Meteorological Synopsis
An upper trough moved over the central United States. Subsequently, a tornado outbreak took place over portions of Kansas, Nebraska, Missouri, and Oklahoma on May 20. Cold upper air temperatures and marginal low level moisture produced severe weather across the southern and central Great Plains. On May 21, this shortwave trough and a deep surface low produced an additional violent (F4) tornado in Minnesota, while tornadoes killed 15 people in Missouri. On May 22, another area of low pressure was centered over southwest Oklahoma in attendance with a front, which extended from central New Mexico to Missouri. A weakening Pacific cold front dissipated near Del Rio. In Texas, low level moisture, originating from the Gulf of Mexico, remained abundant during the four days that preceded the May 24 outbreak. Eventually, lifted index values increased to -10, which correlated with Surface Based Convective Available Potential Energy values near 3,500 joules per kilogram.
On May 23, dewpoints rose across western Texas, and temperatures reached 77°F in the warm sector. On May 24, high moisture levels surged into southeastern New Mexico on both sides of a warm front. A new surface low pressure area also developed over New Mexico. The first tornado formed near Melrose and moved northeast across rural Roosevelt County between 3:30 and 4:30 a.m. The F2 tornado destroyed several barns. Later, fog developed northward to Amarillo, in tandem with exceptionally high dewpoints. After a six-hour gap, two tornadoes developed near Bovina and Enochs. The former tornado moved northeast across Parmer County and traveled nearly 40 miles to a point west of Amarillo. It destroyed eight farms near Friona, while storm-associated funnel clouds caused injuries near Hereford. The second tornado moved east-northeast and lifted over northern Hale County. It dismantled 77 homes near Olton and caused $650,000 (1957 USD) in damages.
Subsequently, four tornadoes developed over the next three hours. One tornado, sighted around 11:17 a.m. (CDT), occurred 20 miles northwest of Wildorado. It remained over rural areas and inflicted no damage. Officially, this tornado was not recorded in the National Weather Service database. Another tornado, touching down around 1:00 p.m. (CDT), affected Lynn County. It formed near Tahoka, where roof damage occurred. The funnel skipped north-northeast. In Wilson, four homes incurred damage. Homes were demolished in Slayton, and twelve homes were destroyed in Savage. The event, comprising a tornado family, dissipated east of Cone. Officially, the event is recorded as a single tornado. The strong tornado attained F3 intensity on the Fujita scale. Eventually, tornadoes affected seven states and caused four fatalities. In all, at least 38 tornadoes were confirmed and documented in the official National Weather Service records. Additionally, at least one undocumented tornado was reported southeast and east of Midland around 6:30–7:15 p.m. (0030–0115 UTC).
Read more about this topic: May 1957 Mid-South Tornado Outbreak