Tornado Touches Down Near Ballinger

SAN ANGELO, TX — Several people near Ballinger witnessed a tornado touch down at around 6 p.m. Thursday, May 2. The tornado was believed to have touched down towards the town of Benoit and south of US 67, or about 3 miles east/southeast of Ballinger.

At the same time, San Angelo NWS reported a line of thunderstorms with maximum tops of 65,000 traversing the area. The clouds were rotating quickly prompting a tornado warning from NWS. The area remains under a severe thunderstorm watch with forecasts of ping-pong ball sized hail.

Since 6 p.m., a second line of storms south of Ballinger prompted a second tornado warning for the area around O.H. Ivie Reservoir. The center of the severe weather is right over the lake where the town of Leaday once was (it’s now mostly submerged except for a cemetery on the east side of the lake, according to Google Maps).

The second line over Ivie is traveling at 10 mph. There have been reports of funnels but no sightings of a tornado touching down.

The photos and videos are from Jason Gore who was located south/southeast of Ballinger when the tornado touched down. There are no reports of widespread damage, but it is likely too soon after the storms passed to access any damage.