A tornado emergency was issued early Tuesday afternoon for the Baytown and SE Houston communities. This was the highest level of a tornado warning, and reports of damage just east of Houston are numerous. This is the first tornado emergency ever issued by the National Weather Service office out of Houston. Early Wednesday morning, the National Weather Service office in Houston confirmed an EF-3 hit the Deer Park / Pasadena, TX area.
According to the National Weather Service Houston – the Deer Park/Pasadena tornado will be preliminarily rated EF3 on the ground for 18miles and winds of over 140 mph. pic.twitter.com/m7CUlgeIdj
— WeatherNation (@WeatherNation) January 25, 2023
Our field correspondents were able to survey the damage in Pasadena, TX by drone on Tuesday afternoon, showing widespread damage to homes in the town. Shingles and drywall were ripped off homes and debris was scattered throughout. A train was pushed off the tracks and multiple semi trucks were blown over. The community of Deer Park was also hit very hard by this same tornado.
Drone footage shows the extent of tornado damage in Pasadena, TX to the Southeast of the Houston metro. This is where there was a tornado emergency earlier this afternoon. #TXwx pic.twitter.com/AythDxkupq
— WeatherNation (@WeatherNation) January 24, 2023
Our crews surveyed more tornado damage in Orange, TX, a community located on the Louisiana/Texas border.
Our field correspondents were able to get us a bird's eye view of some of the damage from Orange, TX today after powerful storms ripped through the region.
We'll have continued coverage on @WeatherNation all evening. #TXwx #tornado pic.twitter.com/CYHPF79zVn
— WeatherNation (@WeatherNation) January 25, 2023
On Tuesday we had an ENHANCED risk issued by the Storm Prediction Center (level 3 out of 5) for the Gulf Coast of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama along with the Florida panhandle. There was also the risk for “significant tornadoes” through the I-10 corridor where the SPC highlighted the potential for an EF-2 or greater tornado.
For the latest on the storm surveys, stay with WeatherNation for the most up-to-date forecast & information!