Tornadoes, Blowing Dust, Wind, and Hail - February 26th, 2023

Tornadoes

Tornado - Kelton  Wheeler County Date Feb 26th, 2023 Time (Local) 6:41 PM CST EF Rating EF-1 Est. Peak Winds 110 Path Length 2.19 miles Max Width 50 yards Injuries/Deaths 0/0 Summary: A tornado touched down near Kelton on February 26th, 2023. This tornado eventually caused EF-1 damage on an outbuilding where an estimated 110 mph winds were inferred.  Track Map Downloadable KMZ File

Tornado Damage 1 Mile East Kelton, TX (Shawna Powell Hennig) Tornado Damage 1 mile east Kelton, TX (Julie Breuer) Tornado Damage 1 mile east Kelton, TX (Julie Breuer)

Tornado - Lela 3 NW Wheeler County Date Feb 26th, 2023 Time (Local) 6:29 PM CST EF Rating EF-0 Est. Peak Winds 75 Path Length 0.19 miles Max Width 25 yards Injuries/Deaths 0/0 Summary: A tornado touched down near Lela on February 23rd, 2023. No damaged was observed. The size, strength, and duration of the tornado were estimated based on a combination of video and radar data.  Track Map Downloadable KMZ File

The Enhanced Fujita (EF) Scale classifies tornadoes into the following categories:

EF0 Weak 65-85 mph	EF1 Moderate 86-110 mph	EF2 Significant 111-135 mph	EF3 Severe 136-165 mph	EF4 Extreme 166-200 mph	EF5 Catastrophic 200+ mph

Photos & Video

Dalhart, TX (Debrah Frazier)	Dust Drift (Corbin Voges)	Amarillo, TX (Jerilyn Rule-Brewer)	Borger, TX (Liesa Keeney Whiteley)

Amarillo, TX (Amanda L Brown)	Amarillo, TX (Hunter Corona)	Canyon, TX (Amanda Tidwell)	Dawn, TX (Michael Valdovinos)

Gene Howe Elementary School, Amarillo, TX (Trisha Webb Myres)	Fritch, TX (Katherine Denise Washer Stowell)	Amarillo, TX (Shela Grant)	Amarillo, TX (Colton Stamps)

Canyon Firework Stand (Amanda Tidwell)	Dalhart, TX (Karen Files Line)	Clarendon, TX (Jen Mitchel)	Wellington, TX (Jen Nanez)

Radar

Radar Loop of the Event	Satellite Loop of the Dust Storm	Big Fin Flats Fire

Storm Reports

Here is a link to the storm reports

Environment

A compact but strong upper level shortwave moved through the Panhandles on Feb 26th which resulted in broad scale lift along with increased moisture return across the area. The very cold mid level temperatures promoted steep lapse rates and increased instability while the very strong kinematics primed the atmosphere for supercell thunderstorms. 

Figure 1: 500mb Winds and Heights	Figure 2: 300mb Heights and Ageostrophic Winds	Figure 3: 700mb Heights, winds, temps, and 700-500 mb mean RH

Although instability was not impressive compared to what we see in May and June, it was more than sufficient for strong updrafts given the strong lift and very strong shear present. Backed winds at the surface resulted in large effective SRH in the east where multiple tornadoes were confirmed. There was some concern that some stable air ahead of the storms would limit surface based parcel ingestion, but the strong mass flux elimenated any cap that was present. 

Figure 4: MLCAPE and MLCIN	Figure 5: Effective SRH	Figure 6: 2-hr Surface Pressure Change

Additional environmental data. Notice the extreme low level helicity measured with the 03z OUN sounding. This was measured about 20 minutes before a tornado caused damage very near the same location. 

Figure 7: Feb 26 18z AMA Special Sounding	Figure 8: Feb 26th 21z AMA Special Sounding	Figure 9: Feb 27th 03z OUN Special Sounding

Figure 10: Pacific Front Overtaking Surface Trough	Figure 11: GOES GeoColor Shows Dust and Leading Line of Severe Storms	Figure 12: GOES Dust RGB shows dust plume in pink.