A severe thunderstorm that moved through west Texas caused 86 cars to derail just south of Interstate 20 in Midland, Texas on Tuesday evening.
The National Weather Service said “Due to the wind speed threshold of the train cars and powerline poles, the survey team estimated peak wind speeds to be between 80-100 mph. All of the damage was oriented facing the north, which indicated a “large swath” of straight-line winds…..straight-line winds are a common cause of wind damage from a thunderstorm. They can reach over 100 mph and are caused by air being dragged down by precipitation. When the air reaches the ground, it spreads outward across the surface of the land it encounters in a straight line.”
There were no injuries reported and none of the derailed cars contained hazardous materials.
Severe thunderstorm winds in Texas derail 86 cars on train, cause ‘significant’ damage
