A home security camera outside Lindale caught a funnel cloud whipping past a house under construction last Saturday, turning an otherwise quiet stretch of Smith County into must-see storm video. Survey teams later confirmed the brief touchdown was an EF1 tornado, and local officials reported no serious injuries. The clip is a sharp reminder of how fast compact but intense twisters can spin up during East Texas spring storms.
The National Weather Service office in Shreveport called it a small, but intense tornado with estimated peak winds near 97 mph, a 2.62-mile track and a maximum width of about 32 yards, according to FOX 7 Austin. After a ground survey east of Lindale, NWS teams said the damage lined up with an EF1 rating. Those preliminary numbers came after crews reviewed both what they found on the ground and what they saw in the video.
NWS Warning Coordination Meteorologist Chris Nuttall told KLTV that the rating was tied to roof covering torn from a house and an uprooted oak tree, both signs of winds in the mid-90 mph range. “This is just another example of how quickly tornadoes can happen,” Nuttall said, noting that the storm showed almost no obvious rotation on radar before it hit. He urged residents to keep their severe weather safety plans ready to go throughout the season.
Video Shows Funnel Skirting a New Home
Footage credited to Judd Ramsey and posted by Storyful shows a condensation funnel swirling close enough to a partially built home to kick up debris around the site. The video, captured on Saturday and shared with multiple news outlets, gives a tight, ground-level look at the circulation. According to Storyful, clips like this can be crucial for confirming brief tornado touchdowns in rural areas that might otherwise leave only a short, messy damage trail. The clear angle helps survey teams line up reported damage with the storm’s path.
Damage and Community Response
Smith County Emergency Management Coordinator Brandon Moore told the Houston Chronicle that two homes took major hits, one on County Road 498 and another on FM 16, and that volunteers and the American Red Cross have stepped in to help. County photos shared with local media show sections of roof peeled away and trees pushed over, and officials said one resident was displaced. Despite the damage, emergency managers said they have not recorded any fatalities or serious injuries tied to the storm.
What Forecasters Want You to Know
Forecasters say the Lindale tornado developed quickly and with only a subtle radar signature, a scenario that highlights how short-lived but powerful twisters can strike even when the radar does not look especially menacing. The National Weather Service urges people to have multiple ways to receive warnings and a practiced plan for where to shelter, with details listed on the National Weather Service tornado safety page. Local emergency officials also cautioned residents returning to damaged properties to keep their distance from downed power lines and watch out for unstable debris.
Survey teams will continue refining the tornado’s exact track as they wrap up damage assessments, and neighbors across Smith County are organizing cleanup crews and support for those affected. For now, the Lindale video stands as a stark, close-range reminder of how fast a spring storm in East Texas can turn from routine to dangerous.
