Tornados in Austin? (Houston, Round Rock, Cedar Park: apartment, university, tornado)

[CptnRn]

My Mom called to see if we were OK after hearing a news report in AZ that there had been tornados in Austin. The paper describes some around Jonah, damaging 20 buildings and taking out power. Was that the extent of the tornados?

In 32 years in Austin I have only seen one tornado, it was far away in NW Austin but I could see it from the 10th floor of the office building I worked in downtown.

I had one tornado come close to our house. It was during the night and touched down several blocks east and west of our apartment, doing a little roof damage, but skipped over us.

Has anyone else experienced tornado damage in Austin?

[ATX Homeboy]

Hasn't been a serious tornado IN Austin since the one that hit back in the early 1900's, south Austin at St. Edward's University and Congress Ave.

Usually we get lots of wind and flooding.

Occasionally, one strikes nearby along or close to the Lakes, N, NW or SE towards Bastrop and East to Fayette Co. and La Grange.

[mark311]

I wasn't in the area yet, so I can't provide a first hand account, but there was the one that went through Cedar Park about 12 years ago. When they say that Albertson's was taken out by it, I assume they mean the Albertson's at the corner of 1431/183 (now an Office Depot). That's pretty close to Austin.

Tornado Disaster -- Texas, May 1997

[CarnivalGal]

Originally Posted by mark311

I wasn't in the area yet, so I can't provide a first hand account, but there was the one that went through Cedar Park about 12 years ago. When they say that Albertson's was taken out by it, I assume they mean the Albertson's at the corner of 1431/183 (now an Office Depot). That's pretty close to Austin.

Tornado Disaster -- Texas, May 1997

I completely remember that storm. I was at work and my boss, who was out-of-town, kept calling to make sure we were OK and giving us updates. That was before we had internet access.

[CarnivalGal]

Also wanted to add, I have been in Texas (first in Houston and now Austin) for 18 years (16 in Austin) and have never seen a tornado

[mark311]

Here's a better article that I just found and it is the Albertson's that was at 1431/183.

1997 Cedar Park Tornado (http://impactnews.com/leander-cedar-park/history/1468-1997-cedar-park-tornado - broken link)

[TexasHorseLady]

Originally Posted by mark311

I wasn't in the area yet, so I can't provide a first hand account, but there was the one that went through Cedar Park about 12 years ago. When they say that Albertson's was taken out by it, I assume they mean the Albertson's at the corner of 1431/183 (now an Office Depot). That's pretty close to Austin.

Tornado Disaster -- Texas, May 1997

That was the F5 that went through Jarrell first - May 27, 1997.

[CptnRn]

Originally Posted by CptnRn

I had one tornado come close to our house. It was during the night and touched down several blocks east and west of our apartment, doing a little roof damage, but skipped over us.

Correction that was back in 1979 or so. It was during the night and touched down several blocks east and west of our apartment along NE Airport Blvd, doing a little roof damage, but skipped over us.

[love roses]

I live kind of close to Jonah but had no clue there was a tornado that close until the news later that morning. Maybe that would explain why my dog jumped up in bed with me and then followed me to the bathroom later He never does that, ever, and when I told my husband about it he said that he must have sensed the tornado even though I didn't know about it.

[tourbound129]

Originally Posted by TexasHorseLady

That was the F5 that went through Jarrell first - May 27, 1997.

Same storm system but different tornado. The one in Cedar Park was an F3. I remember the 50 mph winds in Round Rock and watching the radar as that storm went through Jarrell.