AUSTIN (KXAN) — It began with hail. The small town in Burnet County was pummeled by a severe thunderstorm throughout the night of March 21, 2021. Residents in Bertram who spoke with KXAN tell us they thought a tornado ravaged their neighborhood. Little did they know, straight line winds were the culprit.
Winds during a severe storm
Winds have helped shape every aspect of the world we see, from carving out mountains to carrying pollen across hundreds of miles. However, winds can also be a force of destruction, ripping through homes and creating projectiles out of branches and loose items. Here in Texas, we experience various types of severe weather involving wind, including hurricanes, tornadoes and severe storms.
Hurricane classification is based on wind speeds, with a Category One starting at 74 miles per hour and a Category Five with wind speeds greater than 155 miles per hour.
Tornadoes use the Enhanced Fujita Scale, which uses not only winds but the associated damage to rate it on an EF Scale of 0-5.
Unlike tornadoes, which force winds into the storm, severe storms force winds AWAY from the storm. Derechos, downbursts and microbursts are all associated with severe storms.
Straight line winds can be pushed out of a storm and can reach wind speeds rivaling those of a hurricane. The main difference is that winds will push forward in a straight line and can travel for hundreds of miles. These strong winds can knock over cars, trees and even humans.
According to Genaro Montelongo, owner of Bison Roofing, even wind gusts of 60 miles per hour can begin to damage a home.
“Most of the shingles that we have on our roofs are either three tabs or laminate shingles and have a wind warranty of 60 miles per hour. So it can lift shingles, and a lot of the ridge vents at the peak of the roof tend to experience wind damage,” Montelongo said.
Bertram storms: Four years later
One of the most recent examples of the damage straight line winds can cause is from that day in in March 2021 when a severe storm moved through Burnet County and also brought hail and heavy downpours.
Homes and businesses were badly damaged and one century-old building was destroyed in the town of Bertram.
Jesse James, a resident of Bertram, remembered the devastation left behind and how the AB McGill & Co. Building looked the morning after the storm.
“The roof was gone. The side of the wall was gone. They had to come in and tear it down. It was crazy for straight line winds to do something like that,” James said.
The National Weather Service surveyed the damage and estimated 75 mile per hour straight line winds ripped through the city.
Joe Schumaker, another resident of Bertram, also recalled some of the damage the town suffered.
“Next door, they had a glass front and all that glass in the front and the metal frame got blown in by about 3 inches,” Schumaker said. “They found tin on our patio that was wrapped around poles. They don’t even know what buildings those came off of.”
The town has since recovered, but storms like this are just a reminder of how winds can play a major factor in severe weather and the destruction it can leave behind.
During a severe storm, staying away from windows and inside an interior room or hall is the best. Download the KXAN Weather App to track any storms that may move through.
