Unrated tornado, Belding to Ft Stockton, Texas, May 4, 2024

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 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. Unratedthis tornado

   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.

Rating

Unrated

Date

May 4, 2024

Touchdown

4:18 PM CDT (21:18 UTC)

Lifted

4:36 PM CDT (21:36 UTC)

On the ground

18 minutes

Path length

3.3 miles (5.3 km)

Path width

50 yards (46 m)

Deaths

0

Injuries

0

County

Pecos County

Touchdown point

30.690, -102.780

Lift-off point

30.670, -102.730

Record number

2405041518-01

12 damage points were recorded along this path by NWS MAF, in the Damage Assessment Toolkit the survey teams carry. The strongest indicator was rated EF2. The highest wind the damage implies is 125 mph.

• Pole snapped at base laying next to original location.
• Beginning of tornado track.
• 150 yards of fence blow down to the east.
• Wood power pole snapped and thrown 20 yards from location

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

A cold front moved across the Permian Basin before stalling during the afternoon. Several intense supercells formed along and behind this front, producing very large hail. Another area of thunderstorms developed near Fort Stockton. Very large hail and several tornadoes were produced by these supercells as they tracked southeast, mainly between US Highway 385 and US Highway 285.

Results from this survey indicated that a tornado began just east of US Highway 35 south of Fort Stockton in rural central Pecos County. This tornado was documented by numerous observers, quickly developing into a photogenic stovepipe before becoming increasingly wrapped in rain. The tornado slowly moved southeast, before completely wrapping in rain and likely dissipating. This tornado occurred over mainly open terrain only causing damage to vegetation and a few wooden electrical power poles in the area. This tornado was rated as a mid-range EF-2 with maximum wind speeds of 125 MPH given the degree of damage to these wooden power poles which were snapped cleanly near the base. Property damage cost amount is an estimation.

This tornado was seen roping out about 20 minutes after the previous tornado was believed to have dissipated. This tornado is to be a separate tornado spotted in its dissipating stage. This tornado was not able to be surveyed due to the rural and rugged nature of the area west of US Highway 285. The approximate track is estimated by observer reports and radar data. No damage was reported.

A few observers reported a brief rope tornado developing as the second tornado dissipated. This tornado likely traveled for several minutes to the southeast before the condensation funnel was lost. Rapidly rotating rain curtains were noted afterward and the tornado was likely still ongoing. This tornado was later photographed by numerous observers as a stovepipe briefly visible through the rain. This tornado slowly traveled southeast before observers lost visual of the tornado in the rain. This tornado occurred over rugged and inaccessible terrain west of US Highway 285 and was unable to be surveyed. The track of the tornado is estimated based on observer reports in conjunction with radar data. No damage was reported.

An observer reported a new tornado in its dissipating stage. This tornado appeared to the observer as a brief rope tornado visible through the rain. The tornado occurred over rugged and inaccessible terrain west of US Highway 285 and was not able to be surveyed. This tornado track is estimated based on observer reports and radar data. This tornado may have been the end of the previous tornado as a strong couplet was maintained during this timeframe but was reported as a separate tornado by observers. No damage was reported.

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

17 minutes of warning. NWS MAF issued a tornado warning for this county at 21:01 UTC, 17 minutes before the tornado touched down, in force until 21:45 UTC.

The county was under a tornado watch, issued at 19:33 UTC and running to 02:42 UTC.

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 Storm Prediction Center had this point in a Enhanced Risk, with a 0.10 chance of a tornado within 25 miles, in the hatched area where significant tornadoes were expected. The outlook in force was issued at 19:58 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 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.

The Midland/Odessa radar (KMAF), 150 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 21:17 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.

Local storm reports within 60 km of the path, in the three hours either side.

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

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

6 more were confirmed in the United States that day.

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.

NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database, 1950-2025, the official record kept by NOAA's Storm Prediction Center.