***PNSAMATX - 5/30/01 3:50:18 PM *** ------------------------------------------------------- NOUS44 KAMA 302050 PNSAMA PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AMARILLO TX 350 PM CDT WED MAY 30 2001 ...PRELIMINARY REPORT ON THE MAY 29 2001 TORNADOES IN THE TEXAS PANHANDLE... SEVERAL TORNADOES OCCURRED IN THE TEXAS PANHANDLE DURING THE LATE AFTERNOON AND EVENING OF MAY 29 2001. THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN AMARILLO HAS CONDUCTED A DAMAGE ASSESSMENT OF THE TORNADOES. THE FINDINGS IN THIS PRELIMINARY REPORT ARE A RESULT OF AN EXTENSIVE DAMAGE ASSESSMENT...ALONG WITH DETAILED REPORTS FROM NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPOTTERS AND OTHER REPUTABLE CHASERS. RANDALL COUNTY...A BRIEF TORNADO TOUCHDOWN OCCURRED A FEW MILES SOUTHWEST OF THE INTERSECTION OF SONCY AND 45TH STREET AROUND 540 PM. THE TORNADO LASTED LESS THAN A MINUTE AND WAS RATED AN F0 BASED ON THE FUJITA DAMAGE SCALE. NO DAMAGE WAS REPORTED WITH THE TORNADO. CARSON COUNTY...5 TORNADOES WERE OBSERVED IN CARSON COUNTY. TORNADO 1...THIS BRIEF F0 TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN NEAR THE POTTER/CARSON COUNTY LINE...ABOUT 4 MILES NORTH OF FM 683 AND FM 293...JUST EAST OF HIGHWAY 136...OR ABOUT 15 MILES NORTHEAST OF AMARILLO. THIS TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN AROUND 655 PM...AND LASTED ABOUT 90 SECONDS WITH NO DAMAGE REPORTED OR OBSERVED. TORNADO 2...THIS BRIEF F0 TORNADO ABOUT 7 MILES NORTHWEST OF PANHANDLE. THIS TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN AROUND 702 PM...LASTING ONLY A MINUTE OR TWO. NO SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE WAS REPORTED OR OBSERVED. TORNADO 3...THIS VERY BRIEF F0 TORNADO LASTED LESS THAN A MINUTE AS A DUST WHIRL WAS OBSERVED UNDER A LARGE ROTATING FUNNEL. THE TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN AROUND 707 PM. AGAIN...NO SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE WAS REPORTED OR OBSERVED. TORNADO 4...THIS TORNADO BEGAN AS A SMALL MULTI VORTEX TORNADO ABOUT 3 MILES NORTH OF PANHANDLE AROUND 715PM. AS THE TORNADO MOVED EAST THE TORNADO BECAME A LARGE TORNADO AS IT CROSSED HIGHWAY 60 ABOUT 4 MILES WEST OF WHITE DEER. THE TORNADO WAS LAST OBSERVED ABOUT 2 MILES WEST OF WHITE DEER AROUND 745 PM. THE TORNADO DESTROYED AND OFFICE BUILDING ASSOCIATED WITH A GRAIN ELEVATOR...UNROOFED AND SEVERELY DAMAGED A NEARBY HOME...AND TOSSED A PICKUP AND SUBURBAN ABOUT 50 AND 100 YARDS RESPECTIVELY. SEVERAL CATTLE AND ONE HORSE WERE REPORTED KILLED OR INJURED FROM THE TORNADO. AS MANY AS 50 POWER POLES AND TRANSMISSION LINES WERE BROUGHT DOWN FROM THE STORM. ALTHOUGH PRELIMINARY...THIS TORNADO APPEARED TO HAVE REACHED F3 INTENSITY AND WAS REPORTED AT ONE POINT TO BE NEARLY ONE HALF MILE WIDE. HOWEVER...THE DAMAGE PATH WAS ESTIMATED CLOSER TO ONE QUARTER MILE WIDE. THIS WOULD BE THE FIRST F3 IN THE TEXAS PANHANDLE SINCE JUNE 1997. TORNADO 5...THIS F0 TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN AROUND 724 PM...ABOUT 3 MILES SOUTHEAST OF CONWAY...JUST NORTH OF THE CARSON/ARMSTRONG COUNTY LINE. THE TORNADO LASTED ABOUT TWO MINUTES. NO DAMAGE WAS REPORTED OR OBSERVED. IT HAS YET TO BE DETERMINED IF THERE WAS A SEPARATE TORNADO THAT OCCURRED IN THE CONWAY VICINITY AND IF THERE WAS A TORNADO IN NORTHERN HANSFORD COUNTY. QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS REGARDING THIS PRELIMINARY REPORT SHOULD BE DIRECTED TO STEVE DRILLETTE OR JOSE GARCIA OF THE AMARILLO NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AT 806 335-1121.