NWS ups Valentine's Day tornado count to 6

Wednesday, February 15, 2017
HOUSTON (KTRK) -- At least six tornadoes bore down on southeastern Texas on Valentine's Day morning, the National Weather Service confirmed.
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Damage teams continue to visit impacted areas, so the number of confirmed tornadoes may continue to rise in the coming days.

Van Vleck


An EF1 tornado with winds estimated between 86 and 110 miles per hour touched down in Van Vleck, a small community in Matagorda County that bore the brunt of the storm's damage.

A look at storm-ravaged Van Vleck


According to the Matagorda Sheriff's Office, the storm damaged at least 15 homes in Van Vleck. Footage from the scene shows homes with roofs ripped off and trailers on their sides.



Six people in the area sustained injuries directly related to the storm, none of which were serious, the National Weather Service reported.

Wharton

An EF0 tornado with winds estimated between between 65 and 85 miles per hour touched down in central Wharton County.

Small tornado damages homes in Wharton


"I heard a spark in my kitchen, and I looked outside my kitchen window and saw that a tree had fallen on my parents' house," said resident Lisa Mendoa. "As soon as rain stopped, that's when they let me go in the living room and see that part of the tree had fallen into their living room."

Mendoza's family was celebrating her mother's birthday when the storm hit.



Remarkably, no injuries were reported in the county.

Rosenberg


An EF2 tornado with winds estimated between 111 and 135 miles per hour touched down in the Bridlewood Estates subdivision of Rosenberg. Several homes and other small structures reported severe damage.

ABC13's Kevin Quinn shows weather damage in Bridlewood Estates

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Kerry Dunford, who was home at the time of the storm, hid in the bath tub with her adult daughter. She heard the strong winds rip the roof off her home.

Although the worst of the storm passed in less than a minute, Dunford said it felt like an eternity.
"I would say [it was] the scariest moment of my life," she recalled.



Nearby, large swaths of sheet metal were ripped off of a dilapidated rice mill. Miraculously, nobody was injured by the flying debris.

Stafford


Two tornadoes touched down in Stafford, both EF0s with winds estimated between 65 and 85 miles per hour. One touched down near Greenbriar Drive and Murphy Road.

EF0 tornado touches down in Stafford


Joey Kaczmarek, owner of of Southwest Domestics, was the only one in his office when that tornado blew through.



"It opened the front door and just started sucking everything out," he recalled.

Kaczmarek ran to the bathroom for cover as blinds were twisted, the ceiling caved in and the pressure sucked light bulbs out of their sockets.
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"It sounded just like a train coming through," said Kaczmarek, adding that he was grateful to escape unscathed.

SWEENY


An EF0 tornado with winds estimated between 65 and 85 miles per hour touched down in western Brazoria County.
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