Power Outage in Gardendale, TX

Power poles were snapped on Everhart Road and Bonner Drive in Corpus Christi. Several fences and many trees were blown down in Corpus Christi. Power outages were extensive across the city.

Public and spotter reports of wind gusts between 65 and 75 mph occurred over parts of the city of Corpus Christi east of Staples Street and north of Saratoga Boulevard. The high winds extended northeast toward Texas A & M University at Corpus Christi. Power outages occurred in this section of the city along with minor tree damage.

Power outages occurred near Saratoga and Rodd Field Roads in Corpus Christi.

A line of severe thunderstorms moved into Ector County around 11:20 PM CDT March 18th and progressed eastward. At 12:28 AM CDT March 19th, a tornado touched down in the Gardendale community and remained on the ground for two minutes. This tornado produced damage along County Road 30 (Goldenrod Drive) primarily between Chinaberry Avenue and Alfalfa Avenue. As the tornado developed, it moved just south of an RV Park located near the intersection of County Road 30 and China Berry Ave. This resulted in a large camper being toppled by severe northwest winds flowing into the tornado. One minor injury was noted at this location. As the tornado intensified and progressed northeastward, strong inflow winds from the south resulted in a cinder block fence being blown over to the north. Finally, as the tornado crossed County Road 30 (Goldenrod Drive), it reached its peak intensity. This resulted in significant damage to a residential home, along with a 20' x 30' travel trailer and a barn being destroyed. Widespread damage was noted in this area, which also served as a collection point for a great amount of debris from other locations upwind back to the southwest. South of County Road 30, power poles with broken cross members were noted. This was indicative of EF1 tornado damage. However, the tornado intensified after crossing to the north side of County Road 30 (Goldenrod Drive). There was a home that shifted slightly off its foundation. Also, there was significant loss of roof decking and major shingle loss. Some small pieces of debris became projectiles, sticking into the walls of the home. Based on this information, winds for this event were estimated to be 90-110 mph. The Gardendale tornado at its most intense - north of County Road 30 - was rated as a low end EF-2 tornado.