Tornadoes · United States · Texas · 2025

EF1 tornado, Lydia to New Boston, Texas, March 4, 2025

From Lydia to New Boston, this EF1 tornado ran 18.6 miles across Bowie and Red River counties on March 4, 2025, touching down at 7:47 AM CST and reaching 850 yards wide. It killed nobody, and did $60,000 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 4, 2025
Touchdown
7:47 AM CST (13:47 UTC)
Lifted
8:07 AM CST (14:07 UTC)
On the ground
20 minutes
Path length
18.6 miles (29.9 km)
Path width
850 yards (777 m)
Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$60,000
Counties
Bowie and Red River counties
Touchdown point
33.434, -94.775
Lift-off point
33.508, -94.465
Record number
2503040747-01

The damage survey

51 damage points were recorded along this path by 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 very mature squall line developed along and ahead of an advancing cold front across the Ark-La-Tex region during the mid to late morning into early afternoon on March 4th. Damaging wind gusts were the primary threat with this squall line, but numerous strong mesovorticies became embedded within this quasi-linear convective system (QLCS). Dew points were in the mid to upper 60s with over 500 J/kg of MLCAPE and 450 m2/s2 of 0-1 km storm relative helicity (SRH). As temperatures continued to warm into the lower 70s with MLCAPE increasing to around 1000 J/kg MLCAPE, the increasing threat of supercell thunderstorm development only heightened the tornado threat. As a result, numerous reports of damaging straight-line wind gusts and several tornadoes were documented across East and Northeast Texas.

An EF-1 tornado with estimated maximum winds near 100 mph touched down on Farm-to-Market Road 44 South approximately one mile southwest of the town of Lydia, lifting a roof off of a shed adjacent to a residential home. The tornado then moved east northeast toward downtown Lydia, producing tree damage across County Road 4645 before crossing into Bowie County. This tornado tracked just under two miles in far eastern Red River County before exiting into Bowie County. However, it should be noted that the tornado intensity in Southeast Red River County near Lydia was weaker than its peak intensity in Bowie County, with wind speeds in Red River County estimated near 90 mph.

This EF1 tornado was the continuation of a tornado that began in Red River County. Upon exiting Red River County, the tornado continued east toward the town of New Hope, continuing to produce extensive tree damage in the form of snapped trunks and uproots. After moving east of New Hope, the tornado followed along County Road 4303 toward Hubbard, eventually crossing Farm-to-Market Road 1840 before heading toward the town of Malta. The tornado crossed U.S. Highway 82 near Malta and continued east northeast for a few more miles, before eventually lifting near the intersection of County Road 3014 and FM Road 3378. The tornado tracked nearly 17 miles across western and northwestern parts of Bowie County with a maximum width of 850 yards and estimated peak wind speeds of 100 mph.

This QLCS-embedded EF1 tornado began along U.S. Highway 259 in southwest Bowie County and moved east northeast across County Road 4307, Interstate 30, County Road 4210, County Road 4230, and Farm-to-Market Road 561, damaging numerous trees. Most of the trees were either uprooted or snapped with several large limbs being downed on power lines. As the tornado continued northeast, it removed most of the metal roof covering from a house at the intersection County Road 4206 and County Road 4204. More tree damage was noted as the tornado crossed County Road 990, County Road 4121, County Road 4122, and County Road 4120. More tree damage occurred along Highway 98, County Road 4015, County Road 4011, and County Road 4116. At the Barry B. Telford Unit, a large metal building system on the southeast side of the prison property was destroyed when the metal frame was pulled free from its anchors. Three camper trailers in the prison's RV park were overturned and destroyed. The tornado continued northeast, breaking more large softwood limbs along FM Road 1840 and Highway 8 in the southern portion of New Boston where it finally lifted. The tornado had a maximum width of 580 yards and tracked nearly 19 miles.

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

The warnings

5 minutes of warning. NWS SHV issued a tornado warning for this county at 13:42 UTC, 5 minutes before the tornado touched down, in force until 14:03 UTC.

The county was under a tornado watch, issued at 10:17 UTC and running to 16:09 UTC.

Issued (UTC)ExpiredProductOffice
06:00 UTC00:00 UTCWind AdvisorySHV
10:17 UTC16:09 UTCTornado WatchSHV
12:45 UTC13:30 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WarningSHV
13:12 UTC14:00 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WarningSHV
13:24 UTC14:15 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WarningSHV
13:42 UTC14:03 UTCTornado WarningSHV
13:59 UTC14:45 UTCSevere Thunderstorm 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 0.10 chance of a tornado within 25 miles. The outlook in force was issued at 12:57 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.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the tornado touched down, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Shreveport, LA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the tornado touched down at Mar 4, 5:22 AM CST, 2 hours 25 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 4, 5:22 AM CST, 2 hours 25 minutes before
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Shreveport LA
522 AM CST Tue Mar 4 2025

...New AVIATION...

.UPDATE...
Issued at 453 AM CST Tue Mar 4 2025

Tornado Watch 18 has been issued until 11 AM CST this morning for
portions of Southeast Oklahoma, Southwest Arkansas, and East
Texas. This is generally north and west of a line from Rusk Texas
to Texarkana Arkansas to Nashville Arkansas. A squall line has
develop and has moved just west of the I-35 corridor of Oklahoma
and North & Central Texas. This line will continue to push
eastward this morning into our forecast area just after daybreak,
with additional isolated convection possible ahead of this line.
All modes of severe weather will be possible, including locally
heavy rainfall. /20/

&&

.SHORT TERM...
(Tuesday through Wednesday)
Issued at 322 AM CST Tue Mar 4 2025

At this hour, a lee-side surface low remains across Eastern
Colorado, with a trailing Pacific origin cold front extending
across the Texas and Oklahoma panhandles. Ahead of this system, a
dryline extends across the western sections of Oklahoma and Texas.
A line of strong to severe thunderstorms has developed along that
dryline and is quickly shifting eastward. In our area, the
increased low-level southerly jet in response to the lee-side low
has resulted in strong gusty southerly winds and a Wind Advisory.
It has also resulted in the development of a warm front, which
has pushed northward into our East Texas zones. Some warm air
advection showers have developed in the vicinity of the warm
front. Eventually the lee-side low will start to kick out into
the Central Plains and the trailing Pacific cold front will catch
up with the dry-line and convection near daybreak. At the same
time, the warm front will continue to lift north and eastward
across the region, along with the associated advection showers.
In wake of the warm front, dew points will rise into the low to
mid 60s which will aid in destabilizing the atmosphere for today's
advertised severe weather event. Models seem to be in good
agreement that the current line of strong to severe thunderstorms
will hold together as it moves into our forecast area. With an
unstable environment expected to be in place, along with deep
layer sheer and steep lapse rates, all modes of severe weather
will be possible with the line as it moves across the region. This
includes locally heavy rainfall as well. There remains the
concern that discrete cells will develop just ahead of the squall
line as it approaches the region. Given the expected
thermodynamics, this could yield strong tornadoes across the
region. The front and squall line is expected to push out of the
region this afternoon.

In wake of the front, the current Wind Advisory will remain in
effect through 9 PM and will likely be extended across portions
of the area into Wednesday. As the aforementioned lee-side low
slowly moves out of the Plains into the Midwest, a strong
pressure gradient will form across the area resulting in continued
gusty conditions. Winds will become sustained from the southwest
between 20 to to 25 mph, with gusts as high as 40 to 50 mph,
especially across East Texas and remaining zones north of the
Interstate 20 corridor. Current obs and satellite confirm blowing
dust across West Texas this morning behind the convection. The
NASA GMAO Dust model has this dust reaching our area this
afternoon into the early evening hours, so decided to add hazy
conditions to the forecast during this period.

A much stronger cold front will move across the area tonight,
bringing gusty northwest winds and cooler conditions into the
region. Overnight lows will range from the upper 30s north to mid
40s south of Interstate 20. These cooler, drier, and breezy
conditions will remain across the region on Wednesday, with high
temps struggling to reach 60 degrees, despite sunny skies. /20/

&&

.LONG TERM...
(Wednesday Night through Tuesday)
Issued at 322 AM CST Tue Mar 4 2025

Not much has changed in thinking for the long-term period. High pressure
will settle over the area Wednesday night into Thursday morning.
With clear skies and calm winds, overnight lows will fall into the
30s areawide, with near freezing temps possible in locations
north of Interstate 20. Dry conditions will continue through the
end of the work week, but southerly winds will return as the
surface high moves east of the region, resulting in a gradual
warming trend. By the start of next weekend, a closed upper level
trough will move across the Four Corners Region. Flow ahead of
this trough will become southwesterly over the region. Rain
chances will return just after midnight Saturday morning as
disturbances move along the flow, then increase in coverage during
the day as the upper trough and associated cold front move into
the region. Dry and cooler conditions will return Sunday into
early next week, as high pressure and upper-level ridging settle
over the region in wake of the trough. /20/

&&

.AVIATION...
(12Z TAFS)
Issued at 515 AM CST Tue Mar 4 2025

For the 04/12Z TAFs, strong to severe thunderstorms will progress
from west to east across area airspace this morning and early
afternoon, bringing torrential rains and potentially damaging
wind gusts. The most likely windows of impacts to terminals are
reflected in TEMPO groups with this package. By mid to late
afternoon, impacts will be coming to an end for ArkLaTex airspace.
GIGs will improve dramatically from MVFR and IFR to VFR with the
passage of these storms. South winds will become southwesterly
then westerly through the day today at speeds of 10 to 20 kts with
gusts of up to 30 kts possible, with locally higher values in the
vicinity of stronger storms.

/26/

&&

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...
Issued at 1215 PM CST Mon Mar 3 2025

Spotter activation will likely be needed beginning around daybreak
Tuesday morning through mid-afternoon.

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
SHV  74  45  59  37 / 100   0   0   0
MLU  73  46  59  36 / 100   0   0   0
DEQ  69  38  55  30 / 100  10   0   0
TXK  72  42  57  35 / 100  10   0   0
ELD  70  42  58  32 / 100   0   0   0
TYR  71  43  58  38 / 100   0   0   0
GGG  73  43  59  35 / 100   0   0   0
LFK  74  45  62  38 /  90   0   0   0

&&

.SHV WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
AR...Wind Advisory until 9 PM CST this evening for ARZ050-051-059>061-
     070>073.

LA...Wind Advisory until 9 PM CST this evening for LAZ001>006-010>014-
     017>022.

OK...Wind Advisory until 9 PM CST this evening for OKZ077.

TX...Wind Advisory until 9 PM CST this evening for TXZ096-097-108>112-
     124>126-136>138-149>153-165>167.

&&

SHORT TERM...20
LONG TERM....20
AVIATION...26

In the hours before

Local storm report, Mar 4, 7:22 AM CST, 25 minutes before
Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Shreveport LA
722 AM CST Tue Mar 4 2025

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0700 AM     Tstm Wnd Dmg     3 N Mount Vernon        33.22N 95.23W
03/04/2025                   Franklin           TX   Public

            Report from mPING: 1-inch tree limbs broken;
            Shingles blown off.

&&
Local storm report, Mar 4, 7:40 AM CST, 7 minutes before
Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Shreveport LA
740 AM CST Tue Mar 4 2025

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0723 AM     Tstm Wnd Dmg     5 W Bullard             32.15N 95.40W
03/04/2025                   Smith              TX   Trained Spotter

            Storm spotter report of trees down near 344
            and 346 (Teaselville, TX).

&&

AEC

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 (KSHV), 12:00Z

1.8 hours before the tornado, 137 km from the path. March 4, 2025.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Shreveport, LA at 12:00Z on 2025-03-04Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel lifted from the surface. Mixed-layer CAPE 21 joules per kilogram, CIN -452, lifted condensation level 634 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, Shreveport, LA at 12:00Z on 2025-03-04The 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 550 square meters per square second, 0 to 6 km bulk shear 63 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
21 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-452 J/kg
Surface CAPE
2 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
634 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
63 kt
0-1 km bulk shear
48 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
550 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
569 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.7
0-3 km lapse rate
3.1 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

Shreveport, LA (KSHV), 00:00Z

10.2 hours after it, 137 km from the path. March 5, 2025.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Shreveport, LA at 00:00Z on 2025-03-05Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel lifted from the surface. Mixed-layer CAPE 3 joules per kilogram, CIN -14, lifted condensation level 2900 meters above ground. Wind barbs in knots down the right edge.LCLEL10008507005003002001001 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, Shreveport, LA at 00:00Z on 2025-03-05The 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 189 square meters per square second, 0 to 6 km bulk shear 63 knots.1939587897117136Sfc1 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
3 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-14 J/kg
Surface CAPE
92 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
2900 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
63 kt
0-1 km bulk shear
31 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
189 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
244 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0
0-3 km lapse rate
9.5 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The radar

The Shreveport radar (KSHV), 135 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 13:47 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
12:00 UTCTSTM WND DMG8 Sw DeportLamar, TXSocial media video showed major wind damage occurred to a solar panel farm near Cunningham.
12:07 UTCTSTM WND DMG5 S DeportLamar, TX*** 1 INJ *** The Paris News reported on CR 16130 near FM 1503 south of Deport a mobile home with one occupant rolled four times and was completely torn apart with one minor injury.
13:00 UTCTSTM WND DMG1 N Mount VernonFranklin, TXReport from mPING: 1-inch tree limbs broken; Shingles blown off.
13:00 UTCTSTM WND DMG3 N Mount VernonFranklin, TXReport from mPING: 1-inch tree limbs broken; Shingles blown off.
13:35 UTCTSTM WND GST 584 S Mount PleasantTitus, TXMeasured at the Mount Pleasant Regional Airport.
13:38 UTCTSTM WND DMG2 Nne Rocky MoundCamp, TXReports of overturned camper trailers at BigAl Barefoot Bay north of Rochy Mound, TX. Unknown number of injuries reported.
13:38 UTCTSTM WND DMG3 S Mount PleasantTitus, TXReport from mPING: 3-inch tree limbs broken; Power poles broken.
13:41 UTCTSTM WND DMG5 S PittsburgCamp, TXReport from mPING: 1-inch tree limbs broken; Shingles blown off.
13:44 UTCTSTM WND DMG5 W DaingerfieldMorris, TXTree down on a vehicle in Cason.
13:44 UTCTORNADO6 Sw OmahaMorris, TXA NWS Storm Survey concluded that damage across Morris County was consistent with that of an EF-1 Tornado with maximum wind gusts near 88 mph. The tornado first touched down near FM 144, north of Hwy 49 with the storm tr
13:47 UTCTORNADO8 S AveryRed River, TXA NWS Storm Survey concluded that damage across extreme eastern Red River County, and Bowie County in Northeast Texas was consistent with an EF-1 Tornado with maximum wind gusts near 100 mph. The tornado first touched do
13:51 UTCTORNADO10 N NaplesBowie, TXA NWS Storm Survey concluded that damage across Bowie County was consistent with an EF-1 Tornado with maximum wind gusts near 110 mph. This tornado first began along Hwy. 259 in far southwest Bowie County near the Sulphu
13:55 UTCTSTM WND DMG2 Se Lone StarMorris, TXReport from mPING: 3-inch tree limbs broken; Power poles broken.
14:00 UTCTSTM WND DMG1 Ene De KalbBowie, TXReports of roofs taken off houses in De Kalb. No specific locations given.
14:08 UTCTSTM WND DMG1 Wnw New BostonBowie, TXReports of structures damaged in New Boston.

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

This ground now

The live radar over the trackEvery 2025 tornado in TexasEvery tornado in Texas since 1950Warnings in force in Texas nowThe forecast where you are

The other tornadoes of March 4, 2025

36 more were confirmed in the United States that day.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
March 44:28 AM CSTEF1Carter, OK0.51203$500,000
March 44:30 AM CSTEF1Wise, TX3.2250$750,000
March 44:43 AM CSTEF0Carter, OK1.240$100,000
March 45:03 AM CSTEF0Pontotoc, OK8.8100$200,000
March 45:11 AM CSTEF1Pontotoc, OK3.72001$10 million
March 45:16 AM CSTEF1Pontotoc, OK1.040$300,000
March 45:24 AM CSTEF1Dallas, TX0.485$1.0 million
March 45:25 AM CSTEF1Pontotoc, OK4.8150$75,000
March 45:37 AM CSTEF1Johnston, OK1.6100$200,000
March 45:46 AM CSTEF1Hughes, OK2.950$75,000
March 46:06 AM CSTEF1Okmulgee, OK1.8375$80,000
March 46:10 AM CSTEF1Okmulgee, OK3.3350$40,000
March 46:22 AM CSTEF1Okmulgee, OK2.7400$75,000
March 46:25 AM CSTEF0Okmulgee, OK3.1250$10,000
March 46:33 AM CSTEF1McIntosh, OK0.7150$20,000
March 46:51 AM CSTEF0McIntosh, OK1.6150$50,000
March 47:15 AM CSTEF1Franklin, TX18.48583$500,000
March 47:44 AM CSTEF1Morris, TX9.0735$25,000
March 47:51 AM CSTEF1Bowie, TX18.9580$500,000
March 48:46 AM CSTEF1Harrison, TX1.0100$25,000
March 49:00 AM CSTEF1Caddo Parish, LA3.9114$100,000
March 49:19 AM CSTEF1Caddo Parish, LA0.8225$10,000
March 49:49 AM CSTEF1Tyler, TX0.575$25,000
March 410:06 AM CSTEF1Claiborne Parish, LA1.8300$100,000
March 410:29 AM CSTEF1Sabine, TX5.6625$10,000
March 411:01 AM CSTEF1Vernon Parish, LA1.1100$20,000
March 411:27 AM CSTUnratedVernon Parish, LA2.210
March 411:50 AM CSTEF1Rapides Parish, LA6.8100$270,000
March 412:10 PM CSTEF1Caldwell Parish, LA0.4200$25,000
March 44:52 PM CSTEF1Ascension Parish, LA1.850$100,000
March 45:16 PM CSTEF0Saint James Parish, LA1.475$50,000
March 46:13 PM CSTEF1Plaquemines Parish, LA5.575$300,000
March 46:24 PM CSTEF2Wayne, MS4.01504
March 46:33 PM CSTEF1Plaquemines Parish, LA2.875$10,000
March 47:55 PM CSTEF1George, MS0.930
March 411:06 PM CSTEF0Santa Rosa, FL0.375

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.