Two tornadoes touched down in Donley County last Friday, December 14, and made the record books not for their severity but for their rarity.
Clarendon Fire Chief Jeremy Powell said the weather service noted that the two twisters were the only ones recorded to have touched down in the month of December in the Amarillo area since 1950.
Weather officials categorized the tornadoes as EF-0 in strength with winds up to 80 mph.
Produced by a fast moving storm, the first twister touched down at 4:53 p.m. five miles southeast of Clarendon near the residence of Ernest Barbee. The storm blew half the shingles off the Barbee house, and ripped the doors and part of the roof off a barn. Outbuildings were flattened, but a nearby trampoline was unmoved.
The storm produced another twister five minutes later one mile north northwest of Lelia Lake near the home of Larry Helms. The tornado damaged trees and said irrigation pipe was tossed around.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.