A short-lived small, swirling wind, likely a gustnado, was captured on video. It did minor damage to an apartment building.
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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 episode as NWS HGX wrote it up.
A short-lived small, swirling wind, likely a gustnado, was captured on video. It did minor damage to an apartment building.
The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS Houston/Galveston, TX wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 20, 8:32 AM CST, 1 hour 37 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Houston/Galveston TX
932 AM CDT Thu May 20 2021
.DISCUSSION...
Expecting some sct shra/tstms to develop later today as we get
some daytime heating. Better chances/coverage should be along and
east of the I-45 corridor. Though there is a possibility for some
brief heavy downpours, think the overall ff threat should be
quite localized so will be canceling the ff watch for our extreme
eastern counties.
Winds, seas and tide levels should also be below advisory/
caution criteria so will be canceling those products as well.
Only marine related hazard that'll remain up is the rip current
statement. 47
&&
.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
College Station (CLL) 82 70 82 70 78 / 20 20 60 40 60
Houston (IAH) 82 70 80 71 79 / 30 50 70 50 70
Galveston (GLS) 81 73 81 74 82 / 30 40 60 50 60
&&
.HGX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
TX...High Rip Current Risk through late tonight for the following
zones: Bolivar Peninsula...Brazoria Islands...Galveston
Island...Matagorda Islands.
GM...NONE.
&&PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX
1046 AM CDT THU MAY 20 2021
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0955 PM TSTM WND DMG 3 W BUNKER HILL VILLAGE 29.76N 95.58W
05/18/2021 HARRIS TX NWS EMPLOYEE
MULTIPLE TREES DOWN IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
&&
DRPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX
1056 AM CDT THU MAY 20 2021
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1155 PM LIGHTNING 2 ENE FRIENDSWOOD 29.52N 95.17W
05/18/2021 HARRIS TX EMERGENCY MNGR
APARTMENT COMPLEX FIRE CAUSED BY LIGHTNING.
TWO UNITS DESTROYED, 2 MAJOR DAMAGE, 4 MINOR
DAMAGE.
&&
DRPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX
1059 AM CDT THU MAY 20 2021
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1115 PM TSTM WND DMG 1 N ANGLETON 29.18N 95.43W
05/18/2021 BRAZORIA TX EMERGENCY MNGR
MULTIPLE TREES DOWN AROUND ANGLETON.
&&
DRThe Houston radar (KHGX), 48 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 16:09 UTC.
1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Brief gustnado apartment parking lot. Minor damage to apartment complex, wall siding.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Texas in 2021Every state in 2021This day in weather historyWarnings in Texas, May 2021
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: 962561.