2023 Pasadena–Deer Park tornado

On the afternoon of January 24, 2023, a large and intense tornado tore through suburbs of Pasadena and Deer Park, in the Houston metropolitan area.[1][3] The most extreme damage from the tornado was rated EF3 on the Enhanced Fujita scale by the National Weather Service, with winds estimated at 140 miles per hour (230 km/h).[4][1] The tornado prompted the issuance of a tornado emergency, the first ever issued by the National Weather Service's forecast office in Houston.[5][6][7]

2023 Pasadena–Deer Park tornado
NEXRAD radar data of the EF3 tornado in Deer Park, Texas. An annular ring of debris circling the tornado is visible on the correlation coefficient (bottom left)
Meteorological history
Duration35 minutes
FormedJanuary 24, 2023, 2:15 p.m. CST (UTC−06:00)
DissipatedJanuary 24, 2023, 2:50 p.m. CST (UTC−06:00)
EF3 tornado
on the Enhanced Fujita scale
Highest winds140 mph (230 km/h)[1]
Overall effects
Fatalities0
Injuries3[2]
Damage$6.6 million (2023 USD)[1]
Part of the tornado outbreaks of 2023

Tornado summary

The tornado touched down to the east of Brookside Village in El Franco Lee Park and began traveling northeast.[1][8] The tornado caused minor damage to several homes before striking the Beamer Place apartments at EF2 intensity.[1][8] Preliminary information from the National Weather Service indicated the Beverly Hills Intermediate School and Challenger Intermediate School were struck by the tornado at EF2 intensity, however, no indication was given as to what damage the schools sustained.[8] As the tornado crossed Interstate 45, it caused mid-EF1 damage to several apartment buildings, businesses, homes, and Genoa Elementary School.[8] As the tornado entered Genoa, a part of Houston, it intensified to high-end EF2 intensity.[1][8] The tornado then began to weaken, as it caused high-end EF1 to low-end EF2 damage (100 to 115 mph (161 to 185 km/h)) occurred in Burke Crenshaw Park.[8] The tornado then struck Pasadena Memorial High School, along with several businesses and homes at EF1 intensity. The National Weather Service estimated the tornado was at least 0.5 miles (0.80 km) wide as it crossed Fairmont Parkway.[8] After crossing Texas State Highway Beltway 8, the tornado strengthened to EF2 intensity as it struck a subdivision next to Bliss Meadows Park. Several homes sustained damage, with at least one being destroyed.[8] After briefly weakening to EF1 intensity, the tornado strengthen once again to EF2 intensity as it caused severe damage to several homes around Bramley Park, just east of Golden Acres.[8] The tornado then rapidly weakened to low-end EF0 intensity as it caused minimal damage to well-built homes.[8]

A mobile home destroyed in Wooster at high-end EF1 intensity

As the tornado crossed Center Street and entered Deer Park, it strengthened to EF2 intensity.[8][1] The National Weather Service documented that a Walgreens, the Deer Park Public Library, and St Hyacinth Catholic Church were partially destroyed at EF2 intensity.[8][1][9] Preliminary information from the National Weather Service indicated hundreds of structures were damaged at EF1 intensity in Deer Park.[1][8] A single home at the corner of E X Street and Luella Avenue was partially destroyed at EF2 intensity, with the entire roof and some walls being removed from the home.[1][8] Before crossing Texas State Highway 225, the tornado weakened to high-end EF0 intensity, and then restrengthened to EF1 intensity as numerous structures were damaged by the tornado. As the tornado passed just south of the San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site, it rapidly intensified to its peak intensity of low-end EF3 strength.[10][11] Here, multiple metal transmission towers were toppled over.[8][12] The National Weather Service estimated that winds up to 140 miles per hour (230 km/h) were needed to flatten the towers.[1][8][13][4] After reaching EF3 intensity, the tornado crossed the Houston Ship Channel and produced high-end EF1 damage in Wooster and Baytown. In Wooster, several mobile homes were damaged or destroyed and some homes were shifted completely off their foundations.[1][8] The tornado weakened to EF0 intensity after exiting Wooster and lifted near Interstate 10.[8][1]

In total, the tornado caused $6.6 million (2023 USD) in damage and injured three people along its 23.66 miles (38.08 km) path.[1][2] A CoreLogic analysis estimated that "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 actual number of structures damaged or destroyed was lower.[14][15] While the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration officially reported that the tornado did not injure anyone, Sylvester Turner, the mayor of Houston reported that three people were transported to the hospital in non-life threatening condition.[1][2] The tornado's total path length was officially reported in April 2023 as 23.66 miles (38.08 km), however, in July 2023, KTRK-TV meteorologist Elyse Smith reported the path length was just over 18 miles (29 km).[1][16] David Tillman, the chief meteorologist for ABC13 in Houston later stated, “that's probably the strongest, rain wrapped tornado I've been around.”[16]

Aftermath

The following days, all the school districts in Deer Park and Pasadena cancelled classes to allow families to assess damage after the tornado.[10][17] CenterPoint Energy reported that over 20,000 homes were without power and the Red Cross opened a shelter in Pasadena following the tornado.[10] In August 2023, William Stokes, a deaf 17-year-old, presented before the Deer Park City Council a proposal to implement strobe lights to ten of the cities' emergency warning towers.[18][19]

See also

References
  1. National Centers for Environmental Information; National Weather Service in Houston, Texas (April 2023). "Texas Event Report: EF3 Tornado (Harris County)". Storm Event Database. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Archived from the original on 11 September 2023. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  2. Sam González Kelly; John Wayne Ferguson; Sarah Smith; Amanda Drane; Clare Fonstein; Elizabeth Conley; Karen Warren; Mark Mulligan (25 January 2023). "Houston tornado rips through Pasadena and Deer Park, flipping trucks and ripping open a nursing home". Houston Chronicle. Archived from the original on 3 October 2023. Retrieved 3 October 2023. Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner tweeted Tuesday afternoon that three people were transported to hospitals with non-life threatening conditions.
  3. National Weather Service in Houston, Texas. "SE Harris Tornado Summary". Southeast Harris County Tornado Summary. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Archived from the original on 30 September 2023. Retrieved 30 September 2023.
  4. Peyton, Lindsay (8 February 2023). "Powerful Tornado rips through Deer Park and Pasadena". Texas Annual Conference. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
  5. "HGX Tornado Warning #8". mesonet.agron.iastate.edu. National Weather Service Houston/Galveston TX. Archived from the original on 1 September 2020. Retrieved 24 January 2023.
  6. Stewart, Nick [@NStewCBS2] (24 January 2023). "According to NWS Houston, this is was the first ever #tornado emergency product issued by the office" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 26 March 2023. Retrieved 28 March 2023 – via Twitter.
  7. "Jan. 24-25: Texas, Louisiana and Florida". 2023 US Tornadoes. Center for Disaster Philanthropy. 29 September 2023. Archived from the original on 3 October 2023. Retrieved 3 October 2023.
  8. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; National Weather Service (11 April 2023). "Damage Assessment Toolkit". United States Department of Commerce.
  9. Nguyen, Rosie (28 July 2023). "St. Hyacinth Catholic Church on road to recovery after January tornado". KTRK-TV. ABC News. Archived from the original on 27 September 2023. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
  10. University of Houston (25 January 2023). "Deer Park, Pasadena tornado rated EF3, says NWS". Houston Public Media. PBS and NPR. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
  11. Benito, Marcelino. "Deer Park residents left to rebuild after an EF3 tornado tore through their community". KHOU. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
  12. Barker, Aaron (27 January 2023). "Twister that devastated Houston suburbs rated at least EF-3". Fox Weather. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
  13. Galvan, Jaime E.; Whitfield, Stephanie; Choi, Michelle (26 January 2023). "EF3 tornado ripped through Deer Park, Pasadena, NWS confirms". KHOU. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
  14. Peck, Eric C. (31 January 2023). "Texas Tornadoes Cause Nearly $4.6B in Property Damage". DS News. Archived from the original on 3 October 2023. Retrieved 3 October 2023.
  15. Hazard HQ Team (31 January 2023). "January 24 EF-3 Tornado in Harris County, Texas". CoreLogic. Archived from the original on 3 October 2023. Retrieved 3 October 2023. CoreLogic® estimates that approximately 18,600 single- and multifamily residential properties with a combined reconstruction value (RCV) of $4.6B…
  16. Smith, Elyse (25 July 2023). "Lessons learned from the January 24 tornado". ABC 13. KTRK-TV. Archived from the original on 3 October 2023. Retrieved 3 October 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.
  17. Conner, Briana (31 July 2023). "Revisiting "Little Miss Sunshine" after the storm". KTRK-TV. American Broadcasting Company (ABC). Archived from the original on 26 October 2023. Retrieved 26 October 2023.
  18. Kovar, Seth. "Deer Park teen's efforts lead to emergency warning system for the deaf". KIAH. Retrieved 2 October 2023.
  19. Antoine, Anthony. "Deer Park hearing-impaired student influences change to city's tornado sirens". KRIV (TV). Retrieved 2 October 2023.
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