Storm chasers catch extreme closeup footage of monster EF2 tornado that tore through farmlands
A group of storm chasers got up close and personal with a tornado near Tahoka, Texas, on May 5. The dusty tornado reportedly caused damage to several nearby structures.
Storm chasers caught breathtaking video of a monstrous tornado that developed north of Tahoka, Texas, on Sunday afternoon. There have been no reported injuries according to a report from KAMC News, but local farmers sustained damage to their property and equipment.
The EF2 tornado that developed outside of Tahoka, Texas picked up enough strength to toss a travel trailer 150 approximately feet. (National Weather Service)
The tornado touched down on the north side of the town, which is about 330 miles west of the Dallas-Fort Worth area, and traveled across Route 87 before curling southeastward as it grew. Its winds picked up strength and speed, reaching between 113 and 157 mph as the tornado developed into an EF2 according to the National Weather Service. As the tornado crossed Route 2956, it picked up a 33-foot RV, lofted into the air and tossed it approximately 150 feet to the south, leaving it utterly obliterated.
"Ohhhh my God!" one of the storm chasers said in awe. "Wow, [it's] across the road right in front of us." They had dared to film just a few hundred feet away from this powerful tornado that had thrown an RV like a toy. The base of the tornado stretched across the width of the highway. The wind roars in the audio as the tornado churned up a thick funnel of dust, threatening to pull in the storm chasers. But for at least 44 seconds, they just watched the tornado's power unfold before them.
As the tornado grew, AccuWeather Extreme Meteorologist Reed Timmer, who was monitoring the storm on live radar, warned residents in the area of the danger.
Although Tahoka didn't take a direct hit, the tornado dealt a heavy blow to farmers in the county. The twister tore through agricultural areas, causing structural damage to farms, wrecking equipment, power lines and irrigation systems according to KAMC.
"It's very possible the tornado was stronger than [an EF2]. The tornadoes are based on the damage we see, and since the tornado was mainly over rural areas, it was a little harder to assess," Chief Meteorologist of the National Weather Service of Lubbock Justin Weaver told KAMC.
A tornado touched down north of Tahoka, Texas on May 5, 2019. The tornado developed into an EF2 as it made its way southeast of the city. (Twitter / @1WXRoderick)
Out of the six tornadoes the NWS reported in Texas on Sunday, five occurred in Lynn County. Photos snapped by storm chasers, like the one below, showed the huge storm was just as photogenic from afar as it was upclose.
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