Texas Tornadoes Threaten Google Data Center Under Construction

Two tornadoes were spotted near Amarillo, Texas on Tuesday evening. One of them spun just four miles northwest of the Hoffman Data Center, which is currently under construction for Google as part of its Llano Project.

A storm chaser named Aaron Rigsby filmed a second tornado touching down southwest of Amarillo around 9:41 p.m. CDT. This came amid severe flooding in New Mexico and northern Texas due to moisture from Hurricane Polo.

Data centers, like the one near Claude, can suffer significant damage if hit by strong tornadoes, according to AccuWeather VP Dan DePodwin. Building codes typically require structures to be built to withstand impacts from EF0-EF2 tornadoes, but these codes vary by building type and geographic region.

A direct hit from an EF3-rated tornado or higher poses a significant risk of damage to a data center. Insurers are more likely to cover the costs if the data center is designed to withstand such a storm, which would add 10-15% to its construction cost.