2023 Pasadena–Deer Park tornado explained

Formed:January 24, 2023, 2:15 p.m. CST
Duration:35 minutes
Dissipated:January 24, 2023, 2:50 p.m. CST
Basin:atl
Winds:140mph
Fujita-Scale:EF3
Enhanced:yes
Deaths:0
Injuries:3
Damages:$6.6 million (2023 USD)
Power Outages:>20,000
Season:tornado outbreaks of 2023

On the afternoon of January 24, 2023, a large, intense, rain-wrapped tornado moved through the suburbs of Pasadena and Deer Park, in the Houston metropolitan area, Texas, United States.[1] [2] The National Weather Service rated the most-severe damage from the tornado was low-end EF3 on the Enhanced Fujita scale with winds estimated at 140mph.[1] The tornado prompted the issuance of a tornado emergency, the first to be issued by the National Weather Service's forecast office in Houston.[3] [4] [5] The tornado was the strongest cold-season tornado to strike the Houston area since 1992.[6] The staff of KTRK-TV published in December 2023 that the tornado was "hands down the most impactful weather story" covered by the news station during the year.[6] The tornado was part of a small outbreak that produced 14 other tornadoes across Texas, Louisiana, and Florida from January 24–25.[7]

Tornado summary

The tornado touched down to the east of Brookside Village in El Franco Lee Park and began moving northeast at a strength of EF0 to EF1.[1] [7] The tornado caused minor damage to several homes, trees, and fences before strengthening and striking apartments at Beamer Place at EF2 intensity. Roofs were torn off several two-story apartment buildings at this location.[1] [7] The nearby Beverly Hills Intermediate School and Challenger Intermediate School were also damaged at EF2 intensity.[7] As the tornado crossed I-45, it caused mainly mid-range EF1 damage to several apartment buildings, businesses, homes, and Genoa Elementary School as it entered the Genoa neighborhood. A small pocket of high-end EF2 damage occurred in this area as a metal building was destroyed. By this point, the National Weather Service office in Houston had issued a tornado emergency.[1] [7]

The tornado then caused high-end-EF1 to low-end EF2 damage as it entered the southeastern part of Pasadena and moved through Burke Crenshaw Park, where most of a building's roof was blown off.[7] Continuing through Pasadena, the tornado then caused considerable roof damage as it struck Pasadena Memorial High School, several businesses, and many homes at EF1 intensity. Many trees in this area were downed. The National Weather Service estimated the tornado was at least 0.5miles wide as it crossed Fairmont Parkway.[7] After crossing Beltway 8, the tornado entered a subdivision near Bliss Meadows Park and caused significant damage to homes. Some homes had roofs torn off, a few had some exterior walls removed, one home was mostly destroyed, and damage in this area was rated EF2. After briefly weakening, more EF2 damage occurred as homes in the eastern part of the Golden Acres neighborhood were severely damaged, and a church was largely destroyed.[7] The tornado then weakened and produced EF0 to EF1 damage after it crossed Red Bluff Road, downing trees and damaging the roofs of many homes in residential areas, a few of which had large portions of their roof removed.[7]

As the tornado crossed Center Street and entered Deer Park, it re-strengthened to EF2 intensity.[7] [1] According to the National Weather Service, a Walgreens, Deer Park Public Library, and St. Hyacinth Catholic Church were heavily damaged at EF2 intensity along this section of the path. Many trees and power poles were snapped, and a few cars were thrown up to 50abbr=onNaNabbr=on from the parking lot of Deer Park High School South and mangled.[7] [1] [8] Throughout Deer Park, numerous homes sustained roof, window, and exterior damage, and a few suffered more severe structural damage, including a single home at the corner of E X Street and Luella Avenue that, at EF2 intensity, had the whole of its roof and several walls removed.[1] [7] As the tornado approached and then crossed SH 225, it weakened and produced widespread high-end EF0 to EF1 damage as trees were downed, and many homes sustained damage to their roofs and garages. In industrial areas along Independence Parkway South, stacks of metal shipping containers were knocked over. As the tornado passed just south of San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site, it rapidly intensified to its peak strength of low-end EF3.[9] [10] Here, multiple large metal transmission towers were toppled.[7] [11]

The National Weather Service estimated winds up to 140mph were needed to flatten the towers.[1] [7] [12] [13] After reaching EF3 intensity, the tornado weakened and crossed Houston Ship Channel into the Wooster section of Baytown at high-end EF1 strength. Several mobile homes in this area were damaged or destroyed, and some houses were completely shifted off their foundations.[1] [7] After leaving Baytown, the tornado further weakened to EF0 intensity, causing minor damage to power lines and some industrial building before it lifted near I-10.[7] [1]

In total, the tornado caused $6.6 million (2023 USD) in damage and injured three people along its 23.66miles path.[1] [14] A CoreLogic analysis estimated "approximately 18,600 single and multifamily residential properties with a combined reconstruction value (RCV) of $4.6 [billion] were potentially within the tornado path in Harris County", though the number of damaged or destroyed structures was lower.[15] [16] While the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reported the tornado did not injure anyone, Sylvester Turner, the mayor of Houston reported three people were transported to hospital in non-life-threatening condition.[1] [14] In April 2023, the tornado's total path length was officially reported as 23.66miles but in July the same year, KTRK-TV meteorologist Elyse Smith reported the path length was just over 18miles.[1] [17] David Tillman, the chief meteorologist for ABC13 in Houston, later stated, "that's probably the strongest, rain wrapped tornado I've been around".[17]

Aftermath

In the days following the tornado, all of the school districts in Deer Park and Pasadena canceled classes to allow families to assess damage.[9] [18] CenterPoint Energy reported over 20,000 homes were without power, and the Red Cross opened a shelter in Pasadena.[9] In August 2023, William Stokes, a deaf 17-year-old, presented before Deer Park City Council with a proposal to implement strobe lights on ten of the cities' emergency warning towers.[19] The city council acted on the proposal and added strobe lights to their emergency warning towers.[20]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: . National Weather Service in Houston, Texas. Texas Event Report: EF3 Tornado (Harris County) . Storm Event Database . . 11 September 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230911041243/https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=1075141 . 11 September 2023 . English . April 2023 . live.
  2. Web site: National Weather Service in Houston, Texas . SE Harris Tornado Summary . Southeast Harris County Tornado Summary . National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration . 30 September 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230930214718/https://www.weather.gov/hgx/seharristornadosummary . 30 September 2023 . live.
  3. Web site: HGX Tornado Warning #8 . mesonet.agron.iastate.edu . National Weather Service Houston/Galveston TX . 24 January 2023 . en . 1 September 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200901234400/https://mesonet.agron.iastate.edu/vtec/#2023-O-NEW-KHGX-TO-W-0008/USCOMP-N0Q-202301242020 . live .
  4. Stewart . Nick . Nick Stewart . NStewCBS2 . 1617986901386092544 . 24 January 2023 . According to NWS Houston, this was the first ever #tornado emergency product issued by the office. . en . 28 March 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230326072411/https://twitter.com/NStewCBS2/status/1617986901386092544 . 26 March 2023 . live.
  5. Web site: Jan. 24-25: Texas, Louisiana and Florida . 2023 US Tornadoes . Center for Disaster Philanthropy . 3 October 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231003164809/https://disasterphilanthropy.org/disasters/2023-us-tornadoes/ . 3 October 2023 . 29 September 2023 . live.
  6. Web site: . These are the ABC13 Houston team's most memorable stories of 2023 . . . 27 December 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231227055956/https://abc13.com/houston-news-2023-biggest-stories-of-the-year-houstons-standout-headlines-what-happened-this/14172339/ . 27 December 2023 . . . 18 December 2023 . live.
  7. Web site: . . Damage Assessment Toolkit . . 11 April 2023 . 27 September 2023 . 23 April 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200423095631/https://apps.dat.noaa.gov/stormdamage/damageviewer/ . live .
  8. Web site: Nguyen . Rosie . St. Hyacinth Catholic Church on road to recovery after January tornado . . . 27 September 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230927211602/https://abc13.com/st-hyacinth-catholic-church-father-reginald-samuels-tornado-damage/13518888/ . 27 September 2023 . English . 28 July 2023 . live.
  9. Web site: . Deer Park, Pasadena tornado rated EF3, says NWS . Houston Public Media . . 27 September 2023 . 25 January 2023 . 27 September 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230927183844/https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/weather/2023/01/25/442272/deer-park-pasadena-tornado-rated-at-least-ef2-says-nws/ . live .
  10. Web site: Benito . Marcelino . Deer Park residents left to rebuild after an EF3 tornado tore through their community . January 25, 2023 . KHOU . 27 September 2023 . 27 September 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230927185011/https://www.khou.com/article/weather/deer-park-texas-tornado-damage/285-31c63071-4429-4b71-9a9d-5774cb497e46 . live .
  11. Web site: Barker . Aaron . Twister that devastated Houston suburbs rated at least EF-3 . Fox Weather . 27 September 2023 . 27 January 2023 . 27 September 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230927185011/https://www.foxweather.com/weather-news/tornado-damage-houston-area-pasadena-texas . live .
  12. Web site: Galvan . Jaime E. . Whitfield . Stephanie . Choi . Michelle . EF3 tornado ripped through Deer Park, Pasadena, NWS confirms . KHOU . 27 September 2023 . 26 January 2023 . 27 September 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230927185011/https://www.khou.com/article/weather/tornado-in-houston/285-89355195-f508-44d2-bac7-96d9b593edfe . live .
  13. Web site: Peyton . Lindsay . Powerful Tornado rips through Deer Park and Pasadena . Texas Annual Conference . 27 September 2023 . 8 February 2023 . 27 September 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230927185023/https://www.txcumc.org/news/powerful-tornado-rips-through-deer-park-and-pasadena/ . live .
  14. News: Sam González Kelly . John Wayne Ferguson . Sarah Smith . Amanda Drane . Clare Fonstein . Elizabeth Conley . Karen Warren . Mark Mulligan . Houston tornado rips through Pasadena and Deer Park, flipping trucks and ripping open a nursing home . . 3 October 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231003011313/https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/article/tornado-pasadena-deer-park-17739388.php . 3 October 2023 . English . 25 January 2023 . Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner tweeted Tuesday afternoon that three people were transported to hospitals with non-life threatening conditions. . live.
  15. Web site: Peck . Eric C. . Texas Tornadoes Cause Nearly $4.6B in Property Damage . DS News . 3 October 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231003165622/https://dsnews.com/news/01-31-2023/texas-tornadoes-property-damage . 3 October 2023 . 31 January 2023 . live.
  16. Web site: Hazard HQ Team . January 24 EF-3 Tornado in Harris County, Texas . . 3 October 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231003165840/https://www.corelogic.com/intelligence/blogs/hazard-hq/january-24-ef-3-tornado-in-harris-county-texas/ . 3 October 2023 . 31 January 2023 . CoreLogic® estimates that approximately 18,600 single- and multifamily residential properties with a combined reconstruction value (RCV) of $4.6B… . live.
  17. Web site: Smith . Elyse . Lessons learned from the January 24 tornado . ABC 13 . . 3 October 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231003184707/https://abc13.com/pasadena-tornado-deer-park-recovery-process-office-of-emergency-management/13541425/ . 3 October 2023 . English . 25 July 2023 . This July marks six months since a powerful tornado tore through Pasadena and Deer Park on January 24th, 2023. For 35 minutes on that fateful afternoon in January, a large tornado ripped across Harris County through Baytown, Deer Park and Pasadena. It left just over an 18 mile path of destruction, toppling power lines and ripping roofs off of homes in the middle of the afternoon. . live.
  18. Web site: Conner . Briana . Revisiting "Little Miss Sunshine" after the storm . . American Broadcasting Company (ABC) . 26 October 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231026204149/https://abc13.com/deer-park-tornado-recovery-addison-trusty/13577363/ . 26 October 2023 . 31 July 2023 . live.
  19. Web site: Kovar . Seth . Deer Park teen's efforts lead to emergency warning system for the deaf . August 24, 2023 . KIAH . 2 October 2023 . 2 October 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231002183630/https://cw39.com/news/local/deer-park-teens-efforts-lead-to-emergency-warning-system-for-the-deaf/ . live .
  20. Web site: Antoine . Anthony . Deer Park hearing-impaired student influences change to city's tornado sirens . September 13, 2023 . KRIV (TV) . 2 October 2023 . 3 October 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231003165250/https://www.fox26houston.com/news/deer-park-hearing-impaired-student-influences-change-to-citys-tornado-sirens . live .

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