SAN ANTONIO – Saturday marks 20 years since a series of violent and deadly tornadoes hit south-central Texas — most notably, the Jarrell tornado.
On May 27, 1997, the National Weather Service warned of gusts up to 80 mph, dangerous lightning and large hail. Storms ravaged South Central Texas in the afternoon and evening hours of the day.
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Weather conditions allowed for one of the most powerful tornadoes on record, an F5, which ripped through the city of Jarrell, in north Williamson County, according to the National Weather Service.
"Some of the most extreme damage on record occurred with this tornado, and one account states that 'the earth was scoured bare, pavement was ripped from roadways, [and] homes and other buildings were completely pulverized,'" a report from the National Weather Service said.
See the radar loop from the NWS from May 27, 1997:
In addition to the Jarrell tornado, nine other tornadoes touched down through the area spanning Uvalde to Georgetown. Three tornadoes touched down in Jarrell, one in Cedar Park, one in Four Points, one in Lakeway, one in Kyle, one in Utopia, one in Sisterdale and another in Frio.
Click the tornado sites below to see the magnitude of each:
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