Tornadoes · United States · Texas · 2015

EF0 tornado, Stalls to Kildare, Texas, May 10, 2015

From Stalls to Kildare, this EF0 tornado ran 2.6 miles across Marion and Cass counties on May 10, 2015, touching down at 11:28 PM CDT and reaching 345 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
May 10, 2015
Touchdown
11:28 PM CDT (04:28 UTC)
Lifted
11:32 PM CDT (04:32 UTC)
On the ground
4 minutes
Path length
2.6 miles (4.2 km)
Path width
345 yards (315 m)
Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Counties
Marion and Cass counties
Touchdown point
32.864, -94.287
Lift-off point
32.898, -94.265
Record number
1505102228-01

The damage survey

19 damage points were recorded along this path by NWS SHV, in the Damage Assessment Toolkit the survey teams carry. The strongest indicator was rated EF0. The highest wind the damage implies is 85 mph.

Survey points are preliminary and are the raw material the published rating was built from. Source: NWS Damage Assessment Toolkit.

What the Weather Service recorded

Scattered showers and thunderstorms developed during the afternoon and evening hours over Northeast Texas, Southwest Arkansas, and portions of Southeast Oklahoma on May 10th, near a residual weak surface boundary draped along the Red River from showers and thunderstorms that had developed earlier in the day over Central and Southern Oklahoma. This boundary and an upper level disturbance moving in from the west during peak heating resulting in the development of multiple severe thunderstorms that produced damaging winds and isolated tornadoes. This severe weather outbreak persisted into the early morning hours of May 11th where some flash flooding also occurred across portions of the region from excessive heavy rainfall.

A damage survey in Marion County found that a severe thunderstorms spawned an EF0 tornado northeast of Jefferson near Highway 248. The tornado snapped and uprooted several trees near Highway 248 northeast of Jefferson before lifting.

A damage survey completed in Marion and Cass counties determined that a severe thunderstorm spawned an EF0 tornado along Highway 248 just south of the Cass County line in northern Marion County. This tornado touched down along Highway 248 just south of the community of Lodi and remained on the ground before crossing over into Cass County. The damage consisted of numerous trees snapped and uprooted.

This is a continuation of the tornado that originally touched down in northern Marion County. The tornado remained on the ground along Highway 248 before lifting near the intersection of Highway 248 and County Road 1780. Damage consisted of numerous trees snapped and uprooted.

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

The warnings

29 minutes of warning. NWS SHV issued a tornado warning for this county at 03:59 UTC, 29 minutes before the tornado touched down, in force until 04:45 UTC.

The county was under a tornado watch, issued at 00:39 UTC and running to 04:40 UTC.

Issued (UTC)ExpiredProductOffice
00:39 UTC04:40 UTCTornado WatchSHV
03:52 UTC04:30 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WarningSHV
03:59 UTC04:45 UTCTornado WarningSHV
04:22 UTC04:44 UTCTornado WarningSHV
04:40 UTC10:00 UTCTornado WatchSHV
05:07 UTC06:00 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WarningSHV
05:59 UTC06:45 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WarningSHV
06:47 UTC07:30 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WarningSHV
06:51 UTC10:45 UTCFlash Flood WarningSHV
07:44 UTC08:45 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WarningSHV
10:46 UTC13:45 UTCFlash Flood WarningSHV
19:30 UTC15:07 UTCFlood 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 Enhanced Risk, with a 0.05 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 (KBAD), 00:00Z

4.5 hours before the tornado, 66 km from the path. May 11, 2015.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Shreveport, LA at 00:00Z on 2015-05-11Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel lifted from the surface. Mixed-layer CAPE 482 joules per kilogram, CIN -35, lifted condensation level 1448 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 2015-05-11The 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 79 square meters per square second, 0 to 6 km bulk shear 44 knots.19395878Sfc1 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
482 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-35 J/kg
Surface CAPE
2818 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1448 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
44 kt
0-1 km bulk shear
16 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
79 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
72 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.1
Supercell composite
5.7
0-3 km lapse rate
6.7 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

Shreveport, LA (KBAD), 12:00Z

7.5 hours after it, 66 km from the path. May 11, 2015.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Shreveport, LA at 12:00Z on 2015-05-11Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel lifted from the surface. Mixed-layer CAPE 2 joules per kilogram, CIN -400, lifted condensation level 1241 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 2015-05-11The 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 22 square meters per square second, 0 to 6 km bulk shear 42 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
2 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-400 J/kg
Surface CAPE
38 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1241 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
42 kt
0-1 km bulk shear
31 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
22 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
-47 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0
0-3 km lapse rate
4.8 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The surface observations

Marshall (ASL), 40 km from the path, in the two hours either side.

Time (UTC)Temp (°F)Dew point (°F)WindGust (kt)Pressure (mb)Weather
02:35 UTC78.4473.58150° 6 kt1012.9
02:55 UTC76.6472.68130° 4 kt1012.5
03:15 UTC78.4474.3150° 6 kt1012.9
03:35 UTC78.4474140° 6 kt1012.9
03:55 UTC78.4474.3150° 10 kt141012.9
04:15 UTC78.4474.3160° 11 kt171012.9
04:35 UTC78.4474.12160° 7 kt141013.5
04:55 UTC78.4473.76170° 9 kt161013.5
05:15 UTC7873.58160° 9 kt181012.9
05:35 UTC7672.14160° 9 kt1012.9
05:55 UTC7672.14160° 7 kt1012.5
06:15 UTC7672.14180° 8 kt1012.9

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

The radar

The Shreveport radar (KSHV), 63 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 04:25 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
04:15 UTCTSTM WND DMG1 Nw JeffersonMarion, TXNUMEROUS LIMBS WERE DOWNED NORTHWEST OF JEFFERSON.
04:25 UTCTORNADO6 Nne JeffersonMarion, TXAN EF-0 TORNADO WITH ESTIMATED WINDS BETWEEN 70-85 MPH TOUCHED DOWN JUST WEST OF HIGHWAY 248 ALONG SCHMIDT ROAD. SEVERAL TREES WERE SNAPPED OR UPROOTED BEFORE LIFTING. THE PATH WIDTH WAS 490 YARDS...WITH A PATH LENGTH OF
04:28 UTCTORNADO8 Nne JeffersonMarion, TXAN EF-0 TORNADO WITH ESTIMATED WINDS OF 70-85 MPH TOUCHED DOWN ALONG HIGHWAY 248 JUST SOUTH OF THE LODI COMMUNITY. THE TORNADO CONTINUED ALONG HIGHWAY 248 THROUGH THE LODI COMMUNITY SNAPPING OR UPROOTING NUMEROUS TREES B
04:30 UTCTORNADO10 Nne JeffersonCass, TXTHIS IS A CONTINUATION OF THE MARION COUNTY TORNADO. AN EF-0 TORNADO WITH ESTIMATED WINDS OF 70-85 MPH CONTINUED ALONG HIGHWAY 248 BEFORE LIFTING NEAR THE INTERSECTION OF COUNTY ROAD 1780. THE PATH WIDTH WAS 345 YARDS AN
05:15 UTCTSTM WND DMG4 Ese PittsburgCamp, TXTREE DOWN ON A POWER LINE ON FM 993.
05:30 UTCTSTM WND DMGDaingerfieldMorris, TXTREES DOWN ACROSS THE COUNTY.
06:15 UTCFLASH FLOODMaudBowie, TXROADS FLOODED IN MAUD
06:30 UTCTSTM WND DMG4 Nw JeffersonMarion, TXLARGE LIMBS DOWN.
06:55 UTCFLASH FLOOD6 Nne HallsvilleHarrison, TXOVER 3 FEET OF WATER OVER ROAD AT FM 449 NEAR WALKERS MILL ROAD... ALSO UNDER WATER

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

This ground now

The live radar over the trackEvery 2015 tornado in TexasEvery tornado in Texas since 1950Warnings in force in Texas nowThe forecast where you are

The other tornadoes of May 10, 2015

23 more were confirmed in the United States that day.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
May 109:01 AM CDTEF1Pittsburg, OK3.8240$35,000
May 1010:21 AM CDTEF2Charles Mix, SD16.24009$1.5 million
May 1011:15 AM CDTEF0Davison, SD4.250
May 102:16 PM CDTEF1Denton, TX5.2100$3.5 million
May 102:39 PM CDTEF0Denton, TX2.975$40,000
May 103:28 PM CDTEF0Sioux, IA0.850
May 104:08 PM CDTEF1Grayson, TX2.6100$50,000
May 104:45 PM CDTEF1Hamilton, TX5.1105$100,000
May 106:03 PM CDTEF0Hill, TX0.650
May 106:07 PM CDTEF0Kaufman, TX0.120
May 106:18 PM CDTEF0Pushmataha, OK1.7100
May 106:34 PM CDTEF0Kaufman, TX0.150
May 107:10 PM CDTEF1Carroll, IA23.3700$1.0 million
May 107:16 PM CDTEF0Miner, SD0.350
May 107:18 PM CDTEF2Latimer, OK15.0880$100,000
May 107:20 PM CDTEF0Hill, TX1.4150
May 107:46 PM CDTEF0Latimer, OK3.775
May 108:14 PM CDTEF0Calhoun, IA1.0400
May 108:46 PM CDTEF3Van Zandt, TX10.2700243$40 million
May 109:19 PM CDTEF1Smith, TX1.4440$125,000
May 1010:50 PM CDTEF1Smith, TX1.1450$125,000
May 1011:18 PM CDTEF2Howard, AR6.740028$1.5 million
May 1011:25 PM CDTEF0Marion, TX0.3172

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.