Roger Estlack

The Donley County 4-H Horse Judging Teams, coached by Robin Ellis, did very well when they competed at the Houston Livestock Show Horse Judging Contest on Thursday, March 18.

The team of Bryce Williams, Maloree Wann, Gracie Ellis, and Elliot Frausto won the contest. and the team of Whitney William, MaryJo Dushay. and Makynna Williams placed 11th overall.

Placing individually overall were Gracie 5th place, Elliot 8th place, Maloree 13th place, MaryJo 29th, Makynna 31st, Bryce 35th, and Whitney 36th. In the Reasons Class, finishing in the top ten were Bryce placing 1st and Gracie 2nd

Wreckage and debris were left in the paths of two tornadoes that struck Donley County Saturday evening, March 13, but no injuries have been reported.

Both tornadoes struck the City of Clarendon, and one moved on to Greenbelt Lake, ripping up travel trailers, mobile homes, docks, and other structures in the lease lots and marina area on the south side of the reservoir.

The National Weather Service in Amarillo initiall

y categorized both storms as EF-0 tornadoes but later upgraded the storm that hit the lake to an EF-2 with wind speeds of up to 120 mph.

NWS said at least seven tornadoes hit the Panhandle area Saturday evening as an upper level storm system moved northeast across the southern Rockies, and severe thunderstorms with tornadoes developed as wind shear, moisture, and instability increased just ahead of the upper level storm system.

“If the temperature had been five degrees warmer, it would have been a massive storm, according to the weather service,” Donley County Sheriff Butch Blackburn said. “There was considerable damage, and they are finding stuff tore up at the lake that was not evident right after the storm.”

Clarendon Fire Chief Jeremy Powell said spotting the storms was difficult because the tornadoes were rain-wrapped.

“We had several areas of circulation, and we had at least a dozen spotters out watching,” Powell said.

The first tornado started near the JA Ranch Road at 5:42 p.m. just outside of Clarendon and moved across the edge of the city, moving near Maple Drive and then hitting the edge of the college campus, damaging the baseball scoreboard, before gathering strength and heading to the lake, Powell said.

The weather service said the tornado took on a wider path as it progressed towards Greenbelt Lake, where it damaged mobile homes, recreational vehicles, and boating facilities. Many trees were also snapped in the area.

The first tornado followed a path of about 13.2 miles and was as wide as 1200 yards and was on the ground for about 30 minutes before it dissipated north of the old liquor store by the golf course.

The storm missed the populated part of the City of Howardwick, but caused considerable damage on the southeast side of the lake.

“It hit what’s usually referred to as the A and B lots area, Old Marina Point, and Jetski Beach,” Powell said. “I’m estimating between 30 and 50 trailers or mobile homes were damaged, and one permanent residence was damaged. I’d guess about three-quarters of a million dollars in damage just at the lake alone.”

Powell said officials shut down entrances to the lake Saturday night because of the wreckage and the large number of downed power lines in the area. Sunday morning, people with property in that area were allowed to come inside.

As the first tornado still raged, a second tornado touched down at 5:51 in Clarendon, near Eighth and McLean streets, progressed to Bond Street and then moved north, destroying fences, damaging roofs, and breaking and uprooting trees along the way. The storm also hit the First Baptist Church before dissipating as it crossed US 287.

The second storm reached peak wind speeds of about 80 to 85 mph, followed a path 0.6 miles long, and was a maximum of 40 yards wide at one point. It lasted for about one minute, the weather service stated. It could have been a satellite to the larger tornado.

Several homes, trees, and sheds were damaged. Approximately 10 homes suffered shingle damage to roofs, while multiple trees were downed, the weather service reported.

Following the second storm, emergency personnel did a grid search of the area starting at Koogle Street and moving west to check on homes and damage, Powell said.