The Jarrell tornado originally touched down at 3:40 p.m. CDT (2040 UTC) as a rope-like tornado near the Bell-Williamson County line.
By 3:45 p.m. (2045 UTC), the tornado had quickly intensified into a violent ¹⁄₂-to-³⁄₄-mile (0.80 to 1.21 km) wide multiple-vortex tornado.
It scoured a cotton field down to a depth of 18 inches (46 cm) as it moved southwestward toward the west side of Jarrell.

Moving very slowly as a large wedge tornado, the tornado entered the northwestern portion of Jarrell at around 3:48 pm CDT and struck the Double Creek Estates neighborhood.
Catastrophic damage occurred here, with the tornado completely destroying all 38 houses and killing 27 people in the subdivision.
Many of the homes in the tornado's path were well-constructed and bolted to their foundations, but the tornado left only slab foundations.
The debris from the destroyed homes was either thrown several miles away or dismantled into small fragments and scattered for long distances across the countryside.
 Several entire families from Double Creek Estates were killed in the tornado, including all five members of the Igo family and all four members of the Moehring family.
The tornado victims sustained such extreme physical trauma that recovery teams had difficulty distinguishing human remains from animal remains scattered throughout the area.
Many of the human remains were never recovered at all.
Additionally, about 300 cattle were killed by the storm.

A later assessment from NOAA noted:
"In the Double Creek area, approximately 40 structures were totally destroyed.
One of the most striking signs in approaching this area was the distinct lack of debris of any size.
Closer inspection showed lots of little debris, but no sign of large items.
At least half a dozen cars were identified from the air lying in the open areas, most of them flattened and encrusted with mud and grass.
Later, a ground survey revealed that most of the debris that was left in the area was extremely small, indicating the power of the tornadic winds."

The tornado slowly tracked toward the southwest, which is an exceptionally uncommon movement pattern for tornadoes in North America, then eventually entered a wooded area before dissipating.
The tornado produced some of the most extreme ground scouring ever documented, as the earth at and around the Double Creek Estates was scoured out to depths of 18-24 inches (46-61 cm), reducing lush fields of grass to vast expanses of mud.
When the tornado crossed county roads outside of Jarrell, it tore away 500-foot (152 m) segments of asphalt from the roads and chipped pieces of concrete out of their respective slabs.
 The tornado also picked up large amounts of loose soil as it deeply scoured the ground, producing a sandblasting effect on nearby houses and their occupants.
In addition to the 27 deaths in Double Creek Estates, one person was seriously injured and less than a dozen people suffered minor injuries after the tornado.
The tornado left no damage indicators with which to judge higher winds, but video of the tornado shows extremely violent rotation and updraft winds comparable to other F5 tornadoes.
Newspaper articles from 1997 reported wind speeds from 400-500 mph.

The tornado moved further southwest into a heavily wooded area of cedar trees before rapidly dissipating at 3:53 p.m. CDT (2053 UTC), just to the southwest of Jarrell.
The tornado lasted 13 minutes, travelling only 5.1 miles (8.2 km) during its lifespan.

There were 27 fatalities, all in the Double Creek Estates neighborhood.
Today, the neighborhood has been rebuilt, and Jarrell Memorial Park was constructed on the site of the Igo family home to honor the victims.
The Jarrell tornado originally touched down at 3:40 p.m. CDT (2040 UTC) as a rope-like tornado near the Bell-Williamson County line. By 3:45 p.m. (2045 UTC), the tornado had quickly intensified into a violent ¹⁄₂-to-³⁄₄-mile (0.80 to 1.21 km) wide multiple-vortex tornado. It scoured a cotton field down to a depth of 18 inches (46 cm) as it moved southwestward toward the west side of Jarrell.
Moving very slowly as a large wedge tornado, the tornado entered the northwestern portion of Jarrell at around 3:48 pm CDT and struck the Double Creek Estates neighborhood. Catastrophic damage occurred here, with the tornado completely destroying all 38 houses and killing 27 people in the subdivision. Many of the homes in the tornado's path were well-constructed and bolted to their foundations, but the tornado left only slab foundations. The debris from the destroyed homes was either thrown several miles away or dismantled into small fragments and scattered for long distances across the countryside.  Several entire families from Double Creek Estates were killed in the tornado, including all five members of the Igo family and all four members of the Moehring family. The tornado victims sustained such extreme physical trauma that recovery teams had difficulty distinguishing human remains from animal remains scattered throughout the area. Many of the human remains were never recovered at all. Additionally, about 300 cattle were killed by the storm.
A later assessment from NOAA noted:
"In the Double Creek area, approximately 40 structures were totally destroyed. One of the most striking signs in approaching this area was the distinct lack of debris of any size. Closer inspection showed lots of little debris, but no sign of large items. At least half a dozen cars were identified from the air lying in the open areas, most of them flattened and encrusted with mud and grass. Later, a ground survey revealed that most of the debris that was left in the area was extremely small, indicating the power of the tornadic winds."
The tornado slowly tracked toward the southwest, which is an exceptionally uncommon movement pattern for tornadoes in North America, then eventually entered a wooded area before dissipating. The tornado produced some of the most extreme ground scouring ever documented, as the earth at and around the Double Creek Estates was scoured out to depths of 18-24 inches (46-61 cm), reducing lush fields of grass to vast expanses of mud. When the tornado crossed county roads outside of Jarrell, it tore away 500-foot (152 m) segments of asphalt from the roads and chipped pieces of concrete out of their respective slabs.  The tornado also picked up large amounts of loose soil as it deeply scoured the ground, producing a sandblasting effect on nearby houses and their occupants. In addition to the 27 deaths in Double Creek Estates, one person was seriously injured and less than a dozen people suffered minor injuries after the tornado. The tornado left no damage indicators with which to judge higher winds, but video of the tornado shows extremely violent rotation and updraft winds comparable to other F5 tornadoes. Newspaper articles from 1997 reported wind speeds from 400-500 mph.
The tornado moved further southwest into a heavily wooded area of cedar trees before rapidly dissipating at 3:53 p.m. CDT (2053 UTC), just to the southwest of Jarrell. The tornado lasted 13 minutes, travelling only 5.1 miles (8.2 km) during its lifespan.
There were 27 fatalities, all in the Double Creek Estates neighborhood. Today, the neighborhood has been rebuilt, and Jarrell Memorial Park was constructed on the site of the Igo family home to honor the victims.
1997 Central Texas tornado outbreak