Bentonville Tornado - Monday August 27, 2007

By Jason Runyen, Ron Morales, and John Metz

General Weather Summary

A weak mid level trough of low pressure was situated over South Central Texas on Monday August 27, 2007 with a surface ridge to the east. Deep tropical moisture with precipitable water values in excess of 2.00 inches was already in position over the Coastal Bend. Daytime heating, enhanced by forcing from the mid level trough and difluence aloft, resulted in scattered showers and thunderstorms over the Texas Coastal Plains on August 27. Showers developed along the coast during the morning hours, and moved slowly northwest through midday. These showers moved over the Corpus Christi International Airport and produced 0.80 inches of precipitation.
  Tornado Event and Impacts

At 1656Z (1156 am CDT), radar indicated a narrow band of precipitation from just east of Kingsville to Agua Dulce. The storm cell on the northern end of this line produced the tornado as it crossed the Nueces and Jim Wells county line. Radar indicated a developing thunderstorm at this location with very weak rotation at the 3.3 and 4.2 elevation scans (8 to 10,000 feet above the ground).

 

 

 
 

The tornado briefly touched down on the property of a local homeowner along County Road 336, located 2.5 miles south of Bentonville, causing damage to trees, a storage shed, and a trampoline. The tornado crossed the roadway and flattened the stalks of a grain field that was already cut. Sheet metal from a storage shed was blown in a westerly direction about 100 yards into the field. Based on the damage to grain field and photos of the tornado from a local photographer, the tornado was estimated to be 25 yards wide, and was on the ground for approximately 100 yards.




See SPC Storm Report Plot




Upper Air Data

 

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