'Tornado Emergency' issued in Houston area for first time

One of those alerts issued by the National Weather Service was a 'Tornado Emergency' and it was the first time such an alert has been issued in the Houston area.

The alert was issued when a tornado was spotted on the ground in the Pasadena/Deer Park area, heading toward Baytown.

According to KHOU meteorologist Tim Pandajis, a Tornado Emergency has been available as an alert from the National Weather Service in Houston for seven years but Tuesday was the first time it was ever used.

Here is the definition of a Tornado Emergency, verbatim from the National Weather Service: 'An exceedingly rare tornado warning issued when there is a severe threat to human life and catastrophic damage from an imminent or ongoing tornado. This tornado warning is reserved for situations when a reliable source confirms a tornado, or there is clear radar evidence of the existence of a damaging tornado, such as the observation of debris.'

4 tornado reports...so far.

NWS Survey Teams will be dispatched tomorrow to conduct assessments.

A Tornado Emergency was issued for the confirmed tornado east of #Houston - since the product's inception in 2016, this was the 1st time issued.@KHOU #khou11 pic.twitter.com/Jqm8aleHf4

— Tim Pandajis (@TimPandajisKHOU) January 24, 2023