HOUSTON (KIAH) — After surveying the damage from Tuesday’s Houston-area tornado, the preliminary report from the National Weather Service says, at its peak, the Pasadena / Deer Park tornado reached EF3 status with maximum winds of 140 mph.
The EF (Enhanced Fujita) scale ranges from EF0 to EF5. Winds of 136 to 165 mph fall in the EF3 rating.
Wind damage was reported in the Pearland area, just before the tornado formed near I-45 and the Beltway in Southeast Houston. From there, the tornado traveled quickly to the northeast with the most extreme damage in the Pasadena and Deer Park areas. After an 18-mile track, the tornado ended near Baytown. At one point, the maximum width of the tornado was 0.66 miles wide.
