1997 Jarrell tornado

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3⁄4 mile (1.2 km). Post-event surveys and eyewitness accounts have suggested that the tornado began to slow its pace, which contributed to the extremely violent damage observed there. [13] [18]

The growing tornado as seen from the Interstate. 1997 Jarrell tornado KXAN2.jpg
The growing tornado as seen from the Interstate.

The tornado immediately began to destroy structures and homes as it hit multiple smaller streets at the northeastern edge of the Estates. The exact time of this is unknown, but timekeeping devices [15] and synced videos have shown that this most likely happened at 3:48 p.m. [13]

The entire Double Creek Estates sustained high-end F5 damage as the tornado lingered. Structures in the center of the tornado were subjected to extreme winds for three minutes due to the "stalling" pattern of the tornado, which likely exacerbated the damage. Multiple well-built homes on Double Creek Drive were completely swept away and clean slabs were left with lack of any large debris. [19] [13] Some foundations were partially scoured and several had lost all of their sill plates. [20] [21] [18]

The tornado as it was impacting the Double Creek Estates. Jarrell tornado as it hit F5.jpg
The tornado as it was impacting the Double Creek Estates.

The tornado was heavily documented during this phase, and was most likely at its most visible point. Grassy fields in this area also sustained extreme ground scouring of up to 18 inches (46 cm). [22] As a result of this, the path was heavily studied due to its visibility and scarring into the ground. [22] [13]

Cars were picked up by the tornado and mangled beyond recognition, at least six cars were found over 300 yards (270 m) away with heavy damage. Many were never recovered, and are presumed to have been "ground up" in the intensity of the tornado. Trees nearby were stripped clean of all bark, and one tree was documented having an electrical cord piercing through its trunk. [13]

Three entire families were killed in this area: the Igo Family (five members), the Smith Family (three members) and the Moehring Family (four members). [23]

Damage to Jarrell

A slabbed house in Jarrell. Slabbed house F5 Jarrell Texas.jpg
A slabbed house in Jarrell.

Thirty-eight structures were obliterated in the Double Creek Estates. [13] Three businesses adjacent to Double Creek Estates were also destroyed. In total, the tornado dealt $10–20 million in damage to the neighborhood. The tornado turned slightly towards the south-southwest after traversing Double Creek Estates. [24] [13]

The tornado then traversed County Road 396, inflicting F4+ damage (area was never accurately surveyed), destroying structures in its path and denuding trees. It tracked through a field, causing deep ground scouring before Land Cemetery Road, destroying a cemetery in the process at an unknown intensity. [25]

Dissipation

The track left by the tornado; the dissipation point can be seen in the group of trees in the top-left of the image. Jarrell tornado aerial survey 03.jpg
The track left by the tornado; the dissipation point can be seen in the group of trees in the top-left of the image.

The damage in these areas was extremely sporadic and unusual; and in one case, a mobile home suffered only minor damage while an adjacent house lost half of its roof. Metal buildings were unroofed along County Road 305 south of Jarrell. The road's guardrail was impaled by wooden planks thrown by the strong winds.

The tornado then again crossed County Road 305. [26] [13] It began to track parallel to Spears Ranch Road, before beginning to rapidly weaken. It hit a few more houses at an unknown intensity, and hit Appaloosa Cove Road before taking on a "pencil" shape and finally dissipating. [27] The NCEI concluded that it had lifted at 3:53 p.m. after remaining on the ground for 13 minutes and traversing 5.1 miles (8.2 km). [27] [13]

The path itself was extremely unusual, as it tracked southwestward, instead of northeastward, which is the path that tornadoes normally take. Other tornadoes in the outbreak also took southerly paths. [13]

Aftermath

The area around Double Creek Estates in the aftermath of the tornado. Jarrell double creek estates F5 damage.jpg
The area around Double Creek Estates in the aftermath of the tornado.

In the six days following the event, the Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorological Services and Supporting Research (OOTCFMSASR) conducted multiple surveys from the air and on the ground to survey the track of the tornado and the damage caused by it. The Texas branch of the Civil Air Patrol also helped, and in the end the tornado garnered an F5 rating, which was challenged by the NIST. [5]

The tornado knocked out power in Jarrell, effectively stunting communications between EMS and residents. Cell phones were not functional, and the loved ones of residents became increasingly concerned due to an inability to communicate. [28]

Emergency services were quick to arrive in Jarrell, and the damage was so intense that they almost drove past Double Creek Estates, unaware that houses had stood there. The Double Creek Estates subdivision quickly became the focal point of search-and-rescue and recovery efforts, which were aided by civilians and volunteer workers. [28]

Support came in from all over the country, and millions of dollars were donated to aid Jarrell. Texas Governor George W. Bush visited Jarrell days after the tornado and stated that the "damage was mind-boggling." [29]

Search-and-rescue operations

A destroyed structure in Jarrell after the tornado. Tornado damage in Jarrell, 1997.jpg
A destroyed structure in Jarrell after the tornado.

In the minutes after the tornado, emergency management, police, and other volunteers began search-and-rescue operations in Jarrell. Many different agencies aided in the search-and-rescue process, including the Texas Department of Public Safety Police, Texas National Guard, and other smaller agencies. [30] Relief operations, which covered 211 homes and persons damaged or wounded in the tornado, cost an estimated $250,000; community donations covered at least $200,000 of the expenses. [30]

The Jarrell Volunteer Fire Department organized a temporary morgue. Although a death toll of 30 people was initially reported, that figure was later revised to a final tally of 27. [30]

Rebuilding

County Road 305 and Double Creek Drive have been repaved multiple times since the event. Many businesses have rebuilt and returned to normalcy, while other lots that were completely wiped away in the tornado were abandoned.

A memorial park, which includes twenty-seven trees to commemorate the victims and two baseball fields, was built on land donated by relatives of the Igo family, who all perished in the tornado. Many residents who had initially remained in the aftermath of the tornado later moved away due to rebuilding costs and other factors. Many residents did stay, although the population has not grown much since the event. [31]

Fatalities

A memorial for the victims of the tornado, and another tornado that hit Jarrell in 1989 Jarrell Memorial to Tornado Victims.jpg
A memorial for the victims of the tornado, and another tornado that hit Jarrell in 1989

Out of the 131 residents who lived in or near Double Creek Estates, 27 were killed. The remains of these people were found at over 30 locations, and the majority of the deaths were reported in the [32] Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report as being caused by bodily and head trauma and one fatality was reported to have been caused by asphyxia. Bodily remains were later found at 30 locations, and the physical trauma inflicted on some of the tornado victims was so extreme that first responders reportedly had difficulty distinguishing human remains from the remains of animals at the site. [33] [21]

The sheer strength and intensity of the tornado, as it was in Jarrell, gave the people in its direct path little time to get to safety. Most of the homes that were located in Double Creek Estates at the time were constructed on a slab foundation and lacked of a basement. Up to nineteen people had sought refuge in a single storm cellar. [34]

Many residents of the Double Creek Estates had still followed the recommended safety procedures, but were still killed because of the strength of the tornado. [35] Some people had chose to evacuate ahead of the tornado, which may have saved lives. Despite the near-complete destruction of houses on the edge of the tornado, some walls were left standing, protecting several residents. [36] One survivor holed up in a bathtub and was flung several hundred feet from her house onto a road. [35] [13]

Around 300 cattle grazing in a nearby pasture were killed and some were found 0.25 miles (400 m) away. Hundreds of these bodies were found dismembered, lacking limbs, decapitated or skinned. [37] [24]

13 people were reported to have been admitted to a hospital after the event, and one person died there. Most of the wounded had abrasions and lacerations due to debris from the tornado. [24] Nine families in Jarrell had more than one member die in the tornado, and the youngest victim was five years old. [24]

After the tornado, multiple residents of Jarrell were interviewed about the tornado and the actions that they took. Many said they were aware of the tornado warnings, and the majority said that they first learned of the warnings through commercial television. [38]

Due to the slow movement and high visibility of the tornado, most of the residents interviewed said they watched the approach of the tornadoes prior to taking shelter. Most said they knew to go to the center of their houses, to avoid staying in mobile homes, and to seek shelter rather than trying to flee the tornadoes. These actions would have saved lives, but in the case of Jarrell tornado became useless. [38]

Documentation

The tornado was heavily documented during its lifetime, making it a focal point of research for the NWS and other weather agencies. Multiple videos exist of the tornado, showing the fast rotation and heavy debris cloud that engulfed the tornado during its maximum strength.

"Dead Man Walking" photograph

The singular iconic "dead man walking" photograph from Scott Beckwith's infamous photo sequence. The left "leg" and "scythe" can be seen forming. Dead Man Walking Jarrell 1997.jpg
The singular iconic "dead man walking" photograph from Scott Beckwith's infamous photo sequence. The left "leg" and "scythe" can be seen forming.

The Jarrell tornado was the subject of one of the most famous pieces of tornado media ever taken, now known as the "Dead Man Walking". Scott Beckwith took the famous photograph, which has become notorious for closely resembling the grim reaper. [39]

The image consists of the tornado, shrouded in debris, with two vortexes making "leg" shapes near the bottom of the tornado, giving it the appearance of walking. [40]

A video does exist from around the same time the photo was taken, showing the "walking" pattern. [40] The image has been widely called an example of pareidolia. [41] It is one of 8 photographs taken in a sequence as the tornado grew in size.

The photo has received international mainstream attention and has gained it and many other similar tornadoes the nickname of the "Dead Man Walking tornado". [2] Many other spin-off images have been produced, including a photograph of the 2013 El Reno tornado. "Dead man walking" tornadoes are now generally referred to multi-vortex tornadoes with "legs", but the Jarrell tornado helped popularize the term. [40]

Videos

Multiple famous videos have been taken of the tornado, including one by photojournalist Scott Guest, who captured the earlier tornadoes and main tornado forming. [42] Many videos of the entire event exist, and all have been heavily studied.

Other media

In the aftermath of the tornado, multiple books and publications were released, which detail the stories of survivors. A documentary, titled "The Jarrell Tornado: 20 Years Later" was released in 2017, and shows footage from Scott Guest and Tim Marshall, both of whom were photographers and videographers in Jarrell during the event. [43]

Damage

The path of the tornado as it went through Jarrell. The destroyed Double Creek Estates can be seen in the center. Jarrell tornado path.jpg
The path of the tornado as it went through Jarrell. The destroyed Double Creek Estates can be seen in the center.

Between May 29 and June 1, the Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorological Services and Supporting Research carried out aerial and ground surveys of the tornadic damage in Texas in coordination with the Texas Wing Civil Air Patrol.

The Jarrell tornado damage was classified as F5 severity throughout most of the tornado's path. [44] Approximately $40 million in damage was inflicted upon property with another $100,000 inflicted upon crops. Twelve people were injured by the storm in addition to the twenty-seven killed. [45]

Remains of a home adjacent to the Double Creek Estates subdivision Double Creek Estates Damage 1997 Jarrell.jpg
Remains of a home adjacent to the Double Creek Estates subdivision

Due to the unusual southwestward motion of the thunderstorm that caused the tornado, the sequence of weather events experienced by those affected was in the opposite order of typical tornadic events: the tornado arrived first, followed by the hail, wind, and rain of the parent thunderstorm. [46]

Despite the violence of the tornado and the presence of its associated mesocyclone aloft, the thunderstorm did not exhibit a distinct hook echo on weather radar typically associated with such tornadoes. This may have also been caused by the unusual southwestward motion of the thunderstorm, resulting in the tornado's placement in an atypical position relative to the thunderstorm's motion.

Reactions

Then-governor of Texas George W. Bush [29] declared Williamson County a disaster area, and during a visit to Jarrell on May 28, stated that "it was the worst tornado I've ever seen". [47] U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison also visited Jarrell and Cedar Park. Bush later requested federal aid for Williamson and Bell counties with support from Hutchinson. [47]

The Federal Emergency Management Agency elected not to provide federal aid, citing the contributions from private and state sources. Instead, the Small Business Administration and U.S. Department of Agriculture made available loans for the rebuilding of homes, farms, and ranches. [47]

Case studies

Multiple in-depth studies have been conducted on the tornado, which detail what happened on May 27, and what caused the outbreak and subsequent Jarrell tornado to unfold.

American Meteorological Society (AMS)

The American Meteorological Society (AMS) conducted a case study on the event. [48] It discussed the meteorological conditions that caused the event and the significance of the Jarrell tornado. [48]

National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)

A poorly-built home in Jarrell that was swept off its foundation. The NIST noted that the structural integrity of buildings was not taken into consideration when rating the tornado. Jarrell tornado F5 house damage.jpg
A poorly-built home in Jarrell that was swept off its foundation. The NIST noted that the structural integrity of buildings was not taken into consideration when rating the tornado.

A case study and critique was published by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), which covered the structural damage caused by the tornado and the track that it left. The NIST also published a detailed critique of the Fujita Scale as a direct result of the Jarrell tornado, which was at the time rated an F5. The critique stated that:

"We ascribe the NWS rating to the failure of the Fujita tornado intensity scale to account explicitly for the dependence of wind speeds causing specified types of damage or destruction upon the following two structural engineering factors: (1) quality of construction, defined as degree of conformity to applicable standards requirements, and (2) the basic design wind speed at the geographical location of interest." [20]

The NIST had claimed that the Fujita Scale failed to account for critical pointers in the assessment of the Jarrell tornado. The case study concluded that some of the homes at Double Creek Estates did have small structural integrity issues, [5] which includes factors such as a lack of sufficient anchor bolts and steel straps in the house foundations. [5] After the critique was published, the rating was kept as an F5.

University of Wisconsin-Madison

The University of Wisconsin-Madison also published a case study on the event, authored by Andrew Mankowski, which detailed the weather conditions that caused the tornado to form and how it became as violent as it was. The study said that:

"From a synoptic view the main feature was a cold front pushing its way south into Texas. Frontogenesis helped aid in forcing some of the upward vertical motions. From the Gulf of Mexico came a southerly low-level jet bringing warm moist air. This warm moist air from the LLJ helped destabilize the air. The air was already highly unstable with CAPE values reaching 6,000 J/kg." [49]

According to Mankowski, the CAPE values in the atmosphere at the time and was extremely unstable, contributing to directional shear which formed the supercells. This caused the violent rotation that eventually produced the Jarrell tornado, and the subsequent strength of the tornado.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which is a U.S. government-affiliated disease control group, produced a study on the casualties of the tornado, which included in-depth explanations of the injuries sustained to the bodies of victims, lengths of hospital stays, among other things. The study and survey concluded that:

"A total of 33 persons presented to six area hospitals for treatment of injuries sustained directly or indirectly by the three tornadoes. Of these 33 persons, 13 (39%) had multiple diagnoses. The categories of injuries included lacerations (18 {55%}), contusions (15 {46%}), abrasions (10 {30%}), strains/sprains/muscle spasms (six {18%}), fractures (two {6%}), penetrating wound (one {3%}), and closed-head injury (one {3%}). The median age of the injured persons was 38 years (range: 1-75 years)." [50]

The case study had also noted the lack of shelters causing multiple of the deaths, and recommended that more storm shelters be installed in Jarrell. [51] Had shelters been implemented before the tornado, many more lives may have been potentially saved, and the tornado showed the importance of storm shelters.

Other studies

Many other groups and organizations did small case studies and surveys in the wake of the tornado, which include the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) [52] and the Regional and Mesocale Meteorology Branch (RaMMB). [53] A small case study by the NOAA had concluded that the Emergency Alert System (EAS) was not activated in a timely manner to warn about the tornado. [24] Many warning systems had also failed, and the study recommended that emergency alerts and tornado warnings be issued earlier. [24]

The tornado was one of the most well-documented F5 tornadoes that hit before the 2000s, and many photos and videos exist of the tornado as the event unfolded, and the respective aftermath:

Damage

Jarrell tornado ground scouring.jpg
Deep ground scouring caused by the tornado
Double Creek Estates tornado damage.png
A tree near the Double Creek Estates which sustained F5 damage
Double Creek Estates tornado damage2.png
F5 damage to the Double Creek Estates, a slabbed house is visible
Jarrell F5 pavement scouring.jpg
Pavement scouring near the Double Creek Estates
Jarrell 1997 vehicle damage.jpg
A heavily damaged vehicle sitting atop the rubble at the Estates
A slabbed house in Double Creek Estates.jpg
A house in the Double Creek Estates that was slabbed at F5 intensity

Tornado

Jarrell tornado 1997.jpg
The tornado at F5 intensity as it approached Double Creek Estates
Jarrell tornado at F5 intensity2.jpg
The strengthening tornado
Jarrell tornado up close 1997.jpg
The tornado near Double Creek Estates, up close

See also

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tornadoes of 1953</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">1999 Loyal Valley tornado</span> 1999 F4 tornado in Texas

During the afternoon of May 11, 1999, a violent, multiple-vortex tornado struck areas around the community of Loyal Valley in Texas, killing one person. The tornado, rated a high-end F4 on the Fujita scale, caused extreme damage along its relatively short path. Meteorologist Bill Hecke of KNCT-FM stated the tornado's intensity rivaled the Bridge Creek–Moore F5 tornado, which had struck Oklahoma a week prior, and the 1997 Jarrell F5 tornado.

References

  1. ↑ Osborn, Claire; Easterly, Greg; Ward, Pamela (May 28, 1997). "Nearly destroyed in '89, Jarrell is slammed again". Austin American-Statesman. Austin, Texas. pp. A1, A10. Retrieved April 8, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
  2. 1 2 Patterson, Kaley PattersonKaley (2024-04-15). "Ever Heard of the 'Dead Man Walking' Tornado?". KLAW 101. Retrieved 2024-05-12.
  3. ↑ "'Hold on tight': 25 years since the Jarrell, TX tornado outbreak". KXAN Austin. 2022-05-23. Retrieved 2024-05-10.
  4. ↑ "Corfidi's Jarrell paper (19th SLSC)". www.spc.noaa.gov. Retrieved 2024-05-10.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Texas Event Report: F5 Tornado. Storm Events Database (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
  6. ↑ Corfidi, Stephen F. (July 1998). Some Thoughts On the Role Mesoscale Features Played in the 27 May 1997 Central Texas Tornado Outbreak. 19th Severe Local Storms Conference. Minneapolis, Minnesota: Storm Prediction Center . Retrieved April 7, 2021.
  7. ↑ Henderson et al. (1998), p. A9.
  8. ↑ Henderson et al. (1998), p. 3.
  9. ↑ Henderson et al. (1998), p. 1.
  10. 1 2 3 "May 1997 Tornado Outbreak" (PDF). New Braunfels, Texas: National Weather Service. May 2017. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
  11. ↑ Harmon, Dave (May 28, 1997). "'Like a war zone'". Austin American-Statesman. Austin, Texas. pp. A1, A12. Retrieved April 8, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
  12. ↑ "Tornadoes kill 30 in Central Texas". El Paso Times. El Paso, Texas. Associated Press. May 28, 1997. p. 1A. Retrieved April 8, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 "Tornado Archive Data Explorer - Tornado Archive". tornadoarchive.com. Retrieved 2024-05-13.
  14. ↑ "The Tornadoes of May 27, 1997". Jarrell-Tornado-Anniversary. Fort Worth, Texas: National Weather Service Fort Worth/Dallas, TX. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
  15. 1 2 Texas Event Report: F2 Tornado. Storm Events Database (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
  16. ↑ "May 1997 Tornado Outbreak" (PDF). New Braunfels, Texas: National Weather Service. May 2017. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
  17. ↑ "Stormtrack Magazine: Jarrell, Texas Tornado Expanded Edition" (PDF). Stormtrack. 21 (1). 1997.
  18. 1 2 Verhovek, Sam Howe (May 29, 1997). "Little Is Left in Wake of Savage Tornado". The New York Times. New York. p. A1. Retrieved April 10, 2021.
  19. ↑ "May 1997 Tornado Outbreak" (PDF). New Braunfels, Texas: National Weather Service. May 2017. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
  20. 1 2 Phan, Long T.; Simiu, Emil (1998-07-01). "Fujita Tornado Intensity Scale: A Critique Based on Observations of the Jarrell Tornado of May 27, 1997 (NIST TN 1426)". NIST.
  21. 1 2 "May 27, 1997 — the Jarrell, Texas Tornado". 24 November 2012.
  22. 1 2 "May 1997 Tornado Outbreak" (PDF). New Braunfels, Texas: National Weather Service. May 2017. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
  23. ↑ Rucker, Hanna (May 25, 2022). "Three families killed in the 1997 Jarrell tornado are buried together in Georgetown". kvue.com. KVUE. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  24. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Storm Data" (PDF). Storm Data. 39 (5). Asheville, North Carolina: National Climatic Data Center. May 1997. ISSN   0039-1972 . Retrieved April 7, 2021– via National Centers for Environmental Information.[ permanent dead link ]
  25. ↑ "Tornado Archive Data Explorer - Tornado Archive". tornadoarchive.com. Retrieved 2024-05-15.
  26. ↑ Harmon, Dave (May 28, 1997). "'Like a war zone'". Austin American-Statesman. Austin, Texas. pp. A1, A12. Retrieved April 8, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
  27. 1 2 "May 1997 Tornado Outbreak" (PDF). New Braunfels, Texas: National Weather Service. May 2017. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
  28. 1 2 "First responders reflect on recovery efforts during 1997 Jarrell tornado". kvue.com. 2022-05-24. Retrieved 2024-05-15.
  29. 1 2 "After an F-5 tornado hit Jarrell in 1997, then-Gov. George W. Bush visited to survey the damage". kvue.com. 2022-05-24. Retrieved 2024-05-15.
  30. 1 2 3 "Article clipped from Austin American-Statesman". Austin American-Statesman. 1997-05-29. p. 1. Retrieved 2024-05-17.
  31. ↑ "May 27, 1997 — the Jarrell, Texas Tornado". 24 November 2012.
  32. ↑ Schuman, Shawn (November 23, 2023). "May 27, 1997 — The Jarrell, Texas Tornado". stormstalker.wordpress.com. Wordpress. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  33. ↑ Rucker, Hanna (May 25, 2022). "Three families killed in the 1997 Jarrell tornado are buried together in Georgetown". kvue.com. KVUE. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  34. ↑ Beach, Patrick (May 29, 1997). "Jarrell's toll 27; 23 still missing". Austin American-Statesman. Austin, Texas. pp. A1, A21. Retrieved April 10, 2021.
  35. 1 2 Beach, Patrick (June 1, 1997). "Their roots held". Austin American-Statesman. Austin, Texas. pp. A1, A20–A21. Retrieved April 10, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
  36. ↑ "Storm Data" (PDF). Storm Data. 39 (5). Asheville, North Carolina: National Climatic Data Center. May 1997. ISSN   0039-1972 . Retrieved April 7, 2021– via National Centers for Environmental Information.[ permanent dead link ]
  37. ↑ "May 1997 Tornado Outbreak" (PDF). New Braunfels, Texas: National Weather Service. May 2017. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
  38. 1 2 "The central Texas tornadoes of May 27, 1997". repository.library.noaa.gov. Retrieved 2024-05-17.
  39. ↑ "The TIME Vault: June 9, 1997". TIME.com. Retrieved 2023-06-29.
  40. 1 2 3 Edge, The Professor On (2020-06-14). "(A preview of) Meteorology and Myth Part VII: "The Dead Man Walking"". From Equatorial Icecaps to Polar Deserts. Retrieved 2023-06-29.
  41. ↑ "The TIME Vault: June 9, 1997". TIME.com. Retrieved 2023-06-29.
  42. ↑ "In his own words, KVUE photojournalist recalls 1997 Jarrell tornado and how it affected him". kvue.com. 2022-05-27. Retrieved 2024-05-11.
  43. ↑ KVUE (2017-05-27). Jarrell Tornado: 20 years later | KVUE . Retrieved 2024-06-02– via YouTube.
  44. ↑ Osborn, Claire; Easterly, Greg; Ward, Pamela (May 28, 1997). "Nearly destroyed in '89, Jarrell is slammed again". Austin American-Statesman. Austin, Texas. pp. A1, A10. Retrieved April 8, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
  45. ↑ Schuman, Shawn (November 23, 2023). "May 27, 1997 — The Jarrell, Texas Tornado". stormstalker.wordpress.com. Wordpress. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  46. ↑ "May 1997 Tornado Outbreak" (PDF). New Braunfels, Texas: National Weather Service. May 2017. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
  47. 1 2 3 "'Hold on tight': 25 years since the Jarrell, TX tornado outbreak". KXAN Austin. 2022-05-23. Retrieved 2024-05-11.
  48. 1 2 Houston, Adam L.; Wilhelmson, Robert B. (2007-03-01). "Observational Analysis of the 27 May 1997 Central Texas Tornadic Event. Part II: Tornadoes". Monthly Weather Review. 135 (3): 727–735. Bibcode:2007MWRv..135..727H. doi:10.1175/MWR3301.1. ISSN   1520-0493.
  49. ↑ Andrew, Mankowski. "University of Wisconsin Case Study Jarrell 1997" (PDF). The Jarrell Tornado of May 27, 1997.
  50. ↑ "Tornado Disaster -- Texas, May 1997". www.cdc.gov. Retrieved 2024-05-14.
  51. ↑ "Tornado Disaster -- Texas, May 1997". www.cdc.gov. Retrieved 2024-05-15.
  52. ↑ Houston, Adam L.; Wilhelmson, Robert B. (2007-03-01). "Observational Analysis of the 27 May 1997 Central Texas Tornadic Event. Part II: Tornadoes". Monthly Weather Review. 135 (3): 727–735. Bibcode:2007MWRv..135..727H. doi:10.1175/MWR3301.1. ISSN   1520-0493.
  53. ↑ "RaMMB2".

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1997 Jarrell tornado
Jarrell tornado wedge phase.jpg
Jarrell 1997 NEXRAD scan.gif
Extreme vehicle damage Jarrell May 27.jpg
Jarrell tornado aerial survey 02.jpg
Counterclockwise from top: The rapidly intensifying tornado, the radar scan showing the tornado, an aerial view of the tornado track at Double Creek Estates and a mangled car in Jarrell
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