In the afternoon hours of May 27, 1997, an extremely violent and destructive tornado tore through the community of Jarrell, Texas, killing 27 people and injuring a further 12.[1] The tornado caused $40.1 million (1997 USD) in damages, and was the subject of multiple well-known photographs, earning the tornado the nickname of "the Dead Man Walking tornado".[2] The tornado stalled over the Double Creek Estates housing subdivision, for approximately 5-7 minutes at F5 strength, causing arguably some of the most destructive tornado damage ever recorded. NIST Studies on the tornado have been conducted in the years and decades after the event.[3] Although the tornado was never officially given a windspeed, it was estimated to be over 200 mph.[4] As of 2024, this tornado is Texas' most recent F5 or EF5 tornado.[5] The tornado was the fourth-deadliest of the 1990s in the United States, only being surpassed by the 1990 Plainfield tornado that killed 29, the 1998 Birmingham tornado that killed 32, and the 1999 Bridge Creek–Moore tornado that killed 36. It was also the only F5 tornado of 1997, and the next F5 would occur on April 8 of the following year.
