ZCZC SATPNSHOU TTAA00 KHOU 282206 PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX 400 PM CST TUE OCT 28 1997 ...SUMMARY OF TORNADO OUTBREAK IN SOUTHEAST TEXAS ON OCTOBER 23... ON THURSDAY OCTOBER 23 A TOTAL OF 11 TORNADOES TOUCHED DOWN IN SOUTHEAST TEXAS CAUSING OVER 2 MILLION DOLLARS IN DAMAGE. THE AVERAGE LEAD TIME BETWEEN THE TIME THE TORNADO WARNING WAS ISSUED AND THE TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN WAS 24 MINUTES. THE LEAD TIME RANGED FROM 4 MINUTES TO 58 MINUTES. THE FIRST TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN AT 200 PM NEAR THE SUGARLAND AIRPORT AND MOVED NORTHEAST AT 30 MPH INTO SUGARLAND. THE LENGTH OF THE TRACK WAS 6 MILES AND THE TORNADO STAYED ON THE GROUND FOR 8 MINUTES. AT ITS GREATEST STRENGTH THE TORNADO WAS ABOUT 1/4 MILE WIDE AND WAS RATED AS A F1 TORNADO. THIS SAME SUPERCELL THUNDERSTORM MOVED ACROSS HARRIS COUNTY AND THE CITY OF HOUSTON BEFORE PRODUCING A SECOND TORNADO BEGINNING ON THE EAST SIDE OF LAKE HOUSTON AT 332 PM. THIS TORNADO WAS ON THE GROUND FOR 12 MILES OR ABOUT 25 MINUTES AS IT MOVED NORTHEAST NORTH OF CROSBY AND EVENTUALLY INTO WESTERN LIBERTY COUNTY. AT ITS STRONGEST POINT NEAR FOLEY ROAD AND DALLAS ROAD THE TORNADO WAS 1/4 MILE WIDE AND WAS RATED AS A F2 TORNADO. THE REMAINDER OF THE PATH THE TORNADO WAS EITHER F0 OR F1 INTENSITY. THE TORNADO DISSIPATED AROUND 357 PM. THIS SAME SUPERCELL PRODUCED TWO MORE SHORT LIVED F0 TORNADOES... ONE NEAR KENEFICK AT 407 PM AND THE OTHER NEAR HARDIN AT 425 PM NORTH OF DAYTON AND LIBERTY IN LIBERTY COUNTY. AT 322 PM A F1 TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN IN NORTHERN WALKER COUNTY NEAR SH 75 NEAR THE WALKER COUNTY/MADISON COUNTY LINE. THIS TORNADO DESTROYED ONE HOME AND SEVERELY DAMAGED A SECOND HOME. THIS TORNADO WAS PRODUCED FROM A SUPERCELL THAT FORMED IN NORTHERN GRIMES COUNTY NEAR BEDIAS. AT 343 PM AN F0 TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN SOUTH OF BELLVILLE IN AUSTIN COUNTY KNOCKING TREES DOWN IN A SHORT AND NARROW PATH. THE SUPERCELL THUNDERSTORM THAT BRIEFLY PRODUCED THE TORNADO IN AUSTIN COUNTY MOVED EAST NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH ACROSS WALLER AND NORTHWEST HARRIS COUNTY BEFORE MOVING INTO SOUTHWEST MONTGOMERY COUNTY. THIS SUPERCELL EVENTUALLY PRODUCED AN F2 TORNADO THAT FIRST TOUCHED DOWN SOUTHWEST OF THE COMMUNITY OF MIDWAY AT 500 PM ALONG HWY 105. THIS TORNADO CROSSED HWY 105 NEAR MIDWAY AND MOVED ACROSS SOUTHERN SAN JACINTO COUNTY BEFORE LIFTING BACK INTO THE CLOUDS NEAR SHEPHERD EAST OF HWY 59. ONCE THE TORNADO LEFT THE COMMUNITY OF MIDWAY IT WAS MAINLY KNOCKING DOWN TREES AND POWER LINES. THIS STORM WAS ON THE GROUND FOR ABOUT 25 MILES IN LENGTH OR APPROXIMATELY ONE HOUR. AS THIS STORM ENTERED INTO SOUTHWEST SAN JACINTO COUNTY THE SUPERCELL SPLIT WITH A SECOND SUPERCELL MOVING NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH. ANOTHER TORNADO (FO) WAS SPAWNED NEAR THE COMMUNITY OF BEAR CREEK ALONG FM 1725 AT 515 PM WHERE TREES AND POWER LINES WERE KNOCKED DOWN AND DAMAGE TO THE BEAR CREEK VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT WAS OBSERVED. ON THE HEELS OF THIS LAST SUPERCELL ANOTHER SUPERCELL MOVED INTO MONTGOMERY COUNTY AND CLOSELY FOLLOWED THE PATH OF THE FIRST SUPERCELL THAT MOVED ACROSS MONTGOMERY COUNTY. THE FIRST TORNADO (FO) TOUCHED DOWN IN CONROE AT 520 PM DAMAGING FLAG POLES AT THE CONROE FOOTBALL STADIUM AND WINDS AT THE CONROE AIRPORT WERE RECORDED FROM THE SOUTH AT 57 MPH AT 522PM. THIS SUPERCELL PRODUCED A SECOND TORNADO THAT MOVED ALONG HWY 105 THROUGH THE COMMUNITY OF CUT AND SHOOT. THIS TORNADO WAS AN F1 TORNADO AND WAS ON THE GROUND FOR 4 MILES. THE SUPERCELL THAT PRODUCED THE TORNADO IN CUT AND SHOOT CONTINUED MOVING EAST UP HWY 105 ACROSS SOUTHERN SAN JACINTO COUNTY AND ALONG THE POLK/LIBERTY COUNTY LINE. GOLFBALL SIZED HAIL WAS REPORTED AT BEAR CREEK AT 545 PM AFTER BEING HIT BY A TORNADO ONLY 30 MINUTES EARLIER. CLEANUP EFFORTS WERE TEMPORARILY HALTED AS PEOPLE WERE FORCED TO TAKE SHELTER FROM THE HAIL. WHEN THIS SUPERCELL MOVED INTO SOUTHERN POLK COUNTY A THIRD TORNADO WAS PRODUCED FROM THIS SAME STORM. THE TORNADO (FO) FIRST TOUCHED DOWN JUST WEST OF SEGNO ON FM 943 AND MOVED NORTHEAST TO NEAR DALLARDSVILLE AND CONTINUED NORTHEAST TO NEAR THE POLK/TYLER COUNTY LINE. THIS STORM WAS ON THE GROUND FOR 10 MILES. GOLFBALL SIZED HAIL WAS ALSO REPORTED WITH THIS STORM. DAMAGE WAS MAINLY CONFINED TO TREES AND POWER LINES. THERE WERE NO DEATHS FROM ANY OF THESE STORMS AND ONLY ONE INJURY THAT WAS REPORTED. ACTUAL DAMAGE AMOUNTS ARE STILL BEING COLLECTED BUT WILL LIKELY APPROACH 2-3 MILLION DOLLARS. A MORE IN DEPTH STUDY OF THIS EVENT WILL BE POSTED ON THE HOUSTON/GALVESTON NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOMEPAGE WITH MAPS SHOWING TRACKS AND PICTURES OF THE RADAR WHEN THE TORNADOES WERE ON THE GROUND. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT BILL READ OR GENE HAFELE AT 281-337-5074.