Tornadoes · United States · Texas · 2022

EF1 tornado, Mayflower, Texas, March 30, 2022

This EF1 tornado ran 1.9 miles across Newton County on March 30, 2022, touching down at 11:41 AM CDT and reaching 100 yards wide. It killed nobody, and did $150,000 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
March 30, 2022
Touchdown
11:41 AM CDT (16:41 UTC)
Lifted
11:45 AM CDT (16:45 UTC)
On the ground
4 minutes
Path length
1.9 miles (3.1 km)
Path width
100 yards (91 m)
Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$150,000
County
Newton County
Touchdown point
31.149, -93.634
Lift-off point
31.143, -93.602
Record number
2203301041-01

The damage survey

13 damage points were recorded along this path by NWS LCH and NWS SHV, in the Damage Assessment Toolkit the survey teams carry. The strongest indicator was rated EF1. The highest wind the damage implies is 110 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 vigorous short wave and associated cold front moved into the region spawning a round of thunderstorms. One tornado occurred along with isolated severe weather.

A tornado touched down along the southern end of Toledo Bend Reservoir, damaging ten homes/camps roofs, several boat docks, barns, and snapped numerous pine trees. Max estimated winds of the tornado was 110 mph.

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. One was issued for the county at another hour that day.

The county was under a tornado watch, issued at 16:26 UTC and running to 18:04 UTC.

Issued (UTC)ExpiredProductOffice
16:23 UTC17:00 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCH
16:26 UTC18:04 UTCTornado WatchLCH
16:46 UTC16:54 UTCTornado WarningLCH
17:03 UTC17:18 UTCTornado 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 0.05 chance of a tornado within 25 miles. The outlook in force was issued at 15:56 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), 12:00Z

4.7 hours before the tornado, 121 km from the path. March 30, 2022.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Lake Charles Mun, LA at 12:00Z on 2022-03-30Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel lifted from the surface. Mixed-layer CAPE 260 joules per kilogram, CIN -314, lifted condensation level 619 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 2022-03-30The 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 435 square meters per square second, 0 to 6 km bulk shear 61 knots.1939587897Sfc1 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
260 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-314 J/kg
Surface CAPE
273 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
619 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
61 kt
0-1 km bulk shear
43 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
435 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
598 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.1
0-3 km lapse rate
3.7 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

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

7.3 hours after it, 121 km from the path. March 31, 2022.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Lake Charles Mun, LA at 00:00Z on 2022-03-31Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel lifted from the surface. Mixed-layer CAPE 0 joules per kilogram, CIN -84205, lifted condensation level 1244 meters above ground. Wind barbs in knots down the right edge.LCL10008507005003002001001 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 2022-03-31The 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 -108 square meters per square second, 0 to 6 km bulk shear 74 knots.1939587897117Sfc1 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-84205 J/kg
Surface CAPE
6 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1244 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
74 kt
0-1 km bulk shear
22 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-108 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
-159 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0
0-3 km lapse rate
5.1 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The radar

The Ft Polk radar (KPOE), 61 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 16:41 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
16:16 UTCTORNADO4 Sse HemphillSabine, TXA BRIEF EF-1 TORNADO STARTED JUST EAST OF STATE HWY 87 WHERE TREES WERE UPROOTED. THE TORNADO CONTINUED EAST NORTHEAST WHERE IT CAUSED DAMAGE TO OUTBUILDINGS AT A RESIDENCE WITH ONE DESTROYED. TREE DAMAGE CONTINUED DOWNS
16:41 UTCTORNADO4 Wsw Toledo Bend DamNewton, TXEF-1 TORNADO WITH WINDS OF 105 TO 110 MPH TOUCHED DOWN NEAR QUAIL DRIVE AND LIFTED NEAR CLOESSNER DRIVE. EMC REPORTS 10 HOMES DAMAGED, SEVERAL LOST ROOFS, A COUPLE HAD TREES FALL ON THEM. BOAT HOUSES AND GARAGES WERE ALS
16:44 UTCTORNADO3 Sw Toledo Bend DamNewton, TXDAMAGE TO ROOFS, PORCHES, TREES AND POWER LINES ALONG SOUTH PORTION OF TOLEDO BEND RESERVOIR.

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

This ground now

The live radar over the trackEvery 2022 tornado in TexasEvery tornado in Texas since 1950Warnings in force in Texas nowThe forecast where you are

The other tornadoes of March 30, 2022

80 more were confirmed in the United States that day.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
March 304:04 AM CDTEF3Springdale tornado, AR5.23507$20 million
March 304:34 AM CDTEF1Rockwall, TX0.550$500,000
March 304:39 AM CDTEF0Pittsburg, OK0.6100$75,000
March 306:25 AM CDTEF1Red River, TX3.0100$25,000
March 307:47 AM CDTEF1Johnson, AR3.5400
March 3011:16 AM CDTEF1Sabine, TX0.9100$15,000
March 3011:53 AM CDTEF0Natchitoches Parish, LA1.2100$5,000
March 3011:53 AM CDTEF0Natchitoches Parish, LA5.5100
March 3012:05 PM CDTEF1Natchitoches Parish, LA3.7200$12,000
March 3012:20 PM CDTEF1Bienville Parish, LA1.7400
March 3012:22 PM CDTEF0Natchitoches Parish, LA2.750
March 3012:28 PM CDTEF1Jackson Parish, LA0.3200$1,000
March 3012:37 PM CDTEF1Vernon Parish, LA2.185$10,000
March 3012:42 PM CDTEF1Jackson Parish, LA0.7500
March 3012:44 PM CDTEF1Jackson Parish, LA4.2200$10,000
March 301:53 PM CDTEF1Richland Parish, LA7.41,000$50,000
March 302:03 PM CDTEF0Richland Parish, LA1.825$50,000
March 302:10 PM CDTEF1Franklin Parish, LA6.8350$85,000
March 302:51 PM CDTEF2Madison Parish, LA to MS17.3300$270,000
March 303:19 PM CDTEF1Bolivar, MS7.9450$60,000
March 303:31 PM CDTEF1Bolivar, MS1.0751$110,000
March 303:41 PM CDTEF1Warren, MS6.0100$20,000
March 303:58 PM CDTEF1Yazoo, MS16.6700$110,000
March 304:21 PM CDTEF1Holmes, MS11.51,7001$140,000
March 304:26 PM CDTEF1Hinds, MS6.4350$45,000
March 304:37 PM CDTEF1Panola, MS16.22001$140,000
March 304:41 PM CDTEF1Hinds, MS2.9350$175,000
March 304:43 PM CDTEF1Hinds, MS8.5200$280,000
March 304:52 PM CDTEF1Carroll, MS6.1250$30,000
March 304:56 PM CDTEF1Madison, MS5.3350$20,000
March 305:23 PM CDTEF0Franklin, IL4.0100$62,000
March 305:24 PM CDTEF1Calhoun, MS7.6100$60,000
March 305:32 PM CDTEF2Leake, MS10.71,200$850,000
March 306:01 PM CDTEF0Wayne, IL0.350$30,000
March 306:11 PM CDTEF1White, IL6.6400$200,000
March 306:12 PM CDTEF1Tangipahoa Parish, LA6.4150$250,000
March 306:18 PM CDTEF1Madison, TN8.5175$500,000
March 306:31 PM CDTEF1Madison, TN7.1250$300,000
March 306:50 PM CDTEF1Carroll, TN9.2150$200,000
March 306:59 PM CDTEF1Vanderburgh, IN1.075$10,000
March 307:16 PM CDTEF0Monroe, MS7.7150$50,000
March 307:44 PM CDTEF1Lamar, MS1.9425$20,000
March 307:44 PM CDTEF0Lamar, MS7.325$35,000
March 307:45 PM CDTEF0Saint Tammany Parish, LA2.050
March 308:01 PM CDTEF0Clarke, MS2.1125$35,000
March 308:06 PM CDTEF1Clarke, MS3.750$152,000
March 308:08 PM CDTEF2Noxubee, MS11.04002$250,000
March 308:11 PM CDTEF2Forrest, MS11.3500$250,000
March 308:24 PM CDTEF1Lauderdale, MS6.8200$50,000
March 308:31 PM CDTEF1Lauderdale, MS3.9250$75,000
March 308:43 PM CDTEF1Wayne, MS0.550
March 308:45 PM CDTEF1Wayne, MS0.250
March 308:46 PM CDTEF2Perry, MS2.0250
March 308:47 PM CDTEF1Wayne, MS1.930
March 308:51 PM CDTEF1Sumter, AL5.6600
March 308:55 PM CDTEF1Wayne, MS0.350
March 309:02 PM CDTEF1Pickens, AL16.6450
March 309:10 PM CDTEF1Greene, AL8.8275
March 309:12 PM CDTEF2Choctaw, AL37.41,350
March 309:33 PM CDTEF2Perry, AL6.0620

All 81 of them

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.