NWS Confirms Shelby County Tornado, Narrowly Misses Chicken Farm

A damage survey crew from the National Weather Service has confirmed the touchdown of a tornado during Saturday evening's severe weather outbreak across East Texas. Thankfully, the tornado was on the ground for less than 3 minutes, and no injuries were reported, although a chicken farm was just several hundred yards from taking a direct hit.

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Track and Damage Details of the Shelby County Tornado

The tornado touched down at 6:03 Saturday evening and lifted back up at 6:05 p.m. At its widest, the tornado was 275 yards wide, and it was on the ground for just a little over 1 mile. The original touchdown took place 6 miles north-northeast of Center. The estimated peak wind was 95 mph, giving this tornado an EF1 rating on the Enhanced Fujita Scale

The tornado began along County Road 3156, where a few trees were downed, and then it moved southeast and crossed Highway 7, where it intersects with County Road 3153. Most of the damage here was to trees. The tornado then continued to the southeast and ended just after crossing County Road 3215. One outbuilding was destroyed at this location, but otherwise, the survey team could verify only minor damage done to a few buildings. Localized snapping of tree trunks was also quite evident around a pond just to the west of County Road 3215.

A chicken farm located several hundred yards northeast of the tornado's path was left intact. The Smith, Jones Cemetery seems to have been directly in the path of the brief tornado.