LAVACA COUNTY, Texas – Severe thunderstorms affected portions of South Central Texas on May 18. One severe thunderstorm near Hallettsville in Lavaca County showed signs of rotation in the 4 o’clock hour Tuesday afternoon, and a tornado warning was issued.
The National Weather Service conducted a damage survey in the area and confirmed that an EF-1 tornado with a maximum wind speed of 100 mph lasted for about 4 minutes, from 4:54 PM to 4:58 PM. The track of the tornado was 1.60 miles long and it was 150 yards wide.
The damage survey indicates that the tornado touched down southeast of County Road 142. The tornado caused tree damage and “severely damaged a small house.”
The tornado went on to cross County Road 142 where more tree damage occurred. Incredibly, the damage survey found that the tornadic winds “snapped three-foot diameter tree trunks...near their bases.”
The tornado dissipated shortly thereafter.
