Tornadoes Strike Overnight Around Abilene, Texas

An overnight storm that spawned multiple tornadoes caused damage west, north and northeast of Abilene, including wind turbines south of Merkel, houses in Tye and vehicles and structures at the Robertson and Middleton prison units near the Jones County line.

The storm rumbled through the area during the first hours of the first day of spring.

A team from the San Angelo office of the National Weather Service surveyed the area Thursday and determined that a tornado had touched down south of Merkel about 1:15 a.m. Thursday, followed by second near Tye at about 1:27 a.m. and a third at the Robertson unit at 1:47 a.m., NWS lead forecaster Patrick McCullough said.

The Merkel and Robertson unit tornadoes were classified as at least EF-2, which have winds of 111 to 135 mph, the NWS said. The Tye tornado was classified as EF-1, with wind speeds of 86 to 110 mph.

Power lines were down, wind turbines toppled and several structures and residences in Mulberry Canyon south of Merkel were damaged, said Sgt. Cliff Griffin with the Taylor County Sheriff’s Office.