Tornadoes · United States · Texas · 2009

EF1 tornado, Senate to Perrin, Texas, June 12, 2009

From Senate to Perrin, this EF1 tornado ran 3.3 miles across Jack County on June 12, 2009, touching down at 5:50 PM CDT and reaching 50 yards wide. It killed nobody, and did $20,000 of property damage.

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 mph

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

  2. EF186 to 110 mphthis tornado

    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
EF1
Date
June 12, 2009
Touchdown
5:50 PM CDT (22:50 UTC)
Lifted
6:15 PM CDT (23:15 UTC)
On the ground
25 minutes
Path length
3.3 miles (5.3 km)
Path width
50 yards (46 m)
Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$20,000
County
Jack County
Touchdown point
33.062, -98.146
Lift-off point
33.035, -98.098
Record number
0906121650-01

What the Weather Service recorded

Severe thunderstorms developed along the dryline in the afternoon hours across parts of the western half of north Texas. Slow moving tornadic supercells developed in Jack County and moved southeast into Palo Pinto County producing four tornadoes. In addition, large hail up to the size of Golfballs and Hen Eggs was reported.

A tornado was observed on the ground for 4-5 minutes. Roofs and outbuildings were damaged.

A slow moving tornadic cell produced a second tornado northwest of Perrin. Roofs and outbuildings were damaged near Perrin.

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

The warnings

32 minutes of warning. NWS FWD issued a tornado warning for this county at 22:18 UTC, 32 minutes before the tornado touched down, in force until 23:00 UTC.

The county was under a tornado watch, issued at 20:29 UTC and running to 02:01 UTC.

Issued (UTC)ExpiredProductOffice
20:29 UTC02:01 UTCTornado WatchFWD
21:48 UTC22:45 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWD
22:18 UTC23:00 UTCTornado WarningFWD
22:42 UTC23:45 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWD
22:53 UTC23:45 UTCTornado WarningFWD
23:40 UTC00:45 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWD

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 0.05 chance of a tornado within 25 miles. The outlook in force was issued at 20:01 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.

Fort Worth, TX (KFWD), 12:00Z

10.8 hours before the tornado, 81 km from the path. June 12, 2009.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Fort Worth, TX at 12:00Z on 2009-06-12Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel lifted from the surface. Mixed-layer CAPE 2338 joules per kilogram, CIN -263, lifted condensation level 717 meters above ground. Wind barbs in knots down the right edge.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°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, Fort Worth, TX at 12:00Z on 2009-06-12The 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 272 square meters per square second, 0 to 6 km bulk shear 25 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
2338 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-263 J/kg
Surface CAPE
857 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
717 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
25 kt
0-1 km bulk shear
31 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
272 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
254 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
6.3
0-3 km lapse rate
3.4 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

Fort Worth, TX (KFWD), 00:00Z

1.2 hours after it, 81 km from the path. June 13, 2009.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Fort Worth, TX at 00:00Z on 2009-06-13Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel lifted from the surface. Mixed-layer CAPE 3698 joules per kilogram, CIN -28, lifted condensation level 1518 meters above ground. Wind barbs in knots down the right edge.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°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, Fort Worth, TX at 00:00Z on 2009-06-13The 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 86 square meters per square second, 0 to 6 km bulk shear 30 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
3698 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-28 J/kg
Surface CAPE
3346 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1518 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
30 kt
0-1 km bulk shear
13 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
86 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
179 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
1.2
Supercell composite
13.8
0-3 km lapse rate
6.8 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The radar

The Dallas/Ft Worth radar (KFWS), 93 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 22:51 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
22:29 UTCTORNADO5 S JacksboroJack, TXTORNADO LASTED ABOUT 4-5 MINUTES
22:50 UTCTORNADO2 Wnw PerrinJack, TXSPOTTER REPORTED TORNADO JUST WNW OF PERRIN
23:15 UTCHAIL 1.75PerrinJack, TXGOLF BALL HAIL NEAR PERRIN
23:34 UTCTORNADO9 Wnw PerrinJack, TXTORNADO DEBRIS HWY 2210 EAST OF BARTON CHAPEL 33N 03.882 98W 12.363
23:36 UTCTSTM WND GST 60GrafordPalo Pinto, TXHAMS REPORT 60 MPH WINDS IN GRAFORD
23:58 UTCTORNADOCoolParker, TXLARGE TREE LIMBS DOWN AND EST 65 MPH WINDS
23:59 UTCHAIL 11 W CoolParker, TXQUARTER HAIL 2 MILES E OF MINERAL WELLS
00:03 UTCTSTM WND GST 58Mineral WellsPalo Pinto, TXKMWL ASOS REPORTED A 50 KNOT GUST AT 703 PM
00:03 UTCHAIL 1.256 Nnw MillsapParker, TXHALF DOLLAR HAIL AT MINERAL WELLS STATE PARK. FORWARDED FROM WFO OUN.
00:18 UTCTSTM WND DMG5 W WeatherfordParker, TX20 INCH DIAMETER TREE DOWN ON HWY 180 5 MILES WEST OF WEATHERFORD
00:34 UTCTSTM WND DMG11 Ssw WeatherfordParker, TXHAMS REPORTED A TREE FELL ON A HOUSE IN THE HORSESHOE BEND AREA
00:36 UTCHAIL 1.7512 S WeatherfordParker, TXHAMS REPORT GOLF BALL HAIL IN TIN TOP
01:00 UTCTORNADO8 Sw WeatherfordParker, TXLOTS OF CARPORTS AND LARGE TREES DOWN. SHEET METAL TWISTED AROUND TREES.

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 12, 2009

11 more were confirmed in the United States that day.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
June 122:10 PM CDTEF1Conway, AR2.4500$200,000
June 124:58 PM CDTEF2DeSoto, MS2.9751$4.0 million
June 125:00 PM CDTEF1Shelby, TN0.130$25,000
June 125:29 PM CDTEF1Jack, TX1.7100$20,000
June 126:10 PM CDTEF1San Saba, TX0.6250
June 126:58 PM CDTEF0Parker, TX1.630$2,000
June 127:15 PM CDTEF1Parker, TX3.250$30,000
June 127:50 PM CDTEF0San Saba, TX0.7200
June 128:40 PM CDTEF0San Saba, TX0.5250
June 129:38 PM CDTEF1Mason, TX0.9200$80,000
June 1210:23 PM CDTEF1Cleveland, OK2.2200

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.