Meteorological history | |
---|---|
Formed | May 27, 1997, 3:40 pm. CDT (UTC−05:00) |
Dissipated | May 27, 1997, 3:53 pm. CDT (UTC−05:00) |
Duration | 13 minutes |
F5 tornado | |
on the Fujita scale | |
Highest winds | >261 mph (420 km/h) |
Overall effects | |
Fatalities | 27 |
Injuries | 12 |
Damage | $40.1 million (1997 USD) |
Areas affected | Jarrell, Texas and areas near Prairie Dell, Texas |
Part of the 1997 Central Texas tornado outbreak and tornadoes of 1997 |
On May 27, 1997, an extremely violent multi-vortex tornado struck the community of Jarrell, Texas, killing 27 people and injuring a further 12.[1] The tornado caused $40.1 million (1997 USD) in damages and was the subject of multiple well-known photographs, earning the tornado the nickname of the "Dead Man Walking".[2]
The tornado stalled over the Double Creek Estates housing subdivision for approximately 3 minutes at high-end F5 strength, causing arguably some of the most severe tornado damage ever recorded. NIST Studies on the tornado have been conducted in the years and decades after the event.[3]
As of 2024, this tornado is Texas' most recent F5 or EF5 tornado.[4] The tornado was the fourth-deadliest of the 1990s in the United States, only being surpassed by the 1990 Plainfield tornado that killed 29, the 1998 Birmingham tornado that killed 32, and the 1999 Bridge Creek–Moore tornado that killed 36. It was also the only F5 tornado of 1997, and the next F5 would occur on April 8 of the following year.