This story has been updated to include that the National Weather Service, late Sunday night, officially declared that Saturday's wind damage was caused by an EF1 tornado.
KATY, Texas (Covering Katy News) – On Sunday night, the National Weather Service confirmed that it was an EF1 tornado that struck the Katy-Brookshire area on Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024. A Katy neighborhood near the corner of Pitts and Freeman Roads was torn apart by the high winds, damaging homes and cars. There were no injuries.
EF Tornado Scale
Ground zero for damage was along Bartoncliff Drive and Castiel Drive.
For more information about the tornado's path and characteristics read this article: National Weather Service Confirms EF-1 Tornado Struck Katy Area
The tornado was captured on video by Dr. Matt Everett.
Resident Keith Edmonds watched as high winds damaged and pushed his full-sized pickup truck into his neighborhood's retention pond.
"We got the alert that the tornado was in the area, and I went into the backyard, and I could see it coming," Edmonds said.
"I went inside to wake my wife up. We looked back outside to see it, and we heard a big boom, so we all rushed into the laundry room and got onto the floor," Edmonds added.
A tow truck was called to retrieve Edmonds' vehicle from the pond. While the front wheels were submerged, the rest of the heavily-damaged pickup remained above water.
Nearby, another full-sized pickup truck and its attached trailer was flipped onto its side by the high winds.
Neighbor Dipesh Ranjit also experienced the storm's fury as the high winds turned his two parked vehicles sideways. He recalled seeing the tornado approach shortly after getting a weather alert.
"It quickly became bigger and came down here and struck our home and all of the homes down there," he said.
The situation became particularly dangerous for Ranjit's family, who were in the backyard when the tornado struck.
"They were out back trying to take everything inside the house," he said. "But the winds became so strong they couldn't reach the door."
"My parents and I were holding onto the children," Ranjit's wife said. "When the winds finally slowed, we managed to get inside."
Dipesh Ranjit said the destruction occurred very quickly. During that time his home's windows were smashed, cars were damaged, and his garage door was broken.
"They were holding on to the poles of the house, and it was throwing stuff around," he added. "The main thing is we are all ok."
Similar damage was visible throughout the neighborhood. Numerous homes had large parts of their roofs torn off, windows blown out, and debris scattered on nearby property.
See additional photos below.
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This house on Bartoncliff Drive was badly damaged by an EF1 tornado that stuck on December 28, 2024.
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Roof, window and garage door damage was commonplace after the EF 1tornado struck along Bartoncliff Drive and Castiel Drive.
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The EF1 tornado struck along Bartoncliff Drive and Castiel Drive and pushed this full size pick up truck off the road and into a detention pond.
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A full size Dodge Ram pickup truck and an attached car carrier trailer was flipped on its side by the EF1 tornado along Bartoncliff Drive and Castiel Drive in Katy on Dec. 28, 2024.
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The cars at Dipesh Ranjit's house on Castiel Drive were damaged and pushed sideways by the EF1 tornado on Dec. 28, 2024
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Numerous garage doors like this one on Castiel Drive were damaged by the EF1 tornado on Dec. 28, 2024.
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Nuerous homes suffered window damage along Bartoncliff Drive and Castiel Drive following and EF1 tornado on Dec. 28, 2024.