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.
A tornado in Lavaca County on May 18 snapped large trees. Courtesy: Lavaca County Emergency Management (KSAT)A tornado in Lavaca County on May 18 caused tree damage. Courtesy: Lavaca County Emergency Management (KSAT)
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.
An EF-1 tornado touched down northwest of Sublime on Tuesday, May 18, 2021 (Copyright 2021 by KSAT - All rights reserved.)
Kaiti Blake is a child weather-geek-turned-meteorologist. A member of the KSAT Weather Authority, Kaiti is a co-host of the Whatever the Weather video podcast.
After graduating from Texas Tech University, Kaiti worked at WJTV 12 in Jackson, Mississippi and KTAB in Abilene.
Sarah Spivey is a San Antonio native who grew up watching KSAT. She has been a proud member of the KSAT Weather Authority Team since 2017.
Sarah is a Clark High School and Texas A&M University graduate. She previously worked at KTEN News.
When Sarah is not busy forecasting, she enjoys hanging out with her husband and cat, and playing music.
