Tornadoes · United States · Texas · 2016

EF1 tornado, Woodville, Texas, April 27, 2016

This EF1 tornado ran 0.7 miles across Tyler County on April 27, 2016, touching down at 5:58 AM CDT and reaching 50 yards wide. It killed nobody, and did $10,000 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
April 27, 2016
Touchdown
5:58 AM CDT (10:58 UTC)
Lifted
6:00 AM CDT (11:00 UTC)
On the ground
2 minutes
Path length
0.7 miles (1.1 km)
Path width
50 yards (46 m)
Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$10,000
County
Tyler County
Touchdown point
30.768, -94.415
Lift-off point
30.765, -94.403
Record number
1604270458-01

The damage survey

25 damage points were recorded along this path by NWS LCH, in the Damage Assessment Toolkit the survey teams carry. The strongest indicator was rated EF1. The highest wind the damage implies is 100 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

A strong upper level disturbance and a cold front moved through during the morning of the 27th. Widespread tree damage was associated with a bowing line segment in Southeast Texas along with 2 tornadoes.

The tornado touched down southeast of Woodville near highway 287 where tree fall displayed greater convergence and some roofing material was removed from a building. The tornado continued to the southeast snapping numerous softwood trees before dissipating just East of County Road 4250.

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

The warnings

No tornado warning for this county appears in the archive as in force at the moment the tornado touched down.

The county was under a severe thunderstorm watch, issued at 09:56 UTC and running to 12:57 UTC.

Issued (UTC)ExpiredProductOffice
09:56 UTC12:57 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WatchLCH
10:17 UTC11:15 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCH
11:15 UTC12:15 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCH

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 05:34 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.

Lake Charles Mun, LA (KLCH), 00:00Z

11.0 hours before the tornado, 136 km from the path. April 27, 2016.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Lake Charles Mun, LA at 00:00Z on 2016-04-27Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel lifted from the surface. Mixed-layer CAPE 1519 joules per kilogram, CIN -82, lifted condensation level 858 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, Lake Charles Mun, LA at 00:00Z on 2016-04-27The 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 -62 square meters per square second, 0 to 6 km bulk shear 33 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
1519 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-82 J/kg
Surface CAPE
2959 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
858 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
33 kt
0-1 km bulk shear
13 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-62 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
12 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
-0.2
Supercell composite
-2.7
0-3 km lapse rate
5.5 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

Lake Charles Mun, LA (KLCH), 12:00Z

1.0 hours after it, 136 km from the path. April 27, 2016.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Lake Charles Mun, LA at 12:00Z on 2016-04-27Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel lifted from the surface. Mixed-layer CAPE 1558 joules per kilogram, CIN -190, lifted condensation level 749 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, Lake Charles Mun, LA at 12:00Z on 2016-04-27The 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 217 square meters per square second, 0 to 6 km bulk shear 33 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
1558 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-190 J/kg
Surface CAPE
2481 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
749 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
33 kt
0-1 km bulk shear
23 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
217 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
356 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.1
Supercell composite
4.3
0-3 km lapse rate
4.3 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The radar

The Lake Charles radar (KLCH), 135 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 11:00 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
09:45 UTCTSTM WND DMG14 Se Seven OaksPolk, TXON THE ALABAMA-COUSHATTA INDIAN RESERVATION THERE ARE TREES SNAPPED ALONG FM 190 AND IN A TRAILER PARK.
10:26 UTCTSTM WND DMG3 E LivingstonPolk, TXCORRECTION... THERE WAS NO WINDOW DAMAGE EAST OF THE TOWN OF LIVINGSTON.
10:26 UTCTSTM WND DMG3 E LivingstonPolk, TXWINDOWS BLOWN OUT OF RESIDENTIAL HOMES JUST EAST OF THE TOWN OF LIVINGSTON.
10:50 UTCTSTM WND DMG14 Se Seven OaksPolk, TXON THE ALABAMA-COUSHATTA INDIAN RESERVATION THERE ARE TREES SNAPPED ALONG FM 190 AND IN A TRAILER PARK.
10:50 UTCTSTM WND DMG3 Ssw WoodvilleTyler, TX*** 1 INJ *** TREES DOWN AND ONE INJURY REPORTED BY ASSISTANT EM.
10:52 UTCTSTM WND DMGWoodvilleTyler, TXROOFING MATERIAL REMOVED AND WINDOWS BLOWN OUT OF A BUILDING NEAR THE INTERSECTION OF HWY 69 AND NORTH CHARLTON.
10:54 UTCTSTM WND DMGWoodvilleTyler, TXWIDESPREAD WIND DAMAGE BETWEEN IVANHOE AND WOODVILLE.
10:55 UTCTSTM WND DMGWoodvilleTyler, TXNUMEROUS TREES DAMAGED AND WIDESPREAD POWER OUTAGES IN WOODVILLE AND ACROSS TYLER COUNTY.
10:58 UTCTORNADO 11 Se WoodvilleTyler, TXTHE EF1 TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN SOUTHEAST OF WOODVILLE NEAR HIGHWAY 287 WHERE TREE FALL DISPLAYED GREATER CONVERGENCE AND SOME ROOFING MATERIAL WAS REMOVED FROM A BUILDING. THE TORNADO CONTINUED TO THE SOUTHEAST SNAPPING NU
11:05 UTCTSTM WND DMGKountzeHardin, TXNUMEROUS TREES DAMAGED AND WIDESPREAD POWER OUTAGES ACROSS HARDIN COUNTY.
11:22 UTCTSTM WND DMGMagnolia SpringsJasper, TXBROADCAST MEDIA POSTED PHOTOS OF UPROOTED AND SNAPPED TREES WHICH DAMAGED TWO HOMES IN MAGNOLIA SPRINGS. TIME ESTIMATED.
11:22 UTCTORNADO 1Nne Magnolia SpringsJasper, TXTHE EF1 TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN JUST WEST OF FM 1005 NORTH OF MAGNOLIA SPRINGS WHERE IT UPROOTED AND SNAPPED SEVERAL TREES. A HOME ALONG FM 1005 WAS DAMAGED WHEN A TREE FELL ONTO IT.THE TORNADO CONTINUED TO THE NORTHEAST AN
11:24 UTCTSTM WND DMGSam Rayburn DamJasper, TX*** 1 INJ *** LAKE RAYBURN FD EXTRACTED INDIVIDUAL PINNED IN BED BY FALLEN PINE TREE. INDIVIDUAL TRANSPORTED TO NEARBY HOSPITAL.
11:25 UTCTSTM WND DMGJasperJasper, TXA TREE FELL ONTO A HOUSE NEAR COLLEGE AND 2ND ST IN JASPER.
11:32 UTCTSTM WND DMGKirbyvilleJasper, TXPUBLIC POSTED PHOTO OF A TREE THAT FELL ON A TRUCK IN KIRBYVILLE. TIME ESTIMATED.
11:35 UTCTSTM WND GST 543 Sw JasperJasper, TX

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

This ground now

The live radar over the trackEvery 2016 tornado in TexasEvery tornado in Texas since 1950Warnings in force in Texas nowThe forecast where you are

The other tornadoes of April 27, 2016

29 more were confirmed in the United States that day.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
April 271:06 AM CDTEF1Franklin, AR3.2500$10,000
April 271:12 AM CDTEF1Madison, AR6.2500$250,000
April 271:18 AM CDTEF0Franklin, AR5.9700$100,000
April 271:49 AM CDTEF0Greene, MO0.240$100,000
April 274:43 AM CDTEF0Harris, TX0.4401$200,000
April 276:22 AM CDTEF1Jasper, TX2.250$7,000
April 272:10 PM CDTEF0Saunders, NE0.225
April 273:14 PM CDTEF1Montgomery, IA1.750
April 273:43 PM CDTEF1Douglas, NE0.750
April 273:52 PM CDTEF0Douglas, NE0.025
April 273:53 PM CDTEF0Douglas, NE0.225
April 274:33 PM CDTEF0Hopkins, KY0.330
April 274:40 PM CDTEF0Taylor, IA2.2200
April 274:44 PM CDTEF0Taylor, IA0.940
April 274:52 PM CDTEF0Daviess, MO4.325
April 275:12 PM CDTEF0Taylor, IA0.650$25,000
April 275:15 PM CDTEF0Webster, KY1.230
April 273:24 PM PDTEF0Napa, CA0.210
April 275:40 PM CDTEF0Union, IA4.0250$3,000
April 276:22 PM CDTEF0Daviess, KY4.2125$100,000
April 276:23 PM CDTEF0Montgomery, IL4.925
April 274:31 PM PDTEF0Stanislaus, CA0.15$500
April 276:36 PM CDTEF1Daviess, KY2.9150$75,000
April 276:58 PM CDTEF0Effingham, IL0.110
April 277:47 PM CDTEF1Scotland, MO0.240$100,000
April 277:47 PM CDTEF0Richland, IL0.110
April 278:23 PM CDTEF0Shelby, MO0.875
April 278:30 PM CDTEF0Scotland, MO0.230$100,000
April 279:00 PM CDTEF1Lewis, MO2.0150

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.