1997 Central Texas tornado outbreak
A deadly tornado outbreak occurred in Central Texas during the afternoon and evening of May 27, 1997, in conjunction with a southwestward-moving cluster of supercell thunderstorms. These storms produced 20 tornadoes, mainly along the Interstate 35 corridor from northeast of Waco to north of San Antonio. The strongest tornado was an F5 tornado that leveled parts of Jarrell, killing 27 people and injuring 12 others. Overall, 30 people were killed and 33 others were hospitalized by the severe weather.
View of the Jarrell tornado as it moved near the Double Creek Estates area
A surface weather analysis of Texas at 2:00 p.m. on May 27 showing the cold front (solid line with pennants), dry line (dashed line with semicircles), gravity wave (solid line), and low-pressure area (L symbol). The alignment of these features produced the local environmental conditions enabling the tornado outbreak.
The Double Creek Estates subdivision was pulverized by the tornado, with many homes swept off their foundations and disintegrated. This photograph shows one remaining foundation with plumbing pulled out of the concrete.
The memorial at Jarrell Memorial Park naming the victims of the 1989 and 1997 Jarrell tornadoes
Cedar Park is a city and a suburb of Austin in the state of Texas, approximately 16 miles (26 km) northwest of the center of Austin. According to the 2020 U.S. census, the city's population was 77,595, and in 2022 was estimated to be 77,642.
H-E-B Center at Cedar Park
Logo
Cedar Park Depot, Texas