In 1997, Cedar Park was hit by a tornado from the same system that produced Jarrell's deadly storm

CEDAR PARK, Texas — In late May 1997, Texas was hit by a major tornado outbreak when nearly two dozen twisters touched down in Central Texas.

The storm system produced the F-5 tornado that directly hit the Double Creek Estates community in Jarrell, Texas, leaving 27 people dead.

Further south in Cedar Park, Texas, that same system hit the city with a tornado of its own. The target was an Albertson’s grocery store where people in the parking lot ran for cover once they saw the tornado.

“The twister touched down right on the other side of the road there and just jumped the road and came over here so quick. Everybody just ran inside, and that’s when the roof collapsed,” one resident told KVUE at the time.

The store’s manager, Larry Fore, is credited with saving many lives by having shoppers take cover inside the store’s freezers. Those who didn’t make it into the freezers hid under tables.

On Friday, May 27, as we air our “Remember Jarrell: 25 Years Later” special report, we will look back at the events of that deadly day and what happened in the days that followed. The program begins at 11:30 a.m. Friday.

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