NWS assessing damage after at least 4 tornadoes spawn overnight

SAN ANTONIO (KTSA News) — The National Weather Service is assessing the damage after severe storms spawned at least four tornadoes in Central Texas on Monday evening.

Reports of tornadoes stretched from Central Texas up to North Texas, where the Associated Press reports one person was killed and 10 others injured in Grayson County.

According to CBS News, in Jacksboro, Texas, early estimates are that 80 homes were damaged and a school was hit as they were dismissing for the day.

Meteorologist Mack Morris said the NWS in Austin/San Antonio is investigating at least four tornadoes, but investigations at each of the sites of possible tornadic activity will paint a clearer picture about the storms that rolled through the I-35 corridor during rush hour on Monday.

The NWS shared publicly they are investigating at least six regions that include a track from Round Rock to Granger, up I-35 through Jarrell, through Elgin, through Giddings, near Wimberley and a track near Seguin to Luling.

Guadalupe County Judge Kyle Kutscher declared a disaster proclamation for the county for the next seven days as county officials survey the damage.

According to Seguin Today, at least three homes were destroyed near Kingsbury by a tornado reported around 5:15 p.m. All three of the homes were on Appling Road and Wood Center.

The surveying process includes evaluating all of the locations damaged in the storms and determining the type of damage inflicted, what wind speeds would be required to result to create the type of damage done, evaluating the point of damage along a path to determine the width and length of the path of the possible tornado, and determining the strength of the winds, Morris said.

This process becomes more difficult the more heavily populated an area is because there are more targets of damage to the survey, Morris said, noting meteorologists will likely have to visit Round Rock multiple times because of the higher quantity of data needed to study.

Guadalupe County property owners who sustained damage from Monday’s storm is asked to email the Emergency Management Office at [email protected] with name, address, phone number(s), whether you have insurance, description of damages and estimated value of the damage.