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The
day began with ominous weather. Shortly after midnight on March
10, 1973, a brief tornado killed one and injured seven near San
Angelo (Tom
Green County). Under cover of the darkness of the early morning
hours, the storm front approached the Hill Country. At 6:24 the
town of Hubbard
was awakened by the deadliest tornado of the four that occurred
in Texas that day. The twister had
already destroyed a home and injured two near Mart
(McLennan County)
and demolished several structures at Watt (Limestone
County) before attacking the community of about fifteen hundred
people in far northeast Hill
County. As it cut a diagonal path through the town, the tornado
demolished thirty homes and damaged half of the buildings in town.
Six people lost their lives, and one hundred sustained injuries.
Among those killed was a six-year old boy who died when the tornado
destroyed his trailer home and three farm workers from Houston
who were pinned inside a trailer on a ranch outside town.
Stories of the storm abounded. Several described the sound like
a jet plane taking off while others said it sounded like the proverbial
freight train. Another victim said the storm was like "rocks pounding
the house and then there was a big bang and the house exploded."
One resident explained that a small aquarium with a gold fish swimming
around remained untouched although the storm had badly damaged his
home. Another man pointed out his glass rain gauge that had survived
the onslaught of the winds and debris while his house was in shambles.
The National Weather Service retroactively rated this tornado an
F4, with winds exceeding 200 miles per hour.
© Marlene
Bradford
August 23 , 2014
See
Texas Tornadoes: The Lone Star State’s
Deadliest Twisters
Hubbard, Texas
More Texas
Storms
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