NWS confirms EF-1 tornado hit Bullard

Published 9:59 pm Friday, May 9, 2025

Officials have confirmed a tornado struck Bullard earlier this week.

The EF-1 tornado occurred Tuesday around 1:41 p.m. and lasted for about seven minutes, according to the National Weather Service of Shreveport. The NWS sent surveyors to Smith County on Thursday who were able to confirm details of the tornadic event.

“The survey team determined that damage across the southern part of the county was consistent with that of an EF-1 tornado,” NWS said in a statement.

Wind speeds reached at least 93 mph, the NWS said. The tornado’s path was about 5 miles long and 600 yards wide at its largest width.

The tornado started in a rural area west of Bullard in an open field just east of County Road 173, NWS said. It gradually grew in size and strength as it continued just south of due east into the north side of Bullard.

“The tornado was its most intense near North Houston Street and west of U.S. Highway 69 where several hardwood trees exhibited snapped trunks and uprooted trees were quite concentrated, especially on the west side of a neighborhood just north of Lynch Drive,” NWS said in its report. “In this neighborhood there were also quite a few residences with low end roof damage, mainly in the form of shingle loss.”

NWS said there were also some homes damaged by falling trees and tree limbs in this general area. More homes experienced the same east of Highway 69 in a residential area just north of East Henderson Street and in the Pecan Valley subdivision south of East Henderson Street, NWS said.

Earlier this week, NWS confirmed an EF-0 tornado hit Anderson County on Tuesday.