35th Anniversary of the Saragosa Tornado

May 22nd, 1987

NWS Midland/Odessa, TX

Introduction

On the evening of May 22nd, 1987, the small community of Saragosa, TX in rural Reeves County was devastated by a violent F4 tornado. In a brief span of 15 minutes, the tornado carved a path of destruction through town. Much of Saragosa suffered catastrophic destruction with little to no structures spared.

Sadly, a total of 30 people lost their lives and 141 more were injured, making it the 9th deadliest tornado in Texas state history. In honor of the 35th anniversary of this devastating event, we've created this Storymap so you can explore the rich history and stories from Saragosa in the spring of 1987.

Within this story map, we will take a look back at the environmental conditions that led to this tornadic event, a timeline of the tornado from development stage up to the point of impact, the damage, and the community recovery in the wake of the tornado including public response and eyewitness testimonies.

Satellite Imagery From May 22nd

GOES-7 visible satellite imagery for 6 PM (left) and 7 PM (right) local time. Slide through the pictures to see how storms evolved. You can see the explosive storm updraft near the location of Saragosa which is indicated by the yellow star.

The Damage

A sliding image showing a map of the extent of the tornado damage. On the left is a zoomed out view, outlining where different levels of intensity on the Fujita scale occurred. On the right is a zoomed in view of the F4-level damage, showing structures that were destroyed or spared. The Community Center is Saragosa Hall, which took a direct hit.

Public Response

Help came pouring in from nearby communities. The Red Cross set up shelters in the city of Pecos to temporarily house displaced residents, while first responders sifted through the rubble to find those who were still missing. Families, friends, and neighbors banded together to provide assistance and aid to those who lost their homes.

The following video shows just how resilient the people of Saragosa were, despite losing everything.

Video Courtesy of ABC 13 News Houston, TX

Eyewitness Testimonies

01 / 08

Image Gallery

Photos courtesy of the Midland Reporter-Telegram and Don Ingram.

Conclusion

The events of May 22nd, 1987 were devastating. While timely warnings and messaging have improved since the Saragosa Tornado, there remains more work to be done regarding preparedness and communication, especially for rural communities like Saragosa. Thank you for taking the time to explore the stories and events from that fateful day.

We appreciate all of the community members who provided first-hand accounts of May 22nd, as well as the media who reported on this historic event.

Credits

Photographs, video, and quotes courtesy of the Midland Reporter-Telegram, Don Ingram, ABC13EyewitnessNews, Saragosa, Texas, Tornado: May 22, 1987: An Evaluation of the Warning System, The Dallas Morning News, and Saragosa: The Town Killed by a Tornado.

NWS Midland

Dave Munyan, Matt Salerno, Sam Zuber

GOES-7 visible satellite imagery for 6 PM (left) and 7 PM (right) local time. Slide through the pictures to see how storms evolved. You can see the explosive storm updraft near the location of Saragosa which is indicated by the yellow star.

A sliding image showing a map of the extent of the tornado damage. On the left is a zoomed out view, outlining where different levels of intensity on the Fujita scale occurred. On the right is a zoomed in view of the F4-level damage, showing structures that were destroyed or spared. The Community Center is Saragosa Hall, which took a direct hit.