 The tornado at around its peak intensity passing over a highway. A power flash can be seen to its left. | |
| Meteorological history | |
|---|---|
| Formed | December 26, 2015, 6:46 p.m. CST (UTC–06:00) |
| Dissipated | December 26, 2015, 7:02 p.m. CST (UTC–06:00) |
| Duration | 13 minutes |
| EF4 tornado | |
| on the Enhanced Fujita scale | |
| Highest winds | 180 mph (290 km/h) |
| Overall effects | |
| Fatalities | 10 |
| Injuries | 468 |
| Areas affected | Dallas and Rockwall County, Texas |
Part of the December 2015 North American storm complex and Tornadoes of 2015 | |
On the night of December 26, 2015, a violent EF4 tornado struck the Dallas suburbs of Sunnyvale, Garland, and Rowlett. It caused $20–26 million (2015 USD) in damages, killed 10 people, making it the deadliest tornado in the United States in 2015, and injured 468 others. This was the third tornado to be rated an EF4 in the United States that year and the fourth such tornado worldwide.
The tornado touched down at 6:46 p.m. CST, and slowly began to intensify in strength while approaching Sunnyvale. As the tornado moved into Garland, it became violent, inflicting heavy damage on structures and vehicles. As the tornado crossed a highway, it struck a turnpike, where nine people who were sheltering in their vehicles were killed. Another man was killed when his house collapsed before the tornado lifted at 7:02 p.m., in Rockwall County. The tornado was the deadliest tornado ever to hit in the month of December in Texas, and one of the deadliest December tornadoes to hit the United States on record, alongside the 1953 Vicksburg, Mississippi tornado, the 1957 Gorham-Murphysboro, Illinois tornado, the 2000 Tuscaloosa tornado, the 2021 Western Kentucky tornado, and the 2015 Holly Springs-Ashland tornado that had occurred just three days before this event.