
- June 11, 11:35 PM CST
- Where
- Nolan County, Blackwell
- Measured
- 0.75 in hail
- Reported by
- AMATEUR RADIO
- Coordinates
- 32.080, -100.320
Hail, Coke
- When
- June 11, 11:35 PM CST
- Where
- Coke County, Blackwell
- Measured
- 0.75 in hail
- Reported by
- AMATEUR RADIO
- Coordinates
- 32.080, -100.320
Thunderstorm Wind, Mitchell
- When
- June 12, 1:25 AM CST
- Where
- Mitchell County, 7 mi E of Colorado City
- Property damage
- $500
- Reported by
- AMATEUR RADIO
- Coordinates
- 32.400, -100.730
Power lines were knocked down across the eastern sections of Mitchell County.
Hail, Nolan
- When
- June 12, 2:00 AM CST
- Where
- Nolan County, 4 mi W of Sweetwater
- Measured
- 1.75 in hail
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 32.470, -100.470
Flash Flood, Fisher
- When
- June 12, 2:25 AM CST to 5:00 AM CST
- Where
- Fisher County, Roby
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 32.743, -100.402 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Several roads were flooded and impassable in the community of Roby.
Flash Flood, Nolan
- When
- June 12, 2:30 AM CST to 5:30 AM CST
- Where
- Nolan County, Sweetwater
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 32.304, -100.406 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Several roads in the city of Sweetwater were closed due to high water.
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.
- Hail
- Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
- Thunderstorm Wind
- Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.
- Flash Flood
- Flooding that begins within six hours of the rain that causes it, or of a dam or levee failure or ice jam release, often with deadly speed.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Texas, June 11 to 12, 1999
- Flash Flooding and Hail in Texas, June 11 to 12, 1999
- Hail in Colorado, June 11, 1999
- Hail in Texas, June 11, 1999
- Damaging Winds in Illinois, June 11, 1999
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Ohio, June 11, 1999
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Michigan, June 11, 1999
- Damaging Wind and Lightning Strikes in Michigan, June 11, 1999
- Flood and Hail in Wisconsin, June 11, 1999
- Lightning Strike in Oklahoma, June 11, 1999
- Damaging Winds in Michigan, June 11, 1999
- Damaging Winds and Lightning Strike in Illinois, June 11, 1999
More
Every storm in Texas in 1999Every state in 1999This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Texas, 1999Warnings in Texas, June 1999
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: 5708610, 5708611, 5708612, 5708613, 5708689, 5708696, 5708690, 5708691, 5708692, 5708693, 5708694, 5708695.