A pretty little west Texas tornado “ropes out” near the end of its lifespan, after traversing remote mesquite range many miles from any public roads. No person was harmed in the atmosphere’s making of this vortex. Jackrabbits, rattlesnakes, and mesquite bushes may have been, however. The bent-back old updraft, cleaving off the back side of the supercell, had eroded to a ragged nub, and the tornado itself would last no more than another 10–20 seconds. This is a mechanism I’ve seen produce tornadoes on several occasions away from the newer, stronger, primary mesocyclone, including another west Texas event and another tube not far northeast of Denver.
23 SSW Sterling City, TX (19 Apr 25) Looking NW
31.5126, -101.0893