Tornadoes · United States · Texas · 2024

EF2 tornado, Concho to Millersview, Texas, May 2, 2024

From Concho to Millersview, this EF2 tornado ran 6.1 miles across Concho County on May 2, 2024, touching down at 6:39 PM CDT and reaching 395 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 mph

    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 mphthis tornado

    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
EF2
Date
May 2, 2024
Touchdown
6:39 PM CDT (23:39 UTC)
Lifted
7:04 PM CDT (00:04 UTC)
On the ground
25 minutes
Path length
6.1 miles (9.8 km)
Path width
395 yards (361 m)
Deaths
0
Injuries
0
County
Concho County
Touchdown point
31.483, -99.668
Lift-off point
31.419, -99.599
Record number
2405021739-01

The damage survey

2 damage points were recorded along this path by NWS SJT, in the Damage Assessment Toolkit the survey teams carry. The strongest indicator was rated EF2. The highest wind the damage implies is 130 mph.

  • Tornado damage to 12 structures with one structure down.

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 favorable weather pattern for widespread severe weather was in place across west central Texas during early May. There was an upper level southwest flow and a sharp dryline in the area. Also, extreme instability was present along with strong vertical wind shear during the late afternoon and evening hours. Supercell thunderstorms developed and produced strong tornadoes in Jones, Runnels and Sterling counties which resulted in damage to homes and other structures. Also, severe thunderstorms produced giant size hail and damaging winds.

The tornado damaged electrical transmission lines on several|metal truss towers. One of the metal truss towers collapsed due|to the tornado increasing in intensity to an EF2. The path length |and width of the tornado was based on radar and photos of the|damage. The estimated peak wind of the tornado was 130 mph.

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

The warnings

17 minutes of warning. NWS SJT issued a tornado warning for this county at 23:22 UTC, 17 minutes before the tornado touched down, in force until 00:00 UTC.

The county was under a severe thunderstorm watch, issued at 20:05 UTC and running to 03:18 UTC.

Issued (UTC)ExpiredProductOffice
20:05 UTC03:18 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WatchSJT
23:03 UTC23:45 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WarningSJT
23:22 UTC00:00 UTCTornado WarningSJT
23:24 UTC00:30 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WarningSJT
23:42 UTC00:30 UTCTornado WarningSJT
00:13 UTC00:53 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WarningSJT
00:33 UTC01:15 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WarningSJT
01:21 UTC02:15 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WarningSJT

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 20:05 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.

Midland Regional, TX (KMAF), 12:00Z

11.7 hours before the tornado, 249 km from the path. May 2, 2024.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Midland Regional, TX at 12:00Z on 2024-05-02Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel lifted from the surface. Mixed-layer CAPE 1788 joules per kilogram, CIN -41, lifted condensation level 761 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, Midland Regional, TX at 12:00Z on 2024-05-02The 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 78 square meters per square second, 0 to 6 km bulk shear 29 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
1788 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-41 J/kg
Surface CAPE
4943 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
761 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
29 kt
0-1 km bulk shear
19 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
78 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
94 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.5
Supercell composite
5.6
0-3 km lapse rate
6.9 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

Midland Regional, TX (KMAF), 00:00Z

0.3 hours after it, 249 km from the path. May 3, 2024.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Midland Regional, TX at 00:00Z on 2024-05-03Temperature 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 -8769, lifted condensation level 5010 meters above ground. Wind barbs in knots down the right edge.LCL10008507005003002001001 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, Midland Regional, TX at 00:00Z on 2024-05-03The 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 30 square meters per square second, 0 to 6 km bulk shear 30 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-8769 J/kg
Surface CAPE
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
5010 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
30 kt
0-1 km bulk shear
13 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
30 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
14 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0
0-3 km lapse rate
10.3 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The surface observations

Brady (BBD), 42 km from the path, in the two hours either side.

Time (UTC)Temp (°F)Dew point (°F)WindGust (kt)Pressure (mb)Weather
21:55 UTC82.471.6140° 10 kt151006.4
22:15 UTC82.471.6140° 11 kt1006.4
22:35 UTC80.671.6140° 15 kt1006.4VCTS
22:55 UTC7771.6130° 15 kt211006.1VCTS
23:15 UTC75.271.6140° 15 kt221006.1VCTS BR
23:35 UTC73.469.8130° 12 kt221006.4VCTS BR
23:55 UTC71.669.8130° 15 kt221006.4VCTS
00:15 UTC71.669.8130° 15 kt221006.1
00:35 UTC71.669.8140° 13 kt221006.1VCTS
00:55 UTC71.669.8150° 13 kt201005.8
01:15 UTC71.669.8150° 10 kt241007.8VCTS
01:35 UTC6864.4330° 15 kt271008.8VCTS

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

The radar

The San Angelo radar (KSJT), 82 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 23:39 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
22:28 UTCHAIL 1.255 E NortonRunnels, TXReport from mPING: Half Dollar (1.25 in.).
22:29 UTCHAIL 25 W HatchelRunnels, TXReport from mPING: Hen Egg (2.00 in.).
22:31 UTCHAIL 2.255 W HatchelRunnels, TXReport from mPING: Hen Egg+ (2.25 in.).
22:32 UTCHAIL 2.55 Sw HatchelRunnels, TXReport from mPING: Tennis Ball (2.50 in.).
22:43 UTCHAIL 2.55 N BallingerRunnels, TXon highway 83 Tennis Ball size.
22:59 UTCTORNADO2 E BallingerRunnels, TXThe public reported a tornado on the ground 2.3 miles east of Ballinger, moving east.
23:02 UTCTORNADO2 Ese BallingerRunnels, TXSpotter reported a tornado on the ground 2 miles southeast of Ballinger.
23:15 UTCHAIL 2.752 Wsw LeadayConcho, TX
23:15 UTCHAIL 31 E BallingerRunnels, TX
23:20 UTCHAIL 44 E BallingerRunnels, TXDelayed Report: There was a picture of softball size hail 4 miles east of Ballinger along County Road 123.
23:26 UTCHAIL 33 Sw LeadayConcho, TXSpotter reported 3.5 inch size hail.
23:26 UTCHAIL 42 Nne MillersviewConcho, TXDamage to vehicles and holes in metal awnings.
23:29 UTCHAIL 2.755 N StacyColeman, TXReport from mPING: Baseball (2.75 in.).
23:30 UTCHAIL 42 Sw LeadayConcho, TXConcho Park Marina. Softball size hail.
23:42 UTCTORNADO2 Ne StacyColeman, TXConfirmed tornado on ground.
23:45 UTCTORNADO2 Nnw DooleConcho, TXLaw enforcement relayed report from storm chaser on tornado on the ground northwest of Doole.

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

This ground now

The live radar over the trackEvery 2024 tornado in TexasEvery tornado in Texas since 1950Warnings in force in Texas nowThe forecast where you are

The other tornadoes of May 2, 2024

7 more were confirmed in the United States that day.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
May 210:09 AM CDTEF1Sabine Parish, LA5.2325
May 211:32 AM CDTUnratedJefferson Davis Parish, LA0.01
May 21:40 PM CDTEF1Jasper, MO0.8100$30,000
May 23:58 PM CDTEF0, PR0.54$8,000
May 25:53 PM CDTEF2Runnels, TX4.5390
May 26:29 PM CDTUnratedJones, TX0.8100
May 27:06 PM CDTEF3Jones, TX3.32104

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.