 The paths of the two tornadoes across Austin | |
| Duration | May 4, 1922 |
|---|---|
| Tornadoes confirmed | 2 |
| Max. rating1 | F4 tornado |
| Fatalities | 12–13 fatalities; ≥50 injuries |
| Damage | ≥$300,000 (1922 USD)[nb 1] |
| Areas affected | Austin, Texas, and surrounding communities |
| 1Most severe tornado damage; see Fujita scale | |
On the afternoon of May 4, 1922, two simultaneous tornadoes struck Austin, Texas, taking unusual southwesterly paths through the city and surrounding areas on both sides of the Colorado River. Meteorological details concerning the conditions that led to the event are sparse, though historical accounts described the morning and afternoon as sweltering; clouds began aggregating northeast of Austin by noon and had developed into thunderstorms over the city by around 4:00 p.m.[nb 2] The first tornado began in a rural area 6 mi (9.7 km) northwest of the Texas State Capitol and tracked across the Texas Deaf, Dumb, and Blind Institute for Colored Youth and Deep Eddy, injuring at least five people and causing around $25,000 in damage (equivalent to $455,000 in 2023). The tornado was widely photographed and was estimated to have been an F2 tornado on the Fujita scale.
While the first tornado was inflicting damage, a second tornado touched down near the Texas State Cemetery and moved across the Travis Heights community and St. Edwards University. Its most destructive impacts occurred at the Woodward Manufacturing Company's automobile plant at Penn Field. It then curved west towards Manchaca and Oak Hill, leveling homes and uprooting numerous trees before dissipating. The second tornado was the more destructive of the two and killed at least 12 people, including six at a single home in Oak Hill. It was estimated to have been an F4 tornado on the Fujita scale. In aggregate, the two tornadoes injured 50–60 people and inflicted at least $300,000 (equivalent to $5,500,000 in 2023) in damage, with some estimates placing the damage toll above $700,000 (equivalent to $12,700,000 in 2023).
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