The Last F5: Remembering Jarrell's tornado outbreak
AUSTIN (KXAN) — A tornado warning in Jarrell on Monday as strong storms moved through Central Texas came a day before the anniversary of a 1997 storm that left destruction and a lasting impression on that community in its wake.
It’s been more than a quarter century since powerful storms tore through Jarrell in Williamson County, flattening homes and killing 27 people.
May 27, 1997 started as a sunny, “normal” Tuesday, witnesses in Jarrell recalled. But a brewing storm brought an extremely rare F5 tornado. This one stretched three-quarters of a mile wide and had winds from 260-300 mph.
In 2022, KXAN put together a special report for the 25th anniversary of the tornado outbreak, honoring the lives lost and preserving the memories of those who survived. Watch it at the top of this story.
