| As severe thunderstorms continued
to move rapidly east northeast at 30 mph, a Severe Thunderstorm Warning
was issued for southeastern Ward County at 7:15 PM. Reports from Grandfalls
indicated that the severe thunderstorm struck the community between
7:17 and 7:22 PM. Quarter to golfball size hail was reported in and
just south of Grandfalls
as the storm passed.
In addition, five power poles were snapped along State Route 11,
just south of town. In town, an abandon mobile was rolled by high
wind and destroyed while the roof of another mobile home in the
southwest portions of the community was blown onto a nearby pickup.
Several trees were uprooted and a historic church also sustained
roof damage.
A damage survey conducted by the National Weather Service Forecast
Office in Midland revealed that all damage was caused by severe
thunderstorm winds. These were uniform in direction, blowing debris
from the southwest to the northeast. The damaging winds swept through
an area approximately three miles wide. These observations are consistent
with the occurrence of a macroburst. A macroburst is a large downburst
of winds extending in excess of 2.5 miles in horizontal dimension.
An intense macroburst often causes widespread "tornado-like"
damage, such as those that occurred in the Grandfalls area Thursday
evening. |
weather.gov 
