A severe line of early spring thunderstorms that carved a path of destruction across central Texas spawned at least five tornadoes, including one that wreaked havoc in Hutto, Granger and Taylor.
The total extent of property damage and any injuries was still being assessed from the storm Monday, March 21. As of Tuesday, March 22, Williamson County officials said no deaths had been reported.
“The City of Taylor Communications Office confirms damage from a tornado that touched down in the northwest part of the city earlier this evening,” said Taylor’s municipal government in a statement Monday. “Damage includes downed power lines on County Road 368, roof damage to buildings and out buildings on Cotton Row Lane, and debris blocking the roadways near Chandler Road and County Road 101. No injuries have been reported as of 7 p.m.
A sweep of the area by a Taylor Press storm chaser indicated widespread damage in several areas.
Travis Steglich, who Monday night was taking stock of any damages to the storage unit he owns at 1185 S.H. 95 in Granger, tried to look for a silver lining in the wake of the chaos
“You think you’ve got something until you ain’t. No guarantee,” he said. “Glad no one got hurt.”
In a call to the newspaper, Carl Caldwell reported heavy damage to telephone poles, homes, railroad tracks and more in Granger, but no immediate injuries.
According to eyewitnesses, homes on County Road 346 sustained heavy damages, and another structure was leveled near that area.
The road was cordoned off by law enforcement and first responders.
Much of the observable damage was relegated to north of Taylor.
High winds, blinding rains and hail also accompanied the storm that created tornado action across the region, with reports of funnel clouds near Elgin, Giddings, Lockhart, Smithville and other areas.
The tornado that passed through Hutto and Taylor was first spotted in Round Rock near Interstate 35 and Texas 45, then moved to U.S. 79 and began moving east, officials said. A northwest Taylor neighborhood near Chandler Road was clipped as the storm headed northeast before dissipating between Granger and Granger Lake.
The worst of the rapidly moving storm, which struck the area about 6 p.m. and was preceded by lashing rains, lasted about two hours before the system moved out.
Oncor’s storm outage map showed up to a thousand customers without power Monday night, not counting 5,000 closer to Round Rock. Hundred were still without power midday Tuesday due to equipment failures with an unknown restoration time. For updates on restoring power, visit https://stormcenter. oncor.com.
Officials address community
County Judge Bill Gravell and Gov. Greg Abbott held a joint press conference later that night. Gravell confirmed widespread damage in the county and said electricity had been switched off to eastern parts of the county due to downed power lines. In addition to tornado effects, he reported heavy damage from hail.
Gravell said the National Weather Service would con duct an assessment, but at least two tornados touched down Williamson County — one that moved from Round Rock to Granger and another near Jarrell. He also told residents the situation could have been worse.
“Be patient as we work through the next day or two to work through the damages,” the judge said.
Abbott mentioned a state website to report damages, http://www.damage.tdem.tx.gov. In a follow-up press conference Tuesday, Gravell said anyone with questions about damage or other storm-related concerns should visit http://www.wilco.org.
