Tornadoes in Dallas: A mystery no meteorologist could resist

Hours after 10 tornadoes tore through North Texas late Sunday, meteorologists gathered at the National Weather Service in Fort Worth early Monday to start working on a puzzle. Some of the pieces were photos of damage sent in by residents, storm spotters, and law enforcement officials. Others were videos showing a tornado when lightning struck and illuminated the night sky. The rest were radar images captured at the time of the storms. By gathering the clues — storm damage pictures, videos, and radar images — meteorologists decided where they needed to visit to survey the damage. Later that morning, they split up into teams and deployed across North Texas to take a closer look at the destruction.

The surveys ultimately confirmed Sunday night’s storms produced 10 tornadoes: four EF-0 storms in Allen, Ferris, Kaufman County, and Wills Point; four EF-1 whirlwinds in Kaufman County, Midlothian, Rowlett and Rockwall; an EF-2 twister in Garland; and the EF-3 monster that tracked from northwest Dallas to Richardson. The strongest storm of the night, which tore through North Dallas and Richardson, was also one of the most difficult to assess. Surveyors determined the Dallas tornado was on the ground for more than 15 miles, tearing a path up to three-quarters of a mile wide. Survey teams were aided by the fact that the tornado struck a densely populated area. When survey teams assess storm damage, they rate it on a scale of 8 degrees, where visible damage such as lost roof shingles registers a 1, up to an 8 where the concrete slab under a home is swept clean.







https://www.dallasnews.com/news/weather/2019/10/25/monster-tornado-in-north-dallas-was-a-mystery-no-meteorologist-could-resist/