NWS: 4 tornadoes hit southeast Texas Wednesday

Published: Mar. 30, 2017 at 9:23 PM CDT|Updated: Mar. 30, 2017 at 11:08 PM CDT
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TYLER COUNTY, TX (KTRE) - The National Weather Service (NWS) in Lake Charles assessed the damage left behind from Wednesday's tornadic thunderstorms that rumbled through portions of Tyler, Jasper, and Newton counties.  They determined four EF-1 tornadoes hit that part of southeast Texas Wednesday afternoon.

According to their findings, all four tornadoes had wind speeds estimated between 90 and 110 miles per hour, which corresponds to an EF-1 rating on the Enhanced Fujita Scale.  Two of the twisters touched down in Tyler County, one in the town of Ivanhoe and the other in Hillister.  Another tornado touched down in Jasper County, between Magnolia Springs and Jasper near Zion Hill.  The fourth and last tornado touchdown took place in Newton County near Farrsville, centered right along State Highway 63.

Here are the specific findings on each twister that touched down on Wednesday afternoon from the meteorologists who surveyed the damage.

Ivanhoe Tornado... Rating: EF-1 Estimated Peak Wind: 105 MPH
Path length: 1.3 Miles
Path width: 600 Yards
Fatalities: 0 Injuries: 0
Start date: Mar 29 2017 Start time: 313 pm CDT
Start location: 1 SSW Ivanhoe/Tyler county, TX  Start Lat/Lon: 30.6708/-94.4198
End date: Mar 29 2017 End time: 318 pm CDT
End location: 1 SE Ivanhoe/Tyler county, TX  End lat/lon: 30.6712/-94.3978
Survey Summary: A tornado touched down on both the north and south sides of Lake Charmaine, blowing multiple trees down. One home had a tree land on it and a tree landed on a SUV. Several homes had minor damage to their siding.

Hillister Tornado... Rating: EF-1 Estimated Peak Wind: 105 MPH
Path length: 0.5 Miles
Path width: 300 Yards
Fatalities: 0 Injuries: 0
Start date: Mar 29 2017 Start time: 325 pm CDT
Start location: 1 ENE Hillister/Tyler county, TX Start Lat/Lon: 30.6747/-94.3590
End date: Mar 29 2017 End time: 327 pm CDT
End location: 2 ENE Hillister/Tyler county, TX  End lat/lon: 30.6765/-94.3516
Survey Summary: Multiple trees were blown down along FM 1013 east of Hillister, on both the north and south sides of the road.

Zion Hill Tornado... Rating: EF-1 Estimated Peak Wind: 105 MPH
Path length: 0.4 Miles
Path width: 25 Yards
Fatalities: 0 Injuries: 0
Start date: Mar 29 2017 Start time: 412 pm CDT
Start location: Zion Hill/Jasper, county TX  Start Lat/Lon: 30.8309/-93.9739
End date: Mar 29 2017 End time: 413 pm CDT
End location: Zion Hill/Jasper county, TX End lat/lon: 30.8344/-93.9682
Survey Summary: Several trees were snapped or blown down along FM 1005 near the intersection with US Hwy 96.

Highway 63 Newton County Tornado... Rating: EF-1 Estimated Peak Wind: 110 MPH
Path length: 12.2 Miles
Path width: 800 Yards
Fatalities: 0 Injuries: 0
Start date: Mar 29 2017 Start time: 434 pm CDT
Start location: 11 WSW Burkeville/Newton county, TX Start Lat/Lon: 30.9534/-93.8457
End date: Mar 29 2017 End time: 458 pm CDT
End location: 6 NW Burkeville/Newton county, TX End lat/lon: 31.0896/-93.7149
Survey Summary: Numerous large trees were uprooted or snapped along Highway 63 west of Farrsville, including County Roads 1012, 1064, and 1065. At least two houses had trees land on them. The tornado ended along US Highway 87 south of Mayflower, where a mobile home lost its roof and a couple of large trees were snapped near a church.

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