The Jarrell, TX, F5 Tornado of May 27, 1997: A Case Study

In-depth meteorological discussion of the central Texas tornado outbreak of May 27, 1997, that featured the infamous and deadly Jarrell, TX, F5. We'll discuss the meteorology behind the event and dive into some of the reasons why an environment that was initially unfavorable for significant tornadoes produced one of the more notable tornado outbreaks in recent memory.

Chapters:
0:00 Introduction
2:53 Meteorological discussion
28:37 Unusual southwestward storm motion
34:54 Jarrell tornado formation mechanisms
46:53 Possible storm merger
49:28 Summary

Resources:

[tornadostories]

Seeing footage of Jarrell is very eerie. It just doesn't move. It sits on a few acres and just grinds them to dust. Tragic what happened to those poor families. RIP.

[urmailman]

Our middle school was on a Texas history trip (down from Plano) and stayed at a motel nearby Jarrell the very same day. I was 12. I remember being in the motel parking lot and not being able to see past the parking lot because the atmosphere was so black. Like walls of black surrounded the motel...like nothing existed beyond the black (still kinda haunts me to this day) The lighting was so intense and ill never forget the fear I saw in one of the teachers faces when we were told to go inside. There is no doubt we narrowly escaped this tornado and I am so lucky to be typing this now. Us kids had no idea the severity of it. Big thanks to the teachers for keeping us calm. God bless

[lauraweiss]

I am that person who has loved meteorology since I was ten tears old (that was in 1973!) but was told it’s “not a career for girls!” (Can you imagine that being said now?) I became a paralegal (safe for females, apparently), but I continue to love learning about the atmosphere and weather on a technical level. Thank you SO much for uploading these videos. You know, you just can’t find people who want to discuss things like wet-bulb temperatures and pressure gradients in the legal world.

[scarpfish]

One of the most infamous storms of all time and from a meteorology standpoint quite possibly the strangest. All the usual rules went out the window that day.

[savannahellingson]

The way you make your case study is sincerely the most comprehensive and thoughtful presentation I’ve ever seen. You should be a professor of meteorology, many students would learn so much from you and the knowledge you have is unparalleled.

Thank you for this video.

[iandouglas]

Sweet mother it is here! I remember seeing the national news when this occured and the scenes of the Double Creek Estates neighborhood. The most complete devastation I have seen. Thank you Trey for taking the time and effort you put into this and all your vids.

[hlladvocate]

I was a kid at the time in north Austin, I might forget something from my childhood, but this day I'll never forget

[MaryYoungblood-xyvg]

I lived through that event as a resident of Leander/Cedar Park. I helped Buttercup Creek residents clean up after the tornado. Thank you for teaching how the events came together to create this event.

[tonguecutsparrow]

Seriously, Trey - I know I'm just probably another voice heaping praise on your wonderful work, but I am truly thankful for the content you're creating. No need to bore you or anyone else with my life history and fascination with severe weather, but I just want you to know that all the time and effort you put into these breakdowns is worth it; I've been looking for this kind of content since I was but a wee lad. I'm so thankful that your channel exists. As soon as I can financially support it, I will.

Take care of yourself and your loved ones and hope you have a wonderful New Year!

[cubby]

It almost seemed like some sort of freak accident. The damage that tornado did was unbelievable. Possibly 320+ mph winds near the surface.

[thillwl]

I was in Austin that day. The humidity was oppressive; it was hard just to breathe.

[Rhi_wx]

Great analysis, Trey, as always! I love these events that aren't textbook, great opportunity for learning! Such a fascinating event.

[ullrich]

Man, this is in depth stuff. I'm just now beginning to wrap my head around "normal" or classic supercell tornadogensis, but this is wild. I honestly have a difficult time visualizing what happened here.

Thanks for putting so much time into all of these!

[danielwieten]

The more I learn from watching your case studies and forecasts, the more I find myself revisiting these older videos. It’s amazing how much better I understand everything. I moved to Texas two years ago and live about a half hour from Jarrell, and I’ve been obsessed with the tornado ever since. We visited the memorial site last summer. Bittersweet, fascinating, and creepy.

[groundtruth]

I was 3 when this happened. One of my earliest memories is of this event. We were living in Canyon Lake Texas. My dad was working in San Marcos and shot home when word of the F5 got to him. The system kept making tornadoes. He got home as the system went mostly linear and passed over us.

[petraperez]

This was so incredibly informative. Your channel is one of the best out there. I learn so much, thank you!

[SimonGruberSays]

This video is excellent. This is the level of detail I want to see of a severe weather event, especially one as historic as this.

[betterthanmost]

That opening clip of the jarrel tornado is the holy grail clip. I came across it once online and it shows the tornado over double creek estates. I saved the video but now when I try to access it it says its private. I believe KWTX had the clip on their channel at one point in time.

[cameronwood]

What a phenomenal analysis of this event! Definitely the best meteorological overview of the Jarrell tornado that I’ve seen. Content like this makes me want to change my major to meteorology, haha. Thank you for all the work you put into these and looking forward to watching all your future videos! You are awesome. Stay warm!

[EverydayLJnz]

Oooh this is an early christmas present!!! Thanks for the video Trey.. Looking forward to watching this after work! Have a good christmas!!