Tornadoes · United States · Texas · 2009

EF0 tornado, Detroit, Texas, June 10, 2009

This EF0 tornado ran 2.5 miles across Red River County on June 10, 2009, touching down at 9:22 PM CDT and reaching 100 yards wide. It killed nobody.

The rating scale

Tracks are drawn in the color of the rating. The Enhanced Fujita scale rates the damage rather than measuring the wind: the speeds are what that damage is taken to imply.

  1. EF065 to 85 mphthis tornado

    Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.

  2. EF186 to 110 mph

    Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.

  3. EF2111 to 135 mph

    Considerable damage. Roofs torn off well-built houses, frame homes shifted on their foundations, mobile homes destroyed, large trees snapped or uprooted, cars lifted off the ground.

  4. EF3136 to 165 mph

    Severe damage. Whole stories of well-built houses destroyed, large buildings badly damaged, trains overturned, trees debarked, heavy cars lifted and thrown.

  5. EF4166 to 200 mph

    Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.

  6. EF5over 200 mph

    Incredible damage. Strong frame houses swept off their foundations, car-sized missiles thrown more than 100 meters, steel-reinforced concrete badly damaged, high-rise buildings deformed.

  7. Unrated

    The survey recorded a tornado but could not put a number on it, most often because it crossed open country and damaged nothing a rating can be read from.

The record

Rating
EF0
Date
June 10, 2009
Touchdown
9:22 PM CDT (02:22 UTC)
Lifted
9:23 PM CDT (02:23 UTC)
On the ground
1 minutes
Path length
2.5 miles (4.0 km)
Path width
100 yards (91 m)
Deaths
0
Injuries
0
County
Red River County
Touchdown point
33.635, -95.277
Lift-off point
33.659, -95.245
Record number
0906102022-01

What the Weather Service recorded

A derecho developed across north central Texas into south central Oklahoma during the evening hours of June 10th and move east into the four state region. This complex of storms moved into an area with extreme instability and the result was widespread wind damage across much of northeast Texas, southeast Oklahoma, southwest Arkansas and northwest Louisiana. Isolated tornadoes were also reported along the leading edge of the squall line as it moved into northeast Texas.

Several trees were snapped south of Detroit, Texas along FM. 410. Numerous small and large limbs were also laying in a path approximately 100 yards wide. Some trees were also snapped near the end of the track along Hwy. 82 east of Detroit. Maximum winds are estimated at 60-65 mph.

From NOAA NCEI's Storm Events Database, the narrative the local forecast office wrote for Storm Data.

The warnings

6 minutes of warning. NWS SHV issued a tornado warning for this county at 02:16 UTC, 6 minutes before the tornado touched down, in force until 03:00 UTC.

The county was under a severe thunderstorm watch, issued at 23:38 UTC and running to 04:55 UTC.

Issued (UTC)ExpiredProductOffice
23:38 UTC04:55 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WatchSHV
01:59 UTC03:00 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WarningSHV
02:16 UTC03:00 UTCTornado WarningSHV
02:55 UTC03:37 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WarningSHV

Every warning and watch covering the touchdown point that day, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service products. Lead time is measured from the issue of the warning in force to the touchdown time in the database, both of which were recorded to the minute by different people.

The forecast that day

The Storm Prediction Center had this point in a Slight Risk, with a 0.02 chance of a tornado within 25 miles. The outlook in force was issued at 00:58 UTC.

SPC's Day 1 convective outlook as it stood when the tornado began, read at the touchdown point. The same archive is on the radar archive.

The air that afternoon

The radiosonde launches on either side of the tornado, from the nearest station that was launching then, drawn and analyzed the way Storm Lab does: the same diagram, the same parcel and shear definitions SPC's mesoanalysis uses.

Shreveport, LA (KSHV), 00:00Z

2.4 hours before the tornado, 191 km from the path. June 11, 2009.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Shreveport, LA at 00:00Z on 2009-06-11Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel lifted from the surface. Mixed-layer CAPE 1677 joules per kilogram, CIN -51, lifted condensation level 1341 meters above ground. Wind barbs in knots down the right edge.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed. The warm shading is its CAPE, the cool shading the inhibition it has to break through.
HodographHodograph, Shreveport, LA at 00:00Z on 2009-06-11The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers as a curve, rings every 10 meters per second labeled in knots. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 45 square meters per square second, 0 to 6 km bulk shear 31 knots.193958Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km. RM and LM are the right and left moving storms Bunkers' method gives; the shaded area is the 0 to 1 km storm-relative helicity.
Mixed-layer CAPE
1677 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-51 J/kg
Surface CAPE
2921 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1341 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
31 kt
0-1 km bulk shear
10 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
45 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
62 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.3
Supercell composite
3.7
0-3 km lapse rate
5.9 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

Shreveport, LA (KSHV), 12:00Z

9.6 hours after it, 191 km from the path. June 11, 2009.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Shreveport, LA at 12:00Z on 2009-06-11Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel lifted from the surface. Mixed-layer CAPE 1233 joules per kilogram, CIN -220, lifted condensation level 924 meters above ground. Wind barbs in knots down the right edge.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed. The warm shading is its CAPE, the cool shading the inhibition it has to break through.
HodographHodograph, Shreveport, LA at 12:00Z on 2009-06-11The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers as a curve, rings every 10 meters per second labeled in knots. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 155 square meters per square second, 0 to 6 km bulk shear 32 knots.193958Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km. RM and LM are the right and left moving storms Bunkers' method gives; the shaded area is the 0 to 1 km storm-relative helicity.
Mixed-layer CAPE
1233 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-220 J/kg
Surface CAPE
1557 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
924 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
32 kt
0-1 km bulk shear
29 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
155 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
67 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
4.5
0-3 km lapse rate
4.3 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The surface observations

Paris/Cox Field (PRX), 18 km from the path, in the two hours either side.

Time (UTC)Temp (°F)Dew point (°F)WindGust (kt)Pressure (mb)Weather
00:35 UTC82.473.40° 0 kt1009.5
00:55 UTC80.673.40° 0 kt1009.5
01:15 UTC80.673.4140° 3 kt1009.5
01:35 UTC78.873.4120° 5 kt1009.5VCTS
01:55 UTC78.873.4110° 7 kt1009.5TS

From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of airport observations.

The radar

The Shreveport radar (KSHV), 188 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 02:23 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment, over the track

Reflectivity and velocity, decoded from the Level II archive in the browser. Volumes take a few seconds to open the first time.

What was reported nearby

Local storm reports within 60 km of the path, in the three hours either side.

Time (UTC)ReportWhereCountyRemark
01:30 UTCTSTM WND GST 60PettyLamar, TXIN PETTY
02:05 UTCTSTM WND GST 65ParisLamar, TX
02:21 UTCTSTM WND GST 60BlossomLamar, TXIN RENO AND BLOSSOM
02:22 UTCTORNADODetroitRed River, TXSEVERAL TREES WERE SNAPPED SOUTH OF DETROIT, TX ALONG FM 410. NUMEROUS SMALL AND LARGE LIMBS WERE ALSO SNAPPED NEAR THE END OF THE TRACK ALONG HWY 82 EAST OF DETROIT. MAXIMUM WINDS ARE ESTIMATED AT 60-65 MPH. TORNADO RAT
02:23 UTCTORNADOS TalcoTitus, TXTORNADO REPORTED JUST SOUTH OF TALCO BY FIRE DEPARTMENT/RESCUE. NO REPORTS OF DAMAGE AT THIS TIME.
02:25 UTCTORNADO1 E TalcoTitus, TXSEVERAL TREES WERE SNAPPED ALONG IN THE TOWN OF TALCO, TX. SOME OF THE TREES ALSO BROUGHT DOWN POWERLINES. NUMEROUS LIMBS AND SMALL TREES WERE DOWNED EAST ALONG FM 71 AND SOUTH ALONG CR 1905. MAXIMUM WINDS ARE ESTIMATED
02:42 UTCTSTM WND DMGMount PleasantTitus, TXNUMEROUS TREES AND POWERLINES DOWNED ACROSS THE COUNTY.

From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service local storm reports.

This ground now

The live radar over the trackEvery 2009 tornado in TexasEvery tornado in Texas since 1950Warnings in force in Texas nowThe forecast where you are

The other tornadoes of June 10, 2009

17 more were confirmed in the United States that day.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
June 1012:59 PM MDTEF0Scotts Bluff, NE0.140
June 101:55 PM MDTEF0Goshen, WY0.130
June 102:30 PM MDTEF0Weld, CO0.050
June 102:38 PM MDTEF0Morrill, NE3.730$10,000
June 104:05 PM MDTEF0Weld, CO0.150
June 106:20 PM EDTEF0Glades, FL0.510$50,000
June 105:41 PM CDTEF0Vernon, MO1.450
June 106:00 PM CDTEF0Haskell, OK0.130
June 106:11 PM CDTEF0Haskell, OK0.450$30,000
June 106:40 PM CDTEF0Denton, TX2.350$5,000
June 106:50 PM CDTEF0Denton, TX0.150
June 106:53 PM CDTEF1Denton, TX0.250$200,000
June 107:05 PM CDTEF0Denton, TX0.650
June 108:05 PM CDTEF1Miller, MO0.6200$50,000
June 108:28 PM CDTEF0Seward, KS0.350
June 109:25 PM CDTEF0Titus, TX2.6100
June 1010:15 PM CDTEF0Cass, TX0.575

What this means

Ratings are the survey's, read off the damage rather than measured; the rating scale is above. Tornado counts rise through the record as reporting improved, so a year in the 1950s is not comparable with one today except for the strongest tornadoes, which were always noticed.

Sources

NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database, 1950-2025, the official record kept by NOAA's Storm Prediction Center.