May 11, 2025
Damage caused by the tornado near downtown Lubbock
The 1970 Lubbock Tornado is now on Wikipedia.
During the evening hours of May 11, 1970, a powerful multiple-vortex tornado struck a large portion of the city of Lubbock, located in the state of Texas, United States. Resulting in 26 fatalities and an estimated $250 million in damage (equivalent to $2.02 billion in 2024). Known as the Lubbock tornado,[2] it was in its time the costliest tornado in U.S. history, damaging nearly 9,000 homes and inflicting widespread damage to businesses, high-rise buildings, and public infrastructure. The tornado’s damage was surveyed by meteorologist Ted Fujita in what researcher Thomas P. Grazulis described as “the most detailed mapping ever done, up to that time, of the path of a single tornado.” Originally, the most severe damage was assigned a preliminary F6 rating on the Fujita scale, making it one of only two tornadoes to receive the rating, alongside the 1974 Xenia tornado.[3] Later, it was downgraded to an F5 rating.[a] The extremity of the damage and the force required to displace heavy objects as much as was observed indicated that winds produced by vortices within the tornado may have exceeded 290 mph (470 km/h)
The time was 9:46 PM. Lubbock, TX momentarily stopped. In the tumultuous seconds that followed, the City would experience such calamity that it would alter its course forward and leave an everlasting impression. 51 years later, out of the chaos rises a peaceful place. A place of remembrance and reflection. A place to mourn those lost to the storm and to ponder on all that has been gained in the decades since.
"Tornado Alley"
Pick up your copy of Tornado Alley, the Caprock Writers and Illustrators Group’s 2020 Anthology, in memory of the May 11, 1970 tornados that hit Lubbock, Texas. (Mathis does not have a story in this anthology.)
